What do I need to do NOW?

xnfs93hy

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I am going to be a junior and I am going to be doing a lot this year and next and already have 100 hours of community service. I really want to get into a top 50 school and my reach is Cornell they have an EXCELLENT pre med program (so does NYU which I will be applying to as well and probably have a MUCH better shot at). However, even though I have the POTENTIAL I don't know if I totally measure up.

My GPA is currently over 3.0. I have NO honors classes but will definitely have them senior year. Before you jump down my throat with "Forget Cornell dude", just listen to what I am doing.

I am taking the most difficult classes I can (Which are the ones right below honors). I am trying to get guidance to let me into honors maybe after first quarter. While my guidance counselor says colleges will also look at my progress (which is phenomenal) I still am very nervous that they won't accept me.

However, this year I will be:

Taking classes at a Community College
Taking Classes at a RANKED local University
Tutoring Elementary School Kids
Continuing Volunteer work at the hospital
and
Self Studying 6 AP's.

Yeah I know it's alot but if I can manage my time right I can handle it. I will also join three clubs in school. No sport's though. I don't know about work experience either although it would be nice to have an impressive job at the hospital like a surgical equipment orderer or something, I don't know.

Lastly, I will also be trying to shadow a few Physicians and Surgeons.


In all honesty I KNOW I CAN HANDLE THIS. When I want something I want something. I still feel I am not competitive enough for Cornell and this is just junior year. Senior year will be even more impressive. The only other advice I have heard is trying to do medical research. Is there anything else I should be doing to "Stand out" or should I just try and work with what I have?

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I don't like telling my sad tale but I will.... my junior year... sucked academically... I had decent grades 3point something I have no idea... so I wanted to stand out and get into a really great school. I thought I could handle everything:
I took 2 AP courses (at my school thats the most you can take because you have 2-3 hours of homework a night and guidance freaks out)
My other courses were difficult too (we only have 4 classes a day)
I volunteered a lot. average once a week for a few hours.
Worked 17 hours a week... eventually got a second job and worked another 10.
Figure skating 2-3 times a week
2 clubs at school
yeah... I took it all on at once and it defeated me... completely... I ended up failing a class for the first time... AP BIO (but still passed my AP exam haha)

Anyways... my point is... if you are going to take on the world... gradually add things... gradually take on more and more. don't load yourself so tight you can't breath. I worried SO much about getting into college and making sure I did this and that... that I completely failed. I'm energized and ready to start all over this year and now that I failed I know I can succeed... but you don't want to have to do that... just make sure you're not taking on more than you can chew.

Anyways... to answer your actual question.. what do you need to do NOW? as a junior.....
1. Get good grades
2. Take hard and interesting classes
3. Start looking at UNDERGRAD schools
4. Do some volunteering and shadowing
5. Take the ACT
6. Find something unique about your application. This could be anything from being an EMT, research student, internships, etc. STAND OUT... meaning... do things that other kids your age aren't. The possibilities are endless so think out of the box. However, the things I mentioned are still pretty good I think haha.
 
I don't like telling my sad tale but I will.... my junior year... sucked academically... I had decent grades 3point something I have no idea... so I wanted to stand out and get into a really great school. I thought I could handle everything:
I took 2 AP courses (at my school thats the most you can take because you have 2-3 hours of homework a night and guidance freaks out)
My other courses were difficult too (we only have 4 classes a day)
I volunteered a lot. average once a week for a few hours.
Worked 17 hours a week... eventually got a second job and worked another 10.
Figure skating 2-3 times a week
2 clubs at school
yeah... I took it all on at once and it defeated me... completely... I ended up failing a class for the first time... AP BIO (but still passed my AP exam haha)

Anyways... my point is... if you are going to take on the world... gradually add things... gradually take on more and more. don't load yourself so tight you can't breath. I worried SO much about getting into college and making sure I did this and that... that I completely failed. I'm energized and ready to start all over this year and now that I failed I know I can succeed... but you don't want to have to do that... just make sure you're not taking on more than you can chew.

Anyways... to answer your actual question.. what do you need to do NOW? as a junior.....
1. Get good grades
2. Take hard and interesting classes
3. Start looking at UNDERGRAD schools
4. Do some volunteering and shadowing
5. Take the ACT
6. Find something unique about your application. This could be anything from being an EMT, research student, internships, etc. STAND OUT... meaning... do things that other kids your age aren't. The possibilities are endless so think out of the box. However, the things I mentioned are still pretty good I think haha.

