When anyone worries too much, too often, others do tend to sugarcoat. I might guess the GC has already tried to reassure you. You need to find some perspective here. Driving yourself nuts won’t guarantee anything.
What gets me is no mention of what possible college targets except some ref in the past to T20??
And, if you want pre-med, why all this fuss and muss? AP chem in junior year means you have a chance to show your performance through an academic year, maybe get a great LoR from that teacher, and maybe get a nice 5 on the AP exam.
Try not to get swirled up in the small things. When you have extra energy, use it to refine your understanding of what your possible targets do want to see. Get that info from the source, those colleges. Then, armed with some better sense of how it all should piece together, you can breathe a bit better.
@lookingforward I am still doing research to determine what schools are a good fit for me, but so far, my dream schools are Harvard, Northwestern, Yale, and Tufts. All the schools have emphasized taking the most rigorous classes possible.
And remember, it may start with “a good fit for me,” but you need to uncover ideas about what might make you a good fit for them, make them want you in the class. This starts with them, what they say and show. And it ends with them, when they make their decision.
That’s why I usually phrase it as: what your possible targets want to see from you.
Over several threads, you’re clearly trying to hit the formula, make some decisions that you feel might put you in a better light. But the more one tweaks, the more one can get confused.
This is a lot more than taking rigorous classes and getting top grades. Holistic isn’t just how they review, it also looks at you as an individual, hoping to find the balance. Being frazzled makes it very difficult to let your best all-around self shine through.
Do not think 'Every point I get off of a homework or test is a point away from going to Harvard."
Think: “I need to do my best, and there will be a college that is right for me when I graduate.”
Do not think “If I don’t go to an Ivy League School/Top20, I am doomed forever.”
Think: “No matter where I go, I can bloom where I am planted. I can get involved and shine.”
Do not think: “My life is over…the kid in my math class is taking 20 APs and I am taking 5. I will never succeed.”
Think: “I need to challenge myself, but only to the point where I can still do well.”