<p>Hello folks,
I am a sophomore attending a fairly strong High School in Western Massachusetts. I would like to know your thoughts on my grades and ECs, and also any advice on what I should do to maximize my remaining two years in High School and hopefully go to a strong college (Bowdoin and Northwestern come to mind). My current GPA is 3.8 unweighted, and I have taken all available honors classes as well as AP Spanish. The courses I have selected for junior year are:
-Spanish Literature @ Smith College
-Elementary German @ Smith College
- (Hopefully) Middle Eastern History @ Smith College
-AP U.S. History
-A.P. Junior English - A.P. Microeconomics
- Honors Mechanical Physics
- Honors Precalculus
I am hoping to bring my grades up a bit to at least a 3.9 before I apply to college, but this could be difficult. My extracurricular activities are a bit unconventional, but I think colleges will like them. Please note that I was recently offered many of these opportunities, so I am not very experienced yet. I apologize for the ambiguity of some items on this list. - Varsity Fencing Team, 2 Years (competed in the Junior Olympics this year, I hope to earn my E2010 soon!)
- Won 2nd Place in a prestigious writing competition (about 600 entered)
- Writes for the teen section of The Republican, a regional newspaper distributed to about a dozen towns.
- 1/2 year Associate Member in Best Buddies Society for mentally disabled children
- 30 hours volunteering to help teach a beginner fencing class with my coach
- 4 Years of trumpet, 1 year in marching band
- Attended Great Books Summer Program at Amherst College for 2 years
- Has recently begun volunteering at a foster home
- will volunteer at the hospital this summer
- Winner of the MacDuffie Middle School History Award</p>
<p>And this is where I stand, I plan to join a few more clubs next year and get cracking on many of the offers that I have had. Comments and constructive criticism welcome.</p>