I am in 9th grade and would like to go to rice or cornell, advice?

It would depend on the college type and what you are applying for.

For example Ivy and other selective schools will want to see rigor and a well balanced profile, meaning that on top of academics you show interest in other things like volunteer work or initiative like starting a small business or running a blog. Basically they want to see you took time involve yourself in something that tells them about what is important to you or your aspirations. They want to see you go above and beyond.

For state schools they will usually like to see a well rounded student but to a lesser extent than ivys or example instead of a GPA ranging around 3.8-4 unweighted they will likely be happy with something around 3.6. Some state schools are more selective than others though.

The number one thing they look for is rigor, the extent of it depends on what type of school it is. After that all schools will want to see you took time to involve yourself with nonacademic things like clubs and volunteer work. The safe for EC's the extent depends on where you are applying and the goals of the school.

Sorry if this is all weird , this is being all wonky and not letting me type normally.