I am a white female high school junior from suburban Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) looking to major in biochemistry, but am really worried about my chances of getting into my top schools. There are so many competitive applicants and I feel as though I don’t stand out. I haven’t created my own company or cured a disease, so I feel my chances are really lacking. I come from a mid-size high school (~1200 students, 300 per class) ranked in the top 40 in the state, however my school does not send many students to Ivies (other than Penn) and top private schools.
Academics:
Unweighted GPA: 3.9 (will drop to 3.88 after a B in AP Chemistry this year
Class rank: My school does not rank students, but I estimate top 10%.
ACT: 32 - 33E 27M 33R 34S (first time taking, no studying. I was quite surprised at the results, in a good way. Thought I would get a 30, but ended up with a 32 somehow. I’m taking again in June and am aiming for a 34)
SAT II: I took Chem and Math II in May. Chem should be close to perfect, since I just finished AP Chemistry, but Math was not good, did not finish the test :(( I probably won’t submit the math
Courseload:
- Freshman year: Honors Biology, Honors Geometry, Honors World Cultures, Honors World Literature, French 2, required health/tech classes
- Sophomore year: Honors Algebra 2, Honors English, AP Euro, Honors Chemistry, French 3, painting and journalism
- Junior year: Honors Physics, Honors Pre-Calc/Trig, AP English language, AP Chemistry, Honors French 4, American Cultures (I doubled up on science this year)
- Senior Year: AP Calc AB, AP English Literature, AP Government and Politics, AP Biology and Ceramics
I have taken all honors and AP courses, except US history this year (my school does not offer a level between AP/Honors and regular when AP is offered, so many students, like myself, get screwed over for not wanting to take AP US History, which is a very tough course)
ECs:
- Varsity Swimming and Lacrosse all years (my swim coach told me I will be a captain next year, and I am predicting that I will be a captain for lacrosse as well), Varsity Water Polo (9,10 - team was dropped after my sophomore year)
- Top swimmer in District (I live in the most competitive district, sportswise, in PA. If I had lived anywhere else, I would have made states for swimming. I have been recruited by many D3 schools, though I am not interested), Top 100 Swim Recruit in the state, Travel lacrosse player (again, I’ve been recruited by tons of D2 and D3 schools, though none have the academics I’m looking for)
- National Honor Society, French Honor Society
- Outdoors Club, French Club
- National French Award Winner, Distinguished Scholar
Outside of School:
- Bible Camp Counselor (15 hrs/summer), Lacrosse Camp Counselor (60 hrs/summer)
- Lifeguard since summer after freshman year (20-25 hrs/week)
- Swim shop sales associate this summer and most likely throughout college (30-35 hrs/week)
Other factors:
- White female from suburban Philadelphia
- Biochemistry, Neuroscience or Biomedical Engineering major (so basically a female in STEM)
Schools:
Reaches
- Vanderbilt
- Duke (visited)
- Georgia Tech
- UNC (visited)
Matches
- Boston College (am planning on visiting this summer)
- Tulane (might visit next year)
- Texas
- USC (possibly??? I know they have a low acceptance rate, but I’m above average for all statistical categories and will be well above average if I increase my ACT score)
Safeties
- Penn State (visited multiple times, my brother is a biotechnology student there)
- Maryland (visited)
- Alabama (I qualify for an automatic full scholarship because of my grades)
Chance me please!
Tulane is going to have a rough admissions cycle next year, as it has had two consecutive classes that are way too big due to increased yield. While I understand the instinct to look at stats to determine your chances, the increased emphasis on demonstrated interest and knowledge of the specifics of a school in recent years has rendered the old reach/match/safety framework virtually obsolete. (BTW, if you are relying on stats, BC and Tulane belong in the upper grouping, as their stats are above UNCs and are equal to Georgie Tech’s.). My advice is to research the heck out of the schools you are truly interested in and write narrowly tailored applications that convince the admissions committee that you are really interested in attending. You have excellent credentials and should be in the running everywhere, including Vandy and Duke. Congrats on a job well done. Best of luck to you!
How will you pay some of those private school fees?
@NJDad68 I’ve been doing research, since many from my school have applied to Tulane, as well as a couple who have actually gone, and seen that my stats are drastically better than theirs (they had little to no ECs, scores were lower, etc.). My family friend also just got accepted to Tulane this year, and had much lower stats as well and similar ECs (top track runner in the area, heavily recruited by smaller schools to run track). I am hoping to visit her next October, but I do plan to apply Early Action at Tulane, UNC, Boston College and Georgia Tech to increase my chances. I do have a question about your ranking of the schools: I put UNC as a reach simply because I am out of state, but do you feel it is a match, or is it fine as a reach? I feel like I’m really lacking match schools. I’m really trying to get a head start on my essays for applying since I really want them to be the best essays I’ve ever written. I know I will use the Common App just to save me time, but schools typically require a personal statement on their application, yes?
