Hello! I am a current junior trying to build my college list and I would love to hear your advice & input.
Demographics
US Citizen
Location: PNW
Type of high school: competitive public
Gender/Race/Ethnicity (optional): white female
Other special factors (first generation, legacy, athlete, etc.): none
Intended Major(s)
Human Biology / Physiology / Biology
(pre-med or pre-PA track)
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
Weighted HS GPA: school does not weight
Class Rank: school does not rank
SAT Score: 1570 (780 EBRW, 790 math)
Coursework
Mostly honors classes freshman and sophomore year. Lots of APs junior year, likely more APs and dual enrollment senior year.
Awards
Several awards at a state-wide medical competition each year, NMSF (most likely), placed at history competition in 9th … nothing major
Extracurriculars
Strong but nothing spectacular - co-president or VP of three clubs that relate to my interests (medicine & community service), medical summer programs, heavy involvement in a non-profit, etc.
Essays/LORs/Other
Essays - I am not a very good writer so I would guess 6-7/10 unfortunately.
LOR - from two teachers that I really like, but I’m fairly quiet in class so I think that’s a disadvantage. They like me but don’t know me that well. 7/10?
Cost Constraints / Budget
I will not be receiving any need-based aid due to my family’s income, so I am especially interested in schools with good merit scholarships, but cost is not a big concern.
Schools
Safety
University of Washington - Seattle
Santa Clara University
Match
Boston University
UCSD
UCSB
Reach
USC
UCLA
Tufts
Harvard
Stanford
Hopkins
Are there any other schools that you think I should consider? Anything I should know about the schools currently on my list?
They all have fine pre-med programs and opportunities for research, volunteering, and clinical exposure. I would not let that influence you too much. Think cost, location, fit, etc… typical college choice stuff.
FYI: The California UC’s are test blind through the 2024 admission cycle so SAT scores will not be considered.
I also agree that having an in-state option like UW is a definite positive since you want to plan your college finances for 7-8 years if Medical school/PA school are a consideration. As an OOS applicant to the UC’s, you will be paying around $65K/year to attend or $260K for 4 years where this money could be put towards your post grad ambitions.
The UC’s have so many “Pre-med” students that there is a huge competition for top grades in the Medical school requirements.
That is good to know about the UC’s. The competition in pre-med classes is definitely something I’m worried about at any school. I definitely agree on considering finances as well - something extremely important to keep in mind!
U Washington is an excellent college. If you are looking for merit aid, consider Arizona, U of New Mexico…both would give you decent merit aid.
On your reach list…only USC gives merit aid.
Santa Clara is a great school (the proud parent of a graduate says) but it’s costly, and their merit aid is not guaranteed. But I have to say…my kid loved the school, and several of her best friends were from Washington state. I’d be glad to answer questions for you.
I think I would look at other options beside the UCs. As noted…you won’t get aid from them, most likely.
I will look into Arizona and U of New Mexico, thank you!
Luckily I do not need merit aid to attend college, so it is not my biggest concern, but of course it would certainly be nice to have.
That’s great to hear about Santa Clara! I love the school from what I’ve read and heard so far. Congratulations to your daughter!
I agree with the concern about aid from the UCs. UCSD and UCSB are on my list partially because it has been difficult to find match schools. Are there any match schools for me in California with decent merit aid that you would recommend?
Any discount from list price for undergraduate is money saved that can be used to reduce the amount of loans you may need to take for expensive medical school, if you get in. Medical school will probably be over $400,000 by the time you graduate college (over $300,000 for Washington in-state if you get in).
Merit scholarships tend to be either safety (automatic for stats that you have) or reach (competitive), because there is no transparency in how difficult competitive merit scholarships are.
The largest merit scholarships are more likely to come from colleges where admissions only is likely or safety for you, since colleges use the largest merit scholarships to attract top-end (for them) students.