Strengthen my Vanderbilt application?

<p>I am a current junior in high school and I am seriously considering applying to Vanderbilt next year. I am currently in the midst of choosing classes for next year and I would like to know which of the following options would strengthen my application and would make me more impressive/unique. (In addition to my 3.9 unweighted GPA, 31 ACT, several extracurriculars)</p>

<p>Option 1: Take Honors Chinese 4 and AP Chinese 5 to complete my learning of the language. (I have already completed I, II, and III)</p>

<p>Option 2: Participate in a senior internship program that my school offers. I would be present at a business for a couple of hours on every school day and would gain experience in a work environment. I would be completing school assignments in relation to my internship. Also, I would be receiving an "Endorsement," which is basically recognition from the school for meeting certain academic requirements (taking certain classes, APs)</p>

<p>If you could tell me which would be more impressive/stand out and would strengthen my application, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!</p>

<p>If you must choose one, I recommend taking the second option. I think an internship is more interesting than coursework. An internship will also help you land better future internships. </p>

<p>I don’t disagree with the above post. I will say that you should be thinking about how to present yourself in an abbreviated way to adcoms re how you might access the academic offerings at Vandy and your other colleges. If you want to study abroad and use Chinese, there would be merit in going that direction. Certainly, fluency in Chinese is desired in many business settings as well as in State Department settings. Visualize your academic pathway if you can. Many 18 year olds are not ready to market themselves in a direction academically but you want to write about how you will use Vandy’s academic resources if you can. Secondly, you should do the Red Book of real ACTs and seriously study the correct answers. You should aim for your top ACT score and only quit when you think you hit it.</p>

<p>I don’t think one would be more impressive than the other unless it moves you toward your ultimate career goal. IMO I think you should:

  1. Work hard to prepare for the ACT with a goal score of 33+
  2. Look for leadership opportunities
  3. Find ways you can use your talents to improve your school and community
  4. Apply ED if Vandy is your first choice</p>

<p>The internship does has the chance to be more impressive, depending on what exactly you do. Considering it’s an intern program offered through a high school, I would imagine it won’t be any groundbreaking work. I’d call both opportunities about equal. An internship will benefit you in college internship searches, but fluency in Chinese will look great forever. Both look nice on a college application.</p>

<p>I would say just do whatever is more appealing to you. As the others have said, getting your ACT by any amount is more important than the choice between these two.</p>