<p>I am currently a sophomore in high school. My high school is not exactly the best, and few students tend to rise above it and go to places like UPenn. My dream school is Columbia and I was wondering what activities or classes I can take to make myself the best applicant. I have a 4.0 gpa and always have. I currently am part of a program called PULSE which involves Penn State medical students giving lectures and working on pbl cases. I also volunteer summers at a hospital. I also am taking honors chem and in algebra 2. So far every chance I've had to take a higher level class, excluding geometry, I have. What other things could I do? ex) intern, camps, clubs, etc.</p>
<p>You sound like a bright and hard-working individual. I doubt that most people here had a 4.0 unweighted in high school (I certainly did not). Internships, volunteer work, and high school competitive programs can boost a resume, good standardized test scores (2250 and up) and good SAT II scores can be important. You have to show what makes you special and unique, but somewhat well-rounded. For me, I guess it was that I had a varied activity list (you can look at my stats from a year back if you wish). </p>
<p>Just work at it, and you shouldn’t need to worry too much.</p>