College Admission Diagnostic

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello all! I’m going to be a senior next year and with that comes the lovely job of applying to colleges. /s
However, I am not sure how I am doing in terms of ECs, SATs and just overall admission criteria. I would appreciate if I could get some feedback based upon the top-five schools that I am passionate about getting into.

Schools:
1.) Columbia University
2.) Cornell University
3.) Dartmouth College
4.) Johns Hopkins
5.) Duke University

Beginning with Grades…
My school uses a 5.0 Weighted GPA System
Weighted GPA -> 4.678 Unweighted GPA -> 4.0

Freshman Year:
Honors English I - A
Honors Biology - A
Honors Geometry - A
Honors World History - A+
Catholicism - A
Intro to Computer Science - Java - A
Honors Spanish I - A+
Physical Education - A

Sophomore Year:
Honors English II - A+
Honors Chemistry - A+
Honors Algebra II - A
Honors American History I - A
Sacred Scripture - A+
Physical Education - A
Health & Driver’s Education - A
Honors Spanish II - A+

Junior Year:
Honors English III - A
Honors Physics I - A+
Honors Pre-Calculus - A+
AP United States History - A
Morality - A+
Catholic Social Teaching - A+
AP Computer Science - A+
Honors Spanish III - A+

Scheduled Classes for Senior Year:
AP Literature
AP Spanish Language and Culture
AP Calculus AB
Theology IV A
Theology IV B
AP Biology
Discrete Mathematics
AP Physics

My SAT Scores are as follows:
March 2016 - 1390 (680 R&W) (710 M)
May 2016 - 1420 (730 R&W) (690 M)
Superscore of 1440 (730R&W) (710 M)

My Extracurricular Activities in School with Years of Membership:
Young Medical Leaders Club (1-3)
Personal Finance Club (3)
Business Leadership Club (1 & 3)
Science National Honor Society (2-3)
Afterschool Academic Tutoring (2-3)
Varsity Football (1-2)
Spanish Club (2-3)
Spanish National Honor Society (Senior Year) [Required to Apply in Junior Year]
Model United Nations – Council for Economic Advancement B Representing Israel
Junior Varsity Math League (2)
Varsity Math League (Senior Year) [Required to Apply in Junior Year]
National Honor Society (3-4)
Yearbook Staff (2-3)
Students Against Distracted Driving (Senior Year)
PRESIDENT Physics Club (3-4)
Assistant Athletic Trainer

My Extracurricular Activities Outside of School:
Fencing – 6th Grade to Currently
National Future Medical Medical Leaders Congress (2-3)
HEAD EVENT COORDINATOR Whispering Knoll Nursing Home (2-3) [Volunteer]
HEAD TRANSLATOR for Specialty Eye MD --7th Grade to Currently [Volunteer]
Columbia University Summer Program for High School Students Biomedical Engineering & Economics
Freelance Graphic Design (Photoshop CC)
Freelance Video Effects (Adobe After Effects CC)
Business OWNER & EXECUTIVE MANAGER: Restaurant
ASSISTANT MANAGER Healthexcel Cardiology and Specialty Eye MD

Thinking about creating a Non-profit organization… “Eye Can See Clearly”
-Charitable organization that collects old glasses from households, takes the prescription of them and matches them to those in need in nursing homes, orphanages etc.

Currently looking at doing a double-major in a science and Philosophy.
I still haven’t decided upon the science yet!

Math II taken June 2016 – Results Not Received Yet.
Recommendations will come from:
Math Teacher (Taught Pre-Calculus and Algebra II)
Guidance Counselor
English Teacher (Junior Year)
Physics Teacher
Fencing Coach

2

Nice grades, but your test scores are on the low end for those schools. Also, all of the eye MD related activities – do you have a parent or relative in this practice? Regarding ECs, I see a ton of activities, but not a lot of high level accomplishment. I would say all those schools are reaches. Not impossible, but improbable.

