Hi,
What should I do in high school to try to get into a good university like Stanford, MIT, Princeton, etc.?
Do you guys have any tips? Like what courses should I take? What should I do to practice for the SAT and ACT? I’m lowkey scared about going to high school this September because my grades and test scores in High School will impact what university I can go to, and that would affect my entire life.
Also, I have a lot of time before I graduate from high school, I’m 11 now, so still 4 more years to prepare and think about college.
YOU ARE 11??? Please Please get off of CC. You likely haven’t even started middle school yet. It is good to understand college is in your future but as an 11 year old SAT/ACT prep and college should not be in the forefront of your mind. For now in terms of academics all you should be thinking about is doing well in school and making sure your reading and math skills are strong.
Life is not a race to college. Each stage should be a learning and a growing experience. in and of itself Now please go out and be a happy, healthy 11 year old.
Take classes that you enjoy and do activities /clubs that are interesting to you and fun. That’s the secret. Also meet with your teachers at the very first sign of things not going right. Don’t wait. Teachers love when students ask for help. Now I second and get off of this forum and have a great rest of the summer.
If you are 11 now, you will be 15 when you go to college (unless it was a typo :)). It’s awfully early and hard on your social life, but it’s been done. Are you highly gifted? homeschooled? More details would be helpful, but in general you are asking the wrong question. College is just 4 years. You need to ask what you want to do with your entire life, and in case you don’t know (highly likely at your age) spend the high school years trying various things and finding what gives you joy. Yes, good grades are helpful, and getting into a good university is great, but it shouldn’t be a final goal.
What happened that made you start high school at 11?
It’s normal to be scared and to want to do the right thing, all freshmen (well, most) have these worries, and I imagine they’re greater if you’re 11.
Now, make sure you take English, Math, Foreign Language, Science (typically Physics, Physical Science, Biology, or Chemistry), all at an appropriate level depending on what you took in Middle school, and Social science (AP Human Geography, US History honors, Global/World history honors…) Then add one or two classes that sound interesting, art or music or photography, or join a class/activity such as DECA, Choir, Yearbook… unless your school has freshman requirements such as Health, PE, etc. Do well in these classes.
Do you already know some students who requested the same classes as you?
Plan to try out and join clubs after class - do what you find fun.
Read How to be a high school superstar by Cal Newport.
Sleep 9 to 10 hours a night - that means no electronics after 8pm or so.
