Chances at Hopkins, Brown, Dartmouth, Princeton, University of Florida

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

SAT I: 800 Math, 800 English (1600)
SAT II: 800 Physics, 780 Biology, 770 Math II, will be taking chemistry this weekend. Also should I retake Math II?
AP Scores: 16 5s (all science and math), 2 4s, 2 3s
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.7
Class Rank: 2/870

Senior Year Schedule: I live close to a major university, so I’m taking all my classes there.
Calc 3, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Organic Chemistry I & II, Physical Chemistry I & II, General Microbiology, Immunology, Ecology, Inorganic chemistry. These are college Sophomore and Junior level classes, with the exception of Inorganic, which is senior level.

Essay: Not sure/10. I wrote about my friend who immigrated to the US and inspired me to work. I thought it was pretty decent, but not many people have read it.

ECs: Mostly academics (Quiz Bowl, Science Olympiad, etc). In addition, I am conducting research with a professor at my university who is a Hopkins Alumnus.

Other:
Intended Major: Biochemistry
Gender: Male
Race: White
School type: Large, Public
Also, I’m a national merit semifinalist.

Overall, I think my academics are strong, but I’m not sure if I’ve gotten to the point of unbalanced. UF is probably my safety, but I’m pretty unsure of everything else.

ALSO could you potentially suggest some match schools if the ivies are too much of a reach?

Thanks so much!

2

Any awards for the ecs? I’d say those are probably not very diverse for what they look like, you seem to be incredibly academically focused. But I’d say really great chance at UF, and fair chances at the ivied you mentioned. Chanc eme back please? You grades and standardized scores are INCREDIBLE!!!

3

Not sure how schools will take it with your senior schedule.They probably would rather you play sports and take AP classes in other areas,not just all math science classes. However, it is an achievement to take the advanced classes. Obviously, the grades and scores are really strong.

I can’t imagine Hopkins turning you down, as they are favorable to strong academics and the school is oriented towards advanced classes in your major. It isn’t the greatest environment with mostly premeds in chemistry and biology classes.

I would apply to MIT and Caltech, as you fit the profile with really strong math / science. Maybe other engineering schools like Harvey Mudd, RPI, and Georgia Tech.

You could apply to top southern schools, like Duke, Rice, and Washington St Louis. Dartmouth is sort of preppy and frat oriented, so they might not go for the super academic orientation. You might consider Columbia, Penn, and Cornell for Ivies.

This is a really strong application, and I would expect you will at least get into top 30 schools, and probably better than that.

It is past the deadline, but you would have a good chance at Oxford or Cambridge, as they look for 5s on AP exams in “relevant” subjects. However, that would not work at all for various reasons if your aim is premed.

I am not sure about the essay topic,as your profile looks sort of like that of Asian students with all the emphasis on academics and science, and you have and advantage not being foreign. However, it sounds like it comes from the heart, which is good.

4

I never knew Dartmouth had that personality. The only reason I wanted to go was because of their foreign study program, and I only briefly looked at any of these schools besides UF. I also posted this on reddit, and had a few people also come to me and recommend MIT and Caltech. Thanks for the suggestions!

5

If you are applying to and interested in Caltech, I would retake the Math level 2 test this weekend. 770 is probably fine for MIT. Otherwise, you have a better than average chance at Caltech, especially if your research is strong and your professor writes a strong recommendation.

MIT and Caltech have lots of essays. (MIT doesn’t even use the Common App essay.) So, you will have the chance to show a lot of sides of yourself. Caltech wants to see mostly the science/research side of you. MIT wants more well-rounded but still science-oriented.

Note that most colleges have a study abroad program. I don’t know if Dartmouth’s is better somehow, but all the ones mentioned likely have something. For example, Caltech has programs at 6 foreign universities, including Cambridge.

6

At this point, I wouldn’t advise retaking a 770 Math 2. It’s not going to make that much of a difference for the top of the line schools. There is really not much difference at this point between 770 and 800.

You might want to consider adding Rice and Vanderbilt to your list.

7

Personal opinion from D’s experience and her classmates. I think Dartmouth probably has the strongest foreign study program in the nation. Don’t know what/where you would like to go, but many of them have extensive blogs from past years that can give you an excellent sense of what they get up to.

8

With your choice of majors and your interest in foreign studies you might take a look at WPI @ https://www.wpi.edu/project-based-learning/global-project-program. Each student receives a $5,000 credit to participate in the off campus project programs. This enables the overseas project research at no additional expense to you.

The entire program of studies is project based and interdisciplinary in its design. All students are involved in this unique program! The university wide program is outlined at https://www.wpi.edu/project-based-learning/wpi-plan.

WPI does not accept national merit awards, but does award their own merit scholarships.

:bz