<p>i got of to a pretty slow start in hs and my freshman year gpa and 1st semester sophomore year grades were pretty poor. however since then my gpa has been steadily increasing:</p>
<p>freshman:3.3, 3.5
sophomore:3.2, 3.8
junior: 4.3, 4.4
total weighted gpa after junior year: 3.73
uw: 3.5
estimated gpa first semester senior year: 4.3</p>
<p>i am in almost all honors classes, have a 2100 sat, 32 act, and have decent ec's (200+ hrs volunteering at hospital, 50+ hrs shadowing a doctor, varsity tennis, all suburban jazz saxophonist). however im in the top 20-22% of my class of 500 at a competitive public school </p>
<p>i also took/am taking 5 out the 7 aps offered at my school</p>
<p>can anyone recommend some safety,match and reach schools for me? i am planning to major in pre-med/biology.</p>
<p>i have a preliminary list right now but i just wanted to see if you have any suggestions</p>
<p>Wash U will not be easy to get into, and people say that admission tends to be unpredictable for anybody. U of Rochester is a great premed school that would be good. I would call it a match. Case Western Reserve is another. Ohio Wesleyan may be worth looking at. Wake Forest and Vanderbilt may be good reach schools, and if you live far from the south, you may have a geographical edge. If you want to try any LACs, look at Bates, Amherst, Kalamazoo, Oberlin, Haverford. You didn't say where you live, but if you have a good state university, apply as a backup.</p>
<p>If Washington Univ. is on your list, perhaps you want to look at Vanderbilt Univ. It is about the same size for undergrad, has good premed, lots of music on/off campus, one-day drive or easy flights into St. Louis or KC.</p>
<p>If you like mostly mediums, you'll have your pick - Rochester and Case really good. You could also try Notre Dame, which is prestigious like Vanderbilt, but easier to get into. </p>
<p>Miami OH would be a good safety. It's not too big, and they have really high med school acceptance rates.</p>
<p>thanks for the replies. in addition to Wash U i was looking at Emory, johns hopkins and Georgetown nhs as my reaches. are these good choices? i was not considering vandy because i heard it was too southern is this true?</p>
<p>My son assumed that stereotype was true, and he really was not very interested in Vanderbilt, but in the end he applied anyway because of the possibility of merit money. When he finally went and visited, twice, he found that most of the stereotypes were unfounded. The only one he found to be true was that everyone was friendly and courteous in the "southern style".</p>
<p>He decided to attend. He has since visited a third time, and liked it even more. I think the "southern school" stereotype is out of date.</p>
<p>You're looking for Clark U. in Worcester, MA, & Union College in NY. Both small universities with great academics that are easier to get into than the more snobbish NESC schools.</p>
<p>Vandy is southern, but not in a bad way. It's more progressive than most schools in the south, but the southern undertones are alive and strong. There's just a southern vibe. It's not overwhelming, but it's definitely there. </p>
<p>It's a great school, but the "feel" is not for everyone.</p>