Does my college list match my credentials?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Colleges (Rough Draft):
Reach-
Princeton
Duke
UPenn
Washington University in St. Louis
Match
Georgetown
Northwestern
Johns Hopkins
University of Chicago
Safety
University of Florida
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
George Washington University
McGill</p>

<p>Credentials:
Going to be a Junior, Male, Natural-Born Indian(Don't know if this will hurt or help, as I have a Greencard, not full citizenship), NJ, Goal is Pre-Med
Above Average Public School, but nothing to write home about -- I think it's around #150 out of 350-400 schools.</p>

<p>GPA- My school uses a weighted system, so I don't know exactly, but I've averaged straight 99s (Final Grade) in all of my courses for these two years, and I assume that would be a 4.0, but again, I'm not certain.</p>

<p>Class Rank- As of now, it's #1, but by the time I start applying, it may slip down to #2</p>

<p>Course Workload- Have taken all honors classes as a freshman and sophomore (with the exception of a mandatory computers class in 9th, and a web design course to fill out my arts requirement in 10th), with my language being Latin
As a junior, I will be taking AP Bio, AP Calc AB, AP Stat, AP English, AP US History, and Latin IV
As a senior, I plan on taking AP Chem, AP Calc BC, AP English (whatever the next one is), a Social Studies/History AP (Undecided), AP Latin - Vergil, and either AP Physics, Honors Physics, or Honors Human Physiology</p>

<p>SAT- On a good day, if I took it right now, I could score a 2250, but the only studying I've done is taken a Princeton Review class (which I don't recommend, for it caters mainly to those aiming for 1800s), but after applying myself, I hope to be able to bring it up to a 2300. I scored a 1950 as an 8th grader with an 11 essay, so that should give you some perspective on the justification for my estimated scores.</p>

<p>SAT Subject Tests- I honestly don't know how I'll fare on these, because I haven't really looked into them much, but I know I'll most likely take Math II, Bio, and Chem</p>

<p>Recommendations- I don't really foresee a problem in getting great recs</p>

<p>Awards- 3rd place in a NJIT Web Design Competition, Gold in National Latin Exam, and at least silvers on the Latin exams to come</p>

<p>Volunteering- 200 hours at a hospital, 60 hours at a nursing home, and I might look into volunteering in an ambulance next summer</p>

<p>Work Experience- Shoo-in for an internship at a government agency (I'd rather not disclose it for privacy reasons)</p>

<p>Sports- My biggest weakness, and it really does give a false impression of me because I love sports, but I only have one year of JV football (Injuries ravaged my during my sophomore year and had a serious affliction leave me hospital ridden for quite some time, and because of that, I shifted my focus from any sports to clubs. However, I doubt I'll be able to convey this to admission officers, since the injuries didn't leave me unable to compete during my junior and senior years.)</p>

<p>Extra Curricular Activities-
Vice President of Latin Honor Society
President or Vice-President of National Honor Society (Elections are this year, and the spot depends on which position I run for, but I'm confident I'll win)
Officer in Republican Club (More service-oriented than politics)
Student Council
SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions)
Key Club
Math Club
... I might join a couple others next year, I'll have to look into it</p>

<p>So, with that being said, any feedback is appreciated -- Should I aim lower? Higher? Apply to more reaches? Safeties too weak? Don't limit yourself to just college selection, any advice towards my weaknesses would be a great help. Finally, I know I might seem over-eager since I haven't even taken the SAT in high school yet, but please bear with me. Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>What is your PSAT scores. Those are the only gauge you could base your estimated SAT scores off of as they are the most recent and most relevant information you have at hand.</p>

<p>Get into some more worthwhile clubs, make leadership roles in them, and stay in them.</p>

<p>I didn’t realize you were a rising junior. Its early given you haven’t taken any APs, AP Test, SATs, SATIIs, nada. Yeah, give it a little more time. Btw, your match group is not a match group. More like a reach group.</p>

<p>EDIT: yeah, we can’t gauge you until your like…done with your SATs/SATIIs know your GPA after taking those APs and the tests.</p>

3

<p>I know my PSAT scores were either 211 or 218, I honestly don’t remember, and I don’t consider that test important, because I didn’t study for it at all.</p>

