<p>I'm currently a freshman at a public school, and I was wondering what steps I should take in order to get into a good college. My family is interested in me going to an Ivy, preferably Harvard, since my dad, aunt, uncle and grandfather are all alumni.
Right now my GPA is somewhere between a 4.0-4.5 and I'm taking all honors courses. I played varsity field hockey in the fall, I'm in the school musical right now & I plan to try out for soccer in the fall. Last year (8th grade) I got a 32 composite score on the ACT, and this year on the PSAT I got a 61 on reading, 71 on math, and a 65 on writing.
My parents are both members of the army and have both been deployed to Afghanistan in the past two years. I'm also a member of the Johns Hopkins Talent Search program, and have been going to their Intensive Studies program the past two summers.
Thanks for reading all this! I was just wondering if I have a chance of getting into Harvard or any other Ivy, and what steps I should take to get there.</p>
<p>For MIT but can apply to admissions at any selective university:
[Applying</a> Sideways | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways]Applying”>Applying Sideways | MIT Admissions)</p>
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<p>Different schools calculate weighted GPA differently, so your goal should just be to get straight As in the most challenging courses possible and be in the top 10% of your class.</p>
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<p>Using [url=<a href=“http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/lccounseling/sat-act_conversion_chart.htm]this[/url”>http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/lccounseling/sat-act_conversion_chart.htm]this[/url</a>] comparison chart, it looks like you’re better at the ACT than the SAT. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could get a perfect ACT score by the time you’re a junior or a senior. </p>
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<p>Everyone has a chance, but it’s almost always a low chance. Your legacy status will help, and it sounds like you’re on the right track to get into a top school of some kind. I would definitely suggest researching/visiting colleges outside the Ivy League, partially to find match/safety schools and partially because there are thousands of colleges that differ in all kinds of ways other than some being more prestigious than others. You might ultimately find that the best school for you is outside the Ivy League.
(For example, is there any reason you’re specifically concerned with Ivy League schools and not similarly prestigious universities like Stanford?)</p>
<p>Its good you’re starting early in thinking about colleges. Your unweighted GPA is more valuable that weighted, since different schools weight differently, and universities will use their own weighting systems to compare students. Of course, the goal is to have a 4.0 u/w. </p>
<p>Your ACT score is good, and as halcyonheather already mentioned, you’re probably better at that test. However, still work on your SAT scores. The math will undoubtedly rise on its own as you take higher level math, but CR and writing scores can be improved upon. However, having either high ACT or SAT scores is good enough - you do not need both. Different areas of the country emphasize different tests anyway. Where I live, SAT is more important than ACT, and students are better prepared for it. Oh, and eventually you may want to take the SAT subject tests.</p>
<p>Your extracurriculars are good. Make sure they remain so throughout high school. Try to incorporate volunteer activities and leadership examples (you might have more time to volunteer in the summer).</p>
<p>AP or IB courses will be important as well, if your school offers them. Take as many as possible while still maintaining your GPA and sanity. 
Start small with these - the first semester you take them, I personally would not recommend more than one or two. It can take a while to get used to workload.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>