I’m a sophmore in high school ( still very early). I recently visited Emory and loved it! I would love to know what I can do in order to improve my chances of admission for ED1.
I have a 4.1 W and I will have a 4.2 W at the end of this semester if I recieve straight A’s. I plan on taking 4 APs as a junior. I will also be taking the ACT and my goal is to get a 32-33 on that as well.
I have two awards so far:
Presidential Volunteer Service Award
California Scholarship Federation ( kind of honors society award)
ECs:
Charity League 4 years (governing body/thrift chairperson) I should have up to 300 hours by the time I apply to college
Jewish Federation and Student to student which educates students on Antisemitism and the Jewish Community (4 years)
Special Needs Camp (3 summers)
Global Studies Program at my school ( puts me in a more rigorous work load)
President of Mental Wellness Club and on board of Jewish Student Association
Raised money to become Associate Producer of an October 7th film: primal fear and got a group together to watch film(kind of a passion project)
Young Philanthropy to learn about Charity Organizations (only one year, but plan to do it again)
Duke summer program for psychology and law (2 weeks)
Involvement (raised money) in thirst project for global studies program
What I would recommend would be the same thing regardless of whether you were aiming for Emory, or Harvard, or San Jose State.
Be yourself. Be genuine. Take the classes that are right for you. Participate in the ECs that are right for you. Treat people well, or at least fairly. Whatever you do, do it well. Do well in your classes. Keep way ahead in your homework. Be kind and responsible.
If you get into a leadership position, ask questions, listen to the responses, and try to make the activity better for everyone who participates.
Be the best version of ‘you’ that you can be.
Also read the ‘applying sideways’ blog on the MIT admissions web site, and be aware that the same approach applies to other highly ranked universities.
Keep an open mind when it is time to apply to universities. Make sure that you apply to safeties. Find out what your budget is and plan on sticking to it. Look for schools that are a good fit for you, and keep in mind that there are hundreds of very good colleges and universities in the USA.
I know that none of this is specific to Emory, but it is the right approach to help you get accepted to and do well at a university that is a good fit for you.
Not much to add to DadTwoGirls post but maybe you should aim for a slightly higher ACT (34?). 33 is to 50th percentile according to Emory’s 2023-24 CDS and 32 is 25th%ile which could be a lot of hooked applicants (eg. atheletes, FGLI, etc.)