<p>Edit: To add more perspective, in my last Princeton Review practice test (I know, not the same), I received a 760 on Math, 720 on Verbal, and a raw score of 73 with a 12 essay (I don’t know what that works out to). Bear in mind that I haven’t gone over vocabulary, grammar rules, and upper tier math problems.</p>

4

<p>Yeah, just add a zero to the end that thats roughly then add 100 more pts (avg. increase per year in HS) and thats roughly what you should get your junior year…2210 to 2280. :)</p>

<p>Given that, you have a competitive chance at each of those reach schools. Georgetown, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins,University of Chicago are not match schools btw. You have a good list going, you’ve noticed that your list is a little too top heavy. Too many reaches.</p>

<p>What else do you like to look for in a school other than premed? What other things do you want in a school?</p>

5

<p>Yeah, it’s hard for us to chance you based only on a freshman/sophomore year GPA and estimated test scores. I definitely agree with Phead, though, that your match group is made up of all reaches.</p>

<p>Also, don’t go to Georgetown for pre-med.</p>

6

<p>Also, I see what you mean about my match group, but I honestly couldn’t find schools that fit me which weren’t considered reaches for most people.</p>

7

<p>You’ll need to dig a little to find suitable matches. Try to figure out what it is you like about certain schools (other than prestige and the big name, which seems to fuel your list, no offense) and find less-selective schools that fit that criteria.</p>

8

<p>cool down with those APs man…lol. Do most of the ppl at your school take like 5 AP + latin IV level classes their junior year? You don’t want to have your GPA take a hit. I’d recommend taking one AP off for sure…Unless that is what you feel you can handle and if the most competitive students at your schools are doing it…then by all means, do it. lol</p>

<p>EDIT: nvm, it seems normal. lol u go to a competitive school, so that may make a difference. Its also in NJ. lol</p>

9

<p>Well, the thing is, when you ask what I’m looking for in a school, I’m not in a great position to pick and choose, because while I know I do want to go to a upper-echelon university, it depends on which one decides they want me. But, if I were given the choice, I’d want a school relatively close to home – preferably on the East Coast, but no further than the Mississippi River. Then, it becomes a matter of which schools put me in the best chance for med school admission, and I haven’t ruled out an accelerated program, either. Finally, when it comes to school qualities itself, I’d like one with accessible professors, affordable housing, whether it be cheap single-person dorms or studio apartments, and good food (being a vegetarian, I don’t want to be limited to pizza and mac and cheese). Also, I’m not really interested in the arts, but am knowledgeable enough to comprehend and get through it, so while a liberal arts school isn’t totally out of the question, it wouldn’t be my first choice.</p>

10

<p>What about social life? Do you want a school that’s more studious, or one where students work hard and play harder? Sports fan or not? Large student body or small? etc.</p>

<p>EDIT: I always have a hard time recommending schools for pre-med kids. In my mind, engineering and biology are the same thing, and all my favorite schools aren’t really known for science programs of any kind. That said, have you considered Carnegie Mellon or Case Western? I think you’d likely get into both if your stats turn out as you expect them to. Obviously they’re a bit more Midwest than East Cost, but even so, Pittsburgh and Cleveland are pretty big cities.</p>

11

<p>I’m a sports fan, and while I know I’m going to be buried in work, I wouldn’t mind some time off to relax and have a good time, but in the end, that won’t be a deciding factor for me unless I’m trying to decide between two really similar universities. While I’m an avid Jets, Nets, and Devils fan, I never really cared much for college athletics, hell, I couldn’t care less about how well my own high school does in sports, since I’m not the one playing. Plus, I don’t really party in high school, and while I would be more inclined to in college, I ultimately have to focus on the long-run, so there is no way the party scene would influence my decision. If I cared about how big the parties are, I’d apply to Brigham Young in a heartbeat. Moreover, it would be nicer to have a smaller student body, where someone could distinguish himself more and the students are familiar with each other.</p>

<p>Edit: Yeah, I have considered those two colleges actually, and this list is only a first draft, so it’s bound to change. If I could, I’d apply to 20 colleges, but I can’t, so I’ll have to make some decisions on which reaches aren’t worth pursuing.</p>

