Advice for a freshmen in highschool

Chance Me / Match Me
1

This isn’t a “Chance Me” thread, but rather a “I have no idea how I can even stand a chance” thread. I’m a freshmen attending an honors school in New York. My family migrated from northern India to the U.S. when I was 3 and my parents didn’t attend college. Income bracket is 40,000 and I’m the oldest of 4 children. I speak 4 languages, 3 Eastern and I’m taking Spanish right now. I plan on graduating with an IB Diploma and 4 or 5 AP Exams Taken. I’ll start preparing for the SATs and PSATs in 10th grade so that I can get a good score.

My GPA is 4.0 and I’ve never gotten anything beneath a 95 throughout my middle school years besides Algebra (89). Unfortunately I would have to say that the boldest thing I’ve ever done was push my parents to take me to the testing session for the school that I’m attending right now. There’s also me preparing myself for my Algebra retake exam, jumping 20 points from June (Whyyy Common Core) I was very unmotivated during 8th grade, scoring a 60 my first time and 80 in the summer.

I maintained the top rank in AP Biology during initiation for my school’s Science Research Program, but I misunderstood the application essay prompt and the interview with a potential mentor did not go so swell either. I understand now that grades aren’t everything and there are many other qualities of a person that should be taken into account, especially when applying to selective prestigious universities. Most of the people that graduated from my school with this SRP diploma have attended the Ivys, like Harvard and Yale.
Not getting into that program heavily discouraged me. I dragged on throughout the next 5 months, maintaining that 4.0 GPA and drowning myself in coursework but staying silent during class discussions. Although I’ve improved greatly in Algebra, having an A+ average and tutoring a few peers in my class after school.

But during these past few weeks, I’ve had a change of heart, and I feel motivated. The thing is, I have some ideas of what I can do but I have no idea where to start. Last week I stumbled upon an article about Nicole Ticea’s success at the Intel science fair, and the simplicity of how her journey started really got me thinking. I then looked at the winners of the Google Science Fair and I started to think about doing something like that. For all the winners, the success and persistence blossomed from a simple inquiry within a designated branch of science. I really enjoy science and I’ve been thinking about developing a project idea on my own and emailing my thoughts to several potential mentors in my area. Am I starting out right or? I feel capable.
I love to help, and I tutor a few peers in Algebra without pay. Although I have 0 community service hours, but I’m working on a Red Cross Application as well as a hospital volunteer application and I’ll keep an eye open for many other volunteer opportunities.
I’m not athletic and I’ve never played a sport. I started running and I want to join the cross country team as well as play tennis in 10th grade. I used to play violin in the 5th grade and I was a fast learner, but I drifted off that path after missing half the school year on a trip to India.
I know how to program, but computers aren’t really my passion. I built my own gaming computer in 8th grade but I sold it late summer after losing interest. I was top in my class in Biology, English, and History in 8th grade.
I’m very interested in Science, Art, and English. I’ve improved in my mathematical comprehension as well. I’ll keep an eye out for scholarship and volunteer opportunities. I want to go to medical school after college and become a cardiothoracic surgeon.

Running late into freshmen year, I’m wondering: Is it okay for me to continue experimenting with what I like and what I’m good at? Do I still have time? What are some productive activities I can do in the summer that may relate to my interests?
Also, what do you suppose other people are accomplishing my age? Is it not too late for me to work further within my passions and be a competitive applicant for the Ivy’s?

I would highly appreciate some advice, thank you. (:

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Hello, im currently a junior in high school. Although I don’t go to a prestigious high school that practically breeds Ivy students, I do have some advice!

First thing’s first: its great that you’re already thinking about college, but don’t think about it TOO much. High school is a time for you to explore your passions and interests, and about finding who you are as a person–you should be doing things you truly enjoy doing, instead of doing them specifically because they’ll look good on your application in a few years. Colleges love QUALITY over QUANTITY. They’d rather see you excelling in 1-3 clubs and other extracurriculars, rather than seeing that you’re minimally involved in 10 different things. The best thing for you to do right now is to pick a few clubs, sports/music-related things that truly interest you, and stick with them. Also-- its totally okay if youre not athletic. To replace sports, fill it with music lessons, art, debate, robotics, etc.
Try and always take rigorous classes and keep your GPA up, but dont take classes just because they’re AP/IB. Despite what people say, an A in regular class is sometimes better than a C in an AP class. Only take classes that you feel you’ll be successful in-- for example, if math isn’t your strongest subject, maybe think about taking a regular math class rather than AP and potentially face the risk of lowering your GPA.

