<p>Hi! I'm Ben, a current sophomore in HS, and I'm wondering what kind of stats one really needs to get into RHP.
As of now I have a 4.0 Unweighted (our school doesn't weight, but if weighted I believe it would be around a 4.6/4.7 or maybe more).
I have basically taken all honors courses (our school is Pre-IB, so not really any APs offered) with the exception of AP Calculus. Next year I will be dual enrolled for mathematics, taking all IB courses, and three IB sciences.
I am VP of Model UN, Prez and founder of Spanish club, and secretary of Stu. Gov.
Also, I have some (over 50) volunteer hours, and I do Youth Symphony.
I haven't taken ACT/SAT, but assuming I keep my GPA up, what do you think my shots are at RHP?
Also, I'm interested in Bacc/MD at USC, in addition to RHP. Have many people done this, and do you have to have a resume made out of gold to get in?</p>
<p>Any advice/comments/messages/etc. encouraged.
Also, if you are thinking about RHP next year I would be interested in chatting</p>
<p>You sound great GPA wise. I suggest that you take a strong SAT prep course this summer for the PSAT and upcoming SAT. USC tried to recruit my son for this program (he had high PSAT and ultimately became National Merit Finalist).
I think they will look at your PSAT score and recruit you if it is high enough to potentially become National Merit. I forgot the number, it was mentioned in the letter, but I think they wanted over 200 (was it 207 or higher?) on the PSAT. Also, I don't work for admissions, but I suggest that you do something medically related volunteer work this summer and continue into the junior year. Also, you would need to ask USC if you apply to the BACC/MD program while in the RHP program. Also, find out how you can still get your high school diploma.</p>
I suggest that you save your parents some $$$ and buy a few $20 books with sample SAT tests and practice, practice, practice. Pay attention to the types of problems you are getting wrong and figure out where you need more practice. Prep courses are not worth it, IMNSHO Not trying to be confrontational or anything, but SAT prep courses are so.... East Coast :-)</p>
<p>both are good. you need to be WAY disciplined to do it yourself, but yeah SAT courses are basically taking SAT tests, then they go over what you got wrong. </p>
<p>oh yeah, and lots of vocab, but i'm sure they have books for that as well.</p>
<p>To GroovyGeek: It all depends on your child--will your child be disciplined enough to study the books? Also, the prep course my son took had a reader who commented on his essays. The feedback from a professional was helpful and would not be available from the books. When you take the class, you can ask questions about what you need to know. I am very happy that my son took the PSAT-SAT prep course and highly recommend it. Also--if your child takes the preliminary PSAT freshman and sophomore year in high school (before the one that counts) you will get an idea of your child's scores and if you think there is potential for National Merit. It just comes down to your child and if they are better off in a structured prep class or can learn the material on their own with a book.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! To Protokurious: good luck on exams!
I will take the advice about the volunteering and SAT prep.
