<p>Note: I realize many people don't like responding to a 0 post user (as a 13k poster on another board) but I would love to get some feedback on what I need to improve to be competitive at some good schools.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I've been browsing this forum for a while but never got around to registering/posting. I'm a junior in high school at the moment, and I would like a little help on what I need to do to improve my chances to get into some good schools.</p>
<p>Backstory: I am from a smallish town (15k) with a small high school in New Mexico with very little ECs to choose from. Also, I did not really understand why school mattered my Freshman year, so I pulled some B's. I am feeling those now.</p>
<p>Here's my resume, with no embellishments:</p>
<p>GPA/Rank/Test scores:</p>
<p>3.48/4.0GPA (after Sophomore year) unweighted
Class rank: undetermined/unknown - small school from NM, top ~15%ish?
32 ACT (36E 32E/W, 28M, 34R, 31S)
2010 SAT (690R, 670M, 650W 7 Essay)
SAT II: None. (Need?)</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:</p>
<p>National Honor Society member & attached community service
FCCLA member and competitor, won what amounts to 3rd place at State cooking competition
Varsity Tennis player (Captain? we shall see)</p>
<p>Course rigor:</p>
<p>Every core curriculum course I've taken has been honors, if offered. Honors Chem, Honors Bio I and II, Honors English (every year), Honors US & Honors World History, Honors Algebra II (tested out of Algebra I), Honors Geometry. Currently I am taking Precalculus and Trigonometry (two classes) concurrently, pulled A's in both for first semester (neither is offered in Honors). Otherwise I've taken some challenging electives: Drafting I, Accounting I (started second semester, had to do both semester's work: only got a high B).</p>
<p>I've also been taking dual enrollment courses at the local university. I took Principles of Microeconomics and Database Design & Implementation I, pulled A's in both. This next semester I will be taking 4 high school courses and 4 college courses (Intro to Sociology, World History II, American National Government, and Intro to Computer Science). I plan to keep taking college courses and hopefully graduate high school with about 45 credit hours.</p>
<p>So I'm hoping my course rigor will make up for my lackluster GPA which I believe I can have up to 3.75+ by the time I graduate, which will subsequently bring up my class rank. I'm the opposite of the high school student norm as my grades have only gotten better through the years. As for my test scores, the ACT is my test - perfect score on the English and near perfect on the reading. I think I can bring that up to a 33, perhaps even a 34. I realize that's not everything, but I hope it will make up for other lackluster portions of my resume. </p>
<p>As for ECs: there's not much to do here. I went to a chess club meeting, but didn't like it. I'm considering dropping from FCCLA, as there's not much fun their either. My passion is tennis. I hit as often as possible (I'm the #2 on the team) and I am going to discuss with my coach the newly vacated captaincy. Otherwise, I realize this is weak.</p>
<p>So what should I focus on? EC's? Like I said, not much to do, but suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I will bring that GPA up as much as possible while keeping the rigor; the class rank will hopefully follow. Should I get some SAT II's? (I think I could do well on the US History exam, but otherwise dunno - maybe the maths?) Lastly, I don't know how much time I should spend getting that ACT up to a 33/34.</p>
<p>Lastly, here are some schools I imagine I will be applying to. I realize I'm just a junior, but based on my current stats w/o any improvements, what are my chances here?:</p>
<p>Rensselaer (RPI)
U of Virginia
UNC Chapel Hill
NC State
NM State (easy lock, qualify for full ride w/ stipend so might go here regardless)
Brown University
UT Austin
SUNY Binghamton
Vanderbilt</p>
<p>Thanks so, so much for any advice in advance!</p>