<p>Hi, I've posted here before, but I'm posting again because I need some admissions advice (details at bottom).</p>
<p>Schedule:
Freshman:
AP World History (5)
Geometry Honors
Pre-IB Spanish II (honors)
Pre-IB English I (honors)
Advanced Reading (only non-honors, required one semester)/Integrated Science (honors) Pre-IB Biology I (honors)
Pre-IB French I (honors)</p>
<p>Sophomore:
AP English Lang (5)
AP Human Geography (4)
AP Biology (4)
AP European History (4)
Algebra II Honors
Pre-IB Spanish III (honors)
Pre-IB Chemistry (Honors)</p>
<p>Junior:
IB Pre-Calculus
IB Spanish IV SL (6)
IB Biology II
IB Geography SL (7)
AP US History (5)
AP English Lit (5)
AP Psychology (5)</p>
<p>Senior:
IB Mathematics SL/AP Calculus AB
IB Spanish V (took the IB test but continuing studies)
IB Biology IV HL
IB English Literature HL
IB History of the Americas HL
AP US Gov/AP Macroeconomics
IB Theory of Knowledge</p>
<p>GPA through junior year:
UW: 3.97 (All As and 1 B in IB Pre-Calculus)
W: 5.0 (.025 per semester of honors)
Rank: 2/287 (class size will increase second semester), top 1%</p>
<p>Test scores:
1st SAT, end of sophomore year: 2060, 600 M, 700 R, 760 W
1st ACT, end of sophomore year: 31: 30 M, 28 S, 32 R, 35 E
2nd SAT, March of junior year: 2230, 670 M, 760 R, 800 W
SAT IIs: 800 USH, 760 Bio E, 740 Math II
Taking ACT this month - expecting a 34 or 35</p>
<p>Major awards:
National Merit Semi-Finalist
National AP Scholar
1 gold and 3 regional Scholastic Art and Writing Keys
Some History Fair at the County level, went to state, school awards, etc.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:
Academic Team, school level: 4 years, Secretary as sophomore, Vice President as junior, President as senior. Organized (40 hours of work) a middle school tournament in my area to encourage kids to learn outside of the classroom and become interested in academic team as an activity.
Academic Team, county level: 3 year member, finished 2nd at state as a sophomore and junior
8 hours per week total
Literary Magazine: 3 years, Junior editor as a junior, Editor-in-Chief as a senior. We create and sell a publication of student writing and artwork. Proceeds benefit charities of our choosing.
2 hours per week
National Honor Society, Co-President senior year: Head up club activities and charitable outreach as well as administrative work.
3-5 hours per week
Spanish National Honor Society, Co-President senior year: Same as with NHS, but with an emphasis on learning about and discussing Spanish culture and language and encouraging our members to do so (I also studied abroad in Spain for 3 weeks between sophomore and junior year. Really eye opening and important in my interest in economics and political science).
1 hour per week
Drama Club/International Thespian Society: work in Publicity bringing people to shows and publishing show material, such as playbill, tickets, etc.
as needed, usually 10-15 hours per show, 3-4 shows per year</p>
<p>I also compete in dog shows from time to time and have earned some titles and awards.</p>
<p>Service:
I do various activities with a local teen volunteer group and have volunteered at a theatre/drama camp in the summer, but my focus is really with animal rescue groups. I work with several groups in my area doing 1-5 hours of volunteering (depends on schedules) per week with cats, dogs, and horses, and also fundraising; just over $1000 for one so far (doesn't sound like a lot compared to what some kids have raised but it's a big boon to them and I'm proud of it). Since becoming Co-President of NHS I have also organized activities with these charities. All told, about 300 hours of volunteering.</p>
<p>Essays and rec letters will be very good. 1 rec will be from my Bio teacher who is also the NHS sponsor and very passionate about animal rescue. The other will be from my AP and IB Geography teacher who loves me and whose classes I really enjoyed (7s in IB Geography are really, really rare at my school). Not really sure about my counselor rec, she's new and doesn't really know me.</p>
<p>School setting: Really poor, urban, underperforming school with a high-performing IB program inset. We usually send a couple of kids to the Ivies and a few others to top 20 schools every year.
Demographics: White, female, won't be applying for financial aid. Parents both went to college, dad is a doctor.</p>
<p>Intended Major(s): Economics and Political Science with a minor in Spanish/Political Economy and Spanish where offered (International Political Economy at Georgetown). However, I'm not tremendously sure what I want to study; I've thought about Econ, International Relations, Political Science, etc., in various combinations. Georgetown SFS looks really attractive to me, but I'm afraid it might be too specific; if I get there and hate it or change my mind, I'm pretty much stuck in my program. And frankly, the more I struggle with picking a topic to write about for my SFS essay, the more I'm afraid SFS really isn't for me if I can't even write about one issue for the essay. I visited Georgetown this summer and liked it, but I must admit I didn't fall head over heels for it. I haven't visited Stanford, but it seems size, academic programs, and atmosphere-wise to be the perfect fit for me, especially because the more relaxed, entrepreneurial side of economics appeals to me much more than the stuffy suit, financial side that I feel Georgetown tends to place graduates in. I feel like my Stanford essays are some of my best. However, Stanford is just so competitive, and I feel like I wouldn't get in SCEA or RD and I would then have wasted my Georgetown EA chances (especially since I would have to contact Georgetown to change my app to RD, I would probably be rejected). My school hasn't gotten someone into Stanford in about 8 years, although I doubt many apply, and no one into Georgetown in recent memory (a less academically competitive, but much wealthier and highly-connected local school often gets kids in over my school's). My #2 choice is a public EA school that I am reasonably confident I will get into. I guess what I'm getting at is I'm looking for some guidance, especially from current Georgetown and Stanford students, about whether I should take the much riskier Stanford SCEA, having never seen the school, or stick with the Georgetown EA I've been planning for the past six months. I know people will say I should apply to the school I like more, but I'm just really confused and constantly changing my mind, and I'm not really a risk or "chance" taker. I'm terrified of not getting into either school because of the choice I make (though I of course understand they're reaches for pretty much everyone). Advice?</p>