<p>Hi guys; I'm new to this forum, so I don't really know the ropes that well.....Buw what I do know is that I've been thinking about about colleges lately, namely the prestigious Ivies (Yes, sadly I've espoused to the nation's meritocracy, blah, blah, whatever).....I'm looking to do pre-med, specifically a neuroscience program at either Georgetown, Brandeis (Hopefully Matches), NYU or Stony Brook (Safeties), and finally Brown, Columbia, Yale or Dartmouth(All reaches). Btw, if anyone can recommend another school with a great neurology program, I'd be thrilled. I'm a pretty good student, not so involved as most of the Ivy league alumni or those who got accepted, but I'm getting there (still a freshie in HS). In my school the honors program (which are the most rigorous courses available) is exclusive, meaning all or none. You have to have a 3.7 GPA or higher, and basically 92's and higher in every single subject, with the exception of 3 which are at the principal's discretion to choose. It's a Jewish prep school in brooklyn (hosting an amalgam of literary subjects and sciences, along with Hebrew and Judaism-related subjects). This is my courseload for the first semester, which accentuates my bad performance (I was distracted by some other business the first half, so it's not as competitive).......I think I'm in the top 18%, not really sure, but I'm getting back to my usual performance this upcoming half. Every single course I will list will change on my transcript to honors classes, since I am switching back in a week (when we return from intersession): </p>
<p>Bible: 92
Living Environment Biology: 88
English/ Literature: 95
Social Studies: 95
Jewish law(Basic): 90
Hebrew Language: 93
Spanish :94
Jewish Prophets: 93
Int. Algebra: (final grade isn't out since I missed the final, so my teacher approximated a 91 average): 91
Jewish Oral Law (Advanced Level): 92</p>
<p>Again, this is not my best efforts in play. Hopefully I will bring everything back up to 99's.....
Please give me your feedback!</p>
<p>Oh, heavens. Do yourself a favor and stop thinking about colleges. If you are like most of us, you’ll probably change your mind several times before junior year. Work hard in your courses, explore as much as you can. Do some other things you like, and pay no attention to what anyone says about how they will look on your resume. Learn to play a musical instrument, be in the school play, join a team (sports or no). Do some volunteer work, join the Scouts, go fishing, learn to play chess, write a novel, read a novel!
In short - just explore the world.
Don’t fall for the ‘party line’ about schools. The best school for you is the one you love that loves you back. Brandeis is a great place (it’s one of the few on your list I know a bit about.) It’s very good for pre-med, and close enough to Boston to let you explore that city as well.</p>
<p>You got straight A’s. That’s obviously good. It’s a 4.0 GPA. Calm yourself down and enjoy your high school experience =]</p>
<p>When you get to the summer betweeen your sophomore and junior years, come back. But to answer your question, if you maintain grades like the ones above or even a little better while taking a wide variety of honors/AP/IB courses and get good test scores [like SAT 2200 or ACT 33], then you should have a good shot at the Ivies and other top schools.=]</p>
<p>Some colleges say they do not factor in freshmen grades.</p>
<p>All colleges seem to have a positive reaction to an “upward trend” in grades.</p>
<p>All college want you to have taken the most rigorous course (take honors and AP classes).</p>
<p>Try to keep yourself in the top percentage of the class (WHICH percent depends on class size, competition, etc…preferably top 5 students, but…top5% ish is OK for consideration…depends on a LOT).</p>
<p>I do not think it’s too early to be planning. Some (my D) changed her entire path in the 11th grade, too late to go back and erase bad habits that showed apathy toward her academia. But it’s too early to worry. There is pretty much NOTHING you can do to ENSURE an Ivy acceptance. Plan, work hard, do your best…and don’t allow yourself to become addicted to CC. I hear there is a surgeon general’s warning pending. </p>
<p>Be involved, volunteer, accept LEADERSHIP positions, get good grades of course…then apply and just cross your fingers like the other…um…well…I guess at these rates it will be about 60,000 applicants per college by the time you are applying!!! Muahahah! Just kidding.</p>
<p>1) It looks like you go to a competitive school, so college admissions will look at your grades differently than if you got the same grades at a small-town high school that offers relatively little rigor. That said, your grades look great.
