Advice from people who attend(ed) an Ivy League school?

I'm currently a freshman in college.


If I'm to pursue a phd in government.


I want try my luck applying for Princeton, Stanford, Michigan at Ann Arbor and UC Berkeley.


The problem is, I want to join ROTC because I think my leadership skills could be better, not because I want to join the military or air force.


I also am applying to the honors program.


If I'm a part of both, it's going to be rough.


Should I suck it up and do 17 hours( 2hours ROTC, rest honors classes) and maybe a little more? Or be safe and opt out of one of the two?


I'm only going to be in ROTC in two years if I don't commit to the air force.


There's also at least five clubs I'm interested in. I can join some after I complete two years of ROTC.


Can anyone give me advice and tell me what they went through before being admitted to a prestigious grad school?Advice from people who attend(ed) an Ivy League school?
I'm not very knowledgeable about ROTC, but I do think it's admirable that you are wanting to improve your leadership abilities, and I think admissions committees at the graduate schools you apply to would also find it impressive. An honors program would also be beneficial, but if you think the time commitment and work load would be too taxing, perhaps you should talk to your advisor about which one would be the best to pursue. Could you take an extra semester or two of school so that you could take fewer credits each term and be better able to manage both?





I do think you still have a shot at getting into a great grad program even if you don't enroll in honors if your grades and scores are high, and you have strong letters of recommendation. All those universities are incredibly competitive, so you will probably want to apply to one ';safety'; school no matter how well you end up doing because nothing makes you a shoo-in.





Sorry I can't give you a more specific answer. I wish you the best of luck.





~ Pax / Peace : )