College Application

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello everyone:</p>

<p>I am an upcoming senior who resides in Alabama and has had a rigorous class schedule and fairly high standardized test scores, and I was wondering what my chances were of getting into Ivies such as Harvard and different medical schools such as Vandy and Emory. I have been involved in numerous ECs such as:
Student Council (9, 10, 11, 12)
Key Club (9, 10, 11, 12)
National Junior Honor Society (9)
Spanish Club (10, 11, 12)
Science Olympiad (10, 11, 12)
Red Cross (10, 11, 12)
HOSA (10)
National Honor Society (11, 12)
National Spanish Honor Society (11, 12)
Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society (11, 12)</p>

<p>I also have about 160 hours of community service which ranges from hospital work to building gardens. I have shadowed doctors at my local hospital.
My standardized test scores, however, are not as high as I would like them. Currently my ACT is a 31, and my SAT is a 2120, which are fairly similar. My Junior year PSAT was a 199. My SAT ll's are decent: 800 Math ll, low: 680 US History, and (ugh) low: 630 Biology (even though I took AP Bio this year). Essays: 8 on ACT, 9 on SAT.</p>

<p>My class schedule, however, is pretty rigorous:
Honors Geometry (9), Honors English (9), Honors World History (9), Honors Biology (9), Spanish I (9), Honors Algebra II with Trigonometry (10), Honors English (10), Honors US History (10), Spanish II (10), AP US History (11), Honors Pre-Calculus (11), AP Statistics (11), AP English (11), AP Biology (11), Spanish III (11), AP Economics (12), AP Government (12), AP Calculus BC (12), AP Chemistry (12), AP Spanish IV (12), AP English (12)</p>

<p>I do not have very many leadership positions though I am involved in several clubs:
Student Council Representative (11, 12)
Spanish Club Committee Chairman (11)
National Spanish Honor Society Committee Chairman (12)</p>

<p>I have earned countless awards that range from Regional Chess Champion to winning essay contests sponsored by my local Kiwanis Club to Math Kangaroo national winner (7th place). My GPA is currently about 3.9 unweighted and 4.31 weighted. My class rank is either 2 or 3 out of 440 students in my grade (saludictorian).</p>

<p>Other notables: I attended People to People leadership forums to both Emory and Harvard in the summers of 2010 and 2011 respectively. This summer I attended Boys State and the Alabama's Governor's School by nomination.</p>

<p>What are my chances of getting into these dream schools? Is there anything I am overlooking? I accept constructive criticism. I realize that I also need an outstanding essay along with some interviews to colleges that require them. I'm hoping for a 34+ on my next ACT. Should I retake the SAT or redo my SAT ll's? There is only one more SAT date left and I'm trying to determine which is more necessary.</p>

2

<p>Search the forum for advice for pre-meds. You will note that medical schools are very focused on GPA and MCAT scores - much less on where you attend school. If you attend a highly selective and competitive school and don’t perform as well academically as you could have at a less selective school, you may find your chances for medical school are actually reduced. The ‘weeding out’ process can be quite tough. </p>

<p>Also as a resident of Alabama you are very fortunate. The state medical school in Birmingham, if memory serves me, has reserved nearly all their seats for state residents which means the level of competition you face is significantly less than for many other pre-meds. Finally, where you go to medical school is relatively unimportant unless you plan a career in academic medicine and research - it’s where you do your residency that generally is most critical.</p>