<p>I'm a relatively new member here, and I've read through some of the threads here. All of you guys seem pretty knowledgeable about college information, so I was wondering if you guys could help me out ><</p>
<p>I'm currently a junior in high school, and I'm looking for some worthwhile colleges I could apply to next year (also to visit during my spring break this year). I'm interested in pre-med and I really want to become a pediatrician :O </p>
<p>Here are some of my stats (though I'm a little bit nervous about them):</p>
<p>ACT: 31
SAT: 1900
GPA UW: 3.8
Rank in class: Top 11%
Though my statistics are kind of weak, I do have a lot of leadership positions and community service work. I don't want to bomb you guys with all of them, but here are a few: President/Founder of Science Olympiad Team, Red Cross Vice President, Red Cross District Secretary, Prose Editor for Literary Magazine, Future Doctor's Association Pediatric Head, etc.
Volunteering at hospital (200+ hours), Red Cross volunteering at LA, teacher at church for 5 years now, etc. </p>
<p>1) Any good school will prepare you sufficiently for medical school. You just need to take the classes that fulfill the pre-med requirements and will prepare you for the MCAT. (If you do a search here on pre-med, there’s lots of info.)</p>
<p>2) Have the ‘money talk’ with your parents. What can you afford? How much financial aid will you need? How much debt are you willing to carry?</p>
<p>3) You need to set some criteria for what kind of school you are looking for - size, geography, type of experience, financial need, urban/suburban/small town, etc…If you don’t know, then visit your nearest State U, liberal arts college (LAC) and private uni to get a sense of the range. Visit a nearby school in a city, in the burbs and in a college town. You don’t have to want to attend, but it will give you a feel for the range of options. If you already know, tell us what the criteria are, and we can offer suggestions. (Or alternatively, if there are some schools you really like, tell us what they are and why you like them.)</p>
<p>4) Med school is very expensive. Even your in-state option is likely to be $40k each year for four years. You want to avoid being too deeply in debt when you finish college. </p>
<p>5) Your academic performance is good enough to give you lots of good options. Use your ACT, by the way. A 31 is equivalent to a 2040, which is considerably higher than your 1900.</p>
<p>6) If you can get your GPA up, so you are in the top 10% of your class, you’ll be doing yourself a favor. Schools have to report on their Common Data Set, what percent of the class was in the top 10% of their school in terms of GPA. You make yourself more attractive by putting yourself in that category if you can.</p>
<p>Thanks M’s Mom! Those were some good thoughts you gave me I should’ve posted some of the information sooner x__x</p>
<p>Some criteria for my schools:
Size: The size of the campus doesn’t really matter to me, but I prefer mid-size to big
I would REALLY like a school with a small student to professor ratio like Rice. I really like the idea of a small classroom because I learn better in a one-to-one-like setting~
Also, I wouldn’t mind having an active city to go to when I want to step out of school during the week. I really don’t want to be stuck a in a boony-dock area with nothing to do, besides to study </p>
<p>Financial Aid-wise, I think is going to be troublesome. My parents make pretty good income around 100K each, but they have a lot of debt (student loans) to pay off as well. So, I’m afraid that the school might not give me enough aid x.x</p>
<p>Depends what schools you’re applying to. If they’re top tier, then yes. If not, then you would be okay not re-taking. But if it’s a reach school then you should.</p>
<p>Note that small student-professor ratio does not necessarily equate to small class size. A lot of research universities have low ratios but large classes because the faculty get load exemptions for non-teaching duties, either research or administrative.</p>
<p>If you’re serious about med school, as others have pointed out you need to read the threads since it can have a significant impact on your decision. </p>
<p>You also need to check out schools individually even if they are out in the “boonies.” I can’t tell you how often we visited colleges and the students talked about the campus bubble, they never left because there was so much to do even in major metro areas. I know one school that would definitely be considered remote, small town brought in their own concerts. </p>
<p>The other thing to look at is the actual class schedules at the school. It will give you a better idea of how big the classes actually are.</p>
I should’ve posted some of the information sooner x__x</p>
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I’m debating whether to take the ACT again. Should I?</p>