<p>I am currently a junior in high school right now. I want to get some advice that can help boost my chances to get into Stanford. I want to do pre-med and major in chemistry.
G.P.A: 3.8(unweighted)
Two clubs
Vice president of one of them
Hispanic
1st generation to go to college
2 years of band
Top 5 student of graduating class of about 350
I am plan on taking the SAT and ACT after the AP test
Is there anything I can do to boost my chance? I was thinking of trying early decision.</p>
<p>Getting a 36 on your ACT should do the trick.</p>
<p>How did you do on the PSATs? Any achievements in your clubs/ECs? If you are going the pre-med route, I would suggest some more medically-related experiences. Consider volunteering at a hospital/clinic, shadowing a doctor, and/or doing a medical placement abroad in a foreign country. I know, my advice seems like I’m prepping you for med school, but I have interviewed pre-med candidates who have done all of the above BEFORE applying to college.</p>
<p>Your extracurricular activities are a bit weak. Have you won any national awards? How many volunteer hours do you have. Try to do something interesting and productive over summer like doing a summer program with NASA or a class at Stanford or even a summer job.</p>
<p>I don’t know why you would wait until after you take your AP test to take the SAT/ACT. You should take one so you can see your score and how much you have to study these next few months.</p>
<p>How many APs are you taking? What did you score on the PSAT?</p>
<p>If you score a 2200+ or a 33+, then that coupled with being in the top 5 of a 350 student class, hispanic, and first generation, should give you a really good chance, but DEFINITELY not a lock!</p>
<p>Ok. Thanks for the info guys. I am not sure how to volunteer at a hospital. Do I call them up and ask for permission? There are at least 2 hospital around where I live. A small one called little Mary company(I think) and a big name one like Kaiser Permente. Which would give me a better to volunteer for them? The reason being not taking the SAT was I missed the deadline for the last one, and the next one for me is like in May. I am taking 3 AP classes. AP Calc AB, AP English(11), and AP U.S. History.</p>
<p>Please see the Hispanic Students forum (under College Admissions, Specialty Topics), there’s lots of very good information in the Resources sticky thread. Are you going to be a NHRP based on your PSAT scores?</p>
<p>Also read the sticky threads on the PreMed Topics forum for reliable information on what to look for in an UG college. And there are knowledgeable and experienced members who are either going through the med school application process currently or who are med school students, residents or physicians. </p>
<p>Chances threads are pretty worthless in general, particularly for highly selective colleges that are reaches for anyone. But without knowing test scores and the rigor of your coursework in relation to what is offered at your HS, no one can even tell you if you’re a competitive candidate.</p>
<p>Do you live near Torrance?</p>
<p>Also, would taking classes at a community college look good over the summer?</p>
<p>@gradee. Yes I do live close to Torrance</p>
<p>You will be a competitive candidate at a lot of schools. Try not to get too focused on any one school. Stanford reviews applicants holitically, so work hard on your essays.</p>
<p>OP - just sent you some info on volunteer opportunities at Little Mary hospital.</p>
<p>Also- community college courses are fine… but not you’re not going to impress any adcoms. You need to build up your ECs and leadership profile significantly.</p>
<p>It sounds like you live in Southern California, but for other students with a similar profile from counties in Northern and Central California, the Stanford Medical Youth Science Program is a free residential summer program that could be a good possibility.</p>
<p>You might want to check out COSMOS, a summer program (with financial aid available) on several UC campuses. Applications are available February 1 and due by March 1.</p>
<p>You may also want to investigate SMARTS at UCLA (something like Science Mathematics Achievement…). Their online flyer says that applications will be also be available on February 1.</p>