Chances to Duke ED, Vanderbilt, Emory, Johns Hopkins, UChicago, and more...(Neuroscience & Comp Sci)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hey! I’m just asking for a few opinions on where I stand in this whole college admissions process, because I really don’t know. All opinions are welcome, not just the nice ones.

Profile:
Asian male, upper-middle class
Intended Major: Neuroscience & Computer Science
School: Really good 2-Year High School/2-Year College Program, Top 25 Overall in Nation by US News, even higher ranked in Newsweek

GPA:
UW - 3.72/4 (ik its bad, freshman year screwed me but upwards trend since)
W - 4.92
No rank reported

Test Scores:
ACT - 34 (35M, 35S, 34E, 32R), looking for 35 superscore or composite awaiting this month’s results
SAT - 1510 (760M, 750R) Not as good as I hoped, retaking soon along with subject tests
AP - Scholar with Distinction, Sophomore Year: Calculus (5,5), Environmental Science (5), US History (5), Psychology (5), English Language (3, yikes), Freshman Year: World History (4), Biology (3)
Notable College (11th and 12th) Coursework: Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Advanced Comp. Sci.

Awards:
Congressional App Challenge 2015 Winner & Published Android Developer

  • Received several interviews from TV stations and app was featured in US House of Representatives
    National Merit Semifinalist
    Couple of Gold Medals in Sci. Olympiad
    National Honor Society

Extracurriculars:
Research at Duke University Medical Center: Neurotoxicology research, commuted over 3 hrs each day by the “reliable” service of Amtrak (train). (150 Hrs)
Currently designing independent research project at local university related to neuroscience.
Founder and President of Hello World App Club, teaches students Android programming, built application currently used by 11th and 12th students to remotely “sign-in” to school each day, used by school administration to track attendance.
Secretary of Student Council and HOSA (Health Occupational Students of America).
Volunteer at local Hospital, held various roles. (220 Hrs)
4-Year Top 6 Varsity Tennis Player, reached 4A State quarterfinals last year.
12-Year Violinist and Classical Musician

Schools:
EA: Schools in my state
ED: Duke
RD: Johns Hopkins, Emory, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, UChicago, CMU (Computational Neuroscience), suggest any other schools you may think are good fits.

Essay and Recs:
I think my essay will turn out pretty good, and hopefully my recommendations will too. My inspiration for going into neuroscience is my grandfather, as I never got to know him well enough during my lifetime due to Parkinson’s Disease (not the focus point of my essay).

Like I said before, I just want some honest opinions on my chances. I’m fully aware that many of these schools are crapshoots in many ways, so I’m not going to be overly disappointed if I don’t get in :slight_smile:

2

Just to clarify how long/when I’ve done my extracurriculars:
Research: Summer 2016 - now
Hello World App Club: Start of 11th Grade - now
Secretary of Student Council and HOSA: 2016 - present
Hospital Volunteering - 2013 - 2016

3

bump

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bump

5

Being honest here, I think your extracurriculars are great but your GPA is below average and your SAT/ACT score is average. Colleges look at grades first, then your activities. They filter the applications initially on the basis of grades and I think your GPA is petty low so it might not pass the first stage of applications. I think you have a better shot at JHU and should apply ED there.

6

Thanks for the honest response @Logan2020 . About my GPA, would the strength of the curriculum and the upward trend I’ve had at the school make up for it? Since sophomore year, I’ve had only 1 B and taken entirely dual-enrollment classes. Would this count for anything?

7

Are you NC resident?

Approx class rank?

8

@sgopal2 Yes, I am an NC resident, but my school does not rank.

9

I realize your school doesn’t rank. However most admissions people can easily figure this out. What is your estimated class rank?

10

@sgopal2 My counselor showed us how she does even calculate or report rank on transcripts/CommonApp, nor are we even given any estimated school rank. If you’d like me to guess, that’s a different story lol. We have a number of people go to top schools each year, but I wouldn’t even be able to guess what exact rank I was (very few people in each grade).