College Recommendations With A 34 ACT

College Search & Selection
1

I’m currently looking for colleges to apply to. Will you guys recommend some with my stats?



ACT: 34 (Will retake in Sept)


PSAT: 1490 (Most likely prospective Semifinalists in my state)


SAT: Will take in Aug


SAT Subject Tests: Math 1, Math 2, Literature (Scores next month), Will take Chinese, biology, and chemistry


State: Mississippi


Race: Chinese


GPA: 4.0


QPA: 5.4


Rank: 1/175



Course Load: I’ve taken the highest level classes that my school offers. Most of my classes are honors. I will be taking many D.C. classes senior year



AP Classes: My school literally offers just two AP classes and I will have taken both by the time I graduate.



AP Lang (Junior Year)


AP Lit (Senior Year)



Extra Curriculars:



Junior Civitan (9th- current)- club secretary and treasurer/ district Lt. Governor


HOSA (10th- current) No office positions offered but I have competed at District, State, and International Levels


Spanish Club- 11th to current President


Creative Writing Club- I started this club 11th grade year and am President


National Honors Society member (11th to current)


*There are very few clubs at my school. The only ones I have not joined are student council, FCCLA, and Outreach



Awards:


DYW District First Alternate with awards in scholarship, interview, etc.


HOSA Medical Math District 1st place


State 3rd Place


HOSA Extemporaneous Poster 2nd Place


Outstanding Freshman Award (highest award at my school)


Outstanding Junior Award


Multiple other awards for specific classes at my school



Volunteer Work:


Local hospital volunteer in Surgery Department (Summer 2017)

Over 300 Hours of Volunteer work with Junior Civitan (Annual Veterans Day Ceremony, Tea Party Fundraiser for Sexual Abuse Victims, etc.)


Hospice Care Volunteer



Work Experience:


Cashier at family restaurant (2011 to present) (Should I even say I started working at 11? XD)

Cashier at local grocery store (Summer 2016)



Income Bracket: less than 25K



Prospective Major: Biology or Pre Med track


Prospective Career: Doctor



College Preferences:



- Location: New England area


- Selectiveness: <30%


- Preferably a campas with nice architecture


-I don’t care about sports or parties



Thanks guys!

2

Sorry, I tried to structure the post but I’m on a phone and everything keeps on jumbling together.

3

Selectiveness <30% is putting yourself in a potentially bad situation—you need match and safety schools as well as reaches. Why is a low acceptance rate important to you?

4

@xxluvforeverxx What is your financial situation like? Would you need financial aid,… if so how much?

5

Though these colleges would generally be reaches and high matches, you might nonetheless be a good candidate at one or more of Amherst, Bates, Hamilton, Bowdoin, Colby and Williams.

6

@EllieMom By low acceptance rate, I mean prestige and ranking of the school.



@VANDEMORY1342 I would need financial aid. It would be amazing if the college offered to meet 100% of demonstrated need.

7

@xxluvforeverxx

Since you need so much money, I really ask you to not let prestige cloud your mind and apply to schools outside if the top 30. Also because you need substantial aid you should apply RD for all of the schools, which is difficult ( especially as an Asian applicant).

With all of that said since you are pre-med I would recommend, University of Washington, Cornell, John’s Hopkins, Emory, BC, BU, Tufts, UMass Amherst, Penn State, UVA

8

Every top 100 university and college in the US could be considered prestigious as there are over 4,000 in total.

Focus on fit instead and you’ll likely end up in a better place - there’s a long CC thread about Classy colleges that feels very similar; take a look - http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1999543-classy-colleges.html#latest

9

Some links to read through:



https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2016-09-19/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need



http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/lists/list/the-experts-choice-colleges-with-great-pre-med-programs/199/



http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/lists/list/colleges-to-consider-if-you-want-to-study-biology/117/



https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/the-25-most-beautiful-college-campuses-in-america



Personally, I would not recommend against an ED application, provided the NPC result appears favorable.

10

@xxluvforeverxx Okay, but if you’re focusing only on schools with acceptance rates of <30%, you’re definitely eliminating schools that would be considered “matches” and even “low reaches” for someone with your stats. Schools with excellent reputations and good track records when it comes to preparing students for med school. Schools such as Brandeis, Rochester, F&M, etc.

And you’re limiting your chances not just for acceptance but also for getting financial assistance that will make the schools affordable for you without loans (something that is figured into the aid packages of many schools, even those that say they meet full need.) That’s especially important for students who are looking to go the med school route.

