I'm a sophmore in high school, i'm in all the honors classes i can take right now, i got all A's my freshman year, i'm getting all A's this year (except for honors chem in which i have a B), i'm in CSF, i'm in a variety of extracurriculars but i focus on what i like, i'm doing tons of community service hours, but i know that once i apply to Harvard, i'll be in a pool of thousands of other people with the same kind of qualifications as me. what can i do to make myself stand out from the others? This has been a lifelong dream of mine and i'll do whatever it takes to get there.Are there any Ivy league graduates out there that can give me advice?
You are doing all the things that highly motivated students do, but you're not setting yourself apart from the herd. Look deep inside yourself and ask yourself what you're truly interested in--not what you think the colleges want you to do/be. Then throw yourself into your interest. Find a mentor and volunteer in something related. A hint: What do you love to do, think about in your free time? Whatever answer you give, this is a genuine interest of yours. Make sure to mention your interests and what you've done to educate yourself in your essays and any other part of the college application you can. Show your true colors! Good luck! And if you don't get in, don't despair. Ivy Leagues are very expensive, and sometimes overrated. You can always try transferring in as a soph, or junior. Or grad school. wishing you all good things in life...Are there any Ivy league graduates out there that can give me advice?
Score a perfect or near perfect score on either the SAT or the ACT, it will get their attention.
Better bring that B up. 4.0 looks a lot more impressive than 3.95.
I STRONGLY recommend saving an expensive Ivy League education for your graduate degree. Very little financial aid/scholarship money is available to undergrads there, but as a grad student you are likely to receive fellowships that will cover tuition costs. Attend a less expensive university, work hard to set yourself apart on campus there, then apply to Harvard for grad school. This is a much more economical way to obtain a ';name brand'; education. If you are interested in field for which you will only need a bachelor's degree, it probably does not warrant the expense of an Ivy League in the first place.
I really don't understand why you need an Ivy League grad to answer your question. As a college student who has been through where you're at right now, I can tell you that no matter where you are applying to, from your state university to a private college, pretty much everyone were in CSF and had straight A's in high school. To dishtingusih yourself from others you must have something far more than just typical school stuff that any more-than-average student can do - Scouting, having some kind of Musical Ability, some kind of summer study abroad program, etc. Trust me when I say that most of these more prestigious colleges don't want nerds, they want applicants who are as experienced off the bookshelf as they are good students.
Lastly I assume that your CSF stands for Cal-Scholarship-Fed and not Christian Special Forces?
My fiance graduated from an ivy league school recently. You seem to be doing similar things in regards to grades and community service, but the one thing he did that really made him stand out was taking college courses in high school. He applied to Stanford when he was a junior and went to the west coast and took three intensive summer courses there with college students.
This was a great idea because it demonstrated his abilities and those credits were transferred to his university as well.
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