ED to UPenn or Johns Hopkins?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’m looking to go into medicine, and evidently both are among the best options for premed, so I’m looking to maximize my chances (currently in junior year).

cGPA: 4.0 UW, 5.0 W (school does not rank, health + gym not counted in GPA)
ACT: 35, 30 writing

APs already taken: French, Calc BC, Bio, Physics Mechanics, Music Theory (all 5)
Current courses: Chem, Physics EM, USH, Econ, Lang
(Probably will have national AP Scholar)

Extracurriculars:
Bio Olympiad (1x semifinal qualifier)
Physics Olympiad (regional prizes)
Chess club (regional prizes)
Piano (have a DipABRSM, ~bachelors level in piano performance)
Fluent in English, Mandarin, French (DALF C1, self-studying), German (TestDaF lv. 4, self-studying)

UPenn:
2 summers clinical research in bio lab (1 poster, LOR from director) + clinical volunteering (120 hours)
Mom is faculty/professor of 5+ years at Perelman (75% tuition reduction, :-O)
High school has 10-15 matriculants each year (many are from IB, which I’m not doing)

Hopkins:
CTY courses since freshman year (AP Stat & Chem H), currently taking mult. calc and linear algebra, with LOR from math professor
Higher ED admit rate (33% vs 24%)

Are my ECs lacking? And how are my chances for the other top 20s (Columbia, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, etc.)?

Thanks!

2

If your mom is on faculty, you’d be crazy not to apply ED to Penn. Look up the term “facbrats”. As long as your scores and grades are within the range, you should have an excellent shot at admission.

3

Chances are if you are asking this question you shouldn’t ED to either as ED should be for your undisputed top choice

4

Definitely agree with jman457. Penn & JHU are very different experiences- and Columbia is just as different again. You need to go spend some time to see what suits you best.

Btw, not sure what your criteria are for “best” pre-med options, but the strength of the med school is not necessarily the best metric.

5

I would have said your ECs are too weak…
But if your mom is teaching at Penn, DEFINITELY apply ED there. You have a great chance of getting in.

6

I would apply RD to all if you dont have a clear favorite. You look like you have a decent shot at top 20 universities too