Chances on Choices (Sorry a bit long, but please help!)

<p>Hey everyone, I'm an Indian guy from Kentucky and I just finished my junior year in high school (I'm 17). I attend a small competitive college prep school (~80 ppl), which sends a fair amount of grads to top schools in the U.S. I also am a first generation college student and I'd appreciate any opinions on the colleges I've looked at. Thanks for any replies. :)</p>

<p>Colleges I'm looking at (Preferred Major: Most likely Pre-med, which plays into my selections):
Safeties:
-IU at Bloomington
-University of Xavier Accelerated BA/MD Program (OH)
-University of Kentucky Accelerated BA/MD Program
-Penn State 6/7 Yr. Accelerated BA/MD Program
Matches/Low Reaches:
-University of Louisville G.E.M.S. Program (KY)
*Guaranteed Entrance to Medical School
-Vanderbilt
-Brown PLME Program
-Northwestern HPME Program
-UPenn
Reaches:
-HYP (In the order Princeton, Yale, Harvard)
-WUSTL USP Program</p>

<p>Any other possibilities would be great!</p>

<p>Stats:
Weighted GPA: 4.3 (5.0 scale); 3.99 (4.0 scale- really weird school system)
Unweighted GPA: 3.85 (4.0 scale)
PSAT: 213 (predicted National Merit Semifinalist)
SAT: CR: 720; M: 660; W: 660; Composite: 2040 (Low, planning to retake)
ACT: 33 (Low on SR, gonna retake in June)
Math: 33
English: 34
Reading: 36
Science Reasoning: 29
Writing: 32 (Essay: 8)
SAT II (awaiting scores):
Biology (~750+)
Chemistry (~750+)
-Planning to take Physics, Math II, and maybe English Lit./U.S. History
Ranking: Top 5% (no ranking system)
Course load: Most Rigorous (Harder than any of my peers)
Recs: Fine (from people who have been able to see my passion for certain subjects/activities)</p>

<p>AP's (10):
10th:
AP Government&Politics (4)</p>

<p>11th (Projected scores):
AP Chem (5)
AP Bio (5)
AP Calculus AP (4/5)
AP Latin IV (4)</p>

<p>Projected 12:
AP Physics
AP Calculus BC
AP Psych.
AP English Lit.
AP English Lang.</p>

<p>*High School doesn't allow us to take AP's freshman year and most of them require certain year-long prerequisites (ex. Adv. Bio/Chem b4 AP Bio/Chem), which is why I haven't been able to take as many AP's as some other people.
*All other courses are Honors/Adv.</p>

<p>Sports (EC):
Baseball: 2 years (V)
Soccer: 2 years (1 JV, 1 V)
Tennis: 4 years (Club)</p>

<p>Music/Fine Arts (EC):
Voice:
-Baritone in High School Select Chorale
-Voice lessons for over 8 years
-Church Choir
-Over 4 Years of State and Nationally Recognized Honors Choirs
Lead singer/Rhythm guitarist of rock band: 3 years
Piano: 3 years
Guitar: 2 years
Actor/Singer:
-Several school plays/musicals including
Oklahoma and A Christmas Story</p>

<p>Academics (EC):
Math Team: 4 years
JV/V Quick Recall Team: 4 years
Governor's Cup Team: 3 years</p>

<p>Work Experience (EC):
-Internship at Brown Cancer Center (Research)- received stipend
-(2 years in summer): 400+ hours working in cancer research at University of Louisville (working on implications of three genes in development of cancer through aberrant stem cells (retinoblastoma-eye cancer))
-Working in setting up my parent's farm over the summer- landscape
-Tutoring my brother in math and other 7-8th grade kids in science/math tutoring</p>

<p>Community Service (EC):
-Volunteer at one of the hospitals in Louisville: 150+ hours (working with kids)
-Perform dramatic productions (musicals/plays) for senior citizens
-Write/send letters and other things (videos/cd's) to the soldiers of the Green Berets 1st Battalion in Iraq
-Volunteer through Philanthropy:
-On Board of Directors (trustee) for the Artemis Fund: A school trust fund set up by our vice-principal that is essentially a philanthropic council t hat helps raise money for local non-profit groups in Louisville that aid in helping the youth of the city.</p>