12

<p>Georgetown is harder to get into than duke (a8 percent acceptance rate versus 22 percent) so swithc those 2 around.</p>

13

<p>If you can rattle up some interest in college sports, and if you like the atmosphere of Georgetown, definitely look into Boston College.</p>

<p>I think you should definitely add CWR or CMU (or both) to your list as matches. Also, if your safeties are “safe” enough, you only need 1-2 of them, definitely not 4.</p>

<p>Take Gtown off your list, they’re about as far from a pre-med school as you can get.</p>

<p>IMO you should definitely keep JHU, Duke, Penn, Northwestern, and U of Florida (assuming you’re in-state, it’s a perfect safety).</p>

14

<p>Yea, actually, you’re right, I did underestimate Georgetown. The reason I thought Duke would be harder, however, is because the average SAT score is higher for Duke than Georgetown. I didn’t know Georgetown wasn’t great for pre-med, but is there any other reason than that it’s mainly a business school and is Jesuit?
To highopes, I live in NJ not FL, and the only school that would be a safety for me is Rutgers, and I couldn’t imagine going there.
I also assume that with a family income of over $150,000, I have virtually no shot at financial aid? It’s really a shame, and I know I’ll probably get no sympathy, but my parents have their own expenses to worry about and I don’t want to burden them with such burgeoning costs.</p>

<p>Edit: Ok, so I followed your advice and removed Georgetown and McGill (I wouldn’t be able to adapt well to the climate and the language), and added Carnegie Mellon and Boston College as targets.</p>

15

<p>Yeah, I’m in the same boat as you there - my parents’ income disqualifies me from any signicant finaid, but I can’t imagine attending my state U (Ohio State). Getting into top public schools OOS can be unpredictable, though, so I’d hesitate to call UF a safety.</p>

<p>Georgetown is not known for its science programs whatsoever. It’s basically a political powerhouse - probably because of its prime location in DC (same goes for American U and GWU to an extent, but GWU has a respectable combined med program, if that suits you). Go there if you’re looking into political science, international relations, foreign language, areas like that. Gtown for pre-med is like MIT for poly sci - it can be done, but the school isn’t known for it, you know what I mean?</p>

16

<p>Yea, I see what you mean, and the reason I have UF, GWU, and RPI is because of their combined med programs, and even if I don’t get into those, I wouldn’t mind those schools as safeties.</p>

17

<p>Glad to help. :)</p>

<p>I think you’re off to a good start with that list, and since you’re only a rising junior, you have plenty of time to change your mind, think things over, etc. Good luck!</p>

18

<p>Thanks for the help highopes.</p>

<p>Phead128
cool down with those APs man…lol. Do most of the ppl at your school take like 5 AP + latin IV level classes their junior year? You don’t want to have your GPA take a hit. I’d recommend taking one AP off for sure…Unless that is what you feel you can handle and if the most competitive students at your schools are doing it…then by all means, do it. lol</p>

<p>EDIT: nvm, it seems normal. lol u go to a competitive school, so that may make a difference. Its also in NJ. lol</p>

<p>Actually, only two other people have the same schedule difficulty as me. Overall, my school is not that great; the masses are dumb and don’t care at all. I assume the honors classes presented a challenge, since most kids struggled and I still had to work hard to earn stellar grades, but I’ve never been in another high school, so I don’t know how they’d compare. As for any class rank issues, at the very least I’d get 2nd out of about 330, but it’s currently at #1, and my counselor would probably vouch that it’s too close to call the number one slot when I apply. I do realize that I may be taking too much, but if I just stay on top of things and don’t procrastinate, I hope it won’t be too bad.</p>

19

<p>I know I’m bumping an old thread, but please bear with me. I updated my college list and I’m hoping for feedback on it (I also put it in a rough order of preference within each category):</p>

<p>Reach:
University of Pennsylvania
Princeton University
Duke University
Yale University
Cornell University
Target:
Johns Hopkins University
Boston College
Carnegie Mellon University
Northwestern University
Safety
Case Western Reserve University
University of Rochester
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute</p>

20

<p>If you’re applying to guaranteed med programs, those schools should automatically become reaches UNLESS you would be happy to attend w/out getting into the special program.</p>