<p>Um, I'm not sure really how to use this site even since I'm new, but I have been reading a few forums and to be honest, I'm completely intimidated. I can't believe how many people with perfect statistics and amazing extracurriculars there are...</p>
<p>Anyway, I'm still only a sophomore in high school but, so far this is how it's been going:</p>
<p>Private Catholic high school in Northern Virginia (so competitive you wouldn't even believe)</p>
<p>Freshman Year Schedule (final grades)
HN English 9 (A-)
HN Western Civ (A)
Spanish 2 (A)
HN Geometry (B+)
HN Algebra II (A-)
HN Biology (A-)
Cumulative freshman GPA: I'm not sure about UW, but 4.11 (W). </p>
<p>Sophomore Year Schedule (1st semester grades)
HN English 10 (A)
HN US/VA History (A)
HN Spanish 3 (A)
HN Precalculus (A)
AP Statistics (A)
Chemistry (A)
1st semester GPA: 4.00 (UW) 4.38 (W)</p>
<p>Junior Year Schedule- registered for:
AP Lang/Composition
APUSH
AP Calculus AB
AP Environmental Science
HN Java Programming
HN Spanish 4 (we aren't allowed to skip to AP)
Intro to Art (really really really annoying mandatory fine arts credit)</p>
<p>Senior Year Schedule-
AP Lit
AP Government
AP Calculus BC
AP Physics B
AP Computer Science
AP Spanish Language
AP Macroeconomics </p>
<p>I'm aware my senior year looks a little crazy, but I would have done Macro this year if not for the fine arts credit I legitimately must take or I cannot graduate. Although, question for more experienced college-admissions process people: is a really challenging senior year even beneficial? I feel like I will have already applied to colleges so those classes won't matter... and it seems as though my junior year I should be killing myself and maybe relax senior year. At least, that's what the majority of the seniors at my school have done (minus the killing themselves junior year-- no one tries here). </p>
<p>Extracurriculars</p>
<p>9th Grade
- JV Cheerleading (co-captain)- football and basketball seasons
- Student Ambassadors
- Junior Math League
- Principle's Scholarship ($12,000)
- 2nd place school science fair- comparing the effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum versus Mentha piperitae on the growth of various oral bacteria
- ~50 hours volunteering (lots of church stuff, etc)
- National Spanish Exam, Bronze Medalist</p>
<p>10th Grade (so far; not including volunteer hours, which haven't been tallied)
- Varsity Cheerleading- football season
- Student Ambassadors
- Senior Math League
- Literary Magazine- junior editor
- After-school Spanish tutoring- "Advanced Level"
- Tutor and volunteer for Study Buddies, an after-school program for homeless and at-risk children K-8
- still lots of church volunteering going on</p>
<p>PSAT score: 212</p>
<p>If it isn't clear, my favorite subjects are mathematics and Spanish, but my interest for computer science hasn't been able to show itself in my course selections yet. I will be taking my first formal programming course next year, so I assume that will go well and I'll be prepared to take APCS senior year. I'm not sure what I want to major in or what I want to have a career in, but something that blends my passion for math, spanish, computers, and art (I actually do love art, I just hate using up valuable schedule time for it) would be EXCELLENT... although I do acknowledge that this is an eclectic mix and will be hard to combine, haha.</p>
<p>I'm a bilingual Catholic Hispanic American- my dad immigrated from El Salvador shortly before I was born, and Spanish was my first language.</p>
<p>Some schools I've been looking at:
- UCLA (out of state... I'm trying not get too hopeful)
- UC Berkeley (")
- UVA
- William and Mary
- Duke (if only... hahaha such a dream school but it's nice just to have on my list)
- UNC Chapel Hill (I've heard this is impossible OOS, which sucks)
- Notre Dame
- Penn State (it's a family tradition on my mom's side)
- Cornell (see Duke's side note)</p>
<p>If anyone can think of any schools that would be better fits for me please tell me, I am just beginning this process and can use any help I can get. Please don't worry about offending me, I want to be reasonable and as someone from a family that isn't exactly swimming in money, it would be a waste of money to apply somewhere where I have no chances.</p>
<p>Anything I can do to prepare myself to be competitive when applying to these schools would also be so appreciated. </p>
<p>Thank you to anyone who actually read this entire thing and even more thanks to those who respond!</p>