seeking to major in physics or bio

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I need help finding/deducting colleges where I would enjoy going to based on my preferences and I'd like an idea of where I can actually go...</p>

<p>I have an extremely strong interest in physics and most likely want to major in it. (but I've been looking into biophysics because I'm uncertain if I want to go into medicine after college [but would probably like to pursue some kind of graduate study if that matters :)])</p>

<p>About me:
I live on Long Island (Suburbia U.S.A. lol), white catholic male, coming from a family w/ both parents and a younger brother.</p>

<p>My school is a well-accredited public school.</p>

<p>Stats:
Class Percentile: 1%
Class Size: 750ish
Unweighted GPA: 3.89
Weighted GPA: 4.02</p>

<p>Test Scores:
ACT w/ Writing (6/05) (i called early cuz i'm a loser :-P)
[ul]
Composite-31 (98th Percentile)
English-32 (98th)
Math-35 (99th)
Reading-28 (87th)
Science-30 (97th)
[/ul]
AP
[ul]
Biology (2004)-5
Physics B (2005)-4
English Lang (2005)-3
[/ul]
SATI (3/05-first offering)***
[ul]
Math-710
Reading-600
Writing-540
[/ul]
SATII***
[ul]
BiologyM (6/04)-700
MathIC (6/04)-640
Physics (6/05)-700
MathIIC (6/05)-690
[/ul]
***-its been a concern of mine whether or not to even send my SAT grades in because it seems to hurt me more than anything. please give advice </p>

<p>Courseload (Grades):
(note: R is for Regents/Regular, H is Honors, AP is AP)
(A=4, B+=3.5, B=3 - any AP adds another point for GPA [ex:A=5])
8th- German 1, Math 8H (A/B+)
9th- Concert Band, Design and Drawing, Earth Science R, English R, German 2, Global History R, Health, Math 9H, Gym (A/A/A/B/A/A/A/A/A)
10th- AP Bio, Concert Band, English R, German 3, Global History R, Math 10H, Gym (A/A/A/A/A/B+/A)
11th- AP English Lang., AP Physics, German 4, Math 11H, Symphonic Band, Gym, U.S. History R (B+/A/A/A/A/A/A)
12th- AP American Gov, AP Calculus, AP Chem, AP Eng. Lit, AP Physics w/ Calc, College German, Economics R (independent study), Symphonic Band, Gym</p>

<p>Extracirriculars:
[ul]
Baseball (9/11, no varsity letter yet :()
Positive Edge (10)
Math Honor Society (10/11/12)
German Honor Society (10/11/12, elected treasurer in 11th)
Math Tutoring (60 Hours)
Volunteer at the hospital (I'm looking into it, if I do, it'll be at least 30 hours, probably more like 50-60)?
Sales Associate at Sears (11/12)
20+ Hours for Various Activities
[/ul]</p>

<p>Awards and Acheivements:
9th
[ul]Section Principal- Tenor Sax
4th Place on Long Island of the AATG (German, Level 2) Test
AATG Certificate of Merit
Rated excellent on Tenor Sax in NYSSMA (Level 4 of 6)
[/ul]
10th
[ul]
Section Principal- Bari Sax
Rated 91/100 on Alto Sax in NYSSMA (Level 5 of 6)
[/ul]
11th
[ul]
Certificate of Appreciation for German
League of American Poets Contest Winner (no it's not a scam, my name/work is actually on their website under 'Contest Winners')
Elected treasurer of German Honor Society
[/ul]
12th
[ul]
Section Principal- Bari Sax
...and hopefully more :)
[/ul]</p>

<p>My Preferences in a school
[list]
Urban or Suburban Setting
Mid-Atlantic, New England Area (anywhere north, as far south as NC, as far west as Ohio)
Not worried about cost, yet...lol...
I don't want a small, liberal arts college
Not a big fan of the frat scene lol... although it's not that big of a deal
Research is not of a concern
Sports/music are not a huge concern</p>

