<p>I am a high school senior getting ready to apply to colleges now and I know that I want to go into neuroscience. I have pretty good credentials so I plan on applying to some Ivy League schools like Brown, Dartmouth, Princeton, UPenn, and Yale. I understand, though, that acceptance into Ivy League schools is unpredictable and I probably won't make it into any of these schools. I plan on applying to other schools as well for this reason like Johns Hopkins, Washington University in St. Louis, and Duke. These schools are also very selective, though, so I need some safety schools that would have good neuroscience programs.<br>
Here are some of my credentials:</p>
<p>-2nd in my class of 559
-4.67 Cumulative GPA (4.0 unweighted)
-35 composite ACT (English: 36, Reading: 36, Math: 33, Science: 33)
-2300 SAT score (Reading: 770, Math: 760, Writing: 770)
-232 PSAT score (National Merit Semifinalist)
-AP Scholar with Honors (US History: 5, Lang. and Comp.: 5, Chemistry: 4, Calc AB: 3 (I plan on doing better on Calc BC))
-760 SAT Chemistry; 750 SAT US History
-Played on the varsity tennis team
-2nd place at the National Academic Games Competition in World Events in 2009 and 2011; 3rd place in 2010
-Captain of the Academic Games Team
-Senator in Student Council in 12th grade (VP in 9th grade, Pres in 10th grade, Representative in 11th grade)
-PA Youth and Government (speech and debate)
-Volunteering at the local library
-National Honor Society
-Founded the school bowling team
-Attended the BASF Science Academy (I was selected; did not have to pay)
-Worked as a tutor at Kumon Math and Reading Center</p>
<p>I'm sure that I have a small chance of making it into one of the schools listed above, but I obviously also want some schools that I am sure to get into, or at least have a fairly good chance. Please comment and thank you.</p>
<p>I also think you are a good match for Emory, and their neuroscience is excellent. Safeties --definitely Pitt, and maybe Case Western (you could get merit $$ from both of these). and Rochester. Maybe also Rhodes or Davidson?</p>
<p>OP, what is your financial situation? As a NMF(which you almost certainly will be) you will be eligible for a free(or near free) education from many fine state universities in various parts of the country. Your stats should also open many doors. Mine were very similar to yours and I was accepted to schools like Vandy, Duke, WashU, etc., and ended up taking a full ride at my state flagship. I really believe that the financial benefits of a free UG education are much greater than the marginal differences in program quality between schools.</p>
<p>as an nmf you would get a full ride at UAB. they have a fairly new neuroscience program, think it has been around for 4 years? one graduating class so far, </p>
<p>one thing to seriously consider OP, is the type of Neuro you might want to focus on. In general, Neuro is divided into three foci’s: bio-related, psych-related, and math/comp sci-focused.</p>
<p>Most larger Unis offer all three, but UCLA, for example, is heavy math/comp-sci. LAC’s that offer Neuro, like Muhlenberg, tend to be psych-focused (learning/motivation). </p>
<p>You should review the college’s upper division Neuro requirements to see if they are of interest to you.</p>
<p>You have a good chance to go to Case for practically free, if money is a concern. You did not state your plans after UG, but if Med. School is your goal, then having full ride/full tuition Merti award in UG would be a definite plus. However, if you are planning to go to Med. School, it does not matter what UG you choose, pretty much amy will do and no matter where you go, you will be challenged plenty, mcuh more than you can think of now…</p>
<p>I do plan on going to medical school after my undergraduate degree. Does your comment mean that medical schools do not take into account what school you go to for your undergraduate? If so, what are their main focuses?</p>
<p>Generally speaking med schools do not care where you go for undergrad.</p>
<p>What do med schools look for at admission time?</p>
<p>1) GPA + MCAT </p>
<p>This is the first level of screening done by med schools. At many schools this is an automated process done by a computer program.</p>
<p>2)[state residency], LORs, ECs (bench or clinical research, medical volunteering, physician shadowing, community service, leadership positions held, other non-medical interests), personal statement, how well your application profile matches the school’s mission. </p>
<p>Second level of screening. This will cause you to receive/not receive an interview invitation.</p>
<p>3) interview </p>
<p>Single most important factor in making the decision to admit or reject you</p>
<p>"…medical schools do not take into account what school you go to for your undergraduate?If so, what are their main focuses?"
-College GPA, MCAT score, medical EC’s, sociable personality, first 2 might either open the door or shut it closed.
They might consider some non-medical EC’s to match certain charitable / volunteering activities at specific Med. School. As an example (please, take it strictly as example and keep in mind that these are NOT so important, just some mini pluses on application), in D’s case, there were several things that seem to result in certain activities at her Med. School:
-Music Minor
-Tutoring job in UG (Supplemental Instructor working for Gen. Chem prof.)
-Spanish</p>