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<p>Yeah, everyone has this thread. But what should I do? I’m a rigorous honors student at Oak Hills High in Cincinnati, Ohio. My grades aren’t fantastic, but I am in like the top 5% of my class. I’m only a sophomore, but what should I do like classes and ECs to improve my chances?</p>

<p>GPA: 6.1 w/ 3.7 u (6.1 is not accurate, they have a system to make it like a 3.6 so that the level 3 kids have a chance at a 4.0)</p>

<p>Freshman Classes:
Gym I (Mand.)
Legal Issues
Graphic Arts
Civil War/Reconstruction
German II
Honors Geometry
Honors Physical Science (Counts as ColPrep Lab Course)
English I Honors
Classical to Age of Enlightenment (Honors History)</p>

<p>Freshman ECs:
Mock Trial - Outstanding Attorney Award received (given to one of four attorneys in trial), 2 wins, 0 losses. OHHS MT program is fantastic and we make state yearly. I had to memorize a lot, because we have to present both sides of the case. I was one of the two people on the team that was an attorney on one side and a witness on the other side. Continuing throughout high school.</p>

<p>Cross Country - I wasn’t the greatest, but I got a JV letter. My grades suffered dramatically in the first part of the year, so I did not continue this year.</p>

<p>German Club - Got a cool shirt, monthly meetings, field trips. Accepted into UC (University of Cincinnati) German Day, came in 3rd over 200 people in a Culture Quiz. Actual Germans took the quiz and I beat them… haha.</p>

<p>Just getting my feet wet that first year!
Soph Classes:
Honors America/Global Community
Honors Advanced Algebra (Alg II)
Honors Biology
English II Honors
German III
Col/Career Prep (Honors Elective!!)
Gym II/Health (Mandatory)
Intro to Comp Apps</p>

<p>ECs:
Mock Trial - Same
Academic Team - Self Explanatory
Newspaper Staff - Self Explanatory
Key Club - Service Projects and such… self explanatory
Student Council - Chair of Homecoming Chaperones Committee, typical student council. The leader said I may be the first person to ever be on the executive council as a junior, and definitely as a senior. Very involved in this.
OMUN - Ohio Model United Nations, an awesome program that owns. Basically UN. Memorize speeches and such.
German Club - Same
Generating Awareness of Politics - Politics Club, basically, come debate, meet senators, etc.</p>

<p>Summer:
Went to a 3-credit college course in JavaScript. (06)
Nominated for a People to People Leadership Summit in DC, accepted and going. (07)
Trip to Germany with the German Club and the German program at our school for three weeks in an exchange, then an exchange student comes here during our school year. (08)</p>

<p>Taking the PSAT/NMSQT in October, possibly ACT and/or SAT.</p>

<p>Intended Majors: Triple Major Possible - PolySci and Computer Science and Criminology. Wanting to go to Law School after Yale. Possibly do PolySci and Criminology major, CS minor, and then law school. But I know I want to do PolySci and Criminology. </p>

<p>What should I do to improve chances?
How many APs should I take? Like quality over quantity or what? If I take eight, get seven 4’s and one 5, thats great, but if I took five and got all 5’s? Which one is better?
Next year, I’m going to be in AP US History, and I’m hoping to get into AP Gov’t, althought that is normally a senior class. I’m going to see if I can get the principle to allow it. Possibly AP CS I next year.
How am I doing so far?
What SAT/ACT/PSAT scores should I look for?
How should I study for AP/SAT/ACT tests?
What other ECs should I get into, or is this good?</p>

<p>I know I’m only a soph in my first quarter, but I have wanted to go to Yale for a long time. Yeah, I’m obsessed but I really really want to get in, and I’m ready to look at colleges.</p>

<p>Just give feedback and stuff I should do.
THANKS SO MUCH!</p>

<p>bump…</p>

<p>common the post has been up for like five hours!!</p>

<p>come on!!! its been up for 5 hours</p>

<p>what program are you doing for the people to people? I’m doing the summit on law thing.</p>

<p>im doing the college one…</p>

<p>are you doing it at georgetown?</p>

<p>yeah, but its at gw and georgetown, so itll be cool</p>

<p>I’m doing law</p>

<p>so are you doing pre-law at yale? I don’t think I get what you’re applying for.</p>

<p>Probably Criminology and PolySci, and go to Yale Law after undergrad? I’ve kinda rethought some stuff, and a triple major or double major and minor is really big, even if its not at an ivy… so at Yale itll be really hard to keep up.
Chances are, I just do Crim/Poly Sci double major or possibly just Crim major, PolySci Minor, then go to Yale Law.</p>

<p>Is there a Criminology major at Yale at all? I sort of doubt it.</p>

<p>it doesn’t. just checked.</p>

<p>princeton has criminology.</p>

<p>are you serious?? i just kinda took it for granted, maybe i should look into that now…</p>

<p>dammit, that sucks…</p>

<p>yeah, it’s kinda important for your college to have the class you want. lol</p>

<p>yeah that would be helpful</p>

<p>Yale doesn’t offer minors, either. Princeton offers “certificates,” which are kind of like minors, except maybe a little bit more demanding.</p>

<p>grrr… i really should do some more research on yale, shouldnt i??</p>

<p>ill probably just do polysci or CS major then… it suprises me that yale doesnt have crim. justice…</p>

<p>look at the top ten ranks. It normally has a good few.</p>