Need Help Selecting Colleges

<p>Hey Guys,</p>

<pre><code> I'm looking for suggestions on colleges. Currently a junior. Since I'm going premed, I figure I should ask you guys. I'm going to aim for some top 20 schools as reaches and I want schools that have strong chemistry/biology departments as well as a good economics program. I really need some help deciding on an Early Decision school and I need to weigh the relative merits of certain colleges. Can you guys shed some light on JHU, UPenn, Duke, Cornell, WashU, NU, and Brown in terms of the premed experience at each? I go to a pretty competitive high school in NJ and I'm an Indian male, so I definitely need the added boost with ED to stand a chance at the top notch schools. I've heard rumors (some good, some bad) about all the colleges I'm considering, but I need some primary source info to back it up. Any further recommendations of good colleges that fit my short list of criteria would be much appreciated. Below are my stats (SATs, AP scores, and SAT IIs still pending, so I don't know how much they will help):
</code></pre>

<p>Information:</p>

<p>Eth: Asian
Sex: Male
State: NJ
Grade: Junior
Major: Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Biology; possibly economics
School: Very Competitive (Last year 3 to Princeton, this year 3 to MIT)</p>

<p>Estimated Frosh/Soph/Junior GPA: </p>

<ul>
<li>UW - 3.85; W - 4.19</li>
</ul>

<p>Estimated Soph/Junior GPA:</p>

<ul>
<li>UW - 3.89; W - 4.33</li>
</ul>

<p>*GPA estimates based on current 1st semester grades in junior year. Assume accuracy to +/- 0.05. </p>

<p>Rank:</p>

<p>School doesn't rank, probably top 5% of class of 700; I believe grade deflation in classes accounts for a low GPA resulting in a decent rank (which is a trend I've noticed in previous graduating classes); competition is tough, I'm sure you guys know the feeling.</p>

<p>AP's (Total of 10):</p>

<ul>
<li>Physics B (4)</li>
<li>Chemistry (Taking)</li>
<li>Calculus BC (Taking)</li>
<li>English Language and Composition (Taking)</li>
<li>Computer Science A (Taking)</li>
<li>Biology (next year)</li>
<li>Art History (next year, required aka being forced into it)</li>
<li>Economics (next year)</li>
<li>Statistics (next year)</li>
<li>English Literature (next year)</li>
</ul>

<p>Scores:</p>

<p>PSAT: 226
SAT: Awaiting Jan Scores. Will probably retake (b/c I was sick that day and did not feel good about my score after the test)
SAT IIs: Taking: Chem, Math II, and possibly Bio or Lit</p>

<p>Recs:
Counselor - Awesome: she knows me well.
Teachers - One good from Eng more about personality (not the highest eng grade in class unfortunately, running a low A-). One awesome from AP Chem teacher.
Supplemental - Either another teacher very familiar with me or JSA advisor (who is very fond of me). Also research mentor (which should be awesome).</p>

<p>EC's:</p>

<p>NJ Science League
- Partipant 10th-11th
- Competitive Testing in Chem I and Chem II
- Qualifying Test followed by Regional Test each month from Jan. - Apr.
- Qualified last year in Chem I, but not in Chem II this year :(</p>

<p>NJ Chemistry Olympics
- Competition in chemistry entered in year of AP Chem (11th)
- Club meets every week from Jan. to competition day in May
- Two-person group writing research paper on chemical process</p>

<p>Medical Careers Club
- Member 10th - 11th
- Reasonably involved; designed a lengthy PP presentation on the difficulties of pursuing a medical career to bring some reality into the picture (lol, it's funny how so many freshmen/sophs come into the club with overly glamorous opinions about medicine; I guess I mighta been that way too though :)). Anyway, I enjoy presenting to audiences and the people appreciated what I had to say so it's all good. </p>

<p>Science Competitor's Club
- Member 10th - 11th
- Officer 11th
- Random science competitions; not much in terms of results.</p>

<p>Junior Statesmen of America
- Member 9th - 11th
- Club Officer 11th (I write our daily resolutions, occasionally moderate debates, and speak frequently)
- New Jersey Region Cabinet Member 11th (write debates on state level for regional conventions)
- Significant involvement in politics/oratory = my other passion besides science. </p>

<p>March of Dimes
- Member 10th - 11th
- Volunteer hours and fundraising
- Tedious but rewarding process = soliciting funds; selling tickets; organizing large-scale cultural show. </p>

<p>Genetics Research
- Summer of 2007; going back 2008
- 8 hrs/day, 5 days/wk for ~6-8 wks
- Research conducted with drosophila melanogaster; focused on determining the use of RNAi in restricting cancerous overgrowth caused by genetic mutations.
- Personally, this is my favorite activity; I'm in love with research and that's part of the reason I'm considering medicine.</p>

