Junior
GPA (UW): 4.2105
Weighted: 4.5225
SAT: 1460, planning to retake
SAT II (Bio/M): 800
APs: Bio - 5
I plan to take the test for AP Lang and AP Calc, maybe AP psych
ECs:
Culture Appreciation Club
Founded a school-wide campaign
-Secretary since 2017
-Active member since 2017
Pre-Medicine CLub
-Treasurer 2017-18
-Organized various fundraisers and donations for pancreatic cancer
-organize school awareness months for varying ailments
Happy Birthday
-making birthday