What should I do junior and senior year for a more competitive college application?
I'm a junior at a somewhat rural high school with limited classes and not too many opportunities. I'm looking for some advice because I want to get in to some bigger schools but my extracurriculars and other stats are mediocre at best. I want to major in Biology and get on a good pre-med track.
GPA: I have an unweighted 4.0 GPA and weighted 4.32 GPA (not including the college classes and AP class that I am taking this year.) I believe that it's different at some schools but ours does it so that everyone who has a 90-100 gets the same weighting, so a 4.0.
Test scores: I haven't taken my ACT or SAT yet but, on my Pre-ACT last year I got a 30 and on my PSAT I got a 1270 (definitely not where I would like it to be, but my studying was nonexistent) When I took the PSAT freshman year it was a 1210.
AP, College classes: I took AP Bio last year and AP Precalc this year, I'm definitely lacking in this department but am hoping to take several more senior year including AP Calc. I'm taking three community college classes this semester and several more next semester, hopefully having at least about half of an associate's degree in credit hours by end of my senior year.
Extracurriculars: I am an officer in the NHS at my school and a very active member of my service club, along with a varsity member of the swim team. I also just started participating in HOSA this year but I am a little doubtful about how well I did in my event. I'm looking to do two volunteer opportunities this coming year, one with 50 hours over five months at a hospital near me to get hands on experience, and another with 75 hours of community service over the summer at a smaller hospital nearby.
I would appreciate any tips on what classes to take my senior year or what I should do to make my application more competitive for college, I know it's all pretty average right now, but my high school is definitely a lot less competitive and I would say that my stats are above average for my region. Also, any ideas for initiatives or anything to start, I am in charge of coming up with a school event as an officer for NHS and I would like to get the biggest reach I can in our local community, like clothing drives or book drives, etc.
I know from all my research on how to get a more competitive application, that good colleges and universities don't just look at what you do. They look for personality, actual things and values you're getting from your activities. And they want to see that you will be successful.
What you have is great, and it's really really great since you want to major in Biology. Consider adding more diversity to your extracurriculars to show your well-rounded. Those classes your taking display your eagerness to challenge yourself.
Main thing: Colleges & Universities big and small want you to be a good fit for them. They don't look at what you do, they look at what you value and what you get from what you do, then what you want to do in the future. Like, what has being a NHS officer shown you about the world around you, how have you time managed your extracurricular activities, how has high school taught YOU?
That's my take, good work though! Pretend I inserted a Money emoji Cause YOUR GOING TO GET THAT BAG.....(Sorry, good Job good Job though, seriously)
All my best,
J.S.
You're on a great path with a strong GPA and involvement in extracurriculars. To enhance your senior year, consider taking additional AP science courses like AP Chemistry or AP Physics to support your pre-med aspirations. Since you've done well on the Pre-ACT, you might focus on the ACT for standardized testing, but taking both ACT and SAT is also an option if you're unsure. In terms of extracurriculars, your leadership in NHS and HOSA is impressive. You could organize a health fair or educational series on health topics to engage your community, aligning with your interest in biology. Your planned hospital volunteering is excellent; consider adding shadowing experiences for deeper insight into the medical field. What area would you like to delve into further or discuss more?
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