<p>Hey, I am going into my junior year of high school and I attend a regular public school (Yeah, it sucks I wish I went to a magnet school, our magnet schools are the best in NJ and one is a heath academy =[ oh well). Anyway, I didn't really apply myself in 8th and 9th grade but then I said to myself "What am I going to do with my life?" Last year I got straight A's. This year I will be in whatever is below honors classes (Terrible I know). I have racked up a few hundred hours of volunteer work this summer which everyone says is great to get me into a top school and while I agree that volunteering is great, it is not going to get my into Cornell or Vanderbilt. I need to have an edge these next two years, I know I can handle honors and AP I am VERY smart but I just didn't apply myself. I KNOW I want to pursue a career in medicine. I am looking at applying to a vast number of schools in the top fifty mostly and a few select ones in the top 100. What my plan is, I will bust my tail somehow these next two years and develop an edge to get me into a great school like NYU or Vanderbilt, and maybe after two years of hard work at these universities I may have a fighting chance of getting into Cornell, Dartmouth or another ivy, if I don't get in, hey, that's cool but I have to have a good enough chance to get myself into at least a school like NYU which is by no means an impossible school to get into, and I love NYU but they don't accept everybody. The question is, how the hell am I going to do this? What should be my edge? What should I do to stand out these next two years?</p>
<p>Wow…that was a long runon sentence.</p>
<p>I don’t have any tips on how to standout or have an edge, but I feel as though to get into great schools, not everyone must have an edge. If your plan is on transferring, your first undergrad college doesn’t even need to be that great. Your state school should be fine. After all, even community college transfers frequently transfer to great schools.</p>
<p>The most important thing colleges are looking for in traditional applicants (not athletes, etc) is academic excellence. Of course, academic excellence doesn’t get you in to Harvard, but nevertheless, it is the most important part of your application. If I were you, I would work hard and get straight As again, but in the toughest classes your school offers (or they let you into). It really sucks that you’re deciding to push yourself relatively late, as it is very hard to salvage your high school career as a junior, especially since that is the last full year colleges see. </p>
<p>I myself got Fs in middle school, but I decided to shape up, and now I have mostly straight As and 800s on my SAT IIs, so it’s definitely possible to get your act together.</p>
<p>Still, it is imperative that you understand that even if you get straight As and take all AP classes, it is highly unlikely you will get into a “top” school (by CC standards at least). You will be competing against candidates with straight As in the most challenging courses. Your volunteering, while good, like you said, it’s not going to get you into Cornell. Many other applicants volunteer, and volunteering is really an ancillary aspect of an application.</p>
<p>Anyway, just work hard in high school and college, and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I’ll do anything to get into an ivy, I know this sounds like a very vague response but I know I can do it.</p>
<p>Why do you want to go to an ivy?</p>
<p>Prestige, Cornell has a great pre-med program.</p>
<p>I think you should be more realistic and realize that there is no secret to getting into an Ivy.</p>
<p>I also mentioned NYU which is a pretty realistic choice. Even with NYU I don’t know how I will pull it off with a halfway decent GPA.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t even feel like going to school anymore, at this point, I don’t think it really matters how motivated and smart I am. I don’t have Honors, AP, IB, Dual Enrollment like everyone else. I volunteered at a hospital but others have traveled to orphanages in China…how can I compete?</p>
<p>You should realize that going to a “good” college isn’t everything. It’s not the only path to success. </p>
<p>Continue to get good grades in harder classes, do well on the SATs, and you’ll find many colleges that want students like you, and can provide a good college experience.</p>
<p>Honestly, if you don’t have that “Most Challenging Course Load” check on your guidance counselor form (whether it be honors, APs, IB, etc.), than you can pretty much forget about the Ivies/Ivy-levels. I think the first thing they look at is your course difficulty and grades. If you REALLY want to get into a top school, you’re going to have to do something about your course levels (and this year. Next year will be too late; this year is probably too late anyway); plain and simple, Ivies don’t take kids who don’t take hard course loads. …Unless they’re Olympic athletes, URMs, or the children of generous billionaires/celebrities. (but that’s a story for another rainy day)</p>
<p>You’ll probably have to settle for a “lower” level college (meaning not Ivies, Vanderbilt, or anything on that level. NYU might still be a possibility, depending on what college you apply to) for your first year or two, but transferring is always an option.</p>
<p>I must admit I am surprised to see so many people saying such things as “you can succeed even without going to a good school” or “without hard classes you basically have no chance”. You’re a rising junior. A junior. I personally believe junior year is perhaps the most important year for a student, as some great schools such as UCBerkeley don’t even look at freshman, and as you said, you did great as a sophomore even if your classes weren’t the the toughest. In fact, in my school people don’t start mass taking APs until junior year. </p>
