Is it worth trying harder to get into top schools?

Applying to College
1

<p>Alright so here is the deal. I want a career in medicine and I really want to get into a good college but I have a problem.</p>

<p>I go to a public high school which isn't a magnet school (which puts me at a disadvantage already)</p>

<p>I have had NO honors for freshman and sophomore years (goodbye Ivies).</p>

<p>This year I am in College Preparatory and Honors and will have honors, AP, Dual Enrollment, and CC courses under my belt.</p>

<p>Thing is, it won't matter will it? Colleges only look up until the first semester of senior year. Basically I blew it. I have no national awards or ANYTHING.</p>

<p>I know I'm smart but I basically just blew my chances but no caring the first two years of high school. I want to go to all these great schools but I have nothing to make me a competitive candidate. I wanted to get a degree in Linguistics, Neurological science, nursing, and/or a few others.</p>

<p>I have nothing. No life experience or special skill/talent to show. I'm doomed. Honestly, these past ten years of my life not caring in school have shot my chances of becoming anything I want to be.</p>

<p>Here is my question:</p>

<p>If I can keep building up my application with some more stuff do you think I have a chance at a top 50 college.</p>

<p>What I mean by top 50 is like, Penn State, University of Florida, NYU, etc.</p>

<p>I WAS also looking at good Canadian Universities like U of T, and McGill which I probably have no shot at either.</p>

<p>People have been telling me, you don't need to go to Harvard (would be nice if I could). I understand that but I feel like I have nothing. All I have is volunteer work. I started writing a book about Epilepsy (which I stopped doing), I was going to start two clubs geared toward engineering and medicine. I am also contacting local uni's (which have NOTHING to offer me and are not even ranked, go figure).</p>

<p>I KNOW that I can do all this I just feel that because of how terrible my high school is and the classes I was put in, I will NEVER get to go to an ivy or anything. I am such a hard worker, you have no idea.</p>

<p>Here is what I ask. What colleges in the top 50 do you think I have a sure shot at? I live in NJ and while I know I can't apply to top 20's outright I will not settle for something like Montclair state, it has to be Rutgers NB.</p>

<p>Also, all of these degrees and such aren't offered at the universities I will be applying to. What I mean is people tell me to do stellar in Undergrad but how can I when the schools won't even have top notch research facilities. What the hell should I do? Will I even become a doctor? I have nothing, absolutely nothing.</p>

2

<p>I don't belong to any clubs or do any sports either. I am doomed aren't I?</p>

<p>I am so scared that I wont even be able to go to college.</p>

3

<p>Get good grades and nice testing scores. It's too late to add too much ECs to boost up your application. The college application process is not that much about who has the best ECs anyways. ECs is not the determining factor unless you really apply to the top echelon of schools. I personally got into several nice schools, Duke and Dartmouth among others, just by having the best grades possible, good testing scores and some involvement in the community. I was also rejected at several good colleges.. but hey.. w/e.
So do your best academically and just do some ECs you enjoy, which will partly round out your app a little and partly just help you have a better well rounded life.</p>

4

<p>Thats what I'm doing. The classes I'm in are a joke and the honors classes aren't even hard. I have the drive and potential of a lot of kids who get accepted to Ivies. I am just getting so discourage when people say "Oh I have...":</p>

<p>1,000 hours of volunteer work which include</p>

<p>Two hospitals
Research
Helping disabled kids
Organzing events</p>

<p>then they say they are president of 2 clubs that they run and are successful. Then the have 25 awards in whatever. A 3.95 GPA. Ranked 50/500, etc. Have Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/Ivy League UG Summer classes, etc. </p>

<p>It just makes me feel so dumb and unprepared.</p>

5

<p>I'm a junior and haven't even taken Pre calculus yet. I am in Algebra II honors will freshman. Just the fact that I won't have taken AP calc locks me out of so many schools. I know you are thinking "Well, its your fault". Honestly, you are right but I put a lot of the blame on the school. I got straight A's but was never moved up to "High school" classes in middle school. I should have taken Pre algebra in 6th grade. Algebra I in 7th grade, and Geometry in 8th. Instead of taking Algebra II as a freshman pre calc as a sophomore, AP calc as a junior and filling up my resume with college level classes such as Calc II and trig. The highest maths I will have on my app will be pre calc honors. I'm so upset.</p>

6

<p>Don't worry if you do good on SATs(1400), have a weighted GPA of about 4.3/6.0, and write a good essay you should be good for UF. Being out of state might make it a little harder but you should be ok.</p>

7

<p>There are plenty of colleges out there geared toward students who may not have been entirely dedicated in high school, but who are excellent thinkers and have a great deal of potential. I know that Reed and St. John's College are two such schools, and they both provide an excellent and unique education. I recommend that you look into schools like those; they may be a good fit for you.</p>

<p>Also, try to make sure you have good test scores and write great essays, as other people have said.</p>

8

<p>I have heard of both those colleges so I might apply to them. At least you guys think I can get into UF. Thank god. I was also aiming for Ohio State-Columbus. I really want to go there so bad.</p>

9

<p>I'm involved in a lot of different EC's, etc., but I have no awards or leadership positions (except in 4-H or stuff outside of school). Awards just aren't really available here or provided where I live in this really rural area. In our school, the same 4-5 people in a class always have the "leadership" positions, and of course there are only so many postions anyway. </p>