3

Yup! My father is a practicing ophthalmologist as well as one of my uncles. He in fact did his residency at Columbia University! (Which I’m not sure if it will affect admissions at all. One can hope,right?)

4

Residency at Columbia will not help.

http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/ask/faq/question/2412

Do you have a solid list of mstches and safeties that you like?

5

Unfortunately, no. I’m not sure where to begin on the whole equally competitive/safety school ordeal. I’d like an undergraduate school that will help me immensely in propelling into graduate school. Overall, I’m hoping to end my whole education path with a PhD in a science. Perhaps even an MD/PhD – which would be optimal.

6

There are tons of colleges that will propel you into graduate school though. There are many people at top graduate programs that didn’t go to ‘elite’ colleges. For safeties you want schools that you definitely will get into and that you would like to attend. It doesn’t have to be a top 50 UNSWR school to get you into a competitive graduate program. If you’re at podunk U and have tons of internships, graduate summa, do research, write an award winning thesis etc., you’re going to have an edge over the kid who was middle of his class at Harvard and didn’t do much. It’s all about the individual person and graduate programs really aren’t in the business of discrediting “lower ranked” institutions with otherwise qualified applicants.

7

1440 is on the lower end, especially if it’s superscored. Your GPA is very good though. I agree that all the schools on your list are reaches.

8

Thank you for the reassurance @danfer91 ! I’m sort of naive when it comes to admissions and such. I mean, with my SAT scores and GPA, I’m sure that I can get into a decent college, right? A 1440 isn’t as low as I think it is, perhaps? I don’t know…I guess it is just nerves about getting into a school at this point. Will colleges be willing to see my application with the low score regardless? I feel that my essays will definitely be good, based upon the amount of time I’m spending on them. On top of that, specifically at Columbia, I spoke to the Biomedical Engineering professor regarding interest in the school during my time there in the summer (in fact, I’m typing this on their network! I’m here studying economics!) With this contact at Columbia, a predicted above average essay, my GPA, EC, and SATs I would truly love to be admitted to the finest institution in the greatest city in the world. Based upon my credentials so far and what I would like to pursue, do you guys have recommendations for schools? Thank you so much for the feedback so far, this process is absolutely killing me with anxiety. Sorta went off on a ramble there! Sorry about that!

9

Oh, and will making sure applications are sent in early help a significant amount? Obviously, I won’t wait 'til last minute to get them in. But if submitting approximately 1-2 months in advance helps, I’ll totally do it.

10

Aha, no, a 1440 (1420 in one sitting) is anything but low. The problem is that the schools you’re applying to are littered with applicants who have scores just like this or better. When this is the case, it’s necessary to stand out in some aspect, and if you look at the incoming class profiles for some of these schools some of the people who gain admittance have done something that doesn’t even seem real…seriously. These schools can be, and usually are, reaches for people with 1500+ SAT’s, so it’s nothing against you personally. That being said, there are literally hundreds of great colleges in the US where you could get a world class education that will put you in place to succeed in graduate school and beyond.

There’s no problem with applying to these colleges, but you have to realize that they’re all reaches and you could get shut out. You have to build a balanced list so that you have some acceptances and some options to work with when the letters are rolling in next year. The first step might just be looking at schools in your state. You can PM me with that info if you don’t want to share it publicly and I might know some schools that would definitely accept you that are in your vicinity. You might also want to create a thread in the parents forum or browse the other sub-forums looking for a place where people can help you more thoroughly. There are admissions officers and GC’s who post on this site who know far more than I do who could probably point you in the right direction for constructing a list that makes sense. Also, try talking to your guidance counselor at your own school when August comes.

Regarding applying in advance, it won’t be an advantage if it hurts your applications in any way. If that extra month is going to help you write a much better essay then I would say take the extra month and really hone your applications to be the best that they possibly can be.

