<p>SAT: probably around 2100 (based on PSAT, which is ~1400 on old SAT)
gpa: 4.0uw, 4.24w
ECs: not a page long like others on this board, but more than 5 I can count on being really good/different (as in, not member of ___ club), and 15 others that are average, let's just say. Not going to bore everyone with this.</p>
<p>Thinking about becoming a radiologist. If that fails, pharmacist. On the offchance that anything science-y like that fails, in order, business/finance, political analyst, musician.</p>
<p>I'm assuming that the furthest down the road I will go is pharmacy, so are there any good undergrad schools that perhaps aren't the most famous (like JHU, Northwestern, the UCs, Ivies) that I've overlooked, that are in the match/safety range (since I don't have many of those now)?</p>
<p>I-Lose, first think about college, then what to major in, then med school ;). There are many colleges that can give you a good pre-med experience, in fact sometimes smaller, lesser known schools can be better than the big boys (particularly the pre-med factories, which can be more like pre-med meat grinders than nurturers). What size college do you want, in state or out, urban or rural. Another mistake kids in your shoes make is they think that success in medicine is a road that leads through Harvard Med School - another not necessarily so. Outstanding students from their home state med schools are very competitive for top residencies, and top residencies lead to ultimate success in medicine, and the in state med school is a heck of a lot cheaper.
SO, I don't know much at all about CA or Western colleges, but look at Rhodes College in Memphis and Juniata College for a prototype school - they are very successful in getting people into med school, without being overly competitive - then look for schools like them in locations appealing to you. Another route is feeder schools. Our in state med schools have small, in town liberal arts colleges that have become feeder schools - they have internships and shadowing opportunities set up at the med school, sometimes research, and the med school knows the quality of the applicants recopmmended by the LAC - doesn't guarantee admission, but kids at the top of the LACs' classes are looked upon quite favorably. Good luck, some of the best routes are outside the big names, you just have to work a little harder.</p>