I was wondering what extracurricular activities I could do to help show my interest in majoring in English. And also, if I have a strong track record in my AP social studies classes, does that mean I should apply as a history or political science major and then switch my major when I get admitted?
You don’t apply to Emory for a specific major. You apply for acceptance to the school. Emory does not accept applicants by intended major.
If you have a strong passion in writing or literature, that’s something you probably want to bring up in your application on how that fits in with a program at Emory.
One Emory student who was a high school classmate of my daughter (who is also at Emory now) and is a current Emory English major published two novels before she applied - so you could try that! (just teasing really although this is a fact.) I’m a book editor by trade and I would encourage you to write as much as you can and publish whereever possible - school literary magazine, local magazines, on-line etc. If it isn’t too late, you can also apply for some Scholastic writing awards next year. Emory’s writing program is very competitive too so make sure that Emory will still be a university that will hold your attention if you don’t get into some of the advanced writing workshops (which can happen there) There is no special sauce - you just need to practice your craft as much as you possibly can. Several colleges also offer great pre-college writing programs in the summer that you might want to try.