<p>Do you have to have some awards to be able to get into really good colleges like cornell? Or can you get in by being getting really good grades in advanced mathematics and physics?</p>
<p>I don’t think you need awards. Solid grades across the board (ideally a 3.7 or better unweighted) and SAT scores all above 700 are going to help a lot. Then ECs that are strong and at least some of them related to your interest, plus strong recommendations help. I would not say you need awards, but some activities outside the classroom related to your area of interest (math/science for you, it sounds like) are important.</p>
<p>cool thanks</p>
<p>From what I understand, schools don’t pay a whole lot of attention to your intended major when making admissions decisions. I’ve heard more than one admissions officers say that about 50% of people who go into college with an intended major end up switching majors anyway.</p>
<p>For “colleges like Cornell”, you probably need high academic stats (high school record and test scores) and some high level of achievement, award, or recognition in something.</p>
<p>For more typical colleges, physics is usually not an impacted major that would have higher admission standards than most (unlike nursing, engineering at some colleges, and the better-regarded business majors), although you should check each college to make sure. Your high school record should have math through precalculus and trigonometry (take calculus if you complete precalculus and trigonometry before 12th grade) and high school physics and chemistry at the very least, along with the usual college-prep courses of English, history and social studies, foreign language, art or music, etc…</p>