<p>Here's my situation:</p>
<p>I'm a grade 10 student at a high school in Canada (province of Alberta). I am passionate about physics, and other sciences to a lesser extent. I'm planning on going to the best college I can, and completing a PhD in Physics. I'm not sure which field yet (I'm leaning towards theoretical), but I certainly need some advice as my situation is not as good as I would like it to be.</p>
<p>In Canada, there are no AP classes. The "higher level" education is the International Baccalaureate program, which I'm sure you've heard of. However, I can't take the IB program because the nearest IB school is two hours away in Calgary. So, I'm stuck with the regular courses... I have a 96% average in Grade 10 (final exams soon), but the only "advanced" course my school offers is Math 31 (college-level Calculus), which is obviously crucial to me, and is available to students in Grade 12. However, I have decided that I will probably take some AP courses online (particulary AP Physics), if I can find them.</p>
<p>A school newspaper is going to be established, and will be in effect at the beginning of the 07-08 school year. I'm planning on writing some science articles for it, and will maybe implement a trivia section if I get involved with them. I'm thinking of writing a small book (if I can think of enough content without infringing on the quality) on some "Paradoxes in Mathematics and Physics", as a few of these have popped into my head in the past. I'm hoping these things will help me in the application process, and maybe get me into a good university. I have also amassed 50 volunteer hours so far. Not much, but it's a start. I'm hoping to get at least 150 hours by the time I graduate from high school.</p>
<p>So my question is this:</p>
<p>What can I do to improve my chances of getting into a good college, and thus increasing my opportunities for success and the chance to get to know like-minded colleagues? I realize that I could never get into a university like Harvard or Princeton, as I don't have access to a high-level academic program like others do... But, what can I do to get into a very good university (which may not neccessarily be considered "elite")?</p>
<p>Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.</p>