<p>Okie, I'm a junior, and I'm not sure what some good schools are for someone with my stats are. First, I am a black female who resides in suburban Ohio. I go to an average public high school, which offers 10-12 AP courses. I will take 8 or 9 by the time I graduate. I have taken 1 so far, and am taking 2 this year. (10th-AP US, 11th- AP Bio and AP Euro, 12th- AP Calc AB, AP Chem, AP Gov, AP English, AP Spanish 5, and possibly AP Physics C, both parts) I am taking the hardest possible courseload. My uw gpa is a 3.80 and my w gpa is a 3.86. I will have a 3.80-3.85 uw gpaby the end of this year, and a 3.95-3.99w gpa by the end of this year. I have 1 C on my transcript, for second semester of algebra 2 (My parents split) My B's are in Algebra 1 (B+), geometry (B) and precalc 1 (B- I know this is my grade, though I'm taking it this year) (precalc is split into semesters). I am ranked 73/447 (16.3%). I am involved in very few EC's- by choice. Freshman Year- lacrosse, sophomore year- lacrosse, future problem solvers, junior year- nothing. For out of school I am involved in my church choir and I am the secretary of the Sunday School. I am starting fencing in the near future. I worked for 3 months at Target as a seasonal worker. I hope to be a pharmacist, though I am also interested in geology and would like to double major or minor in a lanagauge (Russian or Asian). I have won 2 awards, both by Ohio State for my minority status and my academic achievement. I am the 2nd best black student in my class. Where would you suggest I should look at? Both instate and out-of-state.</p>
<p>In-state, what about Kenyon? Out-of-state, you'd seem to fit more at an "artsy" [i.e. not Math-focused] school. From what I've read, I think you'd have a shot at Skidmore in NY as long as you explain in your essays/interview the reason for receiving that C. Also, try to find one EC that you're passionate about. They do want balanced kids.</p>
<p>I've tried a lot of EC's, but I don't stick with them because I can't get really into them. I'm not good at art, not drawing, painting, sculpture, metalwork or photography, I suck at sports. A lot. Trust me, sitting on the bench for 2 years for lacrosse was not a joyful experience. I've tried softball, tennis, track and a few others as well. I tried the clubs at my school, but no one really does anything in them. I pretty much have no talents or skills, so I don't really have a passion. Music is another failure. I played the clarinet for a while, but I wasn't any good. Vocally, I thought I was good until I didn't make the intermediate choir. 2 years in a row.</p>
<p>Additonal Information: scored 185/240 on psat (90%, cr: 64, w: 69, m: 52). My parents <em>might</em> be divorced by the time I apply, might not, they don't really know what they want to do right now, which is financially not the best situatiion</p>
<p>You might look at Drew U. in NJ ( a lot of pharmaceutical companies nearby for internships) and you could try Mount Holyoke as a possibility--if a women's college suits you or maybe Hampshire College in the same vicinity. For ECs look for community volunteer opportunities--maybe through your church? a Big Sister program? Reading tutor? Helping the handicapped? You don't need special talents but the desire to be useful to others.</p>
<p>celebrian, what criteria are you looking at? Large/small? Location? LAC or Uni? Since you are interested in languages, do you want a strong humanities school?</p>
<p>On a side note, I completely understand your lack of EC's. I too do not have many talents--can't draw, can't play an instrument, not so good at sports...</p>
<p>prefer medium size (2,000-10,000) but I like large schools as well. If it's a really great school I might go for a smaller school, but not less than 1,250 </p>
<p>location wise, nothing rural. I live in Ohio, and though not in a rural area, I know I wouldn't want to live in a rural region. Suburban or Urban is much preferred. I prefer northeast or Midwest, but I'm not against some Western schools, though no Southern Schools (I hate hot weather)</p>
<p>I prefer Unis, especially since I'm science-focused. LAC's have their benefits, so if it's truly spectacular, I would consider it </p>
<p>strong humanities would be nice, but not essential at all. I'll probably just minor in a langague since I plan on going to pharmacy school. Right now I'm thinking about majoring in a hard science like geology, molecular biology, chemistry or biophysics)</p>
<p>Maybe look at University of Rochester. They're pretty sciencey but have good humanities too.</p>
<p>We really cannot tell until you take the SATs/ACTs..they are a very important factor in deciding which schools to apply to.</p>
<p>well I need to start looking now...if my psat was a 185 w/o prep, I'll go by those approximate scores. So roughly an 1850. Which is about a 28 ACT, or a 1270-1320 present day SAT.</p>
<p>Mount Holyoke is an LAC strong in the sciences--especially chemistry.</p>
<p>On the topic your ECs - Good for you for trying such a wide array of things. It can be very frustrating "not to be good at something" immediately -tough to stick with it (playing an instrument). May I suggest ECs that involve helping others...Special Olympics, tutoring in any subject, Habitat for Humanity, reading to the elderly at a local nursing home - writing letters for them. The list is really endless and can give such a return. Colleges "ideal student" is one who shows interest in the world around them and compassion (or at least an interest in someone besides themselves).</p>
<p>My D also didn't fit into the traditional EC pattern (No school sports, can't carry a tune in a bucket so there went vocal/instumental music :), had zero interest in assuming school office). She looked to the community. She wasn't sure she was even making a difference with the kids she was working with (which she found discouraging) until the second summer she worked in a program ( horseback therapy for disabled people) one of the kids in the program grabbed her hand and told her he was so glad she was back. Talk about payback!</p>
<p>For the most part volunteering takes no special skills to start - the leaders will tell you what they need. Learn from their example and from there you can expand what you learn to become a leader in any other area.</p>
