I am currently a sophmore in high school. I have a 3.9375 out of 4.0 gpa and a 5.688 out of 6.0. I am taking 2 AP classes this year and 3 Pre-AP and took 5 Pre-AP last year. I am currently salutation. However, I have almost no extracurriculars. I am in two clubs this year but that is it, one meets weekly and the other monthly. I do not play any sports and am not in band or anything like that and do nothing out of school. I also don’t know what to major in or what schools I want to go to. Do I still have a good chance of getting into a good college like NYU or UT or USC or not? Also, what extracurriculars should I pick up
You’re 15 years old and a sophomore. You’re bright and focused.
What you should be doing right now is becoming “unstressed skittles.” There’s no way that this should be causing stress to a 15 year old high school sophomore.
Yes, you should be involved in stuff at school— stuff that interests you, stuff that excites you, stuff that you would do even if it had nothing to do with college admissions.
High school is a time to figure out who you are, what you like, and what kind of person you want to be as an adult. It’s a time for exploration in terms of likes and dislikes. It’s a time for volunteering— not to beef up a resume, but because at this point in your life you have the time and energy and the lack of commitments to do it.
So find some activities in school in your community that appeal to you, and join up.
Do ECs that you’re interested in. If there aren’t any, start some.
You’re a great student. Now, find one activity and go as far as you can - become an expert, do research for a professor at the local community college, contact a scholar or specialist in the subject, create a club around it…
Keep in mind that you have two years of high school left. If your GPA stays the same, many colleges will open their doors to you. As the other members have stated, make sure you stay active in groups because that will also increase your potential.
As far as not knowing what you want to study… relax. You’re 15. There are people in their 20’s who don’t know the answer to that either. It takes time.
There are many people that do well academically but get rejected from the top colleges. I suggest you find a field you’re interested in, and join ECs related to that. If you like science for example, you should join the science Olympiad. Try to show interest and extra focus in what you’re interested in. Not only will it be less of a burden, but elite colleges don’t care for people who attempt to be good at everything.