<p>my unweighted GPA as of last year was a 98.6… not sure what that translates into out of 4.0 but I do believe it might be a 4.0</p>
<p>to be completely honest i skimmed a lot of your stats, basically because you are a very strong candidate. You clearly defined your interests and acted on them; this is what colleges look for. I don’t think there is much else you can do but present yourself in the best possible way. By the way how did you get into those DNA programs and research? It’s something I’m very interested and I’ve been searching for advice! Thank you! I am a sophomore so if you could recommend programs geared toward my age or how you came into contact with professors that would be great</p>
<p>thanks helloel!
as far as the programs go:
my first research experience was started by reading articles, emailing one of the professors, and working with her via email to conduct my own experiment, which ended up winning all of the awards you will see on my resume.
the DNA course at brown university was simply apply (all are accepted because they like theyre mula $$) and take the class. the program was awesome by the way!
I got very lucky in getting my mentor from Brown because he was the first person I emailed about summer research. Basically, you just need to go onto universitiy websites, read each lab’s research projects and email them telling them your qualifications and your interest in working as an intern!
The cold spring harbor lab program was a tad more difficult because it is a highly selective program, but if you have something similar, go for it! because honestly i did not think i would ever, in a million years, get accepted and now i’m doing some of the most cutting edge research!</p>
<p>Thank you! That is very impressive! Were you already at brown for their regular summer program or did you just go because it was a nearby university?</p>
<p>I had emailed the brown professor to work in his lab and when he accepted i needed to find a way to dorm there, because it was not close enough for a commute (4.5 hours). The easiest way to dorm was through Summer@Brown, which is the program that offers the courses and over 2000 kids are there taking them and hanging out. I picked Techniques in DNA-Based Biotechnology, which was a great class but way too much work to balance with a full time lab internship. I would suggest either taking an easier class or finding a way to dorm regularly because between the 3 hour class, at least 1-2 hours of homework, 2 tests per week, and sometimes up to 11 hours in the lab plus weekends, it was a ton to handle and i didnt really get a chance to relax. Though i did thankfully become really close with my floormates, it wouldve been much nicer to take an easier class, as i said before, or just dorm independently</p>
<p>also, keep in mind that this is only at brown. my friends did research at Harvard, stonybrook, university of maine, etc. and they all just did research, no class.
OH that reminds me! If youre really serious about research I would DEFINITELY check out the garcia program at Stonybrook. It is awesome and it will set you up with a great intel project. Also, my friend who went there came home with some of the greatest friends hes ever had</p>
<p>hope this helps!</p>
<p>Yes thank you! I am completely new to all this and had no idea if it was too bold to email a professor, which programs to apply for, etc.</p>
<p>WOW!! WOW!! WOW!!
Your stats are stellar!! I think very few applicants can be compared to you. Considering what you posted, your chances for Penn are HIGH!!
All of those engineering awards will boost your chances, considering not many females show passion for engineering. You are one of a kind! Lol.
What is your intended major?</p>
<p>Thanks needstostudy!! I’m applying as a biochem major… Wise? Unwise?</p>
<p>Biochemistry is still pretty amazing. Your EC’s definitely show your passion for science!! (: I wish you the best of luck!!
BTW, I am planning to take the SAT; any tips? How would you rate its level of difficulty from 1-10?
Did you ever take the ACT?</p>
<p>I took the ACT once with no prep which was a huge mistake. Got a 29 which wasn’t terrible for never having seen the test before but wasn’t good enough and i was too lazy to try again. My tips for the SAT:
math section is simple, whenever you can PLUG IN NUMBERS. It will gain you so many points is ridiculous. Just any time you see a variable, plug it in plug It in (glade jingle)
For writing, always plug in your answers, i assume you have a decent ear for grammar, so you’ll hear it if it sounds funny.
For the essay, think about a topic you just studied in school that you know a lot of cold hard facts about and try to apply it to the topic! I always do intro, bp with example 1, bp with example 2, and then conclusion.
Finally, the dreaded critical reading. Do questions as you go. Read full intro, first line of each bp, and conclusion unless other lines are addressed in the question. If you have to find a synonym, PLUG IT IN to make sire it sounds right! Also, any questions about tone, what the author WOULD say, etc. Is all THESIS so make an effort to find that. </p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>You have a great chance (although why did you quit sports in 11th?)
The lack of insignificant non-academic EC’s might hurt you a bit, but honestly, your EC’s in other areas make up for it. Your SAT is decent and GPA good, so I think you will get in. Write good essays and you have a very good shot.</p>
<p>I had surgery at the beginning of 11th grade and have another upcoming surgery so no sports… But I don’t know how to tell them because it’s not worthy of an essay topic.
As far as non academic ECs, what about my leadership positions in Stuart government, youth council, habitat for humanity, pediatricians for central American children, BBYO, etc. ?</p>
<p>*student. Haha gotta love the iPhone autocorrect</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips!! (:</p>
<p>no problem, hope they are useful!
@bobtheboy, do you have any suggestions for somehow conveying to the admissions committee that my surgery was the reason i quit sports, not because I was overwhelmed with school?</p>
<p>bump pretty please!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Like you said, it’s not worthy of an essay topic. Maybe you could ask your GC to mention it? Unless you were a really good athlete (good enough or near good enough to be recruited) I doubt it matters much.</p>
<p>As for your other EC’s, clubs generally carry less weight then things done for 10+ years, but I am not saying that your non academic EC’s aren’t good, just that they aren’t really stellar.</p>
<p>Yeah I see what you mean. I’ve been playing cello for 10 years but I don’t really do anything outside of class with it because it’s not my true passion. Oh well</p>
<p>BUMP!!</p>
<p>What is everyone’s thoughts on the whole “more than one person from the same school” situation?
I have to be honest, this is what is REALLY concerning me.</p>
<p>BUMP! please!!</p>