Please give me any suggestions as to colleges that may be a fit or that I should look into. I’d appreciate any tips about how I should improve my application and how I should frame it to give me the best chances of admission in a competitive program.
Demographics
US citizen
Atlanta, Georgia
Public High School (competitive magnet program)
Female, Asian (Indian)
Junior in High School (co2024)
Intended Major(s)
Neuroscience or Biology (Pre-med)
Highly interested in BS/MD programs
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
GPA: 4.0 UW, 4.58 W (5.0 weighted scale)
Straight A’s
School doesn’t rank
1580 SAT
1490 PSAT/NMSQT
Coursework
AP Classes (with scores):
-AP CSP (5)
-AP Biology (4)
-AP Physics (4)
-AP World History (3)
-APES (TBD)
-AP Chemistry (TBD)
-APUSH (TBD)
-AP Lang (TBD)
-AP Calc AB and BC (TBD)
Dual Enrollment Courses
Medical Terminology
Nursing Assistant
Certifications
Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)
^^ Became teaching assistant for EMR class the year after I was certified
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
^^ Completed 30+ clinical hours in local nursing home
Level of math- Multivariable Calculus
Foreign Language - Up to Honors Latin III
Level of Science- Organic Chemistry
Awards
Excellence Award in Foreign Language- Latin: Rewarded to one student in the school per year and selected by teacher
AP Scholar with Distinction
Likely National Merit Semifinalist/Finalist (1490 PSAT/ 223 NMSC Selection Score)
Science Olympiad: 7th in 2 events at state level
Math team: 1st, 2nd place in county varsity team math competition
3rd place in Certamen at GA Latin State Convention
Extracurriculars
Clubs
-President of Science National Honor Society (started this club and grew it to 50+ members)
-Vice President of Science Olympiad (led team to state tournament 2 years in a row)
-Officer of Red Cross Club
-Editor of Latin Club
-NHS
-NLHS
-Math Team
-Mu Alpha Theta
-Tutoring Intern
-Chick-fil-A Leader Academy
-HOSA
Job
-Kumon for 2+ years
Volunteering
-150+ hours of community service including 60+ hours of service/shadowing at local hospital
Summer Activities
-Brown Precollege - healthcare oriented summer program
-Girls Who Code SIP
-Planning on completing 6 week research at local medical school this summer
During senior year I will have an healthcare related internship where I will be conducting research with a mentor and will present it to my peers
Essays/LORs
Essays: Not sure how good my essays will be but guessing 8/10
LOR’s: assuming 9/10
Cost Constraints / Budget
No cost restrictions, merit based aid is a plus
Schools
Have very little idea where exactly I want to go, but here are my interests:
Preferably East Coast schools, BS/MD Programs
Emory
UNC Chapel Hill
Johns Hopkins
Rice
Brown
Duke
Baylor
UGA
UT Austin
Mercer- BSMD Program
UChicago
Cornell
WashU
UPenn
Please chance me for these schools and match me for any others you think I would be a good fit for
You have an impressive application, and your medical focus is obvious in your ECs. You should be proud.
I’m not an expert on BSMD programs, but you may find it helpful to read through the thread for this year’s applicants. There are helpful links in the opening post that will help you get started.
Since you mentioned merit aid, I will suggest a couple schools for you to research that offer merit. Some of the schools on your current list do not. Funding full pay undergrad of $320k++ and med school of an additional $300-400k may not be an issue for your family, but I want to point that out in case your family has not discussed the cost of 8 years of schooling yet. The conventional wisdom you will read here on CC is to minimize the cost of undergrad if that will allow your family to help pay for med school. Students whose families do not have that ability must pay for med school with loans and some doctors are paying off med school loans for decades.
Rhodes - LAC in Memphis that is generous with merit. Many opportunities for pre-med students at the medical centers nearby. And they have an early selection program with George Washington Univ Med School.
CWRU - mid-size school in Cleveland, OH. If you apply, make sure to open emails and participate in virtual or in person tours and information sessions as they track interest. Plenty of opportunities at the nearby med centers.
Best of luck! I have no doubt you will have great choices next year.
I think your high school record is impressive enough that i predict you would do very well in college and get into med school from college. So perhaps your instate flagship, to save money on undergrad and leave you with choices for med school?
The OP is a GA resident so will automatically have free tuition through Hope/Zell at UGA (and a small scholarship at Emory since it’s private… maybe $6k). It sounds crazy to say this for a high stats, highly accomplished student like OP, but I hesitate to call UGA a safety after seeing results the past couple years. I do think the OP will be accepted at UGA and likely auto admit to Honors, but I’ll be conservative and call it a low match.
@va1sh To answer your question about chances, all BSMDs and any undergrad with an acceptance rate under 20% are reaches (majority of your list).
Baylor and Mercer undergrad are safeties. Rhodes would be too, if you add it.
CWRU would be a match, if you demonstrate interest. They seem to often reject or defer high stat kids… they don’t like being a “backup” to more prestigious schools.
Being conservative, UGA is a low match. I think you’ll be accepted, but I saw some surprising rejections and deferrals the past couple years so hesitate calling it a safety.
I think you’ll do well and have a realistic chance at BSMD programs.
