Hey everyone,
I’m a prospective applicant (junior this year) who would really love to go to JHU for some bio-related field. (I haven’t really settled on one field yet tbh, biotech, bioengineering, neuro, biophysics, etc. all sound very appealing to me.)
My gpa and test scores and everything are fine, (35 ACT), probably somewhere around top 25 in a class of 500 (bc i took a crap ton of APs, including bio in soph, chem in jun, physics next year. i also have calc ab and stats next year).
HOWEVER I really have no significant science-related extracurriculars. All my service hours or whatever are tutoring (yes, in math/science but I have zero lab experience other than the stuff I did in AP bio and chem…which is pretty sad lol).
in the summer i took courses at UC Berkeley related to neuroscience, I guess…but that was a lecture. my ECs are band leadership…which although is ok i guess…is not related to science at all and since JHU’s bio is good i dont really think it would significantly help me.
I didn’t do any competitions either like AMC or science olympiad. (major regret)
Do I still have a chance to get into these fields? (I know I’m not going to get bme but like…other bio things?).
PS if u are an underclassman and you are reading this DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AS I DID…go and find things to do.
Thanks everyone.
Biotechnology isn’t an undergraduate degree. If you’re a junior this year, you still have time at least over the summer to get involved with something. The school doesn’t admit by major except for BME, so you’ll be accepted to the school as a whole. If you can explain your interest in science and show that you have the academic aptitude, the fact that you’re interested in other things too (as shown in your ECs) won’t matter.
Oh okay, thanks. (The reason I’m asking is I actually did apply to 2 summer programs but I was rejected from the one that is much easier to get into, so I’m not really expecting to get into the other :/)
Research experience is by no means a “requirement” for admission to Hopkins (though it definitely helps). However your ECs aren’t particularly impressive, especially with the rapidly increasing competitiveness of college admissions. Your grades and college coursework may make up for it, but honestly it’s hard to be sure.
But don’t give up on the idea of doing research. You mentioned you’ve take college courses at Berkeley right? Try sending emails to professors at nearby schools (Cal, Stanford, Davis, SFSU, USF, etc) and ask if they have any opportunities in their labs. Get in touch with local, small bio-related businesses and see if they have any internship opportunities for high school internships. Use the internet to look for other opportunities for high schoolers - there are a few companies / organizations that offer internships and/or research experiences for high schoolers that aren’t very well advertised.
That’s a good idea. Thanks.
On the other hand, do you think it’s too late to secure an internship for Fall 2016? I heard from an old Berkeley admission officer that they ignored all ECs that started in fall of senior year since they had only gone on for a few months and were often “filler” activities meant to be written on college apps.
Obviously, for me, this wouldn’t be a filler. I really want to study biology of some variety, it was bad planning on my part to not have a backup plan for rejection 
If you can find something that starts in the summer that would be ideal, but there’s no harm in trying. And from a less college admissions perspective, the experience would be valuable even if it didn’t weigh as heavily on you’re application. And when you’re in college looking for research position, the previous experience will definitely help.