Preliminary college chances; junior yet to take SATs

Applying to College
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<p>There are a million threads of this. I ask that you have the patience to help yet another junior in need :)</p>

<p>I attend pretty good public school in the New York suburbs.. I think we offer 35 or so APs. I'm going to finish my HS career with probably 12 APs or so. I estimate a maximum of 2/3 4s, and the rest 5s.</p>

<p>My course rigor is pretty high: I take AP/Honors courses for the grade level above me. For example, I am currently taking AP Physics C, AP Econ, AP Calc BC, AP Spanish Lit, and AP Writing Workshop. My GPA is a bit low, probably 3.75 unweighted (unsure of how to exactly calculate this). The weighting system in my school is ridiculous, with that system I have probably one of the best GPAs. I have received 4 B+ out of the 15 courses I have taken so far, with an A+ in another four of them.</p>

<p>For extracurriculars, I am currently JV Captain of forensics (debate) and am going to be varsity captain next year (this is confirmed). I have placed at many national and local tournaments, and am ranked top 16 in the state for debating. I am a sections editor for my school newspaper, and plan to apply for EIC/Copy Editor/ something like that for next year. I did Amnesty International, but that has since been cut because of budgeting issues. I am also doing extensive science research, and am getting published in several scientific journals. I do indeed participate in a research program at my school, and placed last year at a regional (not state) science competition. I will be doing Intel/Siemens/Rohm and Haas. I am also a member of Foreign Language Honor Society, National, Math, etc. and I do mathletes. Not sure if I'm going to apply for officerships or not, though.</p>

<p>I was captain of V fencing, but it got cut. However, I have heard they are bringing it back next year, so I'm going to be back in for that. year. I have not won any competitions for fencing. I did JV spring track with the academic scholar award. But that was more to get me in shape than anything else ^^</p>

<p>Standardized testing: I took SATII Chemistry freshman year and got a 740. I didn't take any last year, and I plan on taking Physics and Spanish this year. For the SATs, I've been prepping for a ridiculously long time. My practice tests scores hover from 2280 - 2380. I estimate around a 2300 for the actual examination, and I plan on taking it December. My recommendations will probably be from my research teacher (it is a class), my physics teacher (two years, first for honors, then for AP), and perhaps my Economics teacher, because he is also one of the teachers that edit the school newspaper with us.</p>

<p>My target school is probably Columbia, then Princeton/uPenn. I would like to major in either dermatology with a focus on alternative medicine, or economics/finance/banking. I know, very disparate, but that's where my interests lie. I would prefer a college that's near or in a large urban population, preferably closer to the New York area. Tuition is not an issue.</p>

<p>I spoke with a college counselor through my father's company program, and he told me I had the best shot at cornell, and that Columbia just "doesn't like Asian guys from New York suburbs." :'(</p>

<p>What do you guys think? Opinions, facts, statistics, personal anecdote, anything is fine here.</p>

<p>Thanks for your time ^^</p>

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<p>Derm is not a major, it is a specialty in Med School. As a premed you have to take a set of coursework but can major in anything. I suggest you visit the PreMed Topics subforum and read the sticky threads to learn more about what it means to go into medicine as a profession.</p>

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<p>Make sure the schools you’re interested in have a dermatology major, firstly. It’s unlikely smaller, private schools offer it.</p>

<p>And if your school is really very good (Bronxville or whereabouts quality-wise), Columbia is likely very familiar with your school and their standards. Yes, being an Asian applicant from a nearby area won’t help, but colleges like Columbia likely have strong relationships with your school. If you’re a standout student, your counselor may be able to help communicate this to adcoms, especially if you apply ED.</p>

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<p>Please name some colleges with an UG major in Derm.</p>

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<p>It’s unlikley that ANY school offers Derm as an UG major.</p>

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<p>Sorry about that. please overlook my lack of knowledge about pre-med :P</p>

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<p>^^^That’s OK, it’s not unusual for HS students to not completely understand the process of becoming a physician. What I’m more concerned about are posters here on CC who ignore what other members say and proceed to give misinformation about subjects that they obviously know nothing about.</p>

<p>Do go to the PreMed Topics forum as there are many very knowledgeable posters there including current Med School students, physicians and students currently applying to Med school.</p>

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<p>Okay, I read up on all of the premed stuff. I have a few relatives that tell me that majoring business for undergrad is just plain stupid, and so I should major in something economics/finance related. Since pre-med majors vary (as I have read), I’d probably major in something related to that field anyway.</p>

<p>Also, if I decide not to go towards the field of medicine, what are your thoughts on double majoring, say, economics/business or economics/law, with a minor in for example computer science?</p>