good premed / science schools

College Search & Selection
1

<p>hi, i'm new here. i'm a junior and i've started looking at colleges. i'm interested in majoring in either biomedical engineering or biochemistry and eventually go on to medical school.</p>

<p>the schools i'm currently looking at are:
UCB, Brown, UChicago, Columbia, Duke, JHU, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, UPenn, WUSL</p>

<p>i have a couple questions:
-how good are the science programs and preprofessional planning at these schools?
-what are my chances at these and what other schools should i consider?
-what do you think would be good safety schools for me?</p>

<p>here are my stats:
Demographics:
State: CA
School Type: competitive private catholic
Ethnicity: Asian-American
Gender: Male
Income: do not need FA
Hooks: N/A</p>

<p>Academics:
Class Rank: N/A (would be around top 5% out of 400 if school did rank)
SAT I: 2390 (790 W)
SAT II: Math II (800), Chemistry (800), Biology (750)
APs: World History, Chemistry, Computer Science (all 5s)</p>

<p>Courses and Grades:
GPA (UW/W): 3.97/4.53
Courses this year:
AP Calculus BC, AP Physics B, AP English Language, AP US History, Spanish III, Religion (mandatory at my school)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars, Awards, Accomplishments: (nothing major, my weak point)
-Volunteering at a hospital (100+ hours)
-Science Fair (won local fair)
-Speech & Debate (a few local awards)
-Member of Math & Science club at school
-I've taken many tests like the AMC, USABO, USAPhO, etc. but never scored high enough
-Went to COSMOS
-Did an internship at a local company</p>

<p>thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>I would say that Stanford and MIT are interchangeable for science programs and the rest are a very short step behind. Everything on your app numbers wise looks solid for admission to any of those schools. You look to have a serious chance at most of them.</p>

3

<p>thanks for the response. can you think of any other schools i should look at and/or possible safeties?</p>

4

<p>

i just found out that they’re actually called medical advisory committees or something similar</p>

<p>so, does anyone know?</p>

5

<p>I would also look at Willams (MA). Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>You may need to post in the pre-med forum. </p>

<p>Many are very helpful and knowledgeble about the whole process.</p>

<p>BTW…you might want to look at some of the Jesuit schools. Typically very good pre-med advising and strong in sciences/math/engineering.</p>

7

<p>thanks for all the advice! i’ll ask again in the pre-med forum.</p>

8

<p>As a “safety,” consider Baylor University. Excellent pre-med preparation programs, including biochemistry and biology. Are you a NM Finalist? Even if you don’t need FA, Baylor will pay you tuition and most of room/board, money which could easily go toward medical school.</p>

9

<p>Are you considering applying to BS/MD programs?</p>

<p>I would look at Pitt and Case Western for safeties. Both are excellent choices for pre-med due to the proximity of major medical centers and the high volume of medical research. And since you’re a CA resident, you have some great safeties in the UC system.</p>

10

<p>

i dont know much about them, but i’ve heard that they’re extremely competitive.
do i have a chance with my stats?</p>

11

<p>^^^</p>

<p>you have a good chance at UAB’s BS/MD program. It’s competitive, but they largely accept by stats.</p>

12

<p>

</p>

<p>Of course you’d be competitive with your stats. A bunch of the schools you’re already considering (Brown, Northwestern, Rice) have BS/MD programs but these are by far the most competitive ones. They generally look for high numbers as well as demonstrated interest in medicine. As a CA resident you’d also be eligible for the Medical Scholars program at UCSD.</p>

13

<p>Might look at Holy Cross and Tufts both have great pre-med programs. Holy Cross has new $70 million science facility and very strong medical school placement rate.</p>