<p>Piano
- 5 yrs
- Not incredibly proficient</p>

<p>Community Service
- ~ 300 hrs
- Local hospital, senior center, and March of Dimes</p>

<p>Workout
- Bout 1.5 hrs for 3-4 days a week. Only mentioning it b/c it consumes time, prolly won't go on app.</p>

<p>Honors, Recognitions, Awards, Programs (Kinda weak right now):</p>

<p>Robert Wood Johnson Mini-Medical Program
- Will participate in a several week long program at RWJ Medical School consisting of seminars to talk w/ doctors, etc.
- Semi-Competitive application process (~20% acceptance)</p>

<p>NJ Science League
- Recognition in 10th grade for regional competition
- Didn't qualify for regionals 11th in Chem II; only 4 out of 30-40 students make it and only the best of the best try out. I didn't have time to study mostly b/c of English HW; and, though that's not a reasonable excuse...that's my excuse...</p>

<p>National Latin Exam
- Silver Medal in 9th; Gold Medal in 10th; test for 11th approaching</p>

<p>Commendation from Governor/NJ State Legislature
- For our chapter setting up a March of Dimes fundraiser that raised thousands of $'s.</p>

<p>JSA Best Speaker Awards
- Several in recognition of debate performance.</p>

<p>National Honors Society/National Latin Honors Society
- 11th </p>

<p>Predicted National Merit Semifinalist
- PSAT: 226</p>

<p>Pending
- Other Competitions Planned/Participating: USNCO (need to study hard for this one, coming up in March), Chemistry Olympics, AMC (took it last year, will take again this year; hoping to get to AIME), Siemen's Westinghouse/Intel (with additional research conducted over next summer)</p>

<p>**As you can probably tell, I don't lack passion in what I do...just proficiency. I'm trying to take as much iniative as possible to participate in competitions and win some big recognition, but the cutthroat nature of my area is damn awful. I'm also worried about not having a dedication to an instrument or sport, but between my classes (which give out way too much HW), clubs, competitions, and community service, I don't have much spare time. I take pride in the fact, however, that I only involve myself in what interests me, so I think I'll be able to write decent essays (except for piano maybe :P, but that's an Asian thing). </p>

<p>Anyway, please tell me if I'm being realistic in considering some of the schools I mentioned and regardless of what you guys think, I'd love additional recommendations for good schools that you all think will fit. Thanks so much for your help!</p>

<p>OT to the OP, if this "what are my chances" thread by a junior in high school is here, what could possibly be the use of the "high school topics" section of this forum +/- 0.05%?</p>

<p>This section of the forum gets better attention, which is why I'm posting here: I figure you guys would know more about the various premed options. Not so much a chances thread as a search for suggestions. As for the +/- .05 I meant the GPA out of 4.00 and the weighted GPA; just wanted to clarify that b/c junior year is not over yet, that GPA is tentative. Thanks guys.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I figure you guys would know more about the various premed options.

[/quote]

1.) <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/202936-good-pre-med-schools.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/202936-good-pre-med-schools.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>2.) We don't know anything about chances, as we've said repeatedly. We have no idea where you can get in.</p>

<p>Why do you guys always post the link to that worthless thread? It's so annoying...Why not just say outright: "We don't feel like helping you"?</p>

<p>1.) Why did you ask if you know that's what we "always" do?
2.) Because it's true. The analysis on there is actually very detailed and nobody's yet come up with a disproof. It's not our fault high school students don't like to hear it.</p>

<p>Let me add to point #2 above.</p>

<p>It's true and therefore is the best, most helpful advice we could give you. If you'd prefer that we lie to you (and convincingly so), we could certainly do that as well.</p>

<p>The worthless thread says that the best premed school is the one you like the best. The worthless thread says that any university (and certainly any top school) can provide you with whatever you need to succeed as a premed. </p>

<p>Actually, the threads I find most worthless are the "chances" threads where everyone lists their 2000 SAT score, 4.3 GPA's, and 3 laundry list pages of EC's. All of the acceptance data for various schools can be found online and yet people still insist on posting their life's profile (which looks exactly like 98% of the other profiles that are posted).</p>

<p>Well, I think we hit that one within +/- 0.05%. ;)</p>

<p>I love this forum, you guys really don't put up with any cr*p, which I think is great. Maybe I need to direct Dad II this way, oh wait, I did when he started one of those crazy "which colleges send the most kids to med school?" threads. Unfortunately he didn't bite.</p>