<p>if ur planning on mit or caltech and ur high school doens't offer bc calc, self study that **** or take it at a community college. Calculus taught in high school is a lot better than calculus taught in college.</p>
<p>well since this person is aiming at Ivies (as stated in the title and elsewhere), MIT and CalTech are not Ivies, so don't worry about that. This person doesn't seem math-oriented, so where did this talk about math come from?</p>
<p>If you're looking to increase your chances dramatically, then taking Calc BC junior year accomplishes this. Taking Algebra freshman year does not impede this goal. Simply work a little on your own in the summers learning algebra 2 and trig.....geometry is hardly necessary for BC.... Since this kid is going to be a freshman, he has plenty of time to fit that in. </p>
<p>I really don't know who was president of my school's french club and I doubt it accomplished much for him other than getting him a few more croissants and a pat on the back. Being president of any club helps you little in getting into an ivy league school. Ivy leagues need standards to judge you against other students, and unless you're president of a club that wins a state or national championship, it means little other than that you spent your time doing something related to academics. Although everyone has a different path in admissions, the successful ones tend to have quite similar curricula.</p>
<p>Why did I choose calc BC? BC calc is taken by fewer students than other AP tests (I'm sure its the same for physics). That makes you much more unique. Out of all the admits I've talked to, none took below AB calc senior year. To take BC, and further, by junior year, puts any student in the position to stand out on paper. If you're more of an english student, all the better; they see you can handle logical reasoning at many levels from different directions. </p>
<p>Truly, you can get in to an ivy league without taking calc BC.....many people do. However, if you'd like to feel more confident in the fall of 2008, I'd consider it.</p>
<p>1: scrap your plan, you want a guideline more than a plan, but really, you don't have to think ahead more than a year once you set your sights. Your sights are set on excellence, so get an idea of the academic track you want to be on (rigorous!), start, and just stay within yourself.</p>
<p>As a GUIDELINE:</p>
<p>Academically: You want a diverse load of courses.</p>
<p>A good (though not stone-set) guideline:
4 year math sequence
4 year english sequence
4 year language sequence
bio, chem, physics
US and world history</p>
<p>Assuming just 5 academic courses a year, theres room for 3 of your choice on anything you want. For me they were AP music theory, AP Economics, and AP US (we have a required 2 year US history sequence)</p>
<p>The academic passion you find in HS could merit substituting, for example, humanities courses for math ones down the road, however. If you find you love english or history, you could find yourself substituting senior year math with a 3rd literature or history course in your senior schedule.</p>
<p>Tests: When the time comes (NOT YET!) you should take a prep class if you're anal about getting a 2400 and stuff :), or if you don't do well on some practice tests. For now, the best thing for your Math SAT is learn your math in school, for your Verbal SAT is to read books, lots of them, outside of the school assigned curriculum, and your Writing SAT is to pay attention to what your english teacher writes on your papers when you get them back. ;)</p>
<p>ECs/Comm. Service: What do you love? Anything...Reading, Skiing, Baseball, Carpentry, Chemistry, Playing with fire? Develope those passions. Start a book club, ski club, join the baseball team, build houses with habitat for humanity, start a research project, build your own flamethrower and make art on huge pieces of plywood with it. Do stuff you love, not that you think colleges would love to see you do. As a freshman, you have time to explore. If you don't like something, you can quit, and still have 3.5 years 'till college. You can keep in mind that colleges want to see leadership and community service, but do things you want to, not that you think others want you to. I for example am a musician. EC: School Jazz Band; Leadership: Section Leader; Job: Started jazz combo to play gigs; Comm. Service: Teach trumpet in elementry school. It's focus on a passion in all areas, rather than a scatterbrained attempt to pad a resume. I was not just a musician, I also do Taekwondo (train, teach, compete--multiple facets) and other stuff, but thats just an example. It didn't get planned, alot of it just happened. I joined the jazz band frosh year, but the opportunities to teach, become section leader, and start a band appeared later on because i FOLLOWED MY PASSION. :)</p>
<p>Lastly, enjoy HS, don't start thinking beyond it before you even get there! Thats like planning your retirement before you go for your job interview! Now go do Highschool and come back in 3 years! :p</p>
<p>I'm glad you're starting early. However, just keep in mind that not all of this may work out. I had a four year plan and all that, but class schedules and such just didn't work out the way I planned. Don't worry and have fun! I agree with the guideline over plan comment too.</p>