What can I do to improve?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
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<p>Brown isn’t my 100% dream school but it is a school that I would definitely want to attend and am aiming for. However, I don’t know exactly where to start in order to improve my chances of getting in.
I’m a sophomore at a good private Catholic school in CA. Indian, female. No hooks.
I took the SAT as an 8th grader and got a 2080 on it… I’ll take it again as a junior. I’m about to take the PSAT. I took 3 honors classes as a freshman (the most offered by my school) - my cumulative weighted GPA was a 4.41 and my unweighted was a 3.9 I think (I had one A- first semester). I got a 770 on both the bio (E) and math I SATs. I’m currently taking 2 honors and 2 APs and I’ll take the chem and math 2 sats this june.
I have been doing classical Indian dance for almost 10 years, and I’ve been a violinist for almost 5. I’ve passed with distinction in 3 levels of violin exams and have participating in countless programs for dance. I’m an editor for my school newspaper, and I’m on the board of my schools future medical students club. I’m also part of the international club, human rights club, research club, etc - not important because they’re not leadership roles. I have ~45 volunteer hours so far in the year, hopefully more by the end of the year. Currently working on setting up a toy drive for underprivileged kids at my school. Will be a part of CSF second semester.
I really want to get started on some kind of lab research but I have NO idea where to begin (any tips would be greatly appreciated!!).</p>

<p>How can I improve my chances over the next two years? Also what are some good summer programs?
I know, there’s no one way, but I’d at least like to get some advice on where to improve :slight_smile:
Thank you!
(previously posted something similar on another forum)</p>

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<p>bump</p>

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<p>bump</p>

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<p>@realteal17‌ asked:

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<p>Immerse yourself in the extracurricular activities that truly bring joy in to your life, and don’t waste your time on any that don’t.</p>

<p>Don’t waste too much time trying to achieve perfect test scores.</p>

<p>Be the best friend you can be and help elevate everyone around you including your classmates, teachers and coaches.</p>

<p>Don’t worry too much about what you think Brown may seek in applicants. Brown has no formula.</p>

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<p>Began with what YOU want to research, then seek out those who are doing it.</p>

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No. It’s the leadership title that is not important. What you actually accomplish is what is important.</p>

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What you accomplish is more important than the number of hours you log in.</p>

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Whatever summer program YOU would find the most enriching. </p>

<p>Here is some helpful advice from MIT that could also apply to Brown:</p>

<p><a href=“Applying Sideways | MIT Admissions”>http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>On the other hand, if you perceive achieving the highest test scores and class rank, logging in the most service hours, getting into the most prestigious summer programs and garnering the most club leadership positions as a pathway to college, that is perfectly fine. You will get in to some good colleges and likely get some good merit aid offers.</p>

<p>Best of luck in your college search!</p>

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<p>@arwarw thank you so much for the detailed answer! for the lab research, how can I narrow down a specific topic and choose an experiment?</p>

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<p>That’s something that you’d do under the guidance of a mentor. If you have a general area of research, start emailing local professors and researchers.</p>

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<p>Thanks @bruno14‌! I was just a little confused because I read somewhere that you have to have a research topic in mind before emailing researchers. I also read that you should read some of the professor’s papers before emailing them - is this true?</p>