Help me trim my college list

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Alright, so I'll start with a little about myself to help you guys get a general understanding. I am a senior in high school who is a slightly above average student at one of the top high schools in the country (it's a boarding school) and I am interested in majoring in psychology or something related while following the pre med track in college.</p>

<p>I can't really give a GPA because we use a different scale here and they say it can't be translated to a 4.0 scale, but my SAT is a 2250 (720 CR, 770 math, 760 writing) and my ACT composite is a 32. I have a relatively low number of extra curriculars in school (like 3 activities), but I have a lot of volunteering hours and I do academic related stuff (attending classes and research academies) during my summers.</p>

<p>So here's my list, in no particular order of preference or difficulty:</p>

<ol>
<li>Boston College</li>
<li>Brandeis</li>
<li>Case Western</li>
<li>Dartmouth</li>
<li>Emory</li>
<li>Miami (Ohio)</li>
<li>U Mich at Ann Arbor</li>
<li>Ohio State</li>
<li>U of Rochester</li>
<li>Wake Forest</li>
<li>Wash U</li>
</ol>

<p>I am trying to get this number around 8 because I am applying to 4 BS/MD programs outside of this list. Distance from home is not a factor for me. Ideally I would like a small to mid size school and I do not want a city school like U Penn or NYU. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>Most of those schools are upper-tier, so I would try to cut down on some reaches. Dartmouth might be out of reach, especially if your ECs are kind of weak. Ohio State is one of the biggest schools in the country, so I’d cut it out since you say you want a small to mid size school. That would bring it down to 9.</p>

3

<p>How much can your family afford?</p>

4

<p>I’m not taking OSU off because it’s one of the few safeties on the list, so I’m applying just in case even though I wouldn’t want to go there.</p>

5

<p>might look at Holy Cross and/or Tufts both have tremendous pre-med programs.</p>

6

<p>Do you live in Ohio (as 3 of the schools listed are in Ohio)? Is cost an issue for your family? You have some great schools on your list, but some are quite expensive. You should get an idea of EFC and COA on each schools website. Also without having some idea of your GPA and where you stand, it’s very difficult to know if you would be competitive at the schools listed.</p>

7

<p>U. Rochester and Case are both city schools, though they otherwise look like good choices for you.
What kind of grades do you have? You said “slightly above average” so it is hard to guess which schools should stay on your list.</p>

8

<p>Why have a safety you wouldn’t want to go to? Surely you can find one, maybe an LAC, that you would be happier at, then. I’m sure your school has excellent advising to help you with that.</p>

9

<p>

^ This. What you have is not a safety but a waste of application money. </p>

<p>How do your parents feel about paying for UMich at OOS rates?</p>

10

<p>This^ as well. Get rid of any safety you don’t really want to attend.</p>

<p>I would take off:</p>

<p>Case Western and the U of Rochester because I wouldn’t want to live in those locations for four years.
I would also take off Brandeis unless you’re Jewish and specifically looking for a Jewish school.</p>

<p>With those revisions, I think you have a decent list. However, you have to factor in personal preference.</p>