2) The University of Washington has a great medical program (don’t know about neurology specifically) and is one of the top research universities in the country, so if you’re interested you might want to look into it. I don’t know- might be a bit far away for someone on the east coast and their financial aid isn’t great for out of state.
3) Do what you love and if an ivy/Prestige U is the place for you, you will find yourself well-prepared for that university come senior year by default. You’ve probably heard this before, but I can not stress enough how important it is to do extracurriculars you enjoy, not stuff just to put on a resume. Focus on what you can get out of class that is not grade-related, and not only will you learn the material better, but it will be more enjoyable. Perfect grades and test scores are not the key to getting into Prestige Us. Personality/following YOUR interests is- just from what I’ve seen. Had a friend last year with perfect grades all through high school and a 36 ACT rejected by every ivy he applied to + MIT and Stanford.
4) Prestige is cheaper and more important for grad/med school, if that’s what you’re worried about.
5) The SAT isn’t that bad. Take the PSAT. Study for a month, maybe. Take the SAT once and send in your scores… and then forget about it. Forever. You seem like a good student, so you should do fine.</p>
<p>Anyway, best of luck :-)… I know it all seems like a lot.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot you guys; the Ivies and other prestigious/ highly fickle colleges has a certain appeal to them, which distinguishes them from other colleges. Sorry to hear about your friend, SophieGermain.</p>
<p>^ I never made any statement about any alumni of any Ivy League colleges. I’m simply questioning the OP’s interest in such schools, because, I assure you, a college doesn’t need to be prestigious or “highly fickle” to provide its students with an exceptional education.</p>
<p>Thank you for that wonderful insight Jersey13…I may be a “prestige whore” which makes absoulutely no sense, although that is a rather moot point, however I do aspire for greatness in both rank and reputation to follow through.</p>
<p>hint: get a life and live it
colleges want to see people who live their life for what they are passionate for not people who do what they THINK colleges want them to do.
forget about college, no matter how hard, just do well in school and participate in activities that interest you</p>
<p>Don’t be so hard on the OP. 99% of the U.S. population thinks about ivies the way he does. He’s a freshman and still has a few years to learn that thinking this way is a great way to get rejected by all of HYPMS/etc. (not to mention much unnecessary stress).</p>
<p>@ OP: Name-calling aside, you should listen to what the people on this forum are saying. And if you’re still not sure you believe everybody, browse the ivy league decisions threads on this site and you’ll find out that nothing you TRY to do just to get into a Prestige U can guarantee you admission. Live life. Stop stressing. It’s not worth it.</p>
<p>Take advantage of high school. Push yourself, but enjoy it. Trust me, you’ll be a different person in two years anyway. There’s no telling what you’ll want. Feel free to look, but keep it all speculative.</p>
<p>And guess what, Jersey13? You were probably ignorant as a freshman, too. And apparently, you’re STILL a jerk.</p>
<p>Hmm… Most people’s grades go up after finding their footing in HS, but you seem to have plenty of direction. I’d say 99%+ for all classes is unrealistic when you’re dealing with 88%s right now.</p>
<p>Don’t stress out about this, for crying out loud. It’s not worth getting into an Ivy if you’re going to put yourself through four years of agony and stress. I have never seen a freshman so determined and concerned. Have some fun, explore new options. The ivies are looking for open-minded people who aren’t afraid to try new things - so take this time while you have it to try new things. Maybe you’ll find something that you’ll really love, become really good at, and have lots of fun. And that, more than a 99% average, will be what schools are looking for.</p>
<p>Seriously. Take the next two years off to find yourself. You’ll never have this period of no homework and limited consequences again. Start thinking about it more in junior year.</p>