I was wondering if anyone could chance me for Johns Hopkins? I am currently a junior by the way! I live in Baltimore - and I have heard that helps so fingers crossed it does! I would be applying ED.
High School GPA UW: 3.75 (School does not provide weighted GPA or rank) - I had really bad freshman year grades that pulled my GPA down, but I have a legitimate reason why they were bad
My school does not offer AP/IB/Honors except for honors math (which I have taken every year), and my schedule is one of the most challenging in my grade because I take all of my major classes and 2 language courses
ACT: 34
SAT Subject Tests:
750 Bio E
700 Math 2
750 French Reading
Taking AP exams at end of this year
EC:
JV Squash for 3 years - (school does not have varsity) and have two school awards for squash
JV Volleyball for 3 years - have one school award for volleyball
Model UN Conference 2016 - had to stop for financial reasons
100 hours of community service
3 internships at Hopkins (both in labs and at the Bloomberg School of Public Health)
I speak 4 languages (including English) - and tutor two of them to kids
Head of the Mental Health Awareness club at my school - I planned a huge Mental Health Awareness week for my school where we had a lot of speakers and will become an annual thing
I write for the Odyssey and another online magazine - and I will be interning at a local magazine over the summer
Studied piano at Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory for 10 years
Also…
I am applying for NIH program this summer and will be working at another lab at Hopkins
What do my chances look like for ED? Is there anything specific I could do to bring them up?
Your ECs and ACT seem good. Your SAT II’s could be better but aren’t bad. Consider retaking Math II if you’re applying for a STEM major. Your biggest weakness is definitely GPA… If you can bring that up to 3.8+ in the second semester that’d be great. Assuming no hooks like legacy and URM, I’d say you have a decent shot at JHU ED, but perhaps a slight reach. Just make sure you write the best essay you can and try to get an interview to maximize your chances.
Thanks for the advice! I am interested in the pre-med track at Hopkins so I think I’m going to retake math II and do SAT Subject Bio M. I am not a legacy nor a URM. Do you think there is anything else I can do to appeal more to Hopkins (other than bringing up GPA)? Thanks again!
Hm, you still have this upcoming semester and summer to do something like taking a challenging college course, working, getting an internship, etc. to strengthen your application. I don’t think you should be using your time on Bio M, though. Your 750 on Bio E is fine. Also, make sure to start your essays early (I’d recommend this summer) so that you can spend a lot of time on them. Essays are really important to prestigious colleges like Johns Hopkins.
What is your GPA excluding your freshman year? Either way I think that you are a pretty competitive candidate, assuming your taking the most difficult courses your high school has now.
My GPA excluding freshman year is about 3.84 - and I am going to mention in my application the reason why my freshman year GPA was low… The classes at my school, to be honest, are not very difficult in general, but either way I am taking the most difficult courses. And a lot of kids from my school get into Hopkins every year.
@ariariari I also had a poor freshman year, 3.2 something during it and over a 3.9 the rest of my high school career. Honestly I think the difference that it makes on college applications if your freshman year stands out from the rest of your body of work is minimal and you should not worry that much about it. I think I was primarily looked at if not completely for my GPA since freshman year. I would mention the reason in your application but make sure to not make it that big of a thing, just put it in the additional information section.
Good luck with Hopkins! You look like you’re a very competitive student. I don’t know what the requirements are at Hopkins but if they require 3 subject tests I would retake the Math one and try to bring it up to a 750+.
Thanks! That is a good point about the SAT M. My school has a connection with Hopkins so I might take a class there. Also, one of my family friends is a doctor at Hopkins so I may do an internship. Or, look into volunteering at a hospital so my volunteer interests align with my interest in science. As well, I looked a little bit more into it and my religion is actually a URM. As well, I am the head of a youth group and teach Sunday school classes for my religion. So that could potentially help? Thanks!