Take the PSAT during the fall of your sophomore year, and take the SAT or ACT at the end of your sophomore year. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to figure out what subjects you need to improve in, and you’ll have plenty of time to study and retake the tests.

If you love science, then definitely pursue anything science related-- science fairs, summer programs, research projects, etc. If science is something you’re seriously considering spending the rest of your life doing, get involved with it now! It’s never too late or too early to start following a passion. And if, eventually, you change your mind and end up deciding you want to pursue something else, like literature, instead, thats perfectly okay too. This is your time to grow and learn about yourself!

As for community service: you dont need a 1000 hours, but make sure that you’re doing service in areas that you’re interested in. If you want to get into pre-med for your undergraduate, volunteering at your local Red Cross, Hospital, and Senior Living Homes are great ideas! When you’re older, around the age of 16 or 17, contact someone from the hospital and ask if you can shadow a doctor for a few days–that will give you a direct look into what you could be doing for the rest of your life, and its a great learning opportunity.

When I was a freshman, my summers were spent sleeping in until 2pm and spending as much time in the pool as possible… college wasn’t even on my mind. It’s great that you’re thinking about college now, because most of the kids i know spent their freshmen/sophomore years slacking off, and now they’re regretting it because its too late to fix their GPAs. Here’s another very important peice of advice: the Ivies are not the most important thing in the world. You have to remember that most of their acceptance rates are well below 10%, and many over-qualified students get rejected each year. While its great to have a goal, you need to be realistic about them. When it comes time to apply during your senior year and you have the grades, by all means, apply to as many Ivies as you want, but you can’t get discouraged if you get rejected from them. There are tons of great schools out there, and you will be successful at any university you go to, whether you get into an Ivy or not.
Another thing that you need to remember: college is EXPENSIVE, and unless you get a full-ride scholarship, you’re going to be paying off college debts for the majority of the rest of your life. It’s a MUCH smarter idea to get your undergraduate degree at an in-state school, where the tuition is much cheaper, and pursue your graduate degree at a more prestigious, expensive school. The more money you save from your bachelor’s degree, the more money you’ll have to spend for your master’s/doctorate degree(s).

I feel like I’ve written a novel, haha I’m sorry! I wanted to answer as many of your questions as possible, and be as thorough as possible. If you have any more, just ask!

I wish you the best of luck for the rest of your high school career, and remember: eveything happens for a reason, and wherever you end up in the next few years, i know you’ll be successful, no matter what you decide to pursue in life! :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

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That was really, really helpful. Thank you so much. I’ll definitely keep everything you said in mind. These days I’m brainstorming what I should be doing as of right now to follow my passion. It can be overwhelming at times, considering there’s only so much I can do. Thanks again for the advice! :slight_smile:

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Compared to me during my Freshman year, you seem to be much more focussed, which I think is great! If you are considering a top-tier college or Ivy, I recommend looking into the QuestBridge program that gives full ride scholarships to low income students. I know of some people who have gotten full rides to Princeton, UPenn, Brown, etc.

As for experimenting with your interests, go for it. I didn’t like science until my sophomore year, and I am intending to apply as a chemistry major this fall. Most colleges don’t require you to declare a major until your sophomore year, and some don’t even allow you to take classes towards your major until then. It helps to know what you want to study in college when it comes to picking schools, but I’ve had friends who have changed their majors three times before being happy with their track.

For ECs/community service, I do a lot of community service with my former grade school (it’s a requirement to have 30+ hours at my school), but I also ask my guidance counselor if she knows of opportunities to volunteer and my chemistry teacher has set up something for me to volunteer at girls’ STEM conferences when they’re in town. Really, just do what you love. If that means trying a bunch of little things until you’ve found your niche, then so be it. I didn’t have a solid EC until my junior year (this year).

No worries yet! Freshman year is a trial year in my mind. Most colleges see it as that too (I’m not an admissions counselor so don’t take my word for it but that’s what I’ve heard!). My teachers tell me that I can have a stellar GPA, ACT, ECs and resume, but college admission counselors like to read your admissions essays to get a feel for you, and that can sometimes be the make it or break it. My biggest piece of advice is to work on your writing throughout high school. Work on different kinds of writing. Take classes. Talk to teachers. I took AP Language and Composition this year, and it helped a lot! I recommend the class if you are ever given the opportunity!