You should be aware that as impressive as your accomplishments are, there are a lot of other prospective students out there who are equally accomplished. At a school like those I’ve listed above, all of which have acceptance rates of 30% or more, most students in the courses that premed majors take will have grades and test schools that are roughly equivalent to yours. Don’t let the focus on rankings and “selectivity” blind you to the full range of choices out there. And choices in terms of financial feasibility, as well as academic preparation and opportunities for professional development, are especially important for a student with limited economic resources who is embarking on the long—and expensive—process of getting an MD.

11

I think you need to focus on what you can afford rather than selectivity, and that gets back to your other thread where you said your parents make under $25K a year but own a restaurant and are thinking of buying a $600K house. There’s obviously something wrong with that picture.

Your parents may not be willing to share what their actual financial situation with you, but no school will offer you need based financial aid without digging deep into your parents’ finances. If they own a business, I don’t think you can count on as much need based financial aid as you (or they) may be expecting, so you need to ask them how much (if anything) they are willing to contribute to your college costs and keep your focus on merit aid.

For substantial merit aid, you may have to look at less selective schools where your GPA and test scores exceed those of the average applicant. Do you have a 34 ACT score now or are you hoping to get that score next time you take it? You said 2 months ago that you’d taken it three times and the highest score you’ve gotten is a 31. That’s still a good score and nothing to be ashamed of, but people need to know your actual score now in order to give helpful suggestions on where you might be able to get merit aid.

12

Don’t retake a 34 ACT

13

@1Dreamer 34 ACT now but hoping for a 35/36 in Sept. Also, I have cleared up the $600k home situation with my parents as we had decided not to purchase the home which would result in going into debt. Our financial status is $25k per year with around $60K in savings. If I were to attend college in-state, I would most likely graduate with extra money in my pocket as there are medical student programs that pay for college if I stayed in Mississippi. With that program as well as Mississippi financial aid, merit aid, local scholarships, and FAFSA, my four years would be paid for. However, I would like to move to the Northeast which would mean I would lose all the in state aid. But I’m more focused now on the best college I can get into before I worry about financial aid.

14

Prestige does nothing to a pre-med. the worst school to attend for pre-med is MIT unless you’re a true genius. My niece went there and she almost had a nervous break down. Go to an in state school that is free and you can shine in that school, perhaps a Val at the end. That will get you in to any med school.



When you are a doctor, no one will ask your UG school was.

15

Apply to your state flagships as safeties and apply to schools that meet 100% of demonstrated aid (most top 30 schools) also retaking your act will not help you a 34 is already good enough for all colleges even harvard. At this point, your essays and how you put together your application and recommendations matter a lot more once u hit the test range

16

You are a shoe-in for instate schools, which will likely be quite affordable. With that in your pocket (assuming you would ok with attending Ole Miss, Miss St or other MS school), you can reach for selective schools that will award need based aid, for which you should definitely be eligible with a 25K income. Wellesley (if female) comes to mind as a selective (20% acc rate) New England school with a beautiful campus, and meets full need. Also the Maine LACs: Bowdoin, Colby, Bates; maybe Amherst and Williams?

17

OP, with that $25K income being from a restaurant presumably owned by your parents, I don’t think you are necessarily going to get the aid that you think you might. That’s an awfully low amount being declared, and I imagine the “meets full need” colleges are going to look very closely at that. You best bet, hands down, is stay in-state and graduate debt-free.

18

@xxluvforeverxx…

Williams, Amherst, Dartmouth and Bowdoin may be of interest
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/infographics/top-feeders-medical-school

Additional schools to consider.
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/top-pre-med-colleges/

19

This is putting the cart before the horse.

Agree with this. Your parents may only be declaring $25K, but they own a business. If your goal is med school and you can graduate debt free from an in-state college with money in your pocket, take the money and run. I don’t think you’re going to find that good of a deal anywhere else, and assuming your parents aren’t planning on contributing to your college costs, that’s the deal you need. It might also allow them to buy that house, which is something worth considering IMO. If I were in your shoes, I know that’s what I’d want for them.

Best of luck.

20

IF OP definitely has admission, and costs covered, at a state school in Miss, then IMO it’s OK to apply to academic reaches too.

It might be a waste of time if the financial situation with the restaurant as an asset precludes need-based aid, though. It might be a good idea to look also at schools that offer lots of merit aid, if the goal is to get out of state.

Or, take the free ride that is likely in Miss and plan to spend a year abroad, try to work summers outside the state…cure the wanderlust another way.

If you stay with premed, you will almost certainly apply to Miss Med school as it favors Miss residents and will be much cheaper if you do get in.