Chance me for for the following colleges?? Please hurry!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello everyone! I am currently a high school senior at a very small school. Here are my stats:</p>

<p>-Class rank: 1/319 (senior class is small but very competitive)
-Over 750 hours of community service (planning on getting 1000 before graduation, haven't really been keeping track of my hours
-3 year letterman in Varsity golf
-Rensselaer Medalist Scholar
-Straight A student since elementary school; 4.70175 Weighted GPA, 4.0 Unweighted (but classes are getting really tough so I might make Bs here and there)
-I am bilingual. English is not my first language, but I've lived in the US for nearly all my life. I was born in India and am a naturalized citizen. I am Indian by ethnicity (really embarrassed to admit it because most Indians are smart and adding my credentials to their population makes them look bad, in a way).
-Only a couple of classes away from receiving my AA.
-ACT: Composite: 28
Reading: 18 (I can explain)
Math: 31
Science: 33
Writing: 31
Essay: 8
-SAT I: 1810 Composite (haven't retested in a while)
Math: 650
Reading: 570
Writing: 590
-SAT II
Math 1: 670
Math 2: 680
Chemistry: 620
Biology (Environmental): 690</p>

<p>This year has been very difficult for me. I have been very depressed lately due to my hectic personal life (I can elaborate on an application if space is provided) and family life and overwhelmed by coursework. I admit that in some instances, I am lazy, but I am trying to overcome procrastination and get myself together. My quarter grades reflect my downfall and my progress. However, I do not feel that my standardized test scores are a good reflection of my abilities in core classes or of my performance in college. I am a math and science person, and reading and writing are subjects in which I feel that I am naturally not proficient in. I perform poorly on these assessments due to my chronic test anxiety and poor time management skills (I aim to get as many as possible correct in the allotted time per section rather than skipping questions I feel uncomfortable with and guessing). On my practice tests, I scored anywhere from a 30-32 on the reading portion; when it was time for the actual exam, I started panicking and completed less than half of the questions in that section.</p>

<p>I am interested in pursuing a degree in medicine. It has been my dream to become a neurosurgeon since the 5th grade. I have several hours of community service from shadowing my dad's friend, who is a doctor, and volunteering at my local hospital. I've been doing a little research and decided it was best to apply to colleges with accelerated medical programs (6-8 year programs with a rigorous curriculum) to minimize student loans/debt after college and gain more experience sooner. I am not pursuing medicine for money. It is barely a motive for me. I honestly chose this career because I've always been fascinated by the inner workings of the human body, the nervous system especially. I love to help people and hope to conduct my own research on today's seemingly incurable disease. I am a highly motivated individual; I am willing to do what it takes to succeed in school/college. So far, I have applied to the following colleges:</p>

<p>-USF- 7 year program (rejected early admission due to my scores not being "competitive" enough for them)
-FSU (said my 18 in reading did not meet their minimum requirements so I sent in an older test score with a reading sub score of 25)
-UF (haven't heard anything from them and I can't even check my app. status online)
-UMKC- 6 year BA/MD program (most likely rejected as they only look at highest composite ACT, their average is a 31+. My mom called the school today and informed me that my application was most likely deferred/rejected. Final decisions will be mailed by this weekend. <em>fingers crossed, hopefully I am accepted</em>)
-Rensselaer Polytechnic- 7 year Physician Scientist Program (mom called them today and told me that they probably won't accept an ACT score lower than a 34 this year)
-Boston University- 7 year BA/MD program (Felt like I would be denied as soon as I submitted the application)
-George Washington University- 7 year program</p>

