I live in Dallas and I am 7th (class rank wise) in a class of 600. This puts me at approximately the top 1% which means I would be accepted (if everything stays about the same) automatically to any school in Texas. This makes me feel like I would be settling for any school in Texas but I also know any school out of state would be much more expensive and much more selective. I would love to have a college experience outside the state of Texas say in Chicago at the University of Chicago but my problem is I am scared I'm too late (junior) to fill my application. Most of my high school career has been filled with football, baseball, debate, or school and I feel like the people I am competing against at say UChicago have been planning for this day since their birth. They have done internships and started charities and businesses (for the sole purpose of a college app) and I cannot help but feel far behind. I am especially scared because I go to a public school and the people whose SAT scores I am competing with from private school's have a huge advantage. They have had tutors for years and I'm so scared that no matter how hard I try or how much I study I won't be good enough to beat those people. So, I'm sure plenty of people are in my shoes and I want to know what I should do. What can I fill my application with to make up for the time I've lost in baseball and football? Also, I've heard in the college application process that you are only compared to students of similar standing, meaning I would be compared to other public school people in Texas, is this true? Do schools care that I play sports or are they going to look at my relatively empty application and say tough luck? (I feel like college application officials just don't understand how much time goes into sports. I feel like they are going to have unreal expectations of what a high school student can accomplish in their free time)

Thank you so much for your time. Sorry for the organization. This is the first time I've ever really put my thoughts hopes and fears for the future out on paper.

Sincerely, another scared college applicant