<p>I also found out today that I'm not even in the top 10% of my class (around 13%) even though I get almost straight A's and have taken all the accel/AP classes offered (no honors, grades unweighted). I am in a smart class, with the second-highest ACT score right now, but somehow a couple of B's in hard classes ruined that for me, too, and according to the counselor my GPA is only a 3.761/24 out of 186. Our new report cards don't show a cumulative GPA so this is the first time I've been able to even get the info in a year. </p>

<p>It makes me feel really discouraged and like why even bother since it won't get me anywhere I'd want and GPA's aren't even updated until each semester, so my recent 4.00's add nothing. I'm know now that I will be unlikely eligible to apply for awards that I thought I might so $$$$ lost.</p>

<p>EC's don't mean everything, at least. I know how you feel, though. I feel like I should just apply to Kent State (ugh) and forget about it. That 10% thing really killed many options for me, and it'll be too late by the time they update my GPA. </p>

<p>Good luck to you. Try Ohio State - I still will. Hard to get in now for Ohio kids, but can't hurt to try.</p>

10

<p>How did you people come under the impression that your self worth is determined by the length of your resume? You don't need to go to an ivy league school and in a lot of cases, that probably isn't even a good idea anyway. You can demonstrate talent and character in other ways that don't merit resume worthiness, you can also demonstrate passion in ways that don't include organized groups. Finally, you could also be a late bloomer, which isn't a bad thing, and not discover your true passions until you have more life experience. That is what college does for people, it grants them greater exposure to things they otherwise would not have seen.</p>

11

<p>I don't think OSU is THAT hard. I really wanted to go to an ivy but I gave up that dream then I wanted to go to a top 35 (NYU range), probably couldn't get in there. So what I am trying to do is apply to some colleges that are ranked 40-50 then 50-80 and some 80-130. Ohio State is in the top 60 so I'd imagine if I can pull my GPA up to a 3.6, get a 2100 on my SAT I the same grade on my ACT and get a high score on my subject tests I probably have a very good shot. </p>

<p>Oh, and what state are you from? Did you say a 3.7 GPA? If so...DUDE apply to OSU-Columbus!</p>

<p>Currently I am trying to take a bunch of CLEP's, a bunch of AP's and volunteering. </p>

<p>But anyway, apply to OSU. Explain to colleges why your class rank is what it is, otherwise I cannot help you there.</p>

<p>If worst comes to worst I can always go to m a community college and transfer to OSU.</p>

12

<p>lol if youre premed then your UG college seriously does not matter.</p>

<p>it might help SLIGHTLY to be in an ivy if you wanna go to an ivy med school (people will deny the boost you get, but ivy's are really close to one another), but after that, it doesnt matter. also, UG schools with med schools favor their own students a bit too.</p>

<p>you know what, i even think that its a lot better to go to an easier school if youre pre med. just make sure you get a 4.0 GPA. seriously, a 4.0 ANYWHERE looks good. if you get a 4.0, no one will give a **** where you went when it comes to app season.</p>

13

<p>ditto what zzzboy is saying.....I wish everyone understood this....</p>

<p>jefgreen: do not count out the SUNY schools....excellent pre-med placement....it would be a complete waste of $$ to attend a private $50,000/year school if you are planning on med school....</p>

14

<p>The only "50,000 dollar pvt school" is NYU and I am not applying there because I cannot get in. I don't like any of the SUNY schools, no offense.</p>

15

<p>Dude, you're worrying too much.
Schools like Rutgers and Penn State, and others of the like have great reputations and I'm sure you'll be happy wherever you choose to attend.
Belevitt said it perfectly: "How did you people come under the impression that your self worth is determined by the length of your resume?"
Good luck!</p>

16

<p>just go to whatever state school you can get into if you dont have very great stats.</p>

<p>seriously, once youre in med school, you will just laugh and realize what a great time you had.</p>

<p>though i will say one thing. private schools are better for pre meds (closer to faculty, better LORs, etc), but they arent worth it at all unless you have scholarships.</p>

<p>publics can be as good as privates if you bother to make connections and sift through the overwhelming number of students.</p>

17

<p>You always can make it to the top from what might be called humble beginnings. It is a bit harder, but it can be done. You will have to work harder now because you messed up a bit. But this country is filled with folks who started way down and made it to the top.</p>

18

<p>The best preparation to med school, in my opinion, is a small liberal arts schools that nurture their premeds.</p>

19

<p>cptofthehouse. imho i would disagree. </p>

<p>Everyone has their bias, and mine falls along the lines that a large public university is going to be better simply on the merits of their resources. Research is going to be more varied and increase the likelihood of publication. If it is attached to the med school, that provides numerous opportunities for volunteering at hospital, auditing med classes, shadowing, rounds etc. It is true that you may need to compete with more individuals for professors time but if you are doing work in a lab, you shouldn't have any problems getting recs from the PI and others you interact with. Also, a larger public university is going to have a graduate school presence meaning a greater diversity of classes. Also, larger universities are going to have internship/project opportunities that might not be available in smaller lacs. Plus, a large university is going to have a greater diversity of departments and allow an individual to be more well rounded by taking a more interesting combo of classes. A larger student populace also means more groups to be involved with. Schools of public health would provide seminars to broaden a young premeds understanding of the health care system domestically and internationally.</p>

<p>One of the biggest flaws for the large public university is that grades are more difficult to come by and the professors won't be treating you like a child and coddling you every moment.</p>

20

<p>Why don't you just take pre-cal over the summer and then take AP Calc BC your senior year?</p>