How to Prepare: Sophomore Year

Pre-College Issues High School Life
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<p>With the school year coming up very, very soon, I thought it's probably best to begin focusing on what to do sophomore year in order to maximize my chances at getting into any university I want (easier said than done, so that's why I'm starting now).</p>

<p>I have Ivy League aspirations—possibly Columbia University—which I know is difficult to get into.</p>

<p>So that begs the question: what should I do this year to begin beefing up my college resume? I have a 97/100 average right now (my school doesn't give us a 4 point GPA), and I'm taking the most advance classes I can sign up for. Anything else I need to do (as well as others in my grade)? :D</p>

<p>(If I'm doing anything wrong, please tell me and don't hate me forever. :P I'm new here!)</p>

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<p>You made a typo in your post. I’ll just hate you for a couple years instead.</p>

<p>Anyway, focus on getting the best grades you can right now. Also, start to dedicate yourself to some of your favorite ECs.</p>

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<p>create a club</p>

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<p>Interesting phrasing.
Stuff you can do:

  1. Develop good relationships with teachers so they’ll write good recommendation letters. This won’t really be relevant until junior year, but it’s always good to participate in class.
  2. Research the colleges you think you might want to apply to. Don’t just blindly pick colleges because they’re prestigious. This will help you later when schools ask you to write essays on why you’re applying.
  3. When you think of something that might make an interesting essay topic, write it down. By the end of your junior year, you’ll have a lot of stuff to work with.
  4. Sometime this winter, start thinking about what you’re going to do in the summer of 2014. You’ll probably be too young for most internships, but see if you can find a job or a summer program to go to (they have really early application deadlines…that’s why you should think about this in the winter). Free selective programs are more impressive than expensive ones.</p>
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<p>

Did I make a typo? :open_mouth: Where? And I definitely want to dive into some more ECs—ones that interest me but I never got a chance to try out. (I’m also considering trying debate, mostly because my debate teacher wanted me to check it out after taking her Intro to Debate course.)</p>

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Oh, was there something wrong in the way I said it? Er, I was trying to say something along the lines of “What should sophomores—both myself and others—do this year to prepare?” (To be more courteous to other sophomores who see this thread so it’s not just a “me, me, me” type of thing.)</p>

<p>But anyway, thanks so much for the suggestions! I’m considering Columbia University not just because of the prestige, but because I got the chance to do a tour just last month and I liked what the school had to offer! Granted, it was my first tour, so I do have an open mind.</p>

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<p>Along with good grades, which you should maintain throughout high school, sophomore year is CRUCIAL for one thing especially; ECs. This is the year to solidify your participation in existing ECs and really your last chance to join any EC in which you plan to play a meaningful role. This is also the time to shave down your extracurricular involvement and craft a comprehensive picture of your interest. Sit down, look at your list of clubs and begin to eliminate some of them. Take into account the current leadership, how likely you are to eventually become a leader, quality of the commitment (is it competitive? Is it impressive?) and whether you genuinely enjoy it. I say you should really cut down on anywhere from 30-50% of your ECs commitments (unless you have fewer than 3 clubs, in which case you should probably maintain that or even add two or three) so that you have time to focus on your remaining clubs. Keep in mind that this does NOT apply to sports; STAY IN YOUR SPORT!!! If you’re in a sport from freshman year, keep your commitment; it might suck, but you will thank yourself for the longterm commitment, sense of community, and application boost it will give. All in all, sophomore year is a critical year of self-evaluation; there is no freshman year frenzy, where chronic club joining is the norm, nor is there junior year anxiety or senior year stress, so take advantage of the time to take a step back and look at where you are, but be sure not to squander this chance to lay the most critical groundwork for a solid application.
Best of luck!</p>