<p>The only things I require from a school include academic integrity, small class sizes, and close distance (from New Jersey). I think this might impact your review of my list, but I want to do an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering or chemical engineering and then go on to studying medicine. </p>
<p>I tried my best to pick out a balanced list of schools that I like. I didn't just pick off the ones that were simply prestigious although that's what it may seem like. I genuinely like these for what they offer. Please review this list and give me feedback. I'd also like to add one more school to my list. Could you please recommend a respectable, but safety-ish school? (I will have taken 8 APs by the time I graduate. SAT IIs are in the 700s. SATs should be above 2200 in October. Class rank is about 12/437, but school does not disclose unless your val or sal. Recs should be great and essay should be great by my standards too. AP tests, four of them, are all 4s and 5s.)</p>
<p>
[quote]
1. University of Pennsylvania SEAS {ED}
2. Dartmouth College
3. Cornell University COE|CAS
4. Johns Hopkins University WSOE
5. Swarthmore College
6. Amherst College
7. Lehigh University CEAS [Safety]
8. Rutgers University [S]
<p>I don't get why Swat is on your list-- my impression is that the school attracts a much less traditional personality than Penn, Dartmouth, Cornell, Amherst.</p>
<p>I don't feel like I really have the authority to talk about Swat, because I don't go there, but I often hear it being compared to UChicago (where I do go) and I know a lot of students who were or are between the two schools. Your list seems very very very un-UChicago, and that was what seemed a little bit off to me.</p>
<p>Here's the (slightly) more authoritative Princeton Review's take on the Swarthmore student body:</p>
<p>I don't know about UChicago. I never looked into it because of the distance from NJ. I like what I read on the PR review. Thank you for it. It may seem like an oddball, but I did enough research on these to say that I genuinely like the school. That's why I guess I really didn't pick up on its oddball-ish nature.</p>
<p>Are two safeties enough, sure-fire safeties that is? I like my list. Do you guys think it's enough? I'm debating Columbia, but I don't like the core at all.</p>
<p>Can somebody recommend two matches? The following is my vita, and I mean that literally. This is nothing like I've ever posted in chance threads.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I will have taken 8 APs by the time I graduate. SAT IIs are in the 700s. SATs should be above 2200 in October. Class rank is about 12/437, but school does not disclose unless your val or sal. Recs should be great and essay should be great by my standards too. AP tests, four of them, are all 4s and 5s. ECs are good too, I think. I have Robotix, volunteering, Yearbook (numerous leadership positions), distributed computing, and some others. I have tons of awards for Robotix.
<p>Are you sure that Amherst has engineering? Swarthmore has some engineering, but it does not seem to fit your needs. It is more a liberal arts college, and a highly intensive and demanding one. I agree that RPI would be a great choice for you. Carnegie Mellon sounds good, also. How about George Washington University? I would call it a safety. Worchester Polytechnic and Northeastern are worth looking at as safeties.</p>
<p>I don't like Brown. I've considered it. I don't mean any offense to anybody, but it doesn't interest me. And, I don't to apply to four Ivies. I think that's a little intense.</p>
<p>Slipper1234, how do you mean it's a fit? In my list or statistically/academically?</p>
<p>Engineering is not necessarily a requirement of mine. I'm a math and a science person. I like that stuff. I'd like to do BME before going into medicine, but doing chemistry or physics or something is still a very viable option. My favorite subject in high school was chemistry because it made so much sense...</p>
<p>You guys know more about Swarthmore than I do. I'll drop it, given that more than one person has mentioned the same thing about Swarthmore.</p>
<p>However, I noticed that both Amherst and Williams have 3-2 engineering programs with Dartmouth and Columbia, respectively. That could work.</p>
<p>
[quote]
1. University of Pennsylvania SEAS {ED}
2. Dartmouth College
3. Cornell University COE|CAS
4. Johns Hopkins University WSOE
5. Williams College
6. Amherst College
7. Lehigh University CEAS [Safety]
8. Rutgers University [S]
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Do you think two safeties is enough? I mean Rutgers is a sure-fire safety. Based on how other people have done from my school, I'm pretty sure I'll get full ride there too.</p>
<p>I think the the real question is would you be HAPPY to be at Rutgers or Lehigh, since the statistical chances of you getting into any of other colleges are less then 1 in 8 to 1 in 10, not because you aren't qualified, but there are so many other students like you, and there just isn't space for all the qualified students who apply to your first 6 choices. And by the way, applying to more reaches does not increase you chances at any one college.</p>
<p>I would definitely be happy at Lehigh. I know that much because Lehigh has an amazing engineering school. Rutgers is my last-ditch safety. I wouldn't be upset about going there, but I'd like to get into a better school. </p>
<p>I'm also rethinking these LACs because they offer these 3-2 programs for engineering, but the extra year really would delay medical education, given that I get into a medical school.</p>
<p>I know that Penn engineering has a 1/3 acceptance rate during the early decision round. That's not why I'm looking into it. I just like Penn, and I like engineering. My SATs, I think will be good. My grades are good, and so is my senior year schedule. I have good extracurriculars according to people on here. I think I stand a chance there. However, as with any top school you never know. That's why I'm really trying to hard to pick out 8 or 9 schools that I really like, so that even if I get into one of them, I will be happy going there.</p>