Ivy League Universities Question?

Question

Hello!

It has always been my dream to attend either Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Northwestern(non ivy league), Duke, or Columbia

I know, I know, everyone wants to get into these colleges, so please do not waste words stating so.

Anyways, I know that they are not only looking for extremely intelligent students but well-rounded as well. They want to see what makes the student tick, right? Well, I'm a freshman right now. I'm still practicing out of those SAT/ACT test booklets. I have a 4.0 GPA, but I really shouldn't be talking, considering that it is only first semester so far... I am also in debate, speech, model assembly, and swimming... and I do the things I am actually passionate about...
Yeah, so anyways, for more than half of my life, I've traveled to different places. They are Korea (my nationality), Japan, Germany, and of course, the US. I have forgotten some of the languages, but if study these again and become fluent in them, would it increase

Again, continuing...
I am doing things that I am passionate about, but I have these kids at school who are doing so many clubs, but are not spending even a little time in any of them... one kid even went to a debate state tournament when she was actually lacking in attendance!!! Anyways, yeah, would this affect my chance of getting in? I do the clubs I listed and like two more others. However, I spends a lot of time in all of them. Is it better to have many clubs and not participate, or is it better to do the amount of clubs I'm doing and concentrate in them?

Continuing on the topic on languages:

Should I restudy the languages, and teach myself to be fluent in them... would this make me... tick?
Learning them again actually isn't a big deal. It isn't as if I forgot the whole deal. I also have many resources available such as parents, dictionaries, and computer software programs.
I am also thinking about running for captain for all of the clubs I am doing... however, at my school, the whole captain deal is a little overrated. Many people are chosen for their popularity instead of their dedication.
What role does being captain play when administrators look at my resume? Do they really make that huge of a deal?

I am also in Key club where I should be getting about 20 hours of community service for each year. I am; however, in another association where I already have 64 hours. By the end of My high school years, I should have close to about 200+++ hours of community service. I don't know, I'm kind of doing this for fun, but is this enough? My problem is doing things because I enjoy them, not because of grades. I have so many personal philosophies and many ideas on benefitting the world. More than Ivy League, my dream is to bring a little more peace to the world... that is why I want to be a lawyer and work myself gradually up to a politician. I love philosophy and writing. I kind of want those two for my major. Would they be beneficial if I want to receive a degree in law?

I am also thinking about an undergraduate in Harvard on a recommendation letter.

I also want to thank those who have answered my questions! I appreciated it with all my heart (believe it or not). I really do. Not many people probably have the time and patience to actually answer these for me. Thank you, and I deeply appreciate it.

Answer 1

Wow, you are a freshman. You have no idea how much you will change during your high school years. Do not pigeon hole yourself into being "the girl who is going to go to Harvard." High school is much more than just a list of activities to put on your applications. Do what you enjoy doing and if that helps you to get into a college you want to get into, all the better. You really need to just relax though. Trust me. I graduated first in my class from high school, but my obsession with school work caused me to be socially stunted until my senior year when I finally laid off on the school work a little.

Go have fun, stop studying for the SAT for the love of god.

PS. Stanford and Duke are also not part of the Ivy League ( the other Ivies are Cornell, Penn, and Dartmouth)

Answer 2

For all you folk out there, there is a non-conventional way of gaining admission to Harvard. By going through the Harvard Extension School -- please see link below -- you can get a bona fide Harvard degree at a fraction of the price of going through Harvard College. The "hoops" that you when need to jump through are not nearly as severe. Bottom line -- you will get a degree from HARVARD! (If you really wanted to gain the maximum value from this experience, you could get an undergraduate degree from a non-brand school -- with lower fees, etc and do a graduate degree through the Extension School.

So -- with respect to your question --relax, calm down and enjoy H.S. Harvard, if you really want it, is within reach.

http://www.extension.harvard.edu/2006-07/overview/

http://www.extension.harvard.edu/2006-07/programs/

http://www.extension.harvard.edu/2006-07/register/

Answer 3

Even with all you have studied and accomplished it wouldn't hurt to have a recommendation. Find someone who attended the school of your choice and ask them to write you a letter. It always helps.

Answer 4

wow, you are very accomplished so far, i think you have a very good chance of getting into at least one of the schools you listed above.
by the way, stanford isn't an ivy league, a lot of people think so but it isn't. ivy leagues are only on the east coast, stanford nickname may be "west coast ivy league school", but it's just a nick name.