There have been a lot of very informative posts on this thread, from people way more knowledgeable than I am. However, I still want to re-stress the fact that 17 clubs is not a good idea. As a senior awaiting admission decisions, I am glad that I did not join clubs for the sake of Harvard. I see the futility of that now. I have been in many clubs and organizations inside and outside of school, most of which I didn’t even bother to list on the common app lol. Instead of listening to my parents (who told me I was doing too much), I joined them anyway. And for what? What did I gain from doing so much? Absolutely nothing.
Here’s my advice (which you should probably take with a grain of salt lmao)
- Focus on academics. You have an AMAZING gpa, but you are only in grade 9. I am not too knowledgeable about the curriculum in the US, but in Canada (where I am from) there is a huge jump from grade 10 to grade 11. I did well in grade 9 with hardly any effort. Grade 11 was a huge wake-up call for me. Develop proper note taking skills and critical analysis skills. Know how to manage your time. Don't be me and still start studying the night before a major exam after 4 years lol.
- Your coursework looks good, but how does it compare to other kids in your grade? Your guidance counselor is going to have to answer how rigerous it is compared to others. If you need to, take a few more APs or other courses that are known to be challenging at your school. Other than this, take the courses you are actually interested in.
- Be in a few organizations that you really care about, and commit 100% to them. If you do this, you will have leadership positions, and you will also have experiences to write about in your essays. Most importantly, you will be a better person.
- HAVE FUN. I am honestly in the middle of a mini-life crisis (my parents would roll their eyes if they read this, all the adults on this forum pls don't laugh at me) because I think I wasted a lot of my time in high school trying to look good on paper. I really wish I had gone too a few more parties, semi-formals, etcetera. You are probably brilliant, but for most people, no matter what they try, they will not be a match for a university like Harvard or Yale. Do your best, but have fun. Don't waste high school.
- You seem like a very knowledgeable person already when it comes to university admission, so I would not worry to much about it right now. In grade 11, start researching the universities you want to attend. I know that for me, what I was looking for changed drastically from grade 11 to grade 12. Even know I am puzzled as to why I applied to some of the universities I did lol. You might not even want to attend Harvard in a couple of years, so make sure you don't make decisions solely based on that dream (not saying you are, just giving you advice just in case). For now, just continue prepping for the ACT.
Woah this turned into a very long post. I am not sure if you are even going to read this. I wish you the best of luck!