What should I do in junior year (next year) to be competitive?

Answered

Hello!

I'll go through this in terms of sections of your application that you can improve upon.

Grades: I honestly think you're pretty solid - I wouldn't worry too much.

SAT/ACT: Your ACT practice score is very good (converts to a 1430 SAT score), but since you only missed three questions (which is incredible) on the PSAT, I would try taking some SAT practice tests to see if you are better at the SAT than ACT. Once you figure out which one you like better, use Khan academy for practice questions and try to take one real test this summer (I think there is one around June 6th - not sure, but you would need to sign up soon... go to collegeboard.org)

Course rigor: I know that you might view your courses as lacking, but honestly I think they are enough for competitive schools like the Ivy Leagues. Colleges will take into account what was offered to you in terms of weighed classes. The only thing you will be judged on is HOW many opportunities you took out of the ones you were given (this applies to all areas of your application). I think you should take AP environmental science your senior year along with AP chem and maybe another one or two AP classes. While I think you could easily take it Junior year, it might be nice to ease into the course rigor with three instead of four AP's (just my opinion, you could really do either!!). Also, AP environmental science is generally an easier AP, but i would check in with upperclassmen to see how hard it is at your school.

Extracurriculars:

1. Get those leadership positions you were talking about. Use them as an opportunity to challenge yourself in terms of presenting and talking to others. I am also a bit of an introvert and hate public speaking, but i have gotten MUCH better over the years because of practice. Use this as an opportunity to do so and put a lot of hours into your positions.

2. Any internships? The good thing about this is that it doesn't matter if you end up going to that competitive school or not. If I were you, I would look around for opportunities in your area (check out opportuniTEENS, youth helping youth, opportunities for students, etc. - these are great non-profits that help with providing extracurricular opportunities)

3. Start your own initiative. You aren't much of a public speaker; that is perfectly fine! Why not start your own online business? You could sell art, make videos about business or science topics to help tutor others, start a travel blog, etc. You could then donate your profits to causes you care about. Even if you don't earn a lot, this would still look great on an application and give you so many life skills

Letters of Recommendation: Get to really know your teachers!! The teachers your junior year are probably going to be the ones you ask for letters of recommendation - try to be a student they remember! This can be as simple as helping other students, raising your hand, or maybe bringing them freshly baked cookies on their birthday.

Essays: This is a bit farther down the line, but start writing your essays at the end of your junior year and during the summer before your senior year. This would relieve a ton of stress and your senior self would thank you later.

If you get transferred to your new school: I would try to make the most of it. it's going to suck as your plans would be ruined, but if you have outside-of-school activities, those won't be affected. Also, you can mention this on your application (in the section where colleges ask you what, if anything, made your high school career more difficult).

I think that is about it. If you'd like, I can give you specific extracurriculars you could do if you listed out your interests, but I highly recommend visiting the websites I listed above in the extracurriculars section.

I hope this helps! Good luck (and remember that you will end up right where you need to be - just focus on yourself and gaining confidence in your character) :)