Do you think that volunteering at the local nursing home would count as medically related volunteer hours (I say this because the nearest hospital is about 45 min. away and would be difficult to get to...)</p>
<p>I think volunteering at a nursing home is nice, particularly if you want to work with elderly people. i.e. If you think your medical specialty will be Geriatric medicine, I can see how you can write a great essay and tie it in with this particular specialty. My suggestion is to see if you can volunteer on the week-ends (or you might even find a paid position) at your local hospital and ask one of your parents to drive you there. It all depends on where you think you want to be years from now and that is asking a lot of a high school student. Also, perhaps your high school has a summer internship program with something medically related (research, hospital, etc.). If you think you want pediatrics, perhaps working in a large summer camp nursing office where medicine is given and minor injuries taken care of. Volunteer or paid-just try to find something which more closely matches your interest in medicine. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>My husband likes the idea of volunteering in a nursing home (demonstrates compassion for elderly, etc.) as long as you can do something that is medically related (i.e. more than just pushing the carts with magazines to read).</p>
<p>Thanks mdcissp. Do you think it will hurt me if I don't really have any "work experience" (I'm not 16 until this summer, so I wouldn't really be able to get a job anyway)</p>
<p>I think it is important to show interest in medicine if this is the program of highest interest to you. Volunteering is just fine. It does not have to be a paid job. It will help you if you can find a volunteer job which you can connect with your interest in medicine in the essay for the college program.</p>
<p>I suggest that you take a PSAT prep course this summer before you take the PSAT in the fall. Also, wherever you decide to volunteer, tell the coordinator who interviews you that your interest is medicine and you are seeking volunteer work connected with your interest. Also, did you look into the National Youth Forum on Medicine to see if you can attend the summer youth conference (if it still exists)?</p>
<p>Did you take PSAT in 10th grade? If you did and your score is not bad, you should not have to spend money for PSAT prep. My daughter used the old Red book, 20 SATs(?) and got her score in the NMS. Also don't relying on prepping, lots of kid took the prep class for SAT and did not do as well on the PSAT and SAT tests as my daughter who didn't. However, it's important to be familiar with the type of questions that are on the PSAT test.
As far as the writing score, you can pay or get it free online for the collegeboard SAT prep($60?). It will give you a score right back after you take the test.</p>
<p>To Columbia Student: Your daughter had the discipline to go through the book. I am sure you are proud of her and her accomplishments.
Test prep courses is not a guarantee for National Merit and not all test prep courses are the same. In our case, my son got individualized feedback on his practice writing essays (which means more than just a score given to you). A lot depends upon what your practice PSAT score was (does it look like you can make it to National Merit) and how disciplined you are to study these books on your own. Some kids just do better with a structured class.
In our case, we are very happy we spent the money on the PSAT-SAT prep courses.</p>
<p>I agree that you seem to be a great candidate for RHP. This year, they said that they wanted students with a minimum SAT of 2050, which I have a feeling you are going to hit. Interestingly, the mean SAT score for all USC admits this year was 2108! And doing well on the PSAT will help as well; USC likes having national merit finalists. If you get in to RHP, you will automatically qualify for a Dean's scholarship which is quarter tuition for all four years. If you are a national merit finalist (which would not be announced until after you've started your freshman year), you would qualify for a half tuition scholarship for your remaining three years. And you can also interview during the admissions process for a Presidential (half tuition) or Trustee (full tuition) scholarship for all four years.</p>
<p>RHP encourages its students to participate in the Thematic Options program, which is an honors liberal arts program that is available to 200 SC students by application as a way to fulfill general education requirements (RHP students are automatically in if they so choose). I would suggest checking out the TO website before preparing your application as it may give you an indication of what kind of students RHP is looking for (e.g., intellectually curious, intellectual breadth, etc.).</p>
<p>Volunteering at a nursing home is a great idea, even if you ultimately don't choose to specialize in geriatric medicine (I know you're on the fast track, but it's far too early to have that figured out already!). That said, USC does have one of the finest gerontology schools and centers in the world, and even if you don't choose to enroll in the gero school as an undergraduate, you may find I way to tie it into your nursing home work on your app. Good luck.</p>
<p>I love your idea of connecting an interest of volunteering at a nursing home with the USC Gerontology school. Even if a student does not want to major in Gerontology,perhaps a minor in Gerentology with the 6 yr. Bacc/MD program would be a great combination--particularly with the aging baby boom population needing more medical care.</p>
<p>Hey, mdcissp, ^^^ you're talking about me! I had the pleasure to meet the two fabulous doctors who head the Gerontology major and, since USC is one of the only (may be the only) university w/ this undergrad major, this tiny dept is one of the pride's of the school and doing fascinating research.</p>
<p>Thanks for the awesome suggestion. I REALLY like that idea, and I think it would not only be a great hook but that it would be an awesome program!
Thanks again! I'm really excited...</p>