Unusual Circumstances

<p>Hey. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to chance me.
I am currently a college junior. I am in a really unique situation, and I want to gauge my chances of getting into a top school. </p>

<p>The high school that I am in is located inside of a state university. Essentially, for my 10th and 11th grades, and next year in 12th, I have been taking a full college course load (15 credits or higher each semester, no high school classes) at the university, like any other college student. I’ve also taken a full college course load during the summer. So far, I have amassed over 60 college credits, which would be equivalent to being a university junior, and my college GPA is 3.96.</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Asian (1st generation immigrant, moved here when I was in 2nd grade)
Gender: Female
GPA : 3.91 (unweighted: 5.12 b/c the crapload of college courses)
Rank: our graduating class is about twenty five people, so we don’t do rank</p>

<p>Current Schedule (spring semester)
Organic Chemistry
Organic Chemistry Lab
Physics 2
Physics 2 Lab
Gender in Global Society
Biotechnology Lab
Microbiology
Microbiology Lab
Philosophy
Summer
Biological Basis of Behavior
Developmental Biology
Psychopharmacology</p>

<p>Fall
Comparative Animal Physiology
Ecology
Developmental Neurobiology
Psychology of Motivation</p>

<p>Stats</p>

<p>SAT: 730 Math, 780 Written, 800 CR
I’m taking it again in a few days; fingers crossed I’ll get a 2400.
SAT Subject Tests: 800 Bio M, 800 Chem, 800 Physics, 760 Lit</p>

<p>EC
Hospital Lab Intern (100 hours)
Nursing Home Volunteer (300 hours)
Pediatrician’s office volunteer (50 hours)
Research assistant at Biomedical Lab at the university (I’ve conducted research with biomolecular drug delivery systems in mice, and protein folding).
Lab assistant at Developmental Psychobiology Lab at the university (I’ve aided in research regarding cognition and memory in young children).
Research Assistant at a child research development facility on the university campus
research assistant at the biochemistry lab at Scripps – research with regards to pathways in the body for pharmaceuticals and sulfa drugs
Keenan Summer Internship at Scripps for High School Students - I’ll be doing this during the upcoming summer, and I will publish in a few online journals.
In addition, I’m working on directed independent study at the biomedical lab, and will publish before I start applying for colleges.
MENSA member
NHS president
Surgery Interest Group at the university – founding member
Film Club at the university
American Medical Student Association member
Awards/Honors: National Merit Semifinalist, not much else due to my unique situation</p>

<p>Recommendations: I have to get recommendations from professors, and my classes are lectures of 300+ people, so the recommendations will be good, but impersonal. I can also get a stellar one from my research mentor at Scripps, who happens to be a Stanford grad, and some good supplementary apps from my lab TA’s, who known me really well.</p>

<p>Essays/ Interviews: I feel like I can really do well here. I am really passionate, especially about research, and I have a lot of interesting things I can talk about to make me stand out (I don’t think many other applicants will have sequenced an entire mouse genome). Plus, I have a more compelling reason to attend many of these schools besides their rank; their amazing research facilities and opportunities. </p>

<p>I want to apply to top research schools:
Harvard
Stanford
MIT
Pretty much all of the Ivies
Caltech
Columbia
UPenn
U of Chicago
John Hopkins</p>

<p>Weaknesses: No flashy awards</p>

<p>I know Ivy League admissions are unpredictable, but do I have a chance? I still have a few months left before applying, so is there anything else I should be doing to improve my chances?</p>

<p>Oh gosh. Honestly, you seem brilliant. I don’t see you having a problem getting into UPenn, U of Chicago, and John Hopkins. I also think you’ll have a good chance at Harvard.</p>