<p>Hiii, I'm working on my final list of schools! What better way to decide my future than based upon the opinions of strangers? </p>
<p>I've got nine, but I think it's too top-heavy (although I have a few safeties -- I guess I'm just looking for more "match" schools that aren't "reaches," too!)... but I don't want to apply to more than 12 schools at the most. I might keep it at these nine, depending on what people's opinions of my chances are. I'm interested in cognitive neuroscience and I'd prefer to stay on the east coast, although I'm willing to venture a little west, as you'll see on my list. </p>
<p>So far, I know that I want to apply to: </p>
<p>Brown
Case Western Reserve<a href="dad%20attended,%20so%20probably%20a%20safety?">/b</a>
**Johns Hopkins
MIT
Northwestern
Princeton (XD 'cause I won their book award and the alumni were like, "we can write you rec letters :)" so why not?)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute<a href="mom%20attended,%20so%20probably%20a%20safety?">/b</a>
**University of Delaware<a href="and%20their%20Honors%20Program">/b</a>
**Wellesley</p>
<p>First, I'll give you my stats and stuff (sorry this is so long!), then I'll give you a list of other schools I'm looking into. (I have this Word document in which I'm recording basic things about all of the schools: distance from home, neuroscience program, application process, middle 50% SAT scores, etc.) I want you guys to tell me if my list is good (I'm fine if you just say "yeah your list looks good; this thread is pointless"), and if it's too top-heavy or I'm missing a school that you think would be GREAT for me, suggest away!</p>
<p>STATISTICS
[ul][li] UW GPA: 4.0[/li][li] W GPA: 4.74<br>[/li][li] Rank: 2/333 (but tied with two others for the position)[/li][li] SAT I (one sitting): CR 800, M 800, W 790[/li][li] SAT II: Math IIC 750 (:(), Literature 780, French 590 (lolol I'm gonna retake after extensive prep this summer!), Physics and Chem to be taken in October[/li][li] APs: American Gov't (4), Computer Science A (5), English Language (?), Computer Science AB (?), Calculus AB (?), and World History (?) [/ul][/li]CLASSES</p>
<p>Most rigorous courseload available. Only non-GT/AP classes have been Health/PE in 9th grade and two years of Art. </p>
<p>Senior schedule:
[ul][<em>] AP Biology
[</em>] AP Calculus BC
[<em>] AP English 12 (basically AP Lit)
[</em>] AP Chemistry
[<em>] AP Psychology
[</em>] AP French 5
[li] GT Intern/Mentorship: My school offers a mentorship program; basically, you apply and if you get in (I did!) they hook you up with a mentor in your area of interest. Sweet deal. Hopefully, I'll get a mentorship with someone involved in some kind of neuroscience.[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>SCHOOL-SPONSORED ECs
[ul][li] <a href="9%20&%2010">b</a> member of Literary Magazine:** compiled magazine of students' writing & art; contributed artwork[/li][li] <a href="9%20&%2010">b</a> member of Photography Club:** experimented with taking & developing photography[/li][li] <a href="9,%2010,%2011,%20&%2012">b</a> member of ITA (Information Technology Academy):** help organize technology-related events (PC Olympics 2008); participate in computer programming competitions: [/li]» 9th grade: American Computer Science League -- 1-1.5 hr practice weekly, two days in Ohio for international competition 2006
» 10th and 11th grade: American Computer Science League -- ~2 hrs monthly for qualifying rounds
» 11th grade: represented my school at Loyola programming competition 2008, PC Olympics 2008
» 12th grade: plan to represent school in future programming contests; plan to have a leadership position in the organization in order to help out as much as possible
[li] <a href="10,%2011,%20&%2012">b</a> member of Math Team:** participate in weekly practices (~.5 hr) and monthly meets (3-4 hr)[/li][li] <a href="10,%2011,%20&%2012">b</a> member of Art Club:** do art projects in the school and community, e.g. an underwater-theme mural in the Head Start preschool (basic design by me); was also a member of middle school's Art Club[/li][li] <a href="11%20&%2012">b</a> member of PCs4Kids:** give computers to needy students in the community through the Lazarus foundation; participate in mentoring sessions (five or six per year, 4 hr each) to help the kids learn to use them[/li][li] <a href="11%20&%2012">b</a> member of National Honor Society:** 4+ hr community service/month[/li][li] <a href="11%20&%2012">b</a> member of National Art Honor Society:** help contribute to fundraisers and art projects in the community[/li][li] <a href="11%20&%2012">b</a> member of French National Honor Society:** participate in activities like Multicultural Night; do activities with pre-schoolers[/ul][/li]OTHER ACTIVITIES:
[ul][li] A few times a year: go to an elementary school in Baltimore city and help out with the students (read to/with them, do math flash cards, help them on computers) & in the school (organize the library, helped create a parents' lobby to encourage parents to get involved in the school)[/li][li] Summer 2007: participated in the University of Delaware's Summer College program, a five-week residential program; took an introductory Art class (A) and a junior-level Public Speaking class (A-) for college credit[/li][li] Summer 2008: will participate in Summer@Brown, taking a two-week course 'Nervous System Function in Health and Disease' at Brown University (also residential)[/ul][/li]I copied and pasted all that EC stuff from my 'Student Credential' I put together for my GC, so I'm sorry if it sounds dumb. I was trying to be thorough and shiz. xP</p>
<p>*INTERESTS/HOBBIES<a href="XD%20just%20for%20fun%20--%20this%20was%20required%20on%20the%20Student%20Credential,%20too">/b</a>
[ul][li] **Art<a href="see%20club%20memberships">/b</a>, **math & programming<a href="see%20clubs">/b</a>, **writing<a href="see%20clubs,%20honors/awards">/b</a>, **neuroscience<a href="class%20at%20Brown,%20internship%20next%20year,%20independent%20reading">/b</a>, **heavy metal<a href="concerts%20:">/b</a>)[/ul][/li]I know that my ECs are nothing special and on applications will just look like a laundry list -- yeah, I went into detail on here, but Common App doesn't give me that much room. I don't even have any "leadership positions" of yet, although a few have been offered to me for next year. Oh well... my ECs are things that *I enjoy, even if they don't look good. I just hope that adcoms can see that even though all I do is join clubs, they're in areas of interest; I spend my extracurricular time exploring my passions. </p>
<p>HONORS/AWARDS:
[ul][<em>] Recipient of Princeton Book Award (six winners out of ~80 nominees in the Greater Baltimore area)
[</em>] Entered NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing contest (three nominees at my school); winners will be announced Sept.
[<em>] Recipient of "English Student of the Year" department award, soph. year
[</em>] Individual award for high score on multiple-choice portion of ACSL competition 2006
[<em>] Honor Roll lawl
[</em>] National Merit commended, expecting NMSF (score is well above MD cutoff)[/ul]
I guess that's it. Oh, here's a list of other schools that I'm thinking about, based on what I've seen about their neuroscience programs and stuff:</p>
<p>Amherst
BU
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Emory
NYU
Ohio Wesleyan
Oberlin
Swarthmore
UChicago
UPenn
URochester
Vanderbilt
WashU</p>
<p>Any suggestions/what do you think of my list so far? Ew, this thread is so long. Sorry!</p>