Just Started 10th Grade, is it too early to plan?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1 
  When I was in 7th grade, I wasn't that motivated, and so when high school applications came I got into a decent high school but not the best in the city because I didn't apply. I regret that every day, but thanks to that I have been motivated every day to make sure to go to one of the best universities.

  Some might say I'm thinking too ahead, but I was wondering what you guys thought.

My GPA for 9th grade was a perfect 4.0

String Orchestra - 97
Classical Mythology - 95
APWH - 93
Health - P (passed, they don’t give a # grade for this)
Latin I - 96
Geometry - 99
Chemistry - 100

My regent grades aren’t that great…

Algebra - 92
Living Environment - 92
Earth Science - 91
Chemistry - 87

Geometry - 86

I plan on taking the following AP’s in HS and planning on passing all of them

AP WH
AP Chem
AP US History
AP Physics
AP Bio
College Math
AP Calc
AP Music Theory
AP Literature
AP English
AP Gov

  • Over the summer I might take another college course as a junior since my school offers it.

E.C’s

Freshmen year I was on the debate team, and this year as a sophomore I’ve been chosen as the Captain of the debate team over the seniors who were captain last year. And I hope to continue to reign as captain for the next two years.

String Ensemble - An afterschool orchestra comprising of the best players in the school, I was the only freshmen that got selected to be in it last year, and I hope to be president of it senior year (I will try my luck at it junior year though)

Cricket Team - I joined Freshmen year, and am expected to be captain of the cricket team junior and senior years.

THIS YEAR I plan on joining

Wrestling
National Honors Society
A club that does community service

Junior year I plan on running for president of the 11th grade, and senior year I plan on running for student body president.

I plan on taking SAT and ACT prep and I plan on doing decent on them, but I’m still really stressed about those too.

Do I need to do more? Am I fine with what I’m doing? Please help me, I’ve been stressing a lot about this over the past month.

I plan on doing early decision for Columbia University senior year, is that a good idea?

Colleges that I plan on applying to

Harvard
Princeton
Columbia
UPENN
Cornell
Yale
Chicago U
Vanderbilt
Rice
NYU
and some SUNY’s like Geneseo as backups.

What are my chances? Should I revise my list? Please help lol. Thanks!

2

You cannot chance someone who has only completed one year (out of three or three and a half by the time of application) of grades.

Just keep working hard and pursuing what you like.

3

Too early to do that much planning. Can you visit some schools starting next summer and through junior year? Right now your list seems to me totally based on rankings, which isn’t a smart way to pick schools. Also, you don’t have to take the most APs possible. Take them in the areas you think you are most interested in majoring if you know. A more focused number with strong grades and time for strong ECs will be fine. Stop stressing so much. And only run for those offices if you really want them – you might be better looking for some ECs outside of school.

You might read “How To Be a High School Superstar” by Cal Newport. You seem like a good candidate for his advice.

I’d also focus on some more schools a tier down. There is a lot of space between Ivies and SUNYs.

4

It is way too early to think about specific colleges (especially the hyper-competitive ones). You just have one full year’s GPA and you have no standardized testing. You also need to recognize that HS should be an experience in and of itself – a time of learning and growth and not just a 4 year college application prep experience.

It is good to take school seriously and know that college will be on your horizon, but it is too early to start planning for specific colleges. I would highly recommend that you get off of CC until your junior year.

For now you should focus on:
–Working hard, learning, and doing as well as you can in the most challenging curriculum you can manage.
–When the time comes study for standardized tests.
–Continue your involvement in activities you care about and work towards making meaningful contributions to those activities.
–Enjoying spending time with your family and friends.

When the time comes asses your academic stats (including GPA, standardized tests, course rigor) as well as your financial needs and apply to a wide range of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that you would be happy to attend. You need to expand your horizons and recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.

5

What you should do right now, is talk with your parents about the money. They will whine and fuss and say it is too soon, but be brave. Sit them down with the Net Price Calculators for Geneseo, NYU, and Columbia. Have adult beverages and a box of soft tissues handy in case they are overwhelmed by the numbers. If they are up for it, run the NPCs for a few more places.

After you all have a preliminary notion of the financial issues, point your parents to the Financial Aid Forum here to get advice more specific to your situation.