Other than research and the few things you mentioned I am looking into interning for the Epilepsy Foundation, taking a mission trip to Africa, doing hurricane Katrina stuff in New Orleans, etc. next SUMMER. I would stop volunteering during the summer but load up my summer vacation with theses and few more things. I just want to have a GOOD shot at Cornell and these top schools. Heh, I agree with you on what you are doing is "unique" 100% How many kid's figure skate? Hell, how many kids Volunteer? Let's just hope we get into the schools we want and don't fail classes :D
 
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Other than research and the few things you mentioned I am looking into interning for the Epilepsy Foundation, taking a mission trip to Africa, doing hurricane Katrina stuff in New Orleans, etc. next SUMMER. I would stop volunteering during the summer but load up my summer vacation with theses and few more things. I just want to have a GOOD shot at Cornell and these top schools. Heh, I agree with you on what you are doing is "unique" 100% How many kid's figure skate? Hell, how many kids Volunteer? Let's just hope we get into the schools we want and don't fail classes :D
haha yeah. this year i'm getting 4.0s, i don't care. haha. Those things that you mentioned are excellent. I had so much stuff planned this past summer but my parents diminshed all of them and just made me work all summer... couldn't even volunteer that much. :( I need a car! I thought you wanted NYU?

In 30 minutes (6:15)... I'm leaving for my last first day of high school. It is the weirdest feeling because it doesn't feel like summer even came... I love school and I'm excited for it... but holy cow... I'm a senior! My goal for my senior year is to relax, have fun, get good grades, and stop wishing I was somewhereelse, in undergrad, etc. I have to learn to live in the moment a little better. haha.
 
haha yeah. this year i'm getting 4.0s, i don't care. haha. Those things that you mentioned are excellent. I had so much stuff planned this past summer but my parents diminshed all of them and just made me work all summer... couldn't even volunteer that much. :( I need a car! I thought you wanted NYU?

In 30 minutes (6:15)... I'm leaving for my last first day of high school. It is the weirdest feeling because it doesn't feel like summer even came... I love school and I'm excited for it... but holy cow... I'm a senior! My goal for my senior year is to relax, have fun, get good grades, and stop wishing I was somewhereelse, in undergrad, etc. I have to learn to live in the moment a little better. haha.

Nice, I hope your teacher's are good and are nice (Nothing worse than a nasty teacher who sucks at teaching :mad:). I hear you as far as how quick the summer went (It feels like it went fast but when I think about it it does feel a bit long, like it does every year). Yeah, just continue to do your thing this year if you are going to wind up with a 4.0 or close to it odds are you will wind up with a nice class rank I hear ya. Oh, and Cornell is one of my reach schools. If I cannot get into Cornell (Which may/may not happen) I am really eyeballing NYU because I have a much better chance there. Good luck with your first day:D! Even though you'll probably just sit there listening to the teacher introduce him/herself.
 
6:15! Man that is BRUTAL. That is the time I wakeup (School is tomorrow for me).

Schedule:

6:00-Wake up
6:40-Drive to school
7:00-Arrive at school, park, and go inside
7:05-7:15-Go to locker, rearrange books etc.
7:15-7:20-Sit in homeroom thinking about first period
7:20-7:26-Homeroom
7:26-7:30-Yeah we have four minutes to switch (they need to change that, our school has 1,300 people in it :eek:)
7:30-8:10-1st period



Yep, that's a solid hour and a half of NOTHING but I guess it's more or less the same for you too. Our classes are 40 minutes and we have 9 periods as apposed to normal schools that have 8 classes 45 minutes each. 9th period ends at 2:02. I get home around 2:30 provided that I have nothing else to work on at school. I have no idea why I am telling you my schedule I just have a lot of free time on my hands right now :D.
 
I have block scheduling... 4 classes a day... 1.5 hours each. "homeroom" twice a week for 45 minutes. 10 minute passing periods. I LOVE IT! What other school gets 10 minutes of passing.... we just stand and talk for 8 of those minutes because my school is SUPER tiny... one floor with like 5 halls....literally. I LOVE only having 4 classes a day. Although, we DO get more homework per class... tonight... with 4 classes... I have 2.5 hours of homework... on the first day of classes. My friends from a school nearby have 8 classes and they have 1/2 as much homework. haha.
 
I have block scheduling... 4 classes a day... 1.5 hours each. "homeroom" twice a week for 45 minutes. 10 minute passing periods. I LOVE IT! What other school gets 10 minutes of passing.... we just stand and talk for 8 of those minutes because my school is SUPER tiny... one floor with like 5 halls....literally. I LOVE only having 4 classes a day. Although, we DO get more homework per class... tonight... with 4 classes... I have 2.5 hours of homework... on the first day of classes. My friends from a school nearby have 8 classes and they have 1/2 as much homework. haha.

