Hi guys, I am currently a high school senior. I have recently been accepted to Rutgers SEBS and wait listed at SAS. I’m going to retake my ACT and try to aim above a 30 in order to get accepted into SAS. (33 is my goal). I’m originally from Florida and I just wanted to get your opinion on whether I should go to Rutgers then transfer as a sophomore to Cornell or Columbia.
My HS GPA is not too hot it’s a 3.7/4.0 unweighted. I slacked off a lot during freshman year and I thought my academic career was over but I turned my life around and brought my grades up. I am now a senior taking 6 AP classes (APGov, Macro, Statistics, Physics, Psychology, Literature). I have been recognized for some awards and honors. But my ECs are close to nonexistent. I have always wanted to go to a prestigious college, in fact my dream school has always been Stanford, but that’s a long shot now…
I am planning on double majoring in pre-med and either astrophysics or biochemistry in Rutgers. (i’m stuck between the two.) I’m also going to join a lot more ECs and just build up my application before transferring into one of my dream schools. I feel like I would benefit greatly from Cornell or Columbia academically and career wise. (I want to become neurosurgeon and have my Ph.d. in astrophysics.) So, I just wanted to get your opinion if this was a smart choice… Like do I have a chance and do you guys have any tips or recommendations on what I should do?
The way I see it, you’re probably going to have to wait until your sophomore year to transfer (unless in your first semester at Rutgers you do REALLY, REALLY well and distinguish yourself extracurricularly). You seem to have turned thins around in high school, but there may not be enough evidence currently to show that you’re where those schools want you to be. Nonetheless, there’s no harm in giving an application a go after your first semester. My overall advice is: do as well as you can academically taking difficult courses, distinguish yourself extracurricularly, and find a compelling reason for why you need to transfer (not just because you want more prestige, because who doesn’t?)
If you want to attend medical school, your best option is to get good grades at a reputable public university at the lowest possible cost. High GPA and high MCAT score are more important than the name of the school.
If you do want to transfer to a higher-ranked university after a couple of years at a state school, your target school will not care much about ECs. Focus on maximizing your GPA.
enceladus wrote:
Neurosurgery: 4 years college + 4 years med school + 1 year general surgery internship + 6 years neurosurgery residency: total 15 years
Astrophysics: Phd Program 5 years
Grand total: 20 years
I don’t think this is a wise choice, especially since the two fields are so completely separate. Sometimes having a PhD and going to med school makes sense, especially if the fields overlap.