Help! I've got 1 year to improve!

ravioli92
Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:06:58 +0000

I’m currently a Junior at a public high school in California and Stanford is my dream school.

I was just wondering if any early admits or current students had any advice on how I could improve myself within the next year in order to improve my chances of getting into Stanford.

Indian Female
Junior at a public high school in California.
Straight A Student
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted GPA (by the end of this year): Approximately 4.381
Rank: 1/354 (will most likely be valedictorian)

Last year, as a sophomore, my course load was:
Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus
AP European History (Scored a 5 on the AP Test)
Journalism
Honors Chemistry
Honors English
Spanish 2

Also, during my sophomore year I scored a 223 on the PSAT.

Last winter I applied and was accepted into both UC Berkeley’s ATDP (Academic Talent Development Program) and Stanford’s EPGY (Education Program for Gifted Youth) summer programs, but I turned down Stanford in order to attend UC Berkeley. At my high school, AP Chemistry and AP Biology are both offered 1st period so it is only possible to take one of them. However, I am really interested in science so I spent 6 weeks at UCB’s ATDP program this past summer taking AP Biology classes for 3 days a week, 8 hours a day.
I got an A in the AP Biology course over the summer and received credit for it.

This year, as a Junior, I scored a 226 on the PSAT (M: 75, CR: 75, W: 76).

SAT (taking in January): Practice tests indicate a score of 2250+

This year my course load consists of:
AP Chemistry
AP English Language
AP US History
AP Statistics
Student Assistant
Spanish 3

I am hoping to receive 5’s on all of the AP tests I take this year.
By the end of high school I should have taken 11 total AP classes.

I took the SAT Math IIC last June and scored a 780.
I will be taking the SAT II’s for Chemistry and Biology at the end of this year.

Extracurricular Activities:
-Played Varsity Lacrosse since freshmen year and will continue to play throughout high school
-ASB Secretary this year (the first Junior to hold an ASB position in 9 years)
-Danced Indian classical dance for 12 years now
-Avid participant and even a founder of several clubs on campus, some of which I hold positions in

Any help/advice/recommendations you could give me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again!