On top of Baylor and Holy Cross, what about Franklin & Marshall? Beautiful campus, in PA, I think your parents would like the campus and the safety type feel which drew your parent’s in, and has pretty strong science (it can be expensive but check out aid if you end up needing it). There is also Drew University in NJ, I mention it because I know of several students who have gone on to be doctors, it has a beautiful campus and that cozy feeling that might make your parents feel comfortable.
Also in MA Wheaton, same cozy campus, suburban, very green- and then there is Colgate, Bates, and I second Dickinson as well- beautiful area and campus.
I wish people would cut your some slack. You are only 15. And I get that you aren’t personally against SUNY schools, your parents just have a hang-up- it is what it is and you are a 15 year old kid relying on their help.
You are going to burn out from competing. Lots of students in college are very smart, they study, do well etc and they do not have a competitive streak. They work hard, enjoy their friendships, are active on campus, and excel academically… without being competitive. Why not simply do your personal best?
I do recognize that you are 15. I agree that speaking with another counselor would be a good idea.
What does this mean? If these are the averages, you need to understand that there will be people with scores higher than these…and who are very smart, and who are very good students.
Do you think premed courses are easier at schools with lower GPA averages…because…they are not. Simply put, a course like organic chemistry is going to be hard no matter where you take it. And those hoping to become doctors will be highly motivated and top students regardless of the name of the college.
I think your perspective on colleges needs a bit of adjusting.
And until you have that tippy top SAT score…well…you don’t have it!
You have a lot of potential, but I think you need to find a new therapist…and get your issues resolved. As I said above…college will always be there. You will do better in college if you are in a better place with all your other issues.
You may also want to take a timed practice test of the ACT to see if you like it better/find it easier to score as high as you want. Some students prefer/do better on the SAT and some on the ACT.
You won’t know until you submit the applications and see what the responses are.
Right now you view yourself as the cat’s meow, academically, but you seem oblivious to the fact that all of your fellow applicants to the 50% or less acceptance rate colleges will be as good or more academically gifted than you (and you are “average excellent”, which is a sea of many). Your fellow applicants with family money will have already had impressive internships, they will have gone to expensive summer academic camps at the colleges you’re applying to, some will have already had research opportunities. Some of the premed hopefuls will come from families with many doctors.
As far as acceptance rates go, most colleges post an overall acceptance rate, which are the rates that are being discussed on this thread, and then each program of study can have its own acceptance rate. So if an overall acceptance rate is 70%, the acceptance rate to a competitive program like engineering or premed can be much lower. Similarly, an overall national ranking of a college can be one thing while the national ranking of an individual program of study can be quite different. Make sure to research before commenting on an acceptance rate. Also, those can change yearly as a college becomes popular and gets more applicants. Acceptance rates to colleges like University of Tennessee, UGA and Virginia Tech have dropped over the past few years.
Don’t make the mistake of picking a college based solely on what it looks like on paper (or what other people’s perception of that college is). You don’t arrive on the first day of freshman year and suddenly everything you’ve heard and read about is bestowed upon you. YOU have to make your college experience how YOU want it. There are no fairy godmothers.
You have a tremendous amount of confidence in your abilities, which in your case is both a strength and a weakness. You call it competition (this is not always viewed by others as a positive trait).
On the one hand you are not afraid to try hard (this is great!), while on the other hand you appear to be 100% confident that your hard work will always bring you to the level of those students at the tippy top. You are not willing to accept that this may not happen, and you are not willing to accept the fact that some kids might be stronger students than you. You refuse to accept this and you get yourself all worked up and angry when others do better or you do not do “good enough.” This is not a healthy attitude or trait to bring to college. It could also cost you friendships, internships, and relationships with professors.
My daughter was at the top of her HS class. There were students who walked up to her and told her not to get too comfortable because they are on their way to being valedictorian. One girl told her that the guidance counselor made a mistake (he did not). She would come home and tell me these things. They remind me of you, but I will cut you some slack because you are 15.
She went to UNC and on day 1 a student walked into a lecture hall and announced that she was everybody’s competition. Ok. Meanwhile my daughter graduated with top grades and this girl changed her major and nobody heard from her again. She was not at the biology graduation.
Don’t be that girl. You can be better than that. It is NOT all about going to the “prestigious” school. There are very smart kids everywhere. Please get yourself the help that you appear to need. Please do your personal best and find a college that is right for YOU, and not for the person you think you are…if only you took that test one more time or studied more.
I agree that you have a lot of potential, and you should be proud of yourself and for everything you have accomplished. Good luck!
I completely agree with everything mentioned in the above post by @twogirls.
Your knee-jerk reactions seem to be detrimental to your future goals. Were you ever tested by your school for other issues? You may want to ask your counselor for a referral.
I had 3 children with very high stats who got into their schools. I know the kinds of pressures that these kids faced and was fortunate that when I went to high school, I didn’t have to be a top student, athlete, volunteer, employee, award-winner, and friend, learning to drive while filling out college applications and figuring out the budgetary constraints.
It’s rough but, with help and support, the kids got through these steps to college and adulthood.
I think you need to ask for help. You are 15 and are stressed and pressured about schools that you and your family think are not prestigious enough to fulfill your needs. That way of thinking requires some serious help.
One daughter attended a high school that did not have any AP classes. She started off as a languages major, but got permission to take “biology for biology majors” freshman year. There was another student who was bragging that because she had taken AP biology in high school, she was going to be a much stronger student in biology. This bragging stopped abruptly after the first midterm exam. Oops.
There will be some students in university who will brag about how academically talented they are. Other students just need to ignore them, do not let them discourage you, and do your “talking” quietly by keeping ahead in your homework and preparing well for the exams.
And do not underestimate the academic quality of the other students. Sometimes it is the quiet ones who will surprise you. Instead learn from the better students when you get a chance to do so.
Being a competitive applicant means applying to schools that are right for you and where you stand a good or decent chance of acceptance. It can also mean being “competitive” for a school like Vanderbilt but getting waitlisted because they have many, many competitive (ie excellent) applicants.
It does not mean that you are outwardly competing with others in the manner you describe. It does not mean displaying anger and unhealthy attitudes if others do better than you.
Idk yet, im just getting started. If there a pre-med course ill take it. But id love to take biology, cellular bio, or anatomy/physiology if I could take those courses and still take the mcat.
I spoke with some other people and I came to this conclusion: I should look for the stats of the individual bio/premed program and not the school as a whole, as well as pay more attention to student quality of life and not prestige. Oh, and still keep cost in mind. Is that a good approach? My only concern is shaking off the fear that a school without high prestige wont get me anywhere far in life, plus convincing the fam.
There is no premed course. Premed is an intention. You can be a premed student majoring in biology, English, history, etc. You need certain courses to apply to medical school.
You are getting there but I believe you still need counseling. Take prestige out of the picture and recognize that success will depend on you, and not the school. Choose a school with programs and majors that interest you.
Lots of students begin with premed intentions and then change their mind for a variety of reasons. Some cannot maintain the gpa, others find different career interests etc.