@“aunt bea” I do believe I can afford to go to a private institution and will get a good amount of money from some schools based on academics. My parents have told me to go where I want to go and not factor money into it, they’ll find a way to make it work. They are able to pay for my brother’s 4 years at Penn State and say they can pay the same amount for me, so I’ll essentially get 2 or 2.5 years at another school and will take out loans and hope to get scholarships for the rest. My school also gives out a lot of $1,000 scholarships and I plan on using apps such as Scholly to find more scholarships to make college as affordable as possible.
@Eagles016 I’m not too much of a Bible Thumper, I simply volunteer because I had to do it back in 6th grade so I could get out of my Sunday School and they keep coming back every year in need of counselors :)) I am hoping to get a lot of interviews, because I do interview well. I am a member of my school’s morning announcement news crew, and have also been interviewed multiple times for swimming articles, as well as a recent interview on our lacrosse team that has been aired on local TV. I’m hoping that my ability to be behind a camera can help with interviewing for colleges.
Thank you all for your responses, though. I appreciate the insight.
I don’t know if this information is also useful, but my dad works for a very large stock company and has many friends throughout the US and the world and was able to use a database to find an alumni from every college on my list who have all promised to put a good word in at their respective schools for me, since they all donate generous sums of money back to their schools.
@allison1225, again, I would not put too much emphasis on stats or on comparisons with people that you know. You are in the early stages of discovering that this process is not very predictable, and that schools are looking for students who are good fits for their offerings and who also know the school and are enthusiastic about it. While your stats may be above those who you know who went to Tulane, a 32 ACT composite is right smack in the middle of the people they accept. Regarding the other (really great) schools you’re targeting, yes, I do agree that the out of state factor will make UNC harder, possibly into the “reach” category. (Though, as I started to say above, the safety/match/reach thing applies only at the extremes these days). I would also put USC into the upper tier. USC has long been the darling of the USNWR rankings, and you know the psychological impact of that highly subjective, ever changing measure. As far as your dad and his rich friends go, nothing would surprise me, although I admittedly have less insight into that dynamic than other people who are able to avail themselves of it. I would talk to the rich kids of the rich dads for the better insights.
I think with your diligence and determination – in addition to smarts – you will wind up somewhere great!
OP, with Tulane note you would be applying for their most popular school and coming from their most popular region of the country. Accordingly, and it was probably shared with you already demonstrated interest will be key. Nobody wants to be your perceived safety school. Even overqualified kids get rejected or wait listed when schools don’t think you are interested.
Have you looked at Rice, Hopkins, and what about Wellesley/Olin?
You don’t apply to a specific school or major at Tulane. Their is no “most popular” school.
" They are able to pay for my brother’s 4 years at Penn State and say they can pay the same amount for me, so I’ll essentially get 2 or 2.5 years at another school and will take out loans and hope to get scholarships for the rest. My school also gives out a lot of $1,000 scholarships and I plan on using apps such as Scholly to find more scholarships to make college as affordable as possible."
Are you saying you’ll take out 2 years+ of cost at a private college? I don’t have much time right now, so I’ll just leave someone else to explain why that will not work. And you can’t rely on small scholarships to pay for college.
@allison1225
paying two years at a private will cost you $120K or more. when you are talking that much money you can’t just “make it work” or “take out loans.” and a few $1000 scholarships will barely make a dent in that.
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I do believe I can afford to go to a private institution and will get a good amount of money from some schools based on academics.<<
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top private schools don’t work that way. virtually all the financial aid they give out comes in the form of need-based aid. duke, usc and vandy have a small number of generous scholarships available but they are extremely competitive and only awarded to the absolute top candidates.
you and your parents need to sit down, run NPCs for each school, and crunch the numbers so all of you have a firm grasp on your family’s financial situation and how it relates to your college plans. it does not seem like any of you realize the astronomical costs of college, and how private schools just don’t hand out money for good grades and decent ACT scores. you need to thoroughly research what you can really afford, and what types of aid are offered by each institution.
without knowing the nuts and bolts of your $$$ situation, the only reasonable options on your list might be Penn State (in-state flagship) and Alabama (full-tuition scholarship). and frankly, you might find out that with the way things have been going in recent years, Penn State might be unaffordable for you, as many PA students have sadly discovered.
your GPA, APs, ACT, ECs, etc are only half of the equation when it comes to choosing a college. honestly, you can argue that the more important half of the equation is your family’s $$$ situation.
PS – sadly, lots have parents have told their kids “don’t worry about the costs, we’ll make it work” and then been utterly blindsided to discover how much college really costs, and have had to break the news that they cannot really make it work after all. it is imperative that you all understand how much each school will cost you over 4 years.
