Current chances + What I should do over the summer?
Demographics: (Current junior) Female, multiracial (white, black, indigenous), rural school, middle class
Intended Major(s): International Relations or Slavic Studies + Poli Sci (depending on the school and what it offers)
ACT/SAT/SAT II: 32 ACT (36R, 33E, 27M) but I will have the chance to improve that
UW/W GPA and Rank: 3.95UW*/4.23W and 1st out of 47 as of last semester (*Physics is hard, I'm sorry 😭)
Coursework: Took only AP class last year (AP CSP), currently in 4 DE classes per semester + Eng Comp over the summer
Awards:
1st place in Government at state level competition [also in a couple other categories, but gov is most relevant.]
Nomination for State Senate Page Program (only lasted a week, so I can't really put it as an EC)
Nomination for Girls State
Individual acting award at competition
Extracurriculars:
- Quiz Bowl Participant and Captain [captain since junior year, participated in local game show and was part of a two-time top three placing team at state]
- Theatre Program Actress [seven shows total, four lead roles]
- High School Democrats of America State Chapter Chair [grew state chapter from 0 to 20+ students (and counting + in a ruby red state), and has spoken to and conducted events with politicians and political leaders from across the state. I'm also the founder and chair of a regional political campaign support initiative committee.]
- Internship with Foreign Aid Lobbyist PAC [very early into this, but so far, I've been helping create materials and conduct research for the group, and I've had a meeting with my US Congressman's office on foreign aid spending initiatives]
- Member of Youth-Run International Relations Think Tank [Organization has over 10k social media followers, this one isn't as strong, but I've been in it for a while, and have written multiple articles on international politics and US national security. I also have a personal blog, not sure if I list that as a separate thing or not.]
- Volunteer helping Ukrainian English-learners practice English online [one hour per week, technically haven't started this yet, but I expect I will.]
- National Honors Society Secretary [tied (again) after a week-long campaign and a run-off election]
- Russian Self-Directed Study [not really sure how to describe this, I've used a variety of materials including various books and websites, as well as US military materials available for free online (Headstart2, etc.). I also plan on studying French, but I'm not sure if I will get to that by the time it's time to apply.]
- Wikipedia editor [currently 50+ edits, I plan on growing that number. Primarily on modern political topics.]
- Student Council Treasurer [this was only for my sophomore year. I unfortunately lost my junior year election. If I can find a better EC to start doing, I'll delete this and add that.]
Schools:
Reach: Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Cornell, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, NYU, Barnard
Target: GW, AU, Fordham? (I need more of these)
Safety: A bunch of in-state schools + Hollins University
I'm honestly really tired and burnt out but I really don't feel like I'm doing enough and I want to know what more I should be doing to help improve my chances. I'm looking at all these other posts on here and r/ApplyingToCollege, and my resume isn't nearly as good as everyone else's it seems. But, living in a small town, there aren't very many opportunities for things to do. If I could receive some guidance on what to do to improve my application before my senior year, it would be greatly appreciated.
Posted Apr 1, 2026, 6:01 AM UTC