<p>cyclonehome – Good advice so far in the threads, but YES, she should be keeping track of what extracurriculars she does, whatever those might be. If she has the opportunity (and the real interest in) running for a leadership position in one of her groups (either in scouts, or youth group or whatever) she should definitely do that. Selective schools like to see that kids are really involved in their activities, whatever they may be, and that they are leaders in those activities. Being the Captain/President/Vice President/Membership director etc. is a big help, as is taking the helm of a large project and leading it to successful completion (planning and executing scouting projects, maybe organizing a service project with church). </p>
<p>At any rate, it will be extremely helpful down the road if you start keeping track now of any and ALL achievements she has earned in extracurriculars and at school. Any awards she gets, however small, should be listed on her application, and you should try and recount how many hours she spends at each activity. Our high school guidance counselors always encouraged us to list EVERYTHING we possibly could think of, but by senior year it can be difficult to recall it all. </p>
<p>Don’t fret if she can’t take every AP at her high school. What matters is that she’s taking the most challenging curriculum possible for her (i.e. what she can realistically take) and that she is doing well in those classes. Selective colleges tend to get to know the high schools in their area, and they’ll be evaluating her based on how she does relative to her peers and how rigorous her academic load is. Sounds like if she’s doing Calc as a junior, she’s on a good track.</p>