(High School) Is it already too late for me to get into any respectable university?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>I just finished Freshman year in High School, mostly honors classes. I got mostly average grades, and almost failed one honors course. I’m not taking any AP courses next year because I want to take a year to perfect my work habits. I figure that I can do that and load 4 AP classes in Junior and Senior years. I’m reading a lot of self-help books and books on leadership. My ECs are rather poor… I don’t play any sports. (I don’t find them fun, more like a job you aren’t paid for…). I’m a musical guy… I play guitar, trumpet, and piano. I’m taking music theory and I’ve written music in Finale before and it actually sounded half-decent. I’m a guitarist in my school’s jazz band. I’ve always been kind of a bright kid, although I have mild Asperger’s Syndrome. This year, I’m taking a liking to books and science… trying to lay off unproductive stuff like video games. I would like to join student council, but I have completely no experience at all. I’m joining SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), and doing some charity work for my dad’s rotary club. (He was president of my local rotary division for a year). I have plans to do some more community service and develop leadership skills further.</p>

<p>I have ambitions to become a smart leader, I want to learn everything, I want to become someone notable. I would like to become a polymath, a jack of all trades, who is knowledgeable in many fields. I have an interest in science, particularly biology and astronomy and have read books about them. I read through the dictionary often to expand my vocabulary, and I’ve even read up on etymology a bit. I can speak basic Spanish, and I’m currently learning Latin online. I would like to learn German and Arabic someday as I see them being used a lot. I’m also learning economics through my dad and a 10-book series he’s making me read. As for my views, I’m a liberal atheist with a deep interest in politics, and I would like to take political science at a respectable college and then become a lawyer or diplomat post-grad, preferably at a respectable law school. </p>

<p>I’ve already knocked out my chances at Ivy League (Almost nobody at my school goes to Ivy League anyways), and I won’t be valedictorian, but I want to know if I’m screwed for life as an insignificant worker. The next choice down is Tufts. I hate how competitive/expensive colleges are these days. Please tell me if I have any real hope at getting into any respectable school?</p>

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<p>Because every val goes to Harvard. You just finished Freshmen year! What are you so worked up about? You had a bad first year, so do a lot of people. That is why many schools don’t take freshmen year into very much consideration. A terrible freshmen year is not grounds for becoming an “insignificant worker.” What I think is that you have been reading too many “Chance me threads.” I mean, honestly, most people who come to CC and put up a chance me thread is already above caliber. Some people may disagree with me, don’t get me wrong I love CC, but in all respects this website is the most elitist college board I have ever been too. Don’t let other “insert national award winner making a thread” get you down. Also, it seems you have a plan set out already, which is more than what many high school students your age can say. In the words of Steve Jobs, “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” Or if you really are picky in the words of whomever Steve Jobs got that quote from.</p>