<p>PA Resident
Race: Black
Gender: Male</p>
<p>Colleges:
-Penn State-University Park (Top choice)
-University of Maryland-College Park (Top choice)
-Rutgers-New Brunswick
-University of Florida
-University of Georgia
-University of Virginia
-University of Florida
-CU-Boulder
-USC
-UNC-Chapel Hill
-Cornell University </p>
<p>Intended major: Biochemistry</p>
<p>Current Major: Biological Sciences
GPA: 3.60 (7 A's, 1 A-, 1 B-, and 1 C. I have 1 D, but it is on a separate transcript because it was a course taken at my home community college over the summer)</p>
<p>Clubs and Activities:
-Science Club: 1st and 2nd semesters
-Engineering Club: 1st semester
-Spring 2014 Leadership Class (I learned about leadership principles and met with business leaders in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania)
-Residence Life Council: General member
-Phi Theta Kappa: General member freshman year; elected as secretary for my sophomore year
-Lobbied for funding for my college in front of PA state politicians at the PA state capitol
-Student representative of Academic Appeals and Discipline Committee</p>
<p>Hooks:
-Possible first generation student (Mom and dad don't have a Bachelor's degrees; however, my mom has an Associate's degree)
-Single parent household (I don't know if this is an actual hook or not, but I just decided to throw that out there)
-URM</p>
<p>Honors/Awards:
-Made the Dean's List for the Fall 2013 semester
-I am am in the honor's program, and I have taken four honors courses this far (3 A's. The fourth honors course is in progress)
-I am a SMaRT Scholar, or a recipient of a scholarship from the National Science Foundation, based on my intent to enter a STEM field
-Member of Phi Theta Kappa</p>
<p>Community Service:
-I will be paired with an ESL student. I will communicate with him in order to help him better understand the English language.</p>
<p>Work Experience/Internships:
-POS Associate (Cashier) at Kohl's during my senior year of high school
-Hired as an RA for the dorms</p>
<p>Hello FutureDoctor31,</p>
<p>I think you have a chance of getting accepted, but that is hard to predict exactly. For out of state colleges, cost may be a concern since most don’t meet full need. UNC does, and although it is hard to get into, it is worth a try. Cornell meets full need too, but it is a reach for anyone. </p>
<p>Pay attention to transfer requirements, they can be different at each school. I think Penn State requests high school transcripts. Students who transfer as juniors do not have to submit SAT scores, which is another plus for students with better grades than scores. </p>
<p>As to that “D”- if the application requests all transcripts, you must send it. Your other grades are good. If there is an explanation for the “D”- illness, or not having the prerequisite class, then you can explain that on your application. If not, just send it. The schools will consider it in context of your other records. </p>
<p>@Pennylane2011 UNC-Chapel Hill, Cornell, and University of Virginia are on my list because they offer full aid. My priorities have drastically changed since I started using this site, and one of the biggest changes to occur has been my increased attention on financial aid packages. </p>
<p>And also, I can explain the D when that time comes around. My mother was providing me with transportation to college since it is far away from our home. She thought that my class began at 6:30 when, in reality, it actually started at 6:00PM. This translated into me being late for almost every class meeting, and the loss of the opportunity to meet with my professor, which I really wanted to do.</p>
<p>Yes, you are correct- those are schools that meet full need. Another college that you may have a chance at admission is University of Richmond- which also claims to meet full need, so it is one to consider. Richmond has several medical centers to volunteer at and MCV is a major teaching hospital. </p>
<p>When explaining the D, be sure that it is clear to the college your financial and transportation restraints. You didn’t have a car, or access to buses. Of course you understand that it is your responsibility to get to class ( your other grades reflect that) but that there were barriers to this that you didn’t anticipate at home when you registered. Be sure in your explanation that the college is aware that you take full responsibility, and what steps you took to try to overcome the obstacles you had. Have someone at your college read your explanation- an adviser- to give you feedback on this. </p>
<p>Good luck to you and let us know how this turns out. </p>
<p>You sound like a great candidate, and going for STEM should help your case. Consider looking at whether there are alumni African American /URM and/or STEM groups- these often have scholarships for ocal students and also interview opportunities.</p>
<p>Also- will your “safety” choices be some of the branches of Penn State? </p>