Thanks everyone for your valuable comments. I know I need to improve my GPA, but some of the feedback has left me a bit confused.
High School Background: As I mentioned, my high school is very competitive, with over 3,000 students. Each year, around 2-4 students go to Princeton, 4-7 to Cornell and UPenn each, 25-35 to Ivy League schools, and 50-70 to the top 20 universities. About 150+ students attend Rutgers, with 20-35 in the Rutgers Honors program. Unfortunately, getting information from classmates is difficult. I’ve only had access to my school counselor once during freshman and sophomore years, and I’ll have one more meeting this year after March. Seniors get priority. The counselor has consistently told me that the weighted GPA (considering course rigor) is more important than the unweighted GPA. The school offers Academic, Accelerated, Honors, and AP levels in almost all subjects. Getting into clubs is highly competitive, and achieving a perfect weighted GPA by senior year is nearly impossible, according to the counselor.
Based on the feedback I’ve received, it seems the weighted GPA is indeed crucial, which adds to my confusion. Joining other clubs or sports is also nearly impossible for me at this point. I’m focusing on improving my GPA (though not by much), boosting my SAT score (currently at 1540, aiming for 1570-1580. Is it worth the effort?), and possibly taking more college courses (I already have 6 APs this year). What else should I consider doing? Thanks in advance for your help!