I'm a ninth grader looking for advice!
Hi guys, I'm a ninth grader, who dreams of going to a t30 school (UPenn, Hopkins, etc.). I was looking for assistance in making some decisions regarding my extra curricular activities, as well as regarding my academic selections and test scores.
Here are my ECs currently:
Literary & Writing
Founded a literary magazine for high school students, providing a platform for scholarly works and promoting student engagement in research.
Staff writer for the school newspaper, producing articles on technology, science, and history.
Music
French Horn: First chair in youth and school orchestras, performing in concerts and competitions.
Selected for an all-region youth band as Fourth Chair Hornist.
STEM & Robotics
Head of CAD for a high school robotics team; led the team to be the only one in the state to successfully execute a complex competition task.
Mentored two middle school robotics teams, fostering teamwork and problem-solving skills.
Judged regional robotics competitions, supporting young STEM innovators while developing leadership and analytical skills.
Designed and built innovative robots independently, enhancing engineering skills and creativity.
Research & Academics
Collaborated on a two-week research project with a university professor; presented findings at an undergraduate-level research conference, improving analytical and presentation skills.
Conducted independent research on Chinese–Indian political relations and interdisciplinary topics in medicine, history, and policy.
Community Service
Mentored non-English-speaking students with autism, teaching English to improve language skills and integration.
Employment & Internships
Medical internship at a healthcare facility, gaining clinical experience and deepening passion for healthcare.
Sports & Athletics
Competed at a private tennis academy, developing skills, discipline, and a competitive mindset.
Member of the Academic Team, honing quick-thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills through competitions.
Leadership & Clubs
Founded and led a literary magazine, managing editorial and recruitment processes.
Mentored robotics teams and served in leadership roles in STEM competitions and events.
In addition, I have taken several CollegeBoard practice PSATs, and have scored a 1390 (perfect reading score), 3.9 GPA
How am I looking overall? Do I even have a shot at top schools? What activities do you guys think would be most valuable to continue/focus on?
I don't have much experience with college admissions or college apps (as I'm currently a junior), but I'd say that your EC and Activities list greatly depends on what major(s) you'd be interested in pursuing. I'd say that this list looks pretty impressive so far- but it might be to your advantage to hone in on a certain part that you would want to highlight to colleges, as you look pretty "spread out"/multidisciplinary so far. You want your extracurricular activities to tell a cohesive story rather than just be a mix of activities that don't necessarily fit well together.
Your GPA and PSAT also look pretty strong so far- congrats! But if you're wanting to pursue STEM, a higher math score would definitely be helpful (and the good thing is that math is honestly the easiest section to improve- it's English that many struggle on). And honestly, the SAT is a good amount harder; I scored a 730 on English for both the SAT and PSAT (so I got a lot more wrong on SAT). I don't think you need to stress about the math section because you'll definitely learn most of it in your sophomore and junior years.
If you already know what you want to do, it could be good if you looked for a research internship over this summer relating to the field you would like to learn more about. As of right now, though, it's probably good to just think about what you want to pursue in the future: it's alright if this changes over time! (AND ALSO DEFINITELY MAINTAIN YOUR GRADES- although they aren't going to play a great deal in your admissions process, they're the first thing that counselors see: so it's good to make sure your GPA is "high enough"/around the median scores for these schools)
Hope this helps :)
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