<p>I'm a junior in a very good high school and I finally realized the importance of prepping for College. I need some direction though. My parents never pushed me to get good grades or do anything involving the school. So, I'm kind of on my own for this. But, I've never really been deeply involved in school. I have been apart of the speech and debate team, student council, and a couple of the clubs on campus (GSA, Amnesty International, etc.). I have a GPA of 3.8 and I am in AP English Literature. I am very active outside of school. I play in a band and we are participating in the Battle of the Bands at my school. I also volunteer at an outreach program once a week. I write a lot of poetry in my spare time and have had it published in a book. I know where I want to go and maybe it's shooting for the stars a little bit but right now the goal is to getting into Cornell University. I don't know my SAT scores yet because I can't take the NEW SAT till spring. </p>
<p>Is there anything I should do right now to help me get into Cornell?</p>
<p>First off, are you a junior or a senior? If you are the former, you should relax a little and start working. If you are the latter--</p>
<p>Question yourself: what are your goals? Cornell is lovely, but what will going to this university accomplish in your long-term goal? Your published poetry is impressive, as is your independent drive, but you'll need more than that. In addition, Cornell would not be my choice for a potential English major. Penn State University is potentially better in that field. </p>
<p>You will need your SATs (which, if you are a senior, are a one-shot thing to get right) and you should study, study, study. It's almost too late if you are a junior for SAT IIs, so just focus on the SATs now. In addition, start writing your essays and start to seriously talk to your counselors. </p>
<p>I am a junior. Why is it too late to worry about SAT II's?? I'm planning on taking the "Princeton Review" if I can get the money for it. But for right now, I have a book I bought that has all the SAT/ACT words in it. I've taking already the PSAT and I should be finding out my scores this month. Isn't the SAT and the SAT II pretty much the same? Except the SAT II goes into more detail on the subject you pick? </p>
<p>What more do I need for Cornell for them to even consider accepting me in 2006? Someone told me that if I got my band recorded and put out a CD, even if it's not in stores, but maybe at least on the radio that would look good. </p>
<p>I'm actually planning on majoring in business and music of some sort. Or, so I think at the moment. But honestly, I have no idea. I just want to go to a school where I'll be challenged and Cornell looked like the canidate.</p>