<p>Wow, 245+ views and no responses. Only on CC. ;] </p>
<p>I'm a sophomore too. You are clearly on an excellent academic track - I can't believe your school lets you take 5 AP classes sophomore year. That would basically exhaust the AP curriculum at my school. Anyway...</p>
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*First, which colleges should I be looking to for undergraduate studies?
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That's such a broad question. It all depends. Do you prefer the East Coast or the West Coast, or somewhere in the middle? Do you see yourself in an urban setting or a rural setting, or maybe a suburban one? I'll assume you want to attend a private institution, but do you want to be at a large research university or a small liberal arts college, or perhaps a small college within a university? What programs of study are most important to you (e.g., bioengineering, journalism, political science, &c.)? Obviously I could go on. The best thing for you to do would be to compile a list of important college characteristics, and start your college search based off of that. My personal example: I want to be in an urban setting on the East Coast, at a private university that offers great opportunities for interdisciplinary study, research, and study abroad -- so I've selected schools such as Columbia, Brown, NYU, and a few others. And remember, you need good reaches, good matches, and good safeties, but I'm sure you know.</p>
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Second, what should I do for the rest of high school to prepare for applying to these colleges? What kind of SAT's should I take, what scores should I aim for, what kind of extracurriculars would be a good idea? Any other tips and information would be greatly appreciated.*
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The SAT's question is the easiest, so I'll answer that one first. You should generally aim for a 2200+ when applying to very competitive schools. Anything a little below that range is probably fine, as long as the rest of your application is superb. Most competitive colleges require at least two SAT Subject tests, and certain programs may require specific tests, but as a rule, you should take them in your strongest subjects. A science and humanities combo is a good choice also, but it all depends on what you're good at.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars...there isn't any specific "kind" you need. You simply need to show depth and passion in some particular field. A laundry list of scattered ECs is obviously a bad idea, but if you truly are a well-rounded person with multiple interests, you should emphasize that in your essays, and tie it all together with some sweeping theme. (Say you like photography, research applied psychology, play the violin, and are in the Computer Club. In your essays, you could say your passion is the multiple levels of communication. Or something like that.)</p>
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*Also, I have heard things about BA/MD programs, but I'm not sure what these programs are and their benefits.
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I've heard things too! I looked into it and a limited number of schools in the country offer this program. From what I can tell, they are highly competitive -- you basically have to make them believe that you, a high school student, are a good candidate for med school. The typical route is to do undergrad and then med school, which is eight years, but these programs are only seven, combining the bachelor of arts (sometimes b of science) and medical degrees. Making it in is definitely beneficial. Come junior year, most premeds are stressing about MCATs and applying and getting into med schools, but you will already have a secured place; it's a lot off your back.</p>
<p>Anyway, hope I was helpful. :]</p>