Demographics
US citizen
Location/residency: Texas
Type of high school: public
Gender/Race: Asian Female
Other factors: first gen
Intended Major(s): Public Health, Envisci
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
No weighted GPA or rank
ACT/SAT Scores:
ACT 35/35/36/35
Coursework
4 AP classes freshman and sophomore year
Full time college student junior and senior year- around 50 credits total
Extracurriculars
Research Assistant in two research labs, four publications and working with international company
Charity club raised over 30k (pres)
Blood drive student host
Hospital volunteering and shadowing(around 200 hrs combined)
Drum major
Research club (vp)
Magazine writer
Medical club (pres)
Dance club (one of heads)
Red cross (cofounder)
National choir
Essays/LORs/Other
personal essay: 7/10, decent
LOR1: 10/10, research prof
LOR2: 6/10, knows me well but ranks in letter and I didn’t do that well
LOR3: 6/10 doctor I shadowed, I read it and it was just standard (do i even submit?)
Cost Constraints / Budget
no budget, but low/mid-income
Schools
Brown PLME is my top choice but I would be okay EDing Vandy or Dartmouth since PLME seems too farfetched.
I’d love any feedback or thoughts! I’m aiming to be done with the admission cycle after ED so I want to use it strategically. Considering other schools because Brown is so unpredictable with admissions. Thanks!
Have you run the NPC for any schools? If you are low-mid income, are you dependent on any financial aid? Also, it seems you plan on going on to medical school. Will Early Decisioning to Vanderbilt, where a stellar GPA will be much harder to achieve (some classes are infamous for “weeding-out”), put you in the best position to get accepted into med school?
ED to Brown if that is your first choice, apply PLME realizing the odds are against you (even admission odds). Put the most effort into the Brown essays and be very familiar with the open curriculum and why it fits you.
Yes, we’re dependent on financial aid. My parents said we could figure out financial aid after I got into a school. Does this affect my chances? I was worried about Vanderbilt deflation but heard from others it wasn’t terribly bad.
No offense to your parents but that is really not a good idea. If you are applying to a school ED, you have to make sure that the school is affordable because you are making a commitment to go there if accepted and you no longer have the ability to compare financial aid offers.
ED is always a challenge if you need financial aid. You need to run the NPC for all three of the schools you are considering for ED to make sure that their EFC is in line with what your parents (and you) can afford. As a student you are limited in what you can borrow and if you are thinking of medical school (as indicated by your interest in Brown PLME) it is even more important to minimize undergraduate debt as you will be taking on a lot of debt for med school. As to your chances - both Brown PLME and Dartmouth will be tough admits because they are for all students. You most likely have a better chance at Vanderbilt (although it’s no sure thing). I’ll reiterate, though, that you really need to make sure these are affordable choices for you as by going ED you will lose the opportunity to compare financial aid offers.
All valid points. The reason my parents said that is because I have grandparents that are willing to help with tuition once I get into a school, it shouldn’t be something I take into account.
You have great stats and credentials and are a strong candidate. All of the schools you are considering are unpredictable and tough.
Choose the school that fits your aspirations and desired environment, consider budget, consider budget again, confirm budget and affordability then take your best shot. You don’t want to look back and wonder what if.
Not a recommendation but have you considered ED for Brown (non PLME)?
This is not a good strategy. What if all the schools you apply to are unaffordable at the end? Do your grandparents have $500k or more for undergrad and med school? What if something happens midway through undergrad and they have to cut funding? It happens.
Run the NPC for schools. Figure out your EFC and what your parents can realistically afford.
Your stats are great but the schools you’re looking at turn down many with perfect SAT/ACT scores. You need a few safeties.
You’re in Texas. A lot of great schools at affordable prices. What are your safety schools?
That sounds good. I’m assuming UT Austin is on the list to apply? Maybe not a safety but would be nice to have as an option. Maybe UT-Dallas if you don’t like UT Austin.
Are you a NMSF? There some great schools that give nice scholarships to NMF students.
I still think you should run the NPC’s for schools that interest you. Also, determine your parents EFC.
If you love Brown and it’s affordable and you’ll have money left for med school go for it. Apply to several other reach schools that you think you’ll enjoy. Wherever you apply make sure it’s a good fit. Good luck.
I’m sure there are some more knowledgeable resources on CC but isn’t there a bump for staying in-state for Texas med schools? Do they accept more in-state residents? Something to consider.