<p>I do not feel that I will be accepted into any of the accelerated programs with my current standardized test scores, even though I may have strong letters of recommendation, exhibit the willingness and persistence to succeed at any of these colleges, possess decent extracurricular involvement, and have a stellar academic record. Please let me know whether you think I will be accepted/ rejected/ deferred to these colleges based on what I have listed above. I also plan to apply to a couple of Ivy League schools (Harvard, Brown, Cornell) just to test my chances and Northeast Ohio Medical Universities in a couple of days. The schools I have mentioned all have a very selective/competitive admissions process (1-10% for the medical programs). I plan to retake some of my standardized tests in January and February to improve my scores. What are my chances? Please let me know soon. Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Don’t apply to any ivy leagues with those ACT/SAT scores because you will certainly get rejected</p>

3

<p>Oh yes of course lol. But how about to the accelerated medical programs?</p>

4

<p>Perhaps you should look at test-optional or test-flexible colleges, as your class rank and GPA are much stronger than your test scores. See <a href=“ACT/SAT Optional List - Fairtest”>http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional&lt;/a&gt; for a list of these colleges.
The only college you listed that I am at all familiar with is GWU. You are just within their test score range, but you have an excellent class rank & you say you have “strong letters of recommendation, exhibit the willingness and persistence to succeed at any of these colleges, possess decent extracurricular involvement, and have a stellar academic record.” Had you applied to GWU normally under Early Decision or even Regular Decision, I think it would be a slight, but not terrible, reach. However, you said you applied to “a very selective/competitive admissions process (1-10% for the medical programs)” so I suppose your chances there are quite slim. Like the above poster, I don’t think Harvard, Brown or Cornell are really realistic reaches for you.</p>

5

<p>Thank you!</p>

6

<p>Do you feel that explaining my current circumstances, such as my depression, will have any influence on an admissions decision from any of the non-Florida schools? Or would be frowned upon by colleges? I just want to be open with my situation and honest with colleges, not throw a pity party.</p>

7

<p>Accelerated programs are very competitive, especially with a 28/1810. You might be better off trying to find the best fit possible for your scores/profile and approaching med school by the conventional route, taking more time to get there. It sounds like you’re placing a lot of pressure on yourself (i.e. med school or bust).</p>

<p>–How many “normal” (not med school) colleges do you plan on applying to?
–Do you have a plan for that, or did you put all of your eggs in the accelerated med basket?</p>

8

<p>I applied to 3 in-state schools, 1 with a med program (USF) and 2 without (UF and FSU). I was really aiming for the acc. med programs and even had a teacher prep me for the September ACT. Unfortunately, my scores ended up pretty bad. I haven’t been able to retest since then. I am planning on retesting in January/Feb, so even if my scores improve, they won’t have any impact on my admissions decisions for the schools I want to attend. I really don’t want to go through med school via the traditional route as I want to minimize my expenses as much as possible. I believe that I’m very capable of doing well in any of these colleges, however, my standardized test scores would cause the admissions offices to decline me in the end.</p>

9

<p>What really worries me is that I couldn’t even get into a state school with a 40%+ acceptance rate thru early admission due to my low test scores. With that said, I understand it will be nearly impossible for me to get into the schools I want to go to. However, I am very persistent and motivated and want to do medicine. As I mentioned in my first post, I have taken very challenging courses at my school and local college as a DE student and managed to make straight As thus far. I do not think my standardized test scores define my knowledge or abilities, especially my 18 in reading. I’ve managed to make 32s on reading practice tests and was extremely shocked by such a low sub score. My backup plans include studying abroad (i.e., Caribbean or India, which is expensive and, at this point, chances are slim due to the fact that I did not apply beforehand) or staying in Florida and getting my AA before I graduate so I can finish my BA/BS at a Florida college/university along with sufficient premedical requisites and hopefully transferring to NYU (they have a 3 year MD program). I am willing to do whatever it takes to achieve my goals, but I would feel much more at ease if I got accepted into any of these combined/acc. programs.</p>

10

<p>Have you been tested for dyslexia? That could impact your reading scores and speed. Also, consider dropping the volunteer work so your schedule is not so hectic. I know some people reduce cost of medical school by attending college in the caribbean, so you might look into that.</p>

