Are there any Ivy league graduates out there that can give me advice?

Question

I'm a sophmore in high school, i'm in all the honors classes i can take right now, i got all A's my freshman year, i'm getting all A's this year (except for honors chem in which i have a B), i'm in CSF, i'm in a variety of extracurriculars but i focus on what i like, i'm doing tons of community service hours, but i know that once i apply to Harvard, i'll be in a pool of thousands of other people with the same kind of qualifications as me. what can i do to make myself stand out from the others? This has been a lifelong dream of mine and i'll do whatever it takes to get there.

I've been going to CTY ever since the summer of 5th grade (it's like a study abroad program that lasts 3 weeks and u have to take the SAT 1 to apply for it, more info at jhu.cty.edu), i do have musical abilities, i've been playing the piano for 2 years and i'm pretty darn good, i've been doing folklorico for 2 years (mexican ballet dance type thing) and i'm pretty good, and the summer program i'm doing this summer can count for up to 100 hours of community service. and yes, CSF does stand california scholarship fed.

Answer 1

You are doing all the things that highly motivated students do, but you're not setting yourself apart from the herd. Look deep inside yourself and ask yourself what you're truly interested in--not what you think the colleges want you to do/be. Then throw yourself into your interest. Find a mentor and volunteer in something related. A hint: What do you love to do, think about in your free time? Whatever answer you give, this is a genuine interest of yours. Make sure to mention your interests and what you've done to educate yourself in your essays and any other part of the college application you can. Show your true colors! Good luck! And if you don't get in, don't despair. Ivy Leagues are very expensive, and sometimes overrated. You can always try transferring in as a soph, or junior. Or grad school. wishing you all good things in life...

Answer 2

I really don't understand why you need an Ivy League grad to answer your question. As a college student who has been through where you're at right now, I can tell you that no matter where you are applying to, from your state university to a private college, pretty much everyone were in CSF and had straight A's in high school. To dishtingusih yourself from others you must have something far more than just typical school stuff that any more-than-average student can do - Scouting, having some kind of Musical Ability, some kind of summer study abroad program, etc. Trust me when I say that most of these more prestigious colleges don't want nerds, they want applicants who are as experienced off the bookshelf as they are good students.

Lastly I assume that your CSF stands for Cal-Scholarship-Fed and not Christian Special Forces?

Answer 3

You sound such as you have been working very annoying. you will actual bypass the GPA area of having standard. the only concern with Ivy League colleges is they're so selective, and basically take a undeniable sort of human beings from the section. (i'm valuable you already knew that, nonetheless.) Are there a good number of human beings making use of to a majority of those colleges on your section? to advance your opportunities, i might do some volunteer software. colleges consume that sh*t up. Get it interior the interior of reach newspaper too. That helps plenty. in case you have extra desirable curriculars, like portray or something, by some skill contain that for the period of your app. purely attempt to look as annoying working and nicely rounded as humanly achieveable. i think of you have a stable risk in getting standard, yet those colleges draw back a good number of actually clever little ones for no obvious reason.

Answer 4

I STRONGLY recommend saving an expensive Ivy League education for your graduate degree. Very little financial aid/scholarship money is available to undergrads there, but as a grad student you are likely to receive fellowships that will cover tuition costs. Attend a less expensive university, work hard to set yourself apart on campus there, then apply to Harvard for grad school. This is a much more economical way to obtain a "name brand" education. If you are interested in field for which you will only need a bachelor's degree, it probably does not warrant the expense of an Ivy League in the first place.

Answer 5

My fiance graduated from an ivy league school recently. You seem to be doing similar things in regards to grades and community service, but the one thing he did that really made him stand out was taking college courses in high school. He applied to Stanford when he was a junior and went to the west coast and took three intensive summer courses there with college students.

This was a great idea because it demonstrated his abilities and those credits were transferred to his university as well.

Answer 6

Score a perfect or near perfect score on either the SAT or the ACT, it will get their attention.

Answer 7

Better bring that B up. 4.0 looks a lot more impressive than 3.95.