willing to go the distance

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Hey guys!
Im going to be a sophmore in high school starting in august. I have soo many questions, and i'm not exactly sure if i recieved good advice on them when i asked my counslors before. Please help me..i would truly appreciate it!
1. please advice on how/where to improve..
9th grade was ehh..
GPA: 3.84 (yeah..thats out of a 5.0)
took human geo..still waiting for results..should get a 4 or 5
all honors student..but took orchestra and pe so those were regs..:(
spanish 2 honors as well</p>

<p>Extracurriculars
orchestra
Royal Board Orchestra exam: merit winner
baylor volunteer-summer program
Science fair-went to state (didnt get anything there though)
College of American Pathiologists: special guest of honor+ recieving award for research work
FBLA- same as science fair
2 poems + essay published in a book (these were contests-nationwide)</p>

<p>Btw: i get how important grades, extra-curriculars are..and am working on them. Plus im sure to get leadership postions next yr. I just need help on few prestigious places that'll take me places you know?</p>

<ol>
<li>internships--when is the best time to start? (im planning to be a doctor)</li>
<li>If i want to take AP bio before 12th..what is the best course of action? should i cbe physics or hire a mentor?</li>
<li>How many sat 2's should i take...as many as possible?</li>
<li>what are some summer programs that i can apply to in colleges?</li>
<li>Does anyone know how to publish a book of poetry? (im thinking that could look really well on applications..correct me if im wrong..pl)</li>
<li>Volunteering: is creating your own organization really carry that much weight and importance as they say?</li>
<li>If im taking sat in 11th..then when should i take ACT? should i take it at all? im thinking taking both would be a good idea..and then compare..</li>
</ol>

<p>Finally...does anyone have any regrets on what they did/didnt do acedamically..or miss out in some amazing oppurtunities in 10th? </p>

<p>If anyone went to a pisd school...please advise as well</p>

<p>THANKS SOO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS!!</p>

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<p>you sound like another admissions tool. just be yourself and do what you like. show leadership in what you like and do it as well as you can. stop trying to figure out the formula, because it does not exist. your research base seems good. prepare a strong independent project with a professor, so that you can eventually submit it to competitions like intel. in my school, we are allowed to take two sciences in one year; ask if you can take two sciences in one year. take practice tests for both SAT and ACT now. your 3.84 out of 5.0 is low. when it comes to volunteering, don’t even think about admissions. volunteering for selfish reasons defeats the purpose of volutneering: to help others without expecting anything in return (this includes an admissions boost). Starting an organization in something your a passionate is always nice, but you need to either have resources avaiable to do so or work a long time to acquire them. shadowing for doctors is a good start for an internship. ask to work in their clinics as an intern sometimes. publishing the poetry book may provide somewhat of a boost. however, if you want to be a doctor; its better that you try to convey that clearly and not cloud with a laundry list of activities. if poetry truely is one of your passions, go and contact a publisher to see how to publish a poetry book; it’s much harder than you’d think. for SAT iis, the most any top school requires, gtown I think, is three. take three SAT iis. don’t be one of those people that wastes his or her time taking like 5 or 6 for no god damn reason. good luck and have fun in high school!</p>

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<p>i appreciate your advice. :slight_smile:
contrary to your statement…i only did these bc i am passionate about them. otherwise i would have dropped them. I agree with you whole heartedly on your statements.
However…regarding the ap bio…i have no space for taking 2 sciences classes in 11th grade…and 10th is all set.
If you were in my postion…what would you do?
thanks again! :)</p>