<p>Hey,
I will start applying to colleges soon. I am aiming for really competitive schools like the ivys, stanford, some top BS/MD programs, and amherst, but I will be content where ever I end up. I don’t have much time to improve my application, but I just wanted to know if I am even a match for any of these schools or what I can do to become more competitive. Here it goes:</p>
<p>GPA UW: 3.95
GPA W: 4.43
SAT: 750M, 800CR, 750W (total: 2300)
SAT II: 760,760,750
ACT: N/A
Rank: top 5% out of 600 (highest possible at school besides val/saludatorian)
Course Load: All honors and 2 AP freshman and sophomore year (my only 2 B’s were in freshman math.) During Frosh and Soph years I completed the IB MYP certificate.
Junior year courses:
IB Bio HL 1
IB Chem HL 1
IB Physics HL 1
IB English HL 1
IB Psychology SL
Honors Spanish 4
Aquatics(reqd PE class)/IB Theory of Knowledge
Senior Year courses:
IB Bio HL 2
IB Chem HL 2
IB Physics HL 2
IB English HL 2
AP Physics B or AP English Comp (which do you recommend)
IB Theory of Knowledge
IB Spanish SL</p>
<p>Subjective part:</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:
Debate Team Captain (4 years)
Speech Team (4 years)
Chemistry Club (leader) (4 years)
Model UN (4 years)
Track and Fencing (freshman year. I doubt I will list this on app)</p>
<p>Other:
400 volunteering hours at one hospital in general duties
300 volunteering hours at another hospital in ER
2x Published clinical medical research (I think this is my best thing)
Research in lab setting (no publication)
Internship with one doctor during summer
Shadowed surgeries over 25 hours
Taken a few college courses on subjects which interest me such as Religion and History (got all A’s)
Spent three weeks in India helping provide medical care for orphaned/poor children
Set up a charity fundraiser that basically raised money for buying vaccines and basic medical supplies for about 15 villages in India for a year.
Won a few local table tennis tournaments (if that counts for anything)</p>
<p>My advise(as a doctor) is NOT to do 6 year college-MD programs. Life is short, and there is no reason not to enjoy the intellectual(and social)pleasures of college while getting your BS. Med school is like a great moving sidewalk once you step on it, and it’s better to enjoy your youth while you can-while pulling mostly As, of course.</p>
<p>Also, do not lie or pad your resume.Don’t take this personally, but when I was interviewing a med school hopeful, he said he had “assisted at surgery” I asked him to describe an appendectomy. He couldn’t. I then asked him to describe a cholecystectomy. He couldn’t. Turned out assisting at surgery was going to the OR to pick up specimens for the lab. Obviously he didn’t get in …So be honest. You’re fab, so don’t worry.</p>
<p>Indiya, I was looking through your posts to see which other schools you posted these stats on.</p>
<p>A couple of things. </p>
<p>First of all, you can’t really group all the HYP schools along with Amherst. They’re all different schools and have different feels to them. I realize that you said you don’t care where you end up, as long as it’s somewhere “prestigious.” Just something to consider. </p>
<p>Secondly, I saw what you wrote on Harvard’s thread - wanting to boost up to 600 hours but thinking it might be a “waste of time.” I was really disappointed in that. I think you missed the whole point of actually doing community service with a statement like that. I hope you don’t come across in your essays like that too. </p>
<p>Clearly, you look good on paper - and I’m sure you know that. No doubts about that. It’s what you write in your essays that count. Good luck.</p>
<p>why would anyone these days want to be a doctor? More than a quarter of a million dollars in education costs and after this new Obama bill…they are begging smart kids not to become doctors!</p>
<p>Well, I’m a doctor, and if it’s about the money, you shouldn’t do it anyway. Your primary motive should be to help people.
Go to Wall Street or business if money is what you’re about.</p>
<p>Meh, money is KIND of an issue. You’re not going to spend a crapload of money on undergrad and med school just to get screwed financially by your job…</p>