Hi, I’m a student going into Sophomore year and am interested in going to a college such as UCLA, UC Irvine, Chapman, Soka University, University of Central Florida, Harvard, Georgetown, U Chicago and Oxford.
In Freshmen year I got a 4.1 GPA and I had straight A’s
In the upcoming school year I am taking
AP World History
Honors American Lit
Honors Chemistry
Drama
Honors Algebra II
Spanish III
(By the way my school has an AP cap of 1 for Sophomores)
My Extra curricular are Cross-Country, Model United Nations, the environmental club, and a little bit of drama.
Please send any suggestions or tips and my chances of getting in (as well as any other schools that fit me). Thank you for all of the help.
You’re still young, but you’ve got pretty good stats. Good work! The AP cap will do nothing but benefit you, easing yo in throughout your high school career. As long as your work ethic does not recede, you should be a very competive applicant in the coming years, maybe even Ivy :(|)
My list was actually quite similar to that – I was accepted into the UC’s, Harvard, Georgetown, and Oxford, and was waitlisted by U Chicago. I also toured all of those schools, so if you have questions about their admissions process or what they’re like, feel free to DM me! Oxford is especially tricky.
Like @Theatreguy999 said, keep up the excellent grades and rigorous classes. For Oxford, you actually don’t submit your transcript – your reference simply provides a reflection of your academic standing and whether you have the standardized test scores to get in. In terms of numbers, Oxford only looks at their entrance exam, your SAT or ACT score and 3 scores on either SAT subject tests, IB tests or AP tests. The subjects depend on the major you’re applying to. That’s why you’ll need to prepare well for standardized tests, as is important for any of the colleges on your list. Oxford’s admissions process and the way its school operates are unique and interesting – I’d be happy to go into more detail with you on that.
In terms of extracurriculars, set very high goals for yourself and show relentless dedication. If that means winning a state title in Cross-Country, then work for it! I learned that especially during the academic rigor of my junior year, I had to narrow down my extracurriculars in order to really make the best of something. Also, spend your summers wisely and doing something that you enjoy – whether that’s a fascinating internship, organizing a large service project, starting a small business, etc.
Overall, I encourage you to explore your unique side and what you have to offer the world, aside from college admissions or to impress anyone, because you’re still kind of young for that. Take classes that are challenging but also ones that you thoroughly enjoy and care about. Partake in extracurriculars that make you very happy and a better person – and form lasting friendships and an impact on their communities. If what you want to do outside school isn’t normally done, then that’s awesome! For example, I know friends who did stand-up comedy and started their own fashion company. Do whatever drives you and makes you happy. Then later, you can worry about making your college lists. If you have this ethos throughout high school, then you’ll naturally get into good schools, but more importantly, you will have acquired something that benefits your life experience and your impact on the world. Work hard to be your best self.
You’re off to a strong start! That 4.1 GPA is great, but what is it? Your weighted or unweighted? Also, you haven’t taken any standardized tests yet (but this is understandable as you are a sophomore). Aim high! Study hard for those tests and you will do great! As for your EC’s, schools like to see that you’re committed to them by staying in them for preferably all 4 years. However, I could be wrong on this so I’ll let other posters decide that for you.
Academics and EC’s are just half the battle. What would get you there is what sets you apart. What do you bring to the table that no one else has? What do you have that changes the world? Find the things that make you happy.
I strongly agree with @inevitablewinner. S/he makes great points for EC’s and uniqueness that big schools want.
It’s important to realize that success doesn’t come out of going to a top-tier school. Ronald Reagan went to a small liberal arts college. Many other famous people didn’t go to Ivy League schools. The thing is, explore for schools that you know you’ll do very well at and maybe even offer you a full ride. The possibilities are essentially endless! When searching for a school, ask yourself, “do I fit at this school?”
Once you’ve found the school you want, make an effort to show that you want to go there. Ask questions! Visit the school on open house/info session days! Meet with faculty and other students! There’s so much you can do to make sure that the school knows who you are before you apply.
One last thing, I don’t know if you should apply to Oxford. My friend applied to King’s College with a 3.6 GPA, and while he got in, he had no way to pay for his incredibly expensive tuition because the school didn’t give him financial aid. Ultimately, he ended up enrolling at Rutgers New Brunswick. I’m not discouraging you, but can you and your family pay for such an expensive school?
I hope this helped and best of luck with high school! You can do it
Which state do you live in?
What’s your parents’ budget?
At this point, you should not focus on any specific college. Focus on enjoying high school, balancing sleep, classes, activities, friends, and if you’re interested in college, start reading the Fiske guide, try to find colleges you’ve never heard of, go on visits to a large public and a smaller public Universities, large and small colleges, highly selective and less selective…
You are off to a great start. However, @MYOS1634 is correct that you are early in your high school career.
You will need to pay attention to budget, and should spend some time thinking about what you want in a university. Think about whether you want a small school or a large school, how academically demanding you want university to be, what you might want to major in, how far from home you would like to study, and so on. Soka and Oxford would be quite different experiences compared to studying in the US (with somewhere like McGill being in some ways sort of half way in the middle between “foreign” and “not foreign”).
You also will get a better idea where you might want to go when you start to get more years of high school grades and some test scores. I am a strong supporter of your high school limiting you to no more than one AP class sophomore year.
