Deep breath.
Another one.
Another one.
OK now. You are just starting high school. Your focus should be on doing your best in high school, not on “what should I do to maximize my chances to be accepted to the UC of my choice in another four years?? OMG, will that quiz affect my chances?! I’m only the president of three clubs, and there is somebody who is the president of four, how will that affect my chances??!!”
You have no idea what you’ll want to do in another year, much less in another three. The point of college is not “I need to be accepted to a Good College, otherwise My Life Is Over”. The point of high school is definitely not college.
Make a list of what you want to achieve from high school. That’s the list you should focus on, not a list items that you, or we, or your parents, or your GCs think are “what colleges want”. The list should NOT include “be accepted to a UC”. The list should be independent of college admissions outcomes.
In short - forget about colleges for now, and focus on high school.
Remember:
- Focus on doing YOUR personal best. It’s not a competition with your classmates.
- It’s YOUR life. Don’t compare yourself to your classmates.
- You can only do your best, and your best changes. Sometimes your best is an A+, other times it’s a B-. If you’ve done your best, be proud of the result. If you haven’t, that means that will do better next time.
- You are at high school to get an education. That should be your goal.
- Your extracurricular activities are for you. Do what interests you, or explore new things. While hopping between too many things will not allow you to fully engage, don’t let inertia determine your activities. Don’t let “this is what I think colleges like” determine your ECs either
- College is not a goal or a target. It is the next step after high school for some students.
- There are literally hundreds of excellent colleges in the USA, and 82 four year non-profit colleges in California alone - 33 public and 49 private. You will find the right college for YOU based on your interests, focus or foci, and what you have done in high school.