The kids in another high school nearby have block scheduling as well I guess it has it's pro's and con's. 2 1/2 hours is a lot. What are you taking?
 
6:15! Man that is BRUTAL. That is the time I wakeup (School is tomorrow for me).

Schedule:

6:00-Wake up
6:40-Drive to school
7:00-Arrive at school, park, and go inside
7:05-7:15-Go to locker, rearrange books etc.
7:15-7:20-Sit in homeroom thinking about first period
7:20-7:26-Homeroom
7:26-7:30-Yeah we have four minutes to switch (they need to change that, our school has 1,300 people in it :eek:)
7:30-8:10-1st period



Yep, that's a solid hour and a half of NOTHING but I guess it's more or less the same for you too. Our classes are 40 minutes and we have 9 periods as apposed to normal schools that have 8 classes 45 minutes each. 9th period ends at 2:02. I get home around 2:30 provided that I have nothing else to work on at school. I have no idea why I am telling you my schedule I just have a lot of free time on my hands right now :D.


There is no home room time in B.C, Canada from Gr. 6 or 7. The first period usually starts around 8:30.

And Wow, you got a lot of things to do man, good luck :thumbup:
 
My schedule this year:
First semester
AP US History
College Writing and Reading
Math
Compuers

Second Semester
AP US History
Advanced Web Design
Physics
Human Anatomy and Physisology
 
There is no home room time in B.C, Canada from Gr. 6 or 7. The first period usually starts around 8:30.

And Wow, you got a lot of things to do man, good luck :thumbup:

Thanks :)
 
7:26-7:30-Yeah we have four minutes to switch (they need to change that, our school has 1,300 people in it :eek:)

In my school we're only given about 4-5 minutes between periods, and we have roughly 2300+ students. :confused: Not to mention the school building was originally intended to be an intermediate school, meaning the halls are extremely narrow and cramped in between classes. Consider yourself lucky then, haha.
 
In my school we're only given about 4-5 minutes between periods, and we have roughly 2300+ students. :confused: Not to mention the school building was originally intended to be an intermediate school, meaning the halls are extremely narrow and cramped in between classes. Consider yourself lucky then, haha.

That's unfortunate. I'm sorry :( My school is maybe a little over 1000ish and we have 10 minutes in between our classes.
 
In my school we're only given about 4-5 minutes between periods, and we have roughly 2300+ students. :confused: Not to mention the school building was originally intended to be an intermediate school, meaning the halls are extremely narrow and cramped in between classes. Consider yourself lucky then, haha.
Holy crap! That is WAY too many people.
 
Don't spread yourself too thin. Everyone applying to the Ivies has a long list of things they did for a little while; this does not make a lasting impression and does not make you stand out.

Far more attractive is the applicant with sustained and productive involvement in some sort of activity, be it a sport, research, work, whatever. I went to college at Stanford and practically everyone had "this one thing" that made them unique. This will do more for you than taking 6 APs instead of 4 or taking a bunch of college classes.

Most importantly, do what you enjoy. My last years of high school were the most enjoyable of my life.
 
Wow. My school has seven minutes for passing! So you can really take your time and stuff (cough finish up the last problem of your homework for the next class cough).

I'm def starting to feel the pressure from my classes.

1. AP Bio
2. AP Stat
3. Teacher Aid for science
4. Psychology
5. AP Lang
6. AP Econ


I know it's four ap classes, crazy haha. But actually, my original schedule had 5! It had AP Calc in it, but I decided to take it senior year.
Not to mention orthodontist shadowing after school starting in a couple weeks. I still have to get training hours. Busy busy. I'm pretty much doing homework/studying from like 4 to 5, and then 7-10 or 11 every night. Ugh. So much homework..
 
Oh, and school started a couple weeks ago for us, and we've already taken like 5 tests and a few quizzes. I still have A's in all of my classes, but it's the beginning of the year and I don't know what to expect!
 
1. You are thinking way too much...for the most part what you do in high school does not matter in anything regarding Medical School.

2. Just relax and have fun...do well in college (any college), and ace the MCAT.

3. When you get to MD school then you can worry about more serious stuff and study for hours and hours every day...
 
I would agree, but I'm trying to do good in high school so I can get scholarships for college. I think everything matters in the long run.
 
As long as you don't fail your classes and you get into college it wont matter, get involved in things other than school like sports and other social groups. I learned and gained more by participating in sports throughout high school and college than I ever learned in a class. I dont care how "smart" you think you are...if you dont have common sense or people skills you will probably not be successful in anything that involves other human beings (like medicine or denistry). They will teach you everything you need to know and more in the school of your choosing...so just get by now and learn about life in general.
 
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