I’m currently a junior and I want to become a physician. I’m aiming at top schools (Ivies, Northwestern, BU, John Hopkins) that have commendable undergrad resources for premeds.
I want to participate in the Siemens competition and have recently found a mentor who is willing to guide me through the research. He says that he wants me to be at the lab for 2 hours everyday though. 1.5 hours at a minimum.
I really want to engage in research and I find it fascinating after the work I did in the same lab over the summer but I’m not sure if I have the type of time.
I’m currently a 4.0 UW student and hope to keep it that way.
This year my course load is AP Physics 2, AP Calculus BC, AP US History, AP English Lang and Composition, PLTW-Medical Interventions, PLTW-Biomedical Innovations, Honors Anatomy and Physiology.
As you can see this is a rigorous schedule and maintaining an A grade in all of these would be tough.
Do you think it is worth it for me to delve this deep into the Siemens project? Is it alright if my grade takes a small hit? How high should I get for it to be worth it if my GPA lowers - Semifinalist, Regional finalist, National finalist? How much of a boost is the Siemens competition for college applications?
Reaching the highest level of a science fair competition can definitely make your application stand out when applying to elite colleges. My son was lucky enough to participate as a finalist in the Intel International Science and Engin Fair, and he got into his top choice college. I’ve watched the other kids from our area who have been finalists and many have done very well, as well - going on to top 10 colleges. However, most kids that participate want to become a finalist - you can’t be sure that your project will make it to the highest level. So ask yourself if the research will still be worth it, even if you don’t reach the highest level?
For Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Brown, probably not worth it at all if it knocks your grades down even a little. For others, a top three finish at the national finals could be worth a small drop in grades.
@SueAnneW
Wow congratulations for your son! I’m not too familiar with the ISEF competition but I’m sure finalist is a big deal. If I may ask what were his grades/test scores like and where did he end up going?
@theloniusmonk
I don’t think I’m allowed to drop courses at this point till 2nd semester…
@tdy123
Do you really think those top colleges post that much of an emphasis on your grades? I’ll be sure not to slip up this year then!
Siemens results come out in senior year, well after the ED results are in. So are you sure you want to spend time doing this? It might be helpful if you’re looking for scholarship money.
Otherwise Intel ISEF might be a better choice. The ISEF takes place in May each year, and requires you to win your local state fair to get an invite as a finalist.
“Do you really think those top colleges post that much of an emphasis on your grades? I’ll be sure not to slip up this year then!”
It’s not just grades, it’s the classes you take compared to you peers at the HS, taking advantage of what the HS offers in terms of honors and APs. The average unweighted GPAs for even the top schools is a 3.8-ish, so a few Bs are fine, as long as you’re challenging yourself. Anyway do this if you’re really interested in it without thinking too much on how it impacts college. This is a good opportunity so I’d take advantage of it, but only you know your capabilities. APUSH is a serious time sink at most HS and with APLAC you’ll be doing a lot of reading, analysis, writing, so it would depend on how you can handle the physics and calculus courses. If those come easier to you, then consider it.
@Bahubalo My son’s final average was between 97 and 98, which put him in the top 5 percent of his class. He applied early to Harvard, got in and is going there. From what I’ve observed, the kids that get into HYPS from our county are near the top of their class (top 5 percent), and have something extra (like my son went to ISEF and won an award there). Except for the recruited athletes, of course, they often have lower GPAs (just an observation…). Best of luck with your studies and science projects!
@sgopal2
I actually looked at the Siemens competition schedule for this year and apparently they announce Semifinalists and even Regional finalists by October 17 which is before the deadline for most ED schools. Also, national winners are announced by December itself so it is in time for ALL regular decision schools. I think I’ll be fine timing wise, just got to make sure that the efforts will bear the fruit.
@theloniusmonk
Ok thank you for your clarification - that’s along the lines of what I was thinking as well. I believe I’m the number 1 or 2 right now in my class of 500. I’ve taken the highest level of courses available to me and have maintained a 4.0 throughout so unless someone is just having many more APs than I have (at 7 right now) then I should be in the top. APUSH is a pretty big timesink but I’m reading through AMSCO which I believe is just like a shortened “review” textbook. APLAC in our school isn’t too much work (at least not so far fingers crossed), so I think I should be fine.
@SueAnneW
That’s amazing that your son went to Harvard! I don’t think I’m good enough to be a recruited athlete at Harvard (I play tennis and my national ranking isn’t high enough).