Think about applying to elite schools in crappy athletic conferences, and getting in touch with the swimming coach. If there’s a place for you on the team, it’ll significantly increase your changes of admission and potentially decrease the cost of attendance. Just a thought.
@usualhopeful @Wien2NC My uncle has also offered to assist in paying for a school. I understand that finances are very important, but I will not base my school choices based on whether or not I can afford it. I will get a little need-based aid and my dad’s company assists in paying for college. I will find a way to pay for it. I appreciate you looking out for me, but I have talked to my parents and done the math, we have figured that all the schools I’m applying to are doable. I had other schools on the list, such as Drexel and the UCs, but the reality is that it is truly unaffordable to go there. I simply am trying to see if I can get into these schools based on my stats and where I can improve.
@unforgivable I have been in contact with a few coaches from schools on my list, but they are not interested. I swim the most popular events, so they already have people solidified in those spots. I have talked to the University of Texas club lacrosse coach and they expressed interest, but they cannot give me a scholarship (she said she can talk to admissions about increasing my chances of getting in, since they are considering promoting their team to Division 1).
@ClarinetDad16 I talked to one of the more knowledgeable posters on CC about Tulane (FallenChemist), and he assured me that Tulane does not care about geographical location or college you are applying to. Rice was on my list for a while, however I removed it when narrowing my list down. I did a little research on the school and found that it just wasn’t right for me. In regards to the other schools you mentioned, the Wellesley lacrosse coach recruited me, however I do not want to go to an all-girls school. I have narrowed my schools down based on size and sports (the two most important factors to me since a biochemistry major is pretty common) and found the schools that best fit me as a student, as well as an 18 year old girl.
I really do appreciate all your comments, and I have thought my list through with my family based on both affordability for them, as well as appeal for me.
With your current GPA and ACT, I estimate your chances for Duke, Vanderbilt, and UNC as remote; your chances are marginal to decent at Georgia Tech. On your match schools, I estimate your chances at BC as marginal to decent; at UT-Austin as decent; and at USC (presumably Southern Cal, not South Carolina) as marginal.
As one of the posters mentioned, being a female candidate at Georgia Tech might be helpful, as it is about 60% male.
@gandalf78 Thank you! Does an increase of 1-2 points on my ACT make a huge difference at all these schools, or will it remain the same unless I’m able to get a perfect score? (Essentially, does it make my chances a little more decent at my matches, and a little more marginal at my reaches?)
Be yourself! I had not so hot stats but I was able to go to my dream school. Just truly present that innate love for swimming, or that humanly hate for math (I personally despise it). Don’t try to be someone you think colleges would like. If you’re passionate about Bible studies, show that! You’re a real human being, and if a college won’t accept you as one, they don’t deserve you. I wish you best of luck <3 
@worhexiz I do plan on showcasing my love for sports and how that’s shaped me into the person today, but I am not too big on Bible studies, I started volunteering for my Sunday school so I could graduate and sleep in instead of waking up at 7 AM, and it progressed into volunteering every year because it’s an easy 15 hours. I haven’t been to church in years (though that isn’t the point). I would much rather get accepted into a school with an essay that sounds like something I would write that I am personally passionate about, rather than some bland essay that sounds machine-generated. Thank you for your advice, it’s most certainly the best I’ve gotten best of luck at school!
What exactly does that mean? That you’re going to ignore financial restraints and just pretend they’re irrelevant? You aren’t saying anything that convinces me you are realistically considering the importance of finances in college search and selection.
UT isn’t really a match for those majors OOS. In fact, UT is almost always a reach OOS. Just the way it is unfortunately.
@usualhopeful My parents said this “if you get into a top-tier private school, we will figure out how to pay”. I appreciate you looking out for me, but I have discussed such instances with my parents and we have come to a solution. We are realistically considering the importance of finances in our search and selection and, as I said previously, will figure out a way to pay for college.
@usahopeful - perhaps the OP wants to collect acceptances like athletic trophies?
Or maybe she feels one of the historically unaffordable schools will go to bat for her?
Not sure. She did mention a rich uncle as well.
@ClarinetDad16 @usualhopeful I do not appreciate your passive aggressive and immature comments. I have made thoughtful decisions with my parents to come up with a college list. I simply asked for your opinions on whether I could get into the schools. I was patient at first with you all telling me to consider money, which I did. Now it’s reached a point where I am beyond sick and tired of coming on here to be met with people who do not know me or my family situation judging my decisions on colleges I want to apply to. If you have nothing to say about my chances of getting into schools, please refrain from commenting. At first, you were coming from a good place, but it’s now rude and unacceptable.