Chance Rising Senior for Computational Neuroscience [CT, 4.8/4.0, 1560 SAT]

Demographics

  • US domestic
  • State/Location of residency: Connecticut
  • Type of high school: Small public high school
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity: Female, Asian
  • Other special factors: N/A

Intended Major(s): Computational Neuroscience, Computer Science

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.802
  • Class Rank: 1/216
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1560/35

Coursework
9th grade: AP Calculus BC (5)
10th Grade: AP Computer Science A (4), AP Human Geography (5), AP Physics 1 (4), AP Chemistry (4), Linear Algebra (A), Multivariable Calculus (A), Machine Learning and Wavelets (A)
11th: APUSH, AP Lang, AP Stats, AP Bio, AP Physics C Mech, AP Psychology

Awards:

  • Oral Presentation and Publication at International Neuroscience Conference (11)
  • Oral Presentation and Publication at International AI Conference (11)
  • Oral Presentation at National Math Conference (11)
  • ISEF Finalist (11)
  • National Merit Semifinalist (11)

Extracurriculars

  1. Member, Art of Thinking Club (9, 11, 12)
    Club where we discuss metalearning, philosophy, intrinsic motivation, and AI (think of discussions similar to Naval Ravikant’s podcasts)
  2. Research Intern at Harvard Medical School (11-12)
    Conducting research within computational neuroscience; possible publication
  3. Research Intern at BWH Hospital (11, Summer)
    Joint research with Harvard Medical School; conducting research on Parkinson’s Disease
  4. VP of Development: Startup
    Created app that diagnoses Alzheimer’s Disease through digital biomarkers; Congressional App Challenge Winner (10)
  5. President of HOSA Club (9-12)
  6. Clinical Research Intern at Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (9-12)
  7. Paid Research Intern for Small Biotech Company (10)
    Created grant that was submitted to NIH for funding
  8. Pianist (9-12)
    Won a couple of regional awards; 1 international award; Carnegie Hall Soloist

Essays/LORs/Other

  • Math Teacher: 8/10; had him since 8th grade; knows my skillset well
  • AP Lang Teacher: 9/10; knows how much I value critical thinking and philosophy; can add to the fact that I have a deep appreciation for the humanities

Schools
Not quite sure yet, would love to have your advice regarding schools to apply to. I am trying to apply to Harvard REA because they are one of the few schools that have a Computational Neuroscience track.

Not an expert - but I imagine only certain schools offer the major.

I see Chicago, Va Tech, Northeastern, and USC for example.

If the list is limited, that might give you a starting point.

Good luck. Obviously you’re worthy of any college in America.

Best of luck.

3 Likes

You are clearly academically qualified to attend either Harvard or Stanford (or one for undergrad and the other for grad school). Unfortunately, so are at least 80% of the other applicants.

In terms of your ECs, it looks to me as if you have done what was right for you, and done it very well. This is exactly the approach that I would recommend, and is also my understanding of the approach recommended in the “applying sideways” blog on the MIT admissions web site (which is also a good approach for other top schools such as Harvard and Stanford).

I would put your chances as being similar to the overall acceptance rate, or perhaps a little bit better than the overall acceptance rate. I think that both are definitely worth an application, but that both are reaches for you and for nearly everyone else.

I agree with this. I think that you are going to do very well wherever you end up.

3 Likes

As others have mentioned, you will be a strong applicant no matter where you go. Also, at the most competitive colleges for admission, even if your chances are 2-3x greater than the acceptance rate, your changes are still likely to be less than 20%, so a definite reach for all.

Can your family afford Harvard? Your family should run the Net Price Calculator at any school you’re considering to see if it’s affordable. If it’s not, then Harvard and any other college that does not offer merit aid will need to be eliminated. What is your budget?

Also, what other college preferences do you have? Are there regions of the country you’d prefer (or prefer to avoid), urban/rural/suburban campus, size of school, particular interests you’d like to pursue in college, importance of Greek life or intercollegiate athletics, etc? What kind of feel/vibe would you like your college to have?

2 Likes

What is your budget? What are your safeties?

There are good schools that offer merit/free rides for NMSF.

Is med school on the table?

Maybe keep schools strong in math/CS on the list even they don’t offer computational neuroscience. You can specialize more in grad school.

3 Likes

As an alternative to a major in computational neuroscience, you may want to consider a major in data science with neuroscience as your “applied domain.” With this in mind, you can widen your college list to include schools with available majors in both data science and neuroscience.

5 Likes

You have a strong profile. Just make sure you apply to 2-3 safety schools. In addition to the schools suggested by others, you might also want to consider the Caltech CNS program (assuming money is not an issue).

2 Likes

I agree completely. I actually think that’s preferable to a major in computational neuro (I’m a neuro prof).

A major in data science or computer science or another core computational field will be excellent and marketable preparation for a variety of careers, including but not limited to a career in computational neuro.

You can take neuro-flavored classes in whatever form is offered (concentration, double major, minor, whatever) to make that your “applied domain”.

There will definitely be professors that you can work with to do computational neuro research projects. You’ll have to be proactive in seeking them out, but all your schools of interest will have them.

A major in “computational neuroscience” or any other neuro field can pigeon-hole you into a niche with limited employment prospects.

5 Likes

With your combination of grades, rigor, and extracurriculars, you will be a competitive applicant at many colleges including Harvard. The parts of your application package you need to focus on are your letters of rec and essays as those will differentiate you from other applicants in a competitive applicant pool. I know students with similar accomplishments (e.g. international awards, research, excellent stats) who were shut out of the most selective private colleges because they failed to create a cohesive theme and narrative in their application.

You should be able to pursue your interests at any college that supports interdisciplinary learning and offers applied math, data science and neuroscience. The ability to tailor the major expands your options. A few colleges with the specific major: JHU, UChicago, and UC Berkeley.

Also, find a safety or two that you love and some match/target colleges where your combination of stats puts you near or above the 75th percentile for that college. Some colleges that could be matches for you: William and Mary, Boston University, UC Davis, and UPitt. Best of luck to you.

1 Like

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.