11

I might as well share the geographic information, since that will help later on! My state is New Jersey (so yeah, extremely competitive). Thank you so much for the insight though; you’re extremely helpful! Plus, you made me feel so good knowing that my SATs aren’t complete trash like I thought they were. But you’re right! It’s unreal what these people in those schools accomplish! If you could point me in the direction of those forums, I will create a thread when I have the opportunity to! Thank you! I should probably share my career goals though. I hope to become a surgeon, a hospital executive or an immunotherapist. I still haven’t decided yet. :c

12

Here’s the parent forum, I’d guess you will get more help there than anywhere else:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/

As far as colleges in New Jersey I have to say I don’t know very much about public schools in the Northeast, as I’m from the South. I do know that Rutgers would accept you in a heartbeat, though I don’t know your preferences as far as size, location, etc. If I were you I would just start a thread at the link above, post what you did in the OP and tell them that you’re looking for schools that can be safeties and matches since your schools are all reaches right now. Maybe share what you’re interested in in terms of size, cost, culture, geographical location, etc. Best of luck.

13

I also agree that you need to look for some match and safety schools. You can use the SuperMatch tool on the left side of the page, put in your information, and see what you get. However, you haven’t mentioned costs. Have you asked your parents how much they can contribute each year for college? If not, you need to do that ASAP.

14

Money isn’t an issue for tuition. I’m expected to graduate college with little to no debt. So thank goodness that I don’t have to worry about that barrier! They can contribute around $75K if it is necessary for school.

15

@danfer91 Thank you very much!

16

75k a year or total? If it’s 75k total that won’t even cover half of tuition at these schools, let alone living expenses, rent, etc.

17

Does your hs offer AP chem?
You need a strategy here. You’ve been very busy but it falls into school clubs and working for Dad, which can be seen as given to you, not necessarily earned. These elites review fast, but with a fine tooth comb, so to say. The competition is that fierce.

You don’t need to found a quick/short term charity and I doubt you could match the prescriptions to new users, without Dad or someone trained and accredited. They may suspect your nursing home experience is also a connection (event coordinator isn’t a science, health or pre-med activity) - it’s not the same as getting involved in healthcare delivery in your community, on your own. (I’d look for something like that fast.)

And the math score is lowish for competition for STEM. You’ll likely get past first cut, but that’s only a start, at those schools. You’ll need to be able to “show” your match via all the writing in the app and supps. Make sure you know what those schools value.

18

@danfer91 Annually

19

@lookingforward I have patient experience. In fact I can run preliminary diagnostic tests on them in the exam room alone: Visual field, 40 point test/blind spot monitoring and photographing the eyes. And event coordinator was just to help me with bedside manner since I’m caring for seniors by getting them needs during events such as food, water etc. whilst facilitating in organizing things for them on the weekends . Thanks to my dad I have access to the machine for evaluating prescriptions which I know how to operate by myself. But yeah, STEM will be hard with my current SAT math score. I should probably emphasize my experience with patients in my essays… ( the things you hear from patients in Irvington and Newark are heartbreaking. They are extremely impoverished people). In regards to evaluating prescriptions, patients usually get free eye examinations in the nursing homes around here. Thank you for the feedback though! In regards to AP Chemistry, the year I was eligible the teacher retired and they couldn’t find a suitable replacement. So I was stuck taking AP Computer Science instead.

20

Yes, but didn’t dad facilitate you getting the office jobs? Yes, you have the experience, but because it was given to you, not because you went out and found it.

And getting food and water for seniors is not healthcare delivery. Or advocacy. It’s social. Yes, interacting is important in health, but you’re aiming at some mighty competitive colleges with a lowish M. And a possible bio major with no AP chem. Your GC can explain this, it wasn’t available. But the question an adcom (at those colleges, where admissions rates are so very low,) can ask is why not summer school or at a local college?

adding: making your essays about the hard tales you’ve heard is not what tips adcoms at tippy top colleges. They want to see your activation, how you took things further.