<p>And yes, the experience WILL LOOK GOOD on a college application! :)</p>
<p>CopterMom had some pretty good advice...even though you don't think you have talent in art, music, athletics, etc., being committed to a volunteer activity really counts. Colleges are not looking for a laundry list of actvities, but devotion to a few. Also, I found two sites with good summer internships for high school students (they have to to w/ biological sciences)
<a href="http://www.training.nih.gov/student/index.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.training.nih.gov/student/index.asp</a>
<a href="http://www.rit.edu/%7Egtfsbi/Symp/highschool.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.rit.edu/~gtfsbi/Symp/highschool.htm</a></p>
<p>Your GPA is very strong, considering that you are taking the toughest courseload available, so colleges really like that you are challenging yourself instead of taking the easy way out. In your apps. and in your interviews, you definetely need to mention why your grades dropped (esp. in Al. II).</p>
<p>Some schools that are strong in biology/medical sciences/geology, etc. include Smith, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke,Wellesley (strong biology and asian languages programs), UC-Davis, U or Vermont, Cornell, Brown, Penn State (HUGE school, but has a good earth sciences/geology department), and UVA.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, here's my Reach/Match/Safety breakdown for the schools other ppl. and I mentioned:</p>
<p>Smith: M
Mount Holyoke(doesn't require SAT): S
Bryn Mawr: M
Wellesley: M/R
UC-Davis (OOS):M
U of Vermont: S
Cornell: R
Brown: R
UVA: M/R
Penn State (regular): S
Penn State Honors: M
Rochester:M/R
Drew: S
You mentioned in another post that you were interested in Case Western--I'd say that is a safety (considering it's high acceptance rate).</p>
<p>Hope this helps! :D</p>
<p>The University of Rochester sounds like a good match for you, It has excellent opportunities and preparation for medical careers wit a medical school and outstanding hospital. I don't think you would be happy at an LAC...gut feeling. Too small, etc. Syracuse also comes to mind. U of Michigan, Northwestern, U of Illinois, Washington U St Louis, Case Western. How about Ohio U or Miami of Ohio? Ohio State? I still think U of Rochester is a good fit.</p>
<p>Elbereth: I don't think UC Davis would be a safety for celebrian25 since she's out-of-state. The UCs always tend to not like out-of-state students for whatever reason; I'd say UC Davis is a slight reach.</p>
<p>I still don't get why the UCs (and most state colleges/universities) admit so few OOS students. I mean, since OOS students have to pay higher tuition, room, and board, wouldn't UC like that since it means more $$ for them?</p>
<p>The answer is simple - the Californians would be up in arms about it. I'm sure that UCB and UCLA would love the opportunity to take more OOS students, as they pay full tuition and raise average scores (not to mention other bonuses such as more campus diversity). Same goes for UNC, UIUC, etc. Schools like Michigan and Wisconsin have traditionally accepted many students from out-of-state, however.</p>
<p>Having a passion doesn't mean that you're perfect at something.It means that you are internally motivated to develop skills in it and to find out as much as possible about the object of your passion. If you had been passionate about voice, you would have continued singing even after not making the intermediate choir. You would have been so interested in singing that you would have had to find some outlet, and also would have been getting advice, etc. about how to improve.</p>
<p>You also don't have to be perfect at something in order to continue it. If you enjoy something, too, you will get better the longer you pursue it. Things like doing well in art, music sports are based on talent plus bucketloads of very hard work. When it comes to sports, there are well known pro sports figures like Michael Jordan who didn't make their h.s. varsity teams the first time, but who then worked their butts off to achieve varsity and later fame.</p>
<p>If you're willing to go to a historically black college, you'd be a top recruit and probably would also get merit aid at Xavier (tops in the country for getting black students into medical school) or Florida A&M, which also has a pharmacy school. I know you don't like hot weather, but still thought I'd mention those places. Baltimore may be far enough north for the weather to suit your preferences.</p>
<p>University of Maryland Baltimore County is another excellent place for black students who are planning on careers in the sciences.</p>
<p>Others to consider would be Case Western Reserve, University of Rochester, Boston University and Carnegie Mellon. </p>
<p>Since it sounds like money might be a consideration, make sure that you apply to some schools that you know you'll be accepted to, can afford, and would enjoy. Typically such schools are public schools in state. There also may be private colleges in state that have merit aid to attract Ohio residents, perhaps even special merit aid for residents who are high performing URMs like you.</p>
<p>UC Davis would not be a great match because it is in a rural town and as others mentioned is more selective for out of state. Why? California tax dollars pay for these schools and their is an abundance of qualified in state students to apply. We have an obligation to educate our children with our state colleges. Demand dictates that we build another two or three Universities to accomodate the demand for instate and out of state students.</p>
<p>I thought of the University of Rochester and the Sister Colleges and a lesser known school "Lake Forest" outside of Chicago.</p>
<p>I know you said you didn't like hot weather, but I'll mention this school, I only know the bare facts, Mercer University. It is in Macon, Ga, about one hour out of Atlanta, it has a significant black presence (about 20%), it has a pharmacy school, and might give you merit aid. Bright junior son of a friend is considering this school because he has an interest in pharmacy. Pretty good arts and sciences I think.</p>