I applied Penn ED and Columbia is my second choice, but in case that doesn’t happen I have a pretty solid group in the middle and would like some input.
White LGBT female from Wisconsin, 35 ACT, 3.96 UW GPA (school does not weight GPA or do class rank). I want to be a neuroscience professor, specifically for behavioral neuroscience, but I also want a strong English background. My majors would be neurobiology at Harvard, cognitive and brain sciences at Tufts, and neuroscience at Wellesley/Northwestern.
Things I want to do in college: marching band, model UN, college radio, literary magazine, jazz ensemble, club or intramural softball (catcher).
Harvard: Is freaking Harvard, Boston area, model UN team, but not really known for its neuro program compared to pre-med and law.
Tufts: Have a friend who went there and loved it, Boston area, great LGBT school, marching band. No MUN, probably the least well-known of all of them.
Wellesley: All-girls school and LGBT reputation (yes beyond stereotype), radio station, Boston area. No MUN or marching band.
Northwestern: Great colors, went there for a MUN conference and saw neuro majors doing band and MUN. However I want to get out of the Midwest ASAP.
And yes I am aware that Columbia and Harvard RD are pretty insane reaches for anyone, but algorithms are weird and I want to prepare for all possibilities.
Yeah, I feel like ranking them at this point isn’t “crazy prepared,” it’s counting your chickens before they’ve hatched. Wait until you have financial aid packages. You should have at least a full month between acceptances/financial aid and when you have to deposit, so you’ve got some time to think about it.
Thoughts, thought:
-You don’t have to go to a school that is “known” for neuroscience/neurobiology/cognitive and brain sciences, just a good solid school that has the major. All of these schools are good for that major, so focus on other stuff. (With that said…Harvard has one of the top neuroscience departments in the country. And by one of, I mean top 5. It’s definitely known for neuro.)
-Really you provided little reason for Northwestern other than the neuro majors do other things besides schoolwork, which is going to be true anywhere.
-Did you apply to any matches or safeties? These universities - maybe with the exceptions of Tufts and Wellesley, but only barely - are reaches for everyone.
-How important is Model UN to you? Two of the schools on your list don’t have Model UN. That may help you determine how much you really want to go to these places.
-I had a summer student who was LGBT and went to Northwestern; he intimated that the Northwestern LGBT student scene was small but vibrant. This is second-hand knowledge, of course.
-Wellesley is the only small LAC on the list, so consider that too.
Your other threads indicate that you’re a low income student. Do you have any safeties on your list (schools you can get into, that will be affordable, and that you’d be happy to attend)? Before you focus on what you’ll do if acceptances at several highly selective universities materialize, concentrate on creating a great backup plan.
This is just an awful mindset to put yourself in-- imagining the extraordinarily unlikely case that you are accepted into all of these schools.
Hate to break it to you… but as exciting as it is to picture yourself at these colleges when you’re in the heat of the application process, applying to tippy top schools usually ends up being quite humbling.
Clearly I misinterpreted the point of this board.
I have already gotten into UM-Twin Cities and UDelaware, both honors program, and received financial aid packages from them. I’ve also applied to UW-Madison, UToronto, and Trinity College Dublin.
According to Parchment, I’m a “match” for Northwestern, Tufts, and Wellesley, but I know their systems are flawed.
@thebetterhawkeye Penn has a great and supportive LGBT community and there are many events happening regularly. You should definitely check them out ifyou get into Penn. Hopefully you will get in ED and you won’t have to worry about the app process anymore. You definitely have a lot of diversity points going for you( LGBT, female, Wisconsin, female in science) and your stats are great! Best of luck!
Not sure if you’ve made your decision yet, but wanted to leave a comment here that Wellesley does have its own MUN team and opportunities for marching band. There are plenty of music-oriented clubs and orgs, and the option of learning new instruments for free. If you’re specifically interested in marching band, students can join Harvard’s marching band.
I also agree that these schools are really different from each other, especially Wellesley as a single-sex LAC. It’s hard to put together a ranking without knowing what you want to get out of college (and which of these schools you actually get accepted to). Good luck!