<p>Thank you so much for reading and a lot more if you do help me out...</p>

2

<p>You should come to MIT, but only if you're awesome. Are you awesome?</p>

3

<p>lol i'm awesome but i don't think i'm getting into MIT. be realistic :)</p>

4

<p>I disagree. I know people with similar stats who have gotten in. Grades are the most important thing, and you're strong there. Your SATs are low for MIT, so I would recommend taking them again. I think if you get above a 1400 that would be enough. Then all you need is some kind of special thing to set you apart. Everybody who applies to MIT has good grades and about a 1400 or above. It's the activities you pursue to a level of excellence and a creative and hardworking personality that get you in. (And luck) I honestly think that with your stats you should give it a try. Of course this is a reach so you should also look into lots of other schools.</p>

5

<p>Boston University, University of Rochester, George Washington, Fordham, Skidmore</p>

<p>Cornell would be a great reach.</p>

6

<p>Your credentials are quite good and you are going to get into a good school. You have an excellent GPA/rank and your math SAT will open some eyes. You definitely should plan on taking them again, most people will improve by ~50 points just by the experience of a re-take and you can increase that further if you actually study for them or take a prep class. Obviously the writing is the weakest and colleges aren't quite sure how to use those scores yet. Not sure what's out there for writing prep, but if you are using this site, you are a pretty motivated kid and I think you can find something to help you for the next time. Keep in mind that most if not all colleges will use your best scores when making comparisons to other kids.</p>

<p>As to schools, I would definitely consider Rutgers which has very strong physics and bio. It would be a safety for you if you were in-state but will be a match as an out-of-stater. For match/reaches I would consider the Boston schools (Brandeis, Tufts, BC, BU). U Rochester has a very good science program and I think you would be competitive for admission there especially if you can bring up your writing to the 600 range (they are heavy on the sciences and will look favorably on your math SAT). U Maryland, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, would be other possibilities. If you are willing to reconsider your southern boundry I would recommend taking a look at Tulane (New Orleans/Tulane is a lot less like the south than NC for sure). Good luck!</p>

7

<p>thanks for your help...</p>

<p>collegedad, when you said "match/reaches" for the boston schools (and the others), which ones would you consider for me as matches and which ones as reaches (with my current stats)</p>

<p>what would change if my SAT score changed?</p>

<p>thanks...</p>

8

<p>In terms of selectivity, I would rank Tufts and Brandeis the highest, with BC and BU a little lower down. It's hard to know how to factor the new writing SAT but by the old system I would say that if you had a math/verbal in the mid to high 1300's you would be a match with your GPA for Tufts and Brandeis (keep in mind that only 30-50% of matches are accepted, although your GPA and class rank[~7/700?] would probably give you a higher percentage). By your current math/verbal SAT you are probably a match for BC, BU but again your writing will hurt you to some degree but by an unspecified degree. Again, I think just by retaking the SAT and with a little prep you will bring your math/verbal into a definite match with all 4. Its the writing that is an unknown factor. You will be competing with kids you have similar math/verbal and a writing SAT in the 600's. So I thik that if you can bring up the writing to the low to mid 600's and raise the others by 50 or so you will be very competive for all of them. And if you could bring up your SATs to be in the 700 range for each than I would agree with msd that you would become a match for the highest elite schools. But again keep in mind that a "match" does not mean you will definitely get in. It just means that you are average for those that do get in. But of that pool only a fraction are actually accepted and for the elite schools like MIT it's a pretty small fraction. We never know how they make that final decision but for the more selective schools the final factor may be the spark or uniqueness that comes across on an essay or interview or your EC's as well as the difficulty and success of the individual courses that you took. Finally, do relax as you are going to get into a good school somewhere. :-)</p>

9

<p>i haven't looked at a map in a long time so i don't know if illinois is too far west. I suggest U.Chicago for physics, can't beat it, the ****ing nuclear bomb was invented there.</p>

10

<p>You didn't look at the ACT. His composite is a 31. If he didn't sumbit the SAT scores he would be fine for Cornell, U Rochester, BC,BU, and UChicago (very slight reach).</p>

11

<p>


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<p>thats a major question that id like to have more opinions on. should i send SAT scores in, or just ACT? benefits/consequences... thanks again for being helpful...</p>

12

<p>Only send the ACT because your SAT-IIs aren't awesome. There are a few schools that want SAT-IIs with ACT scores, but I don't think you are appling to them.</p>