11

<p>I will definitely consider testing for dyslexia, although I think (I really hope) that is not a problem because I was unaware of it my whole life. I have checked with some of the accredited colleges/universities in the Caribbean (there are very few of them) and most of them are direct MD, meaning that I would have to take premed in the US and transfer there. The schools are quite expensive (I would have to sell my house to study there for 4 years) and extremely intensive since everything is fast-paced (you sit at a desk studying textbook content for almost 18+ hours a day, I heard from a St. George graduate). The USMLE steps 1-3 just seem too difficult for me, and getting a good residency (even if your scores are good) requires a lot of hard work and searching, as preference goes to US graduates. Also, with a degree from some Caribbean schools, even if they are accredited, you cannot practice medicine in certain states, namely Florida, Georgia, New York, and Michigan (or maybe it was Texas). However, I will definitely consider it if my med. school options in the US run short. It’s definitely not a last resort, though. And as for the extracurriculars, I am trying my best to get involved. Juggling them alongside my regular coursework, job, and night classes does not seem to bother me. In fact, I am planning on volunteering at a local neurological clinic and keeping up with my hospital hours. It takes stress out of my day to help others, so I feel that community service is crucial. I very much appreciate all of the advice I am receiving, although some suggestions may be more positive than negative. </p>

12

<p>I totally understand that my chances of getting into the schools I dream of going to are very slim, however, I will put forth my maximum efforts to secure that these colleges get the big picture. A doctor I used to shadow once told me that the people who attend and stay in medical school are the ones who are hard working, not necessarily geniuses. Please continue to provide feedback. I wish colleges would acknowledge that I am more dynamic than my below-average test scores on a piece of paper.</p>

13

<p>I forgot to mention that my school’s curriculum is tied to Cambridge University in England. Therefore, a considerable amount of my college credit can be amassed from my AICE scores. I am currently an AICE Diploma with Merit recipient and a Cambridge Scholar. My high school offers very few AP courses (calculus AB (3), chemistry (2, failed), and statistics (did not take)). Our program (AICE) can be compared with IB, AP, and DE courses. The courses and exams are very rigorous, but passable. </p>

14

<p>As I mentioned earlier, test scores are not a good indication of my proficiency in core subjects. They are just space-filling numbers on an application. I wish the colleges I’ve applied to would make note of that. </p>

15

<p>Would the fact that I am a minority (Asian (Indian) Female) help with the admissions process at all? I feel that it would not but I’m just making sure. </p>

16

<p>What is the minimum requirement for accelerated medicine programs? Will a 4.0 GPA in O( 6A<em>s and 3As) and A(4 A</em>s) levels, with a few school and national awards and work experience do? Also SAT Math II 790 and Physics 770 and a <em>hopeful</em> ACT score of about 32. Iam an US citizen, but living in Bangladesh. Do i have a good chance in getting in?</p>

17

<p>Most programs will accept a 31+ ACT and require SAT subject tests in chemistry and math II. A 4.0 will definitely suffice (I’m not familiar with the grading scale/system in Bangladesh). Health experiences are not required, but generally recommended for accelerated med programs. I would say that you definitely have a good shot. Perhaps the fact that you are not currently studying in the US although you are a citizen may make your admission a little more difficult, but you still have a better chance of getting in than I do. Very nice.</p>

18

<p>–So you took AP Chem and received a 2? What happened there? It’s important to understand how colleges are likely to look at your rigor.</p>

<p>–Have you run the Net Price Calculators at various schools (out-of-state privates) to understand if they’re affordable? How much can your family realistically contribute per year? </p>

19

<p>Yes. To be extremely honest, that was not my fault. My instructor wasn’t prepared to teach the class and the whole class failed their AP exams. I was actually one of the high scorers, and I had over a 100 in the AP class the whole year.</p>

20

<p>And yes I have. However, UMKC is a little pricey and so is Boston, especially for Med I-IV years.</p>