What should I do more

Applying to College
1

Hello, just started sophomore year. I am wondering whether I am on the right track and if I need to improve in some areas.

I am aiming for Cornellish tier (Highest probably UPenn)
I believe around 20 people get into Cornell from my school

Grades:
GPA: Currently 4.0, and I aim to maintain that 4.0
SAT: NA
SAT II: 700 Bio… taking Math 2, World, and Chem at the end of this year
Plan to take 8-10 AP’s (very rigorous schedule for Junior and Senior year), currently taking AP World

EC (I’m worried that these aren’t up to par and/or are too generic)

Piano (10 years going on 11)
Some recitals, nothing much
ABRSM level 8

Clarinet and Band (7 or 8 years?)
yea nothing much here

Debate Team (9,10)
Couple regional debate awards
State qualifier for PF debate
leadership role??

Quizbowl (9,10)
Competed at regional History Bowl championships and got 4th place team
Qualified for History Bowl Nationals
Likely leadership role

Student Government (10)
Elected as representative for the grade

Volleyball (9 JV, 10 V)
Extemely likely to be captain senior year

Fencing (9 V,10 V)

Math team (10)

International Club (10)
Organize a cultural heritage night performance

Summer activities
Volunteer at hospital (100+ hours)

That’s pretty much it. As for now, I’m focused on keeping my GPA up and studying for the upcoming PSAT 10

Thank you for reading and any advice will be much appreciated!

2

On the right path.

3

You look to be doing the right things. Just keep in mind that nothing will “guarantee” you admission to Ivy and equivalent schools so always keep your options open and know that there are tons of amazing colleges and universities out there.

4

That’s a scary list of volunteer activities, especially while shooting for a 4.0. You realize that the important thing is depth of your commitment, not breadth. Top schools like to see a high level of achievement in one or two areas, and that is generally inconsistent with being involved in 10 things at once (and still keeping your grades up, your health and a social life).

I also assume you go to a very small high school. At our large public high schools it would simply be impossible to do this many activities at once - coaches demand such a high level of commitment on teams and in clubs that you wouldn’t be able to participate, let alone have that many leadership roles.

My advice would be to figure out which of these activities matter the most to you and eliminate those that don’t really excite you. For those that you care deeply about, figure out how to have an impact, and bring your level of engagement up to a more significant level. For example, if you dropped fencing, math club, international club and never did another hour of volunteering, it wouldn’t make a whit of difference to your application. On the others, just being elected to a ‘leadership role’ is meaningless unless you do something with that opportunity. Which doesn’t mean you can’t do something just because it’s fun - it’s okay to have fun. Just don’t turn your life into one dreary slog for college admissions. I assure you the slog will turn into a a 4 year slog in college for grad school, and then a slog for the next brass ring, and the next after that. At some point, discovering what brings you job and diving deeply into it will bring you happiness and, incidentally, make you a more interesting person from a college admissions perspective.

5

You’re on the right path, but this is way too early to tell. Keep up the good work, you’re doing great.
Like the above poster mentioned, that’s a LOT of activities that you’re doing alongside academics. Make sure you can handle all that or cut down on some that you don’t feel the same passion as the others.