<p>The problem you have is your not signed on to a hard course load for your junior year. My advice to you is why not try to change your schedule. I don’t know when your school begins, but most schools where I live only begin now and we have a policy of allowing students to change classes for the first two weeks (and sometimes even longer periods of time). I don’t know what your school’s policy is, and even if you know your school doesn’t have this kind of class shopping sort of deal, try speaking with your high school consoler or whoever is in charge of your scheduling. Tell them that you think you are smart, actually scratch that, you KNOW you are smart, and you want to work harder. I think many school staff would be motivated to help a student who wants to try hard. If you really are serious, maybe you could have your parents talk to school admins if they won’t let you switch classes. Bottom line is if you don’t try you don’t know, and often you might just get amazing results making a shot at something you think is impossible. And this is saying your school doesn’t have this kind of policy, I believe most schools do anyways. </p>
<p>If worst comes to worst and you can’t switch your schedule, you’re still not out of luck. You can self study APs. This is fairly common, especially among competitive students and CCers, and shows that you are willing to go out of your way to challenge yourself. Theres a great thread on which APs are easily self studied in the AP section of these boards. Perhaps when you actually apply, you could even write an essay on your situation, and how you felt compelled to turn your life around. </p>
<p>As for other factors, they can just be as important as coursework, if not sometimes more, especially in your situation. I personally believe only HYPSM and such schools only demand the “perfect” totally rounded students. Schools such as NYU (especially in non-Stern or Tirsch cases) will definitely be one that you can make up easy coursework with great ECs. Continue your volunteer, but don’t settle for just that, develop a passion, and as hackneyed as that is, its really true. And it works. It is doing something you love and getting the most out of it. So if you enjoy math, enter math competitions, if you play an instrument, highlight yourself on that ability. </p>
<p>Oh yeah, and you have a whole year to prepare SATs and ACTs and such, make sure you do well on those. I think theres some sort of new policy this year that allows students to pick and choose their scores on individual tests so use that to your advantage. </p>
<p>All in all, opportunity is out there, and you have a whole year to go. You are far from done if you are smart about it, and most importantly you have to work hard. Perhaps at times you will have to work harder than you have ever imagined, considering you have never taken (or have taken few) advanced courses, and for some people, APs are really tough. </p>
<p>So yeah, you have a long way to go, make the best of your time.</p>
<p>@:.Masochist: I agree with a lot of what you’re saying, and I have actually mentioned doing well on tests and such above, but I must take issue with your argument about course load. Seeing as he is entering junior year, many high schools restrict students from entering upper-level courses without meeting some prerequisites, like taking the preceding honors courses. Furthermore, these classes may already be full. Thirdly, I don’t know enough about the OP to determine whether he is actually capable of getting good grades on these tougher courses. I don’t doubt that he can do well with one or two higher level courses, but to go from all regular to all honors is stretching it. Furthermore, it interests me as to why the OP isn’t already scheduled to take higher level courses this year. He mentions that he has already started to work hard, getting all As last year. If he was such a brilliant student, then why didn’t his teachers recommend him to the higher honors/AP program.</p>
<p>Anyway, the rest of your post was great, especially the self-studying AP part of it! And keep in mind my advice is only in dealing with my high school, and some of the other local schools that restrict students from entering upper level courses.</p>
<p>I agree wholeheartedly with everything PBailey has said. I actually also had a weak middle school experience, but stepped up my game eighth grade on and have so far been doing pretty well. Colleges LOVE rising trends, and actually one of my friends who didn’t have that high of a GPA (but challenging courses) got accepted to some of the top schools in the nation. He had a strong rising trend and a passion for learning.</p>
<p>I would also suggest to look at talking with guidance counselor about what you could do about your schedule, and also to look outside the ivy league at perhaps other pre-med programs. I know that TCNJ has an excellent combined BA/MD program that is easier to get into than most other combined programs. Many schools not in the ivy league actually have great medschool acceptance rates and premed advising. Look around :)</p>
<p>None of my teacher’s reccomended me, you are correct. Why? I have no idea, I have tried everything I spoke to my counselor about honors classes and they wouldn’t move me up. I don’t know how it is “too late” to get into a good college. I’m only halfway through.</p>
<p>How would I go about self studying AP’s? I am willing do it.</p>
<p>don’t do it. ap exam doesn’t prove anything. the colleges only care about your grade for that AP class.</p>
<p>If there was a secret to getting into an Ivy, it would be known. But believe me, no one here knows - because there is no secret.</p>
<p>The closest thing to a ‘secret’ is to work hard in everything you do, be passionate about both academics and your ‘calling’ (extracurricular, athletic, academic), and hope for the best.</p>