For Cal and UCLA, can you please calculate your UC GPAs? GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub . UCs are test blind for admissions.
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my UW gpa remains the same. My school calculates in same way. Honors courses are not weighted in my school, so my W gpa would just increase.
top kids at my highschool do the IB diploma program. I took AP classes like BC and chem without the official class because I also took IB math analysis and IB chem both HL, so they are pretty similar to corresponding AP curriculum. I have a much higher chance of getting college credit with the ap tests rather than IB.
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so does having a sibling attending UPenn in class of 2026 not benefit me at all? I should also specify that I want to do premed, so do you think that UPenn ED is a good option and how does UPenn premed compare to harvard?
From a Penn admissions blog from a few years ago:
… having a sibling at Penn does not carry the same weight as a parent or grandparent; however, my answer to multiple siblings is similar to my overall thoughts on legacy admissions. Providing legacy (or sibling) information is not enough. Articulating your knowledge from being around the Penn community and on why Penn connects with your interests can help distinguish your candidacy.
Conversations with your sibling(s) about faculty and peer interactions and observing their interactions across campus can provide valuable insight into the community. I believe this applies to most schools you are considering in the college search process.
Regarding Penn v Harvard for pre-med. Both are fine. I doubt you really think more about which is better for you until you have acceptances from both
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Sorry. Meant for OP
Reminder. Pre med. pre law. These are advising. Your gpa and test score will matter more than where you attend although most at these schools will have great test scores…it’s why they are there to begin with.
Find cheap if med school is in the plans. So you can save for that.
Definitely budget for eight years, with the last four being very expensive.
You do not need to attend a “top 20” university to get into a very good medical school. You do need to do very well in very tough classes that are full of many very strong students, and you need to get a lot of experience in a medical environment. Even if you are at a university that is ranked somewhere around about 100, premed classes will be academically very demanding.
I would try very hard to avoid taking on any debt at all for your bachelor’s degree if this is reasonably possible. Leaving money in a college fund for medical school would be even better.
To me mathematics is an interesting major for premed, but I like it. I was a math major and understand that there are quite a few things that you can do with a degree in mathematics. The majority of people who start university thinking “premed” end up doing something else, and to me math helps with quite a few different forms of “something else”.
Is this GPA from 10th and 11th grade? If you want to be chanced for Berkeley and UCLA, you will need to calculate your unweighted, capped and uncapped UC GPAs.
Yep. This is from the Penn Admissions site, in the ED section (you need to apply ED to Penn for legacy consideration):
“We appreciate that attending Penn is a tradition for many families. The Admissions Office identifies legacy applicants based on the information provided in a student’s application and defines “legacy” as being either a child or grandchild of alumni [emphasis added]. Legacies who apply to Penn—like all applicants—receive thorough consideration in the application process.”
https://admissions.upenn.edu/admissions-and-financial-aid/apply-for-admission/first-year-admission
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I think your application plan is sound. You do have a chance at Harvard, and at the other Ivies you have mentioned. Definitely submit a music supplement - if you’re good enough to play in Harvard’s orchestra, this can boost your application. Yes, having published a research paper will help.
Consider an academic and financial safety, too. Med school is expensive, and if your family is full pay, you’re talking about 700K possibly for your education (undergrad and med school).
Since OP has started a new thread, I am closing this. Feel free to comment there.