Chance Me for Vandy

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey, I am a Senior this coming year and need some college chance opinions. The more responses the better. I am an Indian male interested in the Medical field. I have no chance at financial aid as my parents make above 200K. I am looking into the following colleges: Vanderbilt (MY DREAM SCHOOL and first priority), U of Mich in Ann Arbor, U of Miami, UNC Chapel Hill, and Stanford. Also I will be applying to a couple 8 year med schools (BA/MD programs). They are going to be U of Miami (8 year), U of AL in Birmingham (8 year), Mercer (in GA) (8 y), Washington U in St. Louis (8y), and U of Pittsburgh (8 y). I also need some opinions on my chances at getting a FULL RIDE to any of these schools. Now here are my stats.</p>

<p>Academics:
10 honors classes
AP Bio (5), AP World History (5), AP English Language and Composition (5), and AP USH (4)
I will be taking AP psychology, Physics B, Calc BC, Spanish, and Literature next year for a total of 9 APs completed in high school
SAT 1: Super score of 2230; first time 2190, second 2130
ACT: 33 (first time)
SAT 2: World 790, Bio, 780, Math 2 780
GPA: 3.89 (un-weighted); Above 4 weighted
Average of 99.5; top 10% in class (very smart school)</p>

<p>Sports:
3 Year Varsity Track and Field Athlete
2 Year Varsity boys tennis team trainer/manager</p>

<p>Arts:
1. Dance (I have danced for a decade of my life, mainly participating in Indian Cultural programs. I am won many awards from competitions, ranging from region, state, and national titles. I have given many performances in NC, Georgia, and Florida for different cultural committees. I have participated in cultural programs such as Festival of India. I was also twice selected to perform in national events in America, NATS and ATA, the latter of which I placed 3rd in the nation in a dance competition. I also teach dance to students. Dancing is my biggest passion, accomplishment, and asset)
2. Clarinet (I have given multiple clarinet performances and recitals. I have personally attended private lessons, while also giving recitals in the school band and full Orchestra for over 7 years. I am in the top band in my school and also double up on bass clarinet, baritone, and percussion when needed, multifaceted on instruments)
3. District Honor Band on the Clarinet
4. 4 year Letterman in the marching band
5. Cultural Drama (I was selected as part of a drama troupe to perform in front of VIP guests at a national cultural convention. My personal contributions included acting and a dance performance. )</p>

<p>Activities:
National Science Honor Society (PRESIDENT)
Class Council and Student Senate
National Honor Society
National Spanish Honor Society
Tri Music Honor Society
Science Olympiad
BETA</p>

<p>Awards:
Dance Awards (multiple in different levels including the NATIONAL level (3rd))
Most Improved Field Athlete (2 years in a row)
Track Scholar Athlete (3 years)
Principal's List 6 times (for good grades and behavior)
Super Honor Roll 6 times (for excellent grades)
Gold and 2 Silvers in the National Spanish Exam
Excellent and Notable Composition in the National Spanish Composition Test
Governor's Honors Program Nominee in Biology
National Biology Olympiad School Rep.</p>

<p>Research/Academic Projects:
1. I worked as a student researcher in the research project of Dr.Yury Chernoff (a professor) in Georgia Tech for 50 hours focusing on the topic of prion nuclearation in order to determine the genesis of disease causing amyloid prions.
2. Turned in (as a group) a project to Explora Vision (one of the few chosen from our school). We used carbon nanotubes in an inventive project to increase the flexibility of bones while also strengthening its core.</p>

<p>Service:
250 service hours in the medical field as a volunteer/intern working in multiple hospitals including GA clinic, Northside, and North Fulton. I have shadowed the doctors, medical assistants (x-ray, lab processes, flu testing, and office procedures), filed medical records, identified medical records/faxes, organized FOBT tests, and created medical charts as needed. I have also served in Indian cultural committees (national and state) for about 40 hrs.</p>

<p>Yeah that is about it. I realize that was a lot of stuff but hopefully you guys can really help me out here. I greatly appreciate all responses on my chances for those colleges and any full rides. Also I will take any tips. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>Your test scores and GPA are solid - they might not be perfect but you will not be rejected from any school on your list solely based on either of them. I like the rigor of the courses that you list, but I do not know the context of how they compare to other students at your high school. Your ECs sound solid, but you really need to work on making them into a single, concise list that reflects who you are and emphasizes your unique personality. Right now you have six different lists that each tend to ramble.</p>

<p>Your chances at Vandy are probably better than their average applicant. Unfortunately, their average applicant only has about a 15% chance. You will be competitive at Stanford, but their admission rate is even lower. You don’t mention your state of residency, but even OOS you should be a strong candidate at UMich and UNC as well as UMiami (which I realize is private).</p>

<p>I have a bit of experience with BS/MD programs, but I have found that each is slightly different in its selectivity. The only common attribute is that they are all extremely competitive due to the small number of positions available and the high quality of all self-selected applicants. The most successful BS/MD applicants seem to be those who apply to a wide variety of programs - you might want to add some to your list of five, especially since WUSTL and UMiami are extremely competitive.</p>

<p>As for merit scholarships, most of the schools on your list offer some but are simply too competitive to predict. I believe only the top 2% of Vanderbilt’s accepted students are offered merit scholarships - and probably anyone in the top quartile could qualify for the top 2% depending on how the evaluator felt that day. They are simply splitting hairs when a quarter of the class has perfect test scores and perfect GPAs (which by the way, you do not). UAB, Mercer and Pitt are likely to offer you some merit money and perhaps as much as a full ride.</p>