Need help with Target and Safety schools for Daughter- Biology/Neuroscience/Pre-Med

College Search & Selection
1

We are applying to the following RD:

Vanderbilt
Rice
Brown
Duke
Stanford
Emory
Dartmouth
Tufts
USC
USF-honors
UCF-honors
U of Miami
Harvard
Northeastern

She just got denied Early Action Yale. :frowning: Knew it was a Reach, but still hurts


Would prefer to stay away from schools that have heavy grade deflation, especially if she goes Pre-med route

She is looking for medium campus at least 3000 plus - no rural areas- prefers warm weather, but likes new England area, nowhere too southern- She is biracial, wants an artsy school- somewhere that has a drama club- doesn’t like the midwest- prefer the following states: CA, GA, FL, VA, MA, MD, wants a diverse school, that has study abroad options. She isn’t sure of career- leaning towards Psychiatry- so essentially Pre-Med- Looking to major in Biology, Pre-Med, or cognitive Neuroscience/neuroscience- Also could be interested towards a research/writing path.

ACT was 31 composite

Math 27, Science 27, English 35, Reading 36 Writing 10

Goes to small score- they don’t rank, nor have a ton of Honors classes

GPA 4.05 W, 3.93 UW

She’s a Questbridge finalist, URM(half African-American).

EC’s- Honor Roll, NHS, Tennis, Student Council- two different Leadership positions held two years, Newspaper, yearbook editor, Drama, President of a club that mentors younger girls in the community, community service hours, work.

We are low-income so schools that give need based aid and merit aid the most preferred.

Thank you!!

2

She is applying. Not we.

3

Well considering I am assisting her with the application process
Nice constructive feedback by the way!

4

FWIW, it is constructive feedback
 most schools like to know it’s the student who is interested, not the parent. If they catch wind about “we” I suspect you’ll see fewer acceptances.

Otherwise
 I work in our local high school and have since '99. Students who do the best going in as Pre-med are almost always in the Top 25% both for GPA and SAT/ACT of their college class entering freshman year. My theory as to why this correlation exists is due to the foundation they get from their school. Scores often show how much base knowledge a student has. One can’t perfectly line students up by their scores, but ranges are easy to see - at least in math. If the student didn’t have a similar foundation to their peers they will get into class and find themselves feeling dumb because “everyone else knows this except me.” They may be equally as smart in reality - just without the experience - but they won’t see that, and that starts a downward spiral. Getting poor grades is a killer for med school thoughts.

A student can get accepted into med school from practically any college in the US if they get top grades and a good MCAT score. If she’s truly thinking of perhaps heading to med school, I’d adjust my application list accordingly.

One’s major also doesn’t matter for med school. Students get better grades in subjects they enjoy, so be certain she likes what she chooses. It definitely doesn’t have to be Bio if she doesn’t like it - and should med school not be the path she decides upon, Bio majors have a tougher time finding decently paying jobs. That’s just more to consider.

Give her my congrats on being a Questbridge Finalist! That’s a terrific program IMO. Best wishes to her wherever her future leads. (And may you enjoy the ride too.)

5

I actually copied and pasted that portion of my email from an email that we had sent her counselor. I’m tired and it was simpler than rewriting. However, with that person not offering any other feedback, I don’t feel like it was helpful. Thank you so much for all of your feedback. I have heard that from others as well. I tried to edit my OP and couldn’t figure out how to. I guess I am just looking for specific schools that match what she is seeking. Thank you!!! :slight_smile:

6

You might look at UVA. My daughter had many of those schools in her list and liked UVA a lot.

7

We will! Thank you!!

8

UMD College Park
George Washington U
U Richmond
American U
U Mass Amherst (part of 5-College Consortium for access to more artsy schools/students)

9

I’m nervous that there are only 3-4 targets and no likelies on her current list.

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I agree! That is why I am looking for suggestions for her. I feel like she needs some likelies as well, though I was hoping USF or UCF would be likelies, is that not the case? I will definitely show her the ones that you just listed also for more research!! Thank you!!

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UMD is worth a look- also have several friends who have children in Med school and have heard great things about the students coming out of the University of Delaware and how prepared they are when entering Med school! It may be a good one to add to your list since it would be a likely for her. It’s in Newark Delaware- so about a 2 hour drive to Maryland. Good luck!

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Yes, I think you’re right that USF & UCF should be likelies in terms of her profile. Have you run NPC?

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Thank you @nassau1997 I know she hasn’t looked at UMD, so thank you for the recommendation!!! Preparing her for Med school is definitely a high priority on our list!!! :slight_smile:

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@Itisatruth yes, they both give generous merit aid actually! We live in Kentucky, but even as out of state, the NPC with the merit aid is definitely doable.

15

Any feedback on University of Michigan, Tulane, Brandeis, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, Wesleyean, Rhodes,
University of Texas-Austin?

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U Michigan & UT-Austin: going to be tough as OOS, no/little financial aid

Tulane and Brandeis should both definitely be on your list. In the same selectivity tier as Northeastern. Maybe harder to fine “artsy” students but not impossible.

Wesleyan: Highly selective, and just over 3000 students. Amazing place, good aid. Artsy to the max! Middletown may not be the setting she’s looking for.

Amherst: Highly selective, nowhere near 3000 students but also part of 5-college consortium include UMass Amherst. Very rural setting.

MHC: I immediately thought of MHC when I read your OP. Good merit aid, also part of the 5-college consortium, less selective than Amherst or Wesleyan (about 50% admit rate), VERY artsy, very unique, supportive vibe while at the same time amazing education including STEM and pre-med prep. Only ~2200 students but class size has been inching up. Worth a look! Very rural setting, even moreso than Amherst. No town to speak of. Amherst and Northampton are nearby and accessible by frequent 5C shuttle.

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@itisatruth Oh my! This is awesome ^^ :slight_smile: Thank you so much for all of the detailed information! This is fantastic! Do you have any thoughts on UVA? (We will also look at University of Richmond)

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Some of those would not be a good idea for a premed.

Look for schools where an ACT 31 is well within the top 25%.

Also, UTexas Austin wouldn’t likely be affordable. Have you run its NPC?

Have you run Rhodes’ NPC? I don’t think they meet need either.

What is your home state?

19

University of Pittsburgh perhaps? Or Rochester although that’s going to be rather cold.

You say no to the Midwest and don’t want too Southern of a school, but Florida and Georgia are definitely Southern states.

I would not count out the Midwest completely. Chicago is test optional and WashU has a top medical school. I would see if another ACT can be taken since the math and science sections are low, especially for a pre-med.

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@mom2collegekids home state = KY

@Waverbeach Don’t know anything about UVA.

Given your original list, keep in mind that places like Wes, Amherst, MHC, Rhodes are totally different from Vanderbilt, Harvard, Rice. Your description of what your kid is looking for is helpful, but might be most helpful to reflect on what she liked or disliked about campuses she visited. She’s a senior and there’s only a few weeks to get RD apps in. And you need more matches and likelies. Prioritize finding an affordable fit she will enjoy. IMHO I would focus less on a possible med school track at this point. I’m a college prof and if I had a nickel for every first year who came in convinced she was premed and ended up doing something completely different