Help me please!!

Applying to College
1

<p>I am currently a junior, and due to my SAT scores and numerous other factors, I have now come to the realization that my dreams of the Ivy League have vanished. However, I would still like to go to a good school (obviously), but I'm having trouble figuring out where I should apply according to my statistics and my extra curriculars.</p>

<p>Freshman year classes:
English 1,2
Spanish 1,2
Advanced Algebra/Trig 1,2
Scripture 1,2 (I attend a Catholic school, so religion classes are required for all four years)
World History 1,2
1st Semester: P.E./Health, 2nd Semester: Earth Science 1,2 (My school does not offer Biology for freshmen)</p>

<p>GPA: 3.83 (I messed up first semester)</p>

<p>Sophmore Year:
English 3,4 Honors
Spanish 3,4 Honors
Geometry 1,2
Pre-Calculus 1,2
History of Christian Art 1,2
Biology 1,2</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 (Honors classes not weighted)</p>

<p>Summer: Chemistry Honors 1,2 (A both semesters)</p>

<p>Junior Year:
AP U.S. History
AP Language & Composition
AP Calculus AB
AP Biology
Spanish 5,6 Honors
Ethics</p>

<p>GPA (1st semester): 4.83</p>

<p>Note: My school does not offer AP classes to students until their junior year. Also, sophmore-level honors classes are not weighted. There are no honors classes offered to freshman (except those enrolled in a higher-level language class).</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:
Spanish Club (Freshman)
Freshman Soccer
Outdoor Adventure Club (Sophmore)
California Scholarship Federation (Sophmore-present)
Social Justice Club (Leadership Team, Junior; plan to continue as a Senior)
School Literary Magazine (Junior; plan to continue as a Senior)
Plan to join Senior Council next year</p>

<p>I realize that my extra curriculars are sorely lacking, and will probably prevent me from getting into many schools.</p>

<p>Volunteer Work:
120+ hours at a local Drug Rehabilitation Center
Currently at a local hospital (Hopefully will get 500 hours in before the end of the school year)
Tutoring underprivileged children: 100+ hours
Plan to start volunteering at center for the mentally handicapped soon (I'm going to finish the application tonight)</p>

<p>SAT Scores:
620 CR
660 Math
740 Writing
Plan to retake and get at least a 2100+</p>

<p>Please help. Any insight as to what schools I should consider would be fantastic and I would appreciate any advice.</p>

<p>P.S. I hope to major in neuroscience or neurobiology, depending on what the schools offer.</p>

2

<p>Plenty of good schools to choose from. Would help to know if you have a geographic preference, city/burb/country location, size of school, etc. My son who is interested in neuroscience, looked at several schools such as NYU, Boston U., Northeastern, Tufts, Brandeis, Pitt, and Rochester. He wasn’t interested in the many good smaller schools like Hamilton, Colby, and Colgate which are also good. He ended up choosing Pitt because of their strong undergradneuro program and getting into their honors college. I would think if you reach your SAT goal, you would also qualify for honors and scholarship there. Probably at some of the other schools as well. If you want a reach, Johns Hopkins is very strong.</p>

3

<p>You might still have a shot at UMich.</p>

<p>Have you tried the ACT? If not, it’s worth a try, as some people do much better on the ACT than the SAT.</p>

4

<p>I’m not really thrilled about going to an incredibly large school, but I’m ok with attending a small school or a large school, and everything in between. I would like to stay on one of the coasts (anywhere on the West Coast, and also on the East Coast- especially the Northeast), but I’ve also been looking into the Great Lakes area. Also, I plan on taking the ACT in June, after I retake the SAT.</p>