Young...sights set on the Ivy League?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hey, I'm new to CC, and I'm posting my first question:)</p>

<p>Ok. I'm a white, middle-class Jewish girl from New England, 13 years old. I know that's probably young for this site but I'd love some help. Since I was quite young, I've wanted to go to Cornell. Out of all of the amazing colleges in the US, Cornell has always been the subject of my ambitions because a) my grandparents live in Ithaca b) I was born there, and c) I've spent time at the university since I was a baby. So naturally, it's always been a part of my life, and I'd be crushed if I didn't get in.</p>

<p>Now. I'm "one of the smart kids" and I've excelled since I was young. Language is something that I'm highly proficient in (I learned to read at age 2), and something that I enjoy. I love to write, read and talk about literature. I'm thinking I'm probably going to want to major in English or something along those lines. I'm also very good at foreign languages- straight A's in French, may take Latin in hs, and last year I started taking online Arabic courses with Johns Hopkins CTY. (do any of you know the program?...maybe?) idk but I like language. Math and sciences, I do well in, but I'm no rocket scientist.</p>

<p>So I recognized that language is my field of strength/interest and I founded a literary magazine at my middle school, of which I'm the editor. It's been fun, but it's not some kind of national award-winning thing, and I'm not sure how I could continue this leadership role into high school. I've been writing some articles for my local newspaper and I'm hoping to snag a regular column.</p>

<p>I've played the piano since I was five and I'm pretty good...I play mostly Debussy/Chopin (lalala I love France) I also play jazz piano for my school's honors stage band. I'm worried that my music doesn't look as substantial because I'm not involved in any hardcore ensembles or conservatory stuff. any thoughts on how to plump that up?</p>

<p>Other activities...I play soccer and I'm on the div. 1 team for my age group. I'm decent, but not great. Same with basketball. Probs gonna give those up after freshman year, because I've heard that sports do nothing for you unless you're really top tier. Umm...I do Model UN. I'm getting a job shelving books at the library starting next summer. I know I'm missing the volunteer work aspect, and I'm not sure what I'm going to get involved with yet- the only thing I do is a Teen Advisory Board at my local library, which is how I got the shelving gig...hahah</p>

<p>So yeah, now you know all about me. basically my question is what should I do in the next four years to set myself up for an acceptance letter from Cornell? what activities should i drop/add/intensify? the reason I'm starting thinking about this so early is i think having four years to work with is a major bonus, and one most people my age won't take advantage of.</p>

<p>ok. here's the list of colleges i'm aiming for, besides the obvious:
~Williams
~Amherst
~Yale
~Bates
~UMass
~UC Berkeley
~Harvard</p>

<p>xx <3333 thank you! :)</p>

<p>oh ps i'm pretty social so i am going to need to reserve time for friends. i think i should quit some things so I can focus in on a few activities, that's really what i need help with :)</p>

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<p>whoa there missy!</p>

<p>You’re 13. That’s too early to know what you want in life. In all likelihood your interests will change, your friends will change; you are simply too young to know where you want to be in 4 years. </p>

<p>Sorry to tell you that (I know you’re a motivated, smart kid), but we were all 13 once. I am a HS senior currently (& applied to cornell; I’ll be out of school before you’re in it, thats how young you are lol!), and I can’t tell you how different I am than I was in the eighth grade (I’m assuming that’s where you are in school…)</p>

<p>Go to high school, explore the clubs and sports that sound interesting. Find what you LIKE, otherwise you’ll be miserable. If what you like changes, that’s ok too; you’re supposed to explore now.</p>

<p>The whole “sports do nothing for you” is FALSE FALSE FALSE. Do what you like, and ONLY what you like in terms of extracurriculars. It’s incredibly obvious to colleges if you’re not passionate about it. If you like the magazine thing, you’ll find a school newspaper, and eventually maybe work your way up to editor.</p>

<p>Don’t plan just yet. Have fun in high school. Try new things and don’t try to build your resume. Do stuff that’s real to you, that’s the kind of resume colleges want.</p>

<p>Oh, and have some confidence. “I’m no rocket scientist”-- no student is, don’t let them fool you otherwise. You’ll get there.</p>

3

<p>Please go outside, and have some fun. Please. Don’t think about college. Don’t think about jobs. Just go outside and live your life.
Also, I wish I could have written that well when I was 13…very coherent</p>

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<p>Lucky for you, Cornell is not hard to get into, at least not relatively hard.</p>

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<p>haha, says yalefanboy. I love it!</p>

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<p>Stop worrying about college and just have fun. Explore. Do what you love.</p>

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<p>There are two books that would be useful for you as you think about how to spend the next four years of your time:
What High Schools Don’t Tell You by Elizabeth Wissner-Gross
How to be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport.
Both books are available on Amazon and intended for reading at this point in your planning.</p>