Hi, I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for target schools for me as I’m kind of at a loss after a long time spent searching, and my finalized college list is due soon. For the record, I intend to major in biology and have a strong preference for schools that are a) in the east/midwest and b) have lots of available research opportunities.
Grade:
Average 92.5 UW over 8-11 grades. Consistent rising trend (8th grade is more like B+ while 11th is more like A) with all honors/AP classes. 3 APs in senior year.
Test Scores:
35 Composite ACT (36 reading/35 math/36 writing/34 science)
Extracurriculars:
4 years FRC Robotics, 390 total hours experience interning/volunteering/working at hospitals and medical centers, Copresident of animation club and on the board of Mediterranean Cultural Club, 1 year on track team, and babysitting.
Essay:
Decent??? I can’t really tell. Doubt it’ll carry me though.
Class Rank:
School does not report. Probably not super-high since school is kinda elite.
Misc:
National Merit Semifinalist
Anyway, based on these stats, I was wondering if schools like Emory might be good targets (in the hopes that high test scores/solid extracurriculars could compensate for lower gpa) but at the same time low admit rates and the like make me question that somewhat. What do you guys think? Any suggestions for target colleges? All responses appreciated.
Miscellaneous Info:
Male, Arab, Skipped a grade (so will start college at 16).
Expected Family Contribution ~ Maximum of about 8k a year, but due to low income and large family size I qualify for significant grant aid at a lot of the colleges I’m looking at.
No preference for college size, really, as long as it has decent opportunities and aid. TY for your time.
So I’ve never heard of colleges looking at 8th grade scores, so not sure that would help your GPA. Your GPA is going to be a hurdle for you. That ACT score is helpful though.
Your GPA makes Emory a reach. Tufts might be another reach to consider.
Some possible targets: Boston University, Bucknell, and Fairfield. All have good Bio departments.
Lol 8th grade actually hurts my gpa as a matter of fact. I just reported it that way cause that’s how my school keeps records.
recalculate your gpa for grades 9-11 so we can better evaluate. Also tell us more about your class rigor since you only showed your unweighted gpa.
Thanks for all the responses!
Recalculated grade is about a 93.5 for grades 9-11 (still with a rising trend throughout).
As for class rigor, all classes have been honors up to 11th grade where I took one AP (AP Bio) [school doesn’t have the option of taking APs before 11th grade, and allows a maximum of 2 during 11th grade]. Senior year schedule is AP Chemistry/ BC Calculus/ AP Psychology/ Contemporary American Literature/ Anatomy and Physiology/ Internal Medicine and Neurology.
Will you make National Merit Finalist?
If so, scholarships here may be of interest (but verify on school web sites):
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/
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Expected Family Contribution ~ Maximum of about 8k a year, but due to low income and large family size I qualify for significant grant aid at a lot of the colleges I’m looking at.
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If low income, can they really pay $8k per year?
What is their income?
Do your parents own a business? If so, what kind?
Emory, Michigan, and Tufts are not targets, especially if from out of state for Michigan
Income is low but a decent amount of money is saved up at the moment (8k a year quote is directly from my mother, not me). When using the net price calculator for the target/reach schools I was considering, pretty much all had expected family contributions that were within an affordable range. I’m also applying for a couple of FRC scholarships that I think I have a solid shot at. Not sure how I can tell if I’ll qualify for national merit finalist.
Yeah, I figured Tufts would definitely be a reach for me, and I am indeed out of state for Michigan (live in NYC).
Have you looked at Holy Cross, Bucknell or Villanova? They might be more on the safety end of a target school for you, but are very good schools
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Have you looked at Holy Cross, Bucknell or Villanova? They might be more on the safety end of a target school for you, but are very good schools
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Yeah, I'm definitely looking into those available options -- bucknell especially seems very nice to me. Since they're more in the vein of liberal arts colleges, I'm curious, which of the myriad of LACs in the northeast would you say have strong biology programs?
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Biology is a very broad major; you may want to look into the faculty rosters and course catalogs to see which schools have offerings that you are most interested in. This can help you find the best school for biology for you.
I’ve considered neuroscience, but since I don’t have very much experience with it I figured I’d try to take a course or two as early on as I could to see if it actually worked for me.
Within bio, though, I’m open to pretty much anything, and since I’ve never really taken a pathology course vs a biochemistry course I’d rather not shoehorn myself into one field yet.
You may want to look in the faculty rosters and course offerings of the biology departments of various schools to see if they have a wide range of subarea offerings, so that you can decide later. A biology department with limited subarea offerings may be effectively eliminating some possible subareas of interest if you choose to go to that school.
You should look at schools that tend to target high test scores. Wash U is a possibility, with excellent research opportunities. You should also look at Rice, next to the largest hospital in the US.
Good luck!