<p>I am a freshman. My current grades are: Biology 102.57%; PE 100%; World History Honors 93.75%; English Honors 91.79%; Alg2/Trig 177.14%; AVID 106.96% I have all As my middle school year as well. I plan on becoming a Corporate Lawyer and attending Harvard. I did some research and found out that most if not all Ivy League students play musical instruments, play sports, and join multiple clubs. I am currently unsure about what I should do to maximize my chances to being able to make it into Harvard considering that I am out of state. I have never played instruments or sports before, so that is a really big challenge for me. What clubs should I join? I am currently in Key Club and MESA, and am awaiting response from Academic Decathlon, and Im not sure about Mock Trial because it takes way too much of my time (6:30-8:00). What clubs do Ivy Leagues look at the most because I plan on joining them all 4 years? But please keep into consideration that I am only a freshman. If there are any Harvard students here, please tell me what you had on your resume, your GPA, sport, musical instruments, and etcetera. Thank you for your time and advice, I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>What should I have on my resume to maximize my chances into getting into Harvard? I am out of state, haven’t played sports….ever, and haven’t played musical instruments….ever; this puts me at an extreme disadvantage. However I am extremely good at Academic and am the smartest student in all of my classes. I don’t know what I should do? I want this so bad, but this goal for me is almost impossible to achive. What should I do?</p>
<p>Forget about doing things for the sake of your resume (or doing them to get into Harvard). Follow your passion and see where it takes you. For example: you say you want to be a corporate lawyer, but are you interning at a law firm afterschool, on the weekends, or during the summer? One of your highest grades is Bio – so what are you doing with that outside of school? Are you volunteering at a hospital, working at a zoo or aquarium, interning with a surgeon? Lot of people can give you suggestions, but none can tell you where your passion lies.</p>
<p>I have plans on volunteering at a pet hospital, a local library and a local hospital but the spots are filled out and I am awaiting reply. I am applying to be in the “Young Senators Program” (run by Senator Lou Correa) and am awaiting reply. I volunteer to tutor people after school. I also volunteer at major events such as festivals, beach cleanup, bake sales, etcetera.</p>
<p>I am not quite sure where my passion lies or what I am good at. I am just following the road that will lead me to the best future. Do you have any ideas where I should volunteer that will help improve my chances? And thank you for replying.</p>
<p>^^^Sorry i made a mistake above
I have 117.14% in Alg2/Trig not 177.14% sorry</p>
<p>Anyone? Please, Im really lost right now. What sould i do to maximize my chances to get into harvard?</p>
<p>GGHS: As I posted earlier, to maximize your chances, follow your passion – and ONLY YOU can say where that passion lies. Google “How to find your passion” and there are many self-help sites that could be of use. Here’s just one from the thousands listed: [7</a> Questions To Finding Your True Passion](<a href=“http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/04/7-questions-to-finding-your-true-passion/]7”>http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/04/7-questions-to-finding-your-true-passion/)</p>
<p>Since you’re a freshman, it’s understandable that you have an obsession with Harvard. What’s most important for you to do is get good grades and find an extracurricular activity or two that you really enjoy. Try out some things this year and stick with the ones you especially like.</p>
<p>You’ll also want to get over your obsession with Harvard. Life isn’t all about getting into Harvard. Not getting into Harvard doesn’t sentence you to a life of poverty; acceptance doesn’t guarantee success or your “best future.” Learn to do things because you have fun doing them, not because they’ll “get you into Harvard.”</p>
<p>Thank you 
I will be sure to find something that i enjoy doing and stick with it. Thank you for your help.</p>
<p>Even though it seems like getting into Harvard is the ticket to your future,please believe me, it is not. There are plenty of great schools out there- one of my nephews hated Harvard and transferred to Haverford. Another loved it. My daughter looked at most of the Ivies and is only applying to one- Dartmouth. Steve Jobs never even graduated from Reed. Even if you love Harvard, there is a great chance that you won’t get in no matter how good you look. The top schools all explicitly or implicitly acknowledge that a huge chunk of students they don’t admit are perfectly capable nonetheless. So rather than focusing on Harvard exclusively, just work on getting the most out of your high school education. Thats great preparation wherever you end up going.</p>
<p>In terms of extracurriculars, pick the ECs that interest you the most, not because you think a school might think highly of them- all colleges are very used to seeing right through that. Try out a variety of activities, clubs and/or sports now as a freshman, and then pick a few that you like and stay with them- all colleges are on the lookout for “serial joiners” who do something briefly to pad their resume. You just might not be ready to decide yet what your “passions” are to be. Think about trying something most high school students don’t- i.e., try fencing or archery if they interest you.</p>
<p>Most of all, there is plenty of time to stress out about this later. High school only happens once, so learn how to enjoy it! The answers to your questions will become clearer as time goes by and you have the opportunity to make more informed judgements.</p>
<p>Thank you so much :)</p>