<p>Hey, I'm a high school sophomore and i was wondering what i could do to to improve my chances at getting into a top college.I'm already taking classes that are usually only available to jun/sen. Besides grades,sat/act, etc. what could i do to make my app stand out? I go to a very big high school that has any club/EC/sport you could imagine. Should i do more EC, or should i focus on grades(i have a heavy coarse load)? Would volunteering boost my chances, or do they not care unless you have leadership? I'm trying to avoid being one of the "whats my chance" people with an average gpa/sat/act and hardly any ec. Any info you guys have would be helpful.</p>
<p>Develop a genuine passion about something that matters and organize your life around that passion.</p>
<p>If your parents do not earn at least an upper middle class to upper class income, quickly encourage them to do so. According to a recent study by MIT economists, how much your parents can 1) pay for tuition and 2) donate play the key role in whether you make the cut. This sucks, but the Ivies are not meritocracies.</p>