<p>Honors and Awards (shortened) (EC):
-Beta Club
-Founder/Leader of Desi Student Alliance (DSA)
-Club that promotes awareness of India and helps spread diversity through the school community
-Duke TIP: 2004-08
-Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program: summer 2008
-National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine: summer 2007
-Honors Program in high school:
-Select group of students that take extra courses on humanities and social sciences over 2 years and detail an individual research project and 20 page research paper that is set for completion at the end of senior year (with a presentation)
Voice:
-ACDA National Honors Choir 2004, 2006
-KMEA All-State Choir 2008
-KYACDA All-State Choir 2005, 2006
-ACDA Southern Divisional Choir 2008
-Recognized in the district, region, and state of KY for Governor's Cup Science Written Assessments and Quick Recall
-Biology Olympiad Semi-finalist: 2008
National Latin Exam: Many awards, including Magna & Summa Cum Laude (Gold and silver medals)
-Inducted into International Thespian Society: 2008</p>

<p>Why I feel I am qualified:
-Passionate about my singing (have been singing ever since I was two and before I could walk even- used to sing to The Jungle Book ) and I have learned other instruments to complement what I feel is a big part of my life- plus I don't see many Indians who actually have a basis in singing so it kind of singles me out (congrats on any others who have a passion for it-both classical and contemporary)
-Dedicated and brought up in a life of medicine (both my parents are physicians and I was born with a debilitating medical problem that has allowed me to see close-up the medical world and has given me a sense of empathy in helping other people with problems like I was able to be rescued- part of an FDA medical trial as we speak).
-I feel as if I have decent statistics and I try to put my all into the work I do- I really have a love for biology and the sciences because all of the concepts of physics, chemistry, and biology just seem to fascinate me in how our whole world has been created/produced and everything in it).
*I don't want to sound arrogant at all, these are things I just really believe in and what make me unique.</p>

<p>Those accelerated BA/MD programs, especially Brown/northwestern aren't matches at all. They're extremely competitive.</p>

<p>I feel that you have the "gold" to compete in everyone of those colleges and programs. Whether you get in depends on how you sell yourself. The "Why I feel I am qualified" section is well-put, and those are points you want to emphasize (especially #2 to the med programs).</p>

<p>Properly marketing yourself also includes knowing what colleges don't care about (e.g. NYLF on Medicine).</p>

<p>I think you're qualified, so get started on those essays and good luck!</p>

<p>Yea i know thats why I put those two in matches/reaches section...i know both of those programs are competitive, but I'm pretty sure I have a decent shot at them because I've visited both schools and researched both programs.</p>

<p>Just out of curiosity, what field of medicine do you want to be apart of? because it seems you like medicine, and not surgical medicine (from what i see :P). I'm just curious because im another indian who is set on surgical medicine. I was thinking of accelerated program, but im thinking of doing year around schooling and finishing in the same amount of time you are with accelerated program. </p>

<p>I say your set, i do not understand about first generation college aspect and then you stated both your parents are physicians?... do you mean first generation western college? lol... cuz then id be super qualified cuz only one of my parents went to college.</p>

<p>Anyways bro, awesome chance, good to see another indian doing MD for the right reasons.</p>

<p>if you wondering what i want to do, its neurosurgery... :D... PM if you ever wanna just talk about medicine and programs and famous people of medical history :P</p>

<p>It's very difficult to fully chance someone on HYP. Those schools respected admissions process is very competitive at times, but also very confusing. A recent article stated that more than 3500 students with perfect scores on both the ACT and SAT were rejected. It's tough to say. Brown is very competitive as well, but I think you have a decent shot. The others are a shoe in for you (Penn state, UK, U of L) Good Luck!</p>

<p>Yea HYP is basically just a side-note, I don't really mind if I get into them or not, or if I really want to go there in the first place. Their just are hard-reaches for no reason at all; I have friends who go to each and they say the learning experience is better, if not harder at lesser selective colleges than them.</p>

<p>Any other advice, suggestions, or opinions?</p>

<p>bump please...any others?</p>