<p>ONE..I dont know where I could get in (selectivity wise)
TWO..I dont know what kind of colleges I would fit into perfectly (people, lifestyle,city)</p>
<p>Well I'm not going to do into extreme detail but my academic situation is kind of WEIRD. I have:
Pretty good SAT scores (2130)
Hard classes (6 AP semesters) (4 honors semesters)
Low GPA..3.0 unweighted
AMAZING Essay..explaining why my GPA is low..very valid reason(non-pity)
Very very good EC's..above above average</p>
<p>So for my first worry..I don't know where I can get in..with above average SATs and good every thing else..but a pathetic GPA</p>
<p>My second worry is...what kind of school I would fit in:
I like to have fun, be social, party, make friends.
BUT..I also like to learn, study, succeed in education, get into medical school.</p>
<p>So i know those can be contradictory desires...but I was hoping YOU all can help me find a perfect fit college. </p>
<p>You sound like my son. He applied to a wide mix of schools. A bunch of state schools, Catholic schools, selective schools. He was accepted to all but two of the very selective schools. </p>
<p>With the grades you have, I would suggest a supportive LAC for pre med so that you have the highest chance of getting good grade and learning the subjects well.</p>
<p>Thanks for replying, could you list some good LACs that would be good for pre-med. I know there are a lot of good ones out there, but my GPA seems to be a hindrance. By the way, where did your son end up going?</p>
<p>First of all, you have to evaluate if the reason your GPA is so low is actually a valid reason.</p>
<p>If you are not comfortable sharing that info, though, that is fine.</p>
<p>Valid reason for low GPA: sibling committed suicide and you had to take a lot of time to heal emotionally and deal with the situation.</p>
<p>reason that won't get you that much sympathy: you had to work 3 hours a day to support your family. That isn't going to excuse a 3.0 gpa. A lot of kids could get a 3.0 gpa doing like 20 minutes of homework a night.</p>
<p>Of course, if your reason is a valid one like the one I mentioned previously, go right ahead.</p>
<p>Also, how exactly are your ec's extremely good? Did you win a national championship in golf? Unless you won a national award or did something extremely amazing, your ec's aren't that amazing.</p>
<p>jmanco--
thanks for replying..I think my reason is pretty valid, it plays into my entire motivation to succeed in college and in life and isn't just a "pity" excuse. </p>
<p>I wont go into extreme detail but I had a kidney removed at birth and a couple of years ago I found out that my other kidney was starting to fail as well. Due to my rare blood type and the unique situation of my kidney, I was at a low chance of finding a kidney donation in time. I had to drink a lot of water to keep it hydrated, but the more fluid I drank the more it burnt my urinary tract, so I was quickly running out of time. My doctor said the chances were low and that if we didn't find a donor, I would have about 4 years or 5 at best. I was a child and lost all motivation to try but my mom didn't know about the situation so she kept pushing me to take harder classes. AP classes + no motivation + pressure from mom = DEPRESSION. I spent 9th, 10th, and most of 11th in depression. This February however, we found a donor and the transplant was extremely successful. I decided I wanted to become a doctor to help people like I was helped and became extremely motivated.</p>
<p>lol, sorry if I made it seem like I was saying they were extraordinary and extremely good. I just meant they're more than the average Joe's EC's of a few clubs signed up. I'm sure they're are a lot of better EC resumes on this site. Well here they are:</p>
<p>Debate Team Captain
(out of 60 debates -- won 14 debates 1st place; 23 debates 2nd place)
Debate Club President
Philosophy Club Vice President
Mock Trial participant
Mock Elections participant
Member of: FBLA, DECA, BETA, Interact Club, International Club, Future Doctors Club.
Laws of Life Essay contest winner
Literary meet 2nd place winner
Intern at hospital
Intern at community clinic
Volunteer for Red Cross
150 hours of community service (hospital + clinical)</p>
<p>I agree that an LAC would be a good idea - they generally look at applications holistically. As for which ones would be good for premed - they pretty much all are. You need to narrow down the list using other criteria - location(which part of country, urban/suburban/rural), absence/presence of Greek life, perhaps nearness to medical facilities?, internship opportunities, etc.</p>
<p>I second the LACs, they usualy spend more time on the application, just because there are fewer students and look at the person in whole not just the grades</p>
<p>Thanks every one, what would be some good Liberal Arts places yall would recommend? I want a school thats big on academics but not completely boring and of course, one which is in my academic reach. A little diversity in a school would be really nice too.</p>
<p>kb09026--
I am considering Pitzer. It's kind of small for my taste but I have heard good stuff about it. In your opinion, do you think it's a good school for someone pursuing medicine? Also, do you know how the lifestyle of the school or city is?</p>
<p>Pomona seems like a very high reach for me, but always a thought.</p>
<p>CMC = Claremont McKenna College, one of the schools in the Consortium with Pitzer and Pomona. It's not quite as selective as Pomona, but more selective than Pitzer. To be honest I don't know much about Pitzer's med school placement, but I'm sure you can find that info easily. I thought about Pitzer and CMC because I know Pomona's med school placement is ridiculously high, so I'm thinking that the other schools in the consortium might be also? check on this, I'm not sure.</p>
<p>Take a look at the list of "Colleges that Change Lives." There are great colleges on that list for just about anyone, and all of them are interested in a good back story-- they'll read the essay, which is really important. They also have excellent records of getting kids into medical school. Good luck!</p>
<p>Agree with fatladysings. A few CTCL schools: Hendrix, Beloit, Earlham, Goucher, Ohio Wesleyan, Denison, Centre, Wooster, Hiram, Marlboro, St. John's, Knox, New College, Hampshire....</p>
<p>Also consider a few of these, though not CTCL: Pitzer, Illinois College, Illinois Wesleyan, Austin College, Mount Union College, Hobart & William Smith, Elon, Augustana U, Bradley U, Millikin U, Otterbein College, Wheaton College (MA).</p>
<p>Where are you? How far are you willing/able to go from home and from your medical support team? How much money will you have available to pay for your studies? If you aren't in the absolutely remotest corner of the country, chances are there is more than one perfectly fine small liberal arts college within two or three hours driving time from you that will not have any problem whatsoever with your GPA.</p>
<p>I'm in Georgia. The whole country is an option for college. Money is not a problem.<br>
Thanks, the thing is I just don't want to settle for a college, you know? I know a lot of people on here have recommended some great places. I just really want to get into the best place within my reach, even though I know I shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch (because of my terrible GPA)</p>
<p>What would be the highest ranking LAC you think I could get into with rocking stats + essay, excluding GPA? </p>
<p>Also, if anyone is willing to read and give me some criticism on my essay (which I mentioned earlier in this thread) I would appreciate it, just let me know.</p>
<p>No one here can guarantee anything... you get nothing if you don't try. Just make sure that you apply to a good safety that you actually want to go to. It's where you may end up, but then again, anything is possible.</p>