What should I do now to get into Stanford in the future?

Answered

Hi! I'm not an expert -- merely a senior applying to colleges now -- but I can share my two cents about what seems to work in my experience. First, it doesn't denote here what your passions are or what area you might be looking to study at Stanford, but I would suggest making a list of a few things that drive YOU. Don't think about what Stanford wants quite yet -- they will see right through it if you do things just for the sake of getting into a school. Are you a STEM kid? A liberal arts kid? A performing arts kid?

Second, join a FEW (or stay in) extracurriculars that you care about. As you progress through high school, try to gain leadership positions within those clubs. This can be as simple as participating in your drama department -- that's what I did! Better yet, take each opportunity you have with dignity and make the best out of it. For instance, I used to get a lot of understudy roles, and it can be disheartening to not get the leads you go for. However, I discovered upon writing my college application essays that I could actually write a lot more about being an understudy than any lead role I got -- simply because it took initiative, grit, hard work, and a clever new interpretation of the roles I understudied for. It made me sound like someone who works hard and doesn't always get the most glamorous rewards, but will always be a reliable backbone. I hope that anecdote helped to get the point across that really any extracurricular and any position within that extracurricular will be valuable if you give 110%.

The third thing I'd recommend -- and I know you've heard this a lot -- is to start your own initiative of some sort. It doesn't have to be started with the idea that it will raise over $100k or catch the attention of GMA. Even a club for an underrepresented community or a hobby that you and some friends enjoy can go a long way. It's relatively easy to start a club at most schools -- get an adviser who is sympathetic to the material and gather some interest. You could be starting something that stays in your school for years after you graduate. Once you start fine-tuning your club, do community service with it! If you're a performance-based group, perform in old folks' homes (or, in present circumstances, virtually perform)! If it's a writing club, volunteer to edit college essays for seniors and juniors! Culture-based clubs can speak at local middle or elementary schools to empower students in that demographic. There's no limit to what you can do. The main thing, however, is being passionate about what you do. If you don't care about your initiative or community, then don't put it on your application. Stanford can tell.

You're only a sophomore -- I would say focus on strong academics and maybe picking up a few extra ECs that mean a lot to YOU. Explore, but hone in on a passion within your exploration. The fact that you're focusing on college now says a lot about your work ethic and motivation, and it's a good sign. You got this :)