Hello, I am junior that is giving thought to my college application process. I would appreciate some feedback on what I can do to strengthen my app. I would appreciate some options on what some reaches, matches, and safeties are.
Intended Major: Biology (pre-med)
wGpa: 4.2 (max rigor with honors and dual credit since we don’t offer AP)
uGpa: 3.75
rank: 21 of 83 (I have had to fight to pull this up because I was a lazy freshman/sophomore that studied for nothing. I made mainly A’s and B’s with our most rigorous course options, but I am now making all A’s.)
ACT: 32 (intend to retake for 34-36) (The funny part is that my ACT score is the highest in my entire high school by far.)
PSAT: 99th Percentile with 214 Selection Index (TN)
School Activities and EC’s:
(To me, my list seems fairly mediocre.)
Concert and Marching Band (1st chair saxophone since freshman year w/ several distinctions)
Jazz Band (founding member)
Student Council
National Honor Society
Tutoring
Babysitting
(Boy’s State this summer)
( The list is short, but some of these activities took up loads of time.)
Some I’ve considered:
Vanderbilt since it is close to home. (Far Reach?)
Emory (Reach?)
Tulane (Match?)
UT Knox (Safety)
Please offer other suggestions. Thanks
Also, I’m not sure how pertinent it is, but I am a first gen college student.
Also, cost is not a serious concern.
What are your geographic and size preferences?
Do some Googling to find a summer lab research opportunity for high school students in your area. (Try to arrange the timing of your Boys State around this.) Sometimes they are sponsored by local universities. Your EC’s need to reflect an interest in Biology, Chemistry, or Medicine, etc. If you can’t get one of these, find a summer volunteer job that relates in some way. If you have time, join a school club that is science related.
I have no preference to either geography or the size of the school.
Thanks for the responses. I am now looking into various research opportunities around here.
More suggestions are very welcome. 
There’s many options with your stats. Does “not a serious concern” mean your parents can afford 50K+ per year? Med school is very expensive.
Reaches:
-Georgetown University
-John Hopkins University
-Northwestern University
-Tufts University
Low Reaches/ High Matches:
-Boston University
-George Washington University
-Lehigh University
-University of Virginia
Safeties:
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
To explain my earlier statement, my undergraduate tuition is, for all intents and purposes, paid for. The cost is irrelevant up to ~50,000 per year. No matter what my undergrad costs, nothing will be paid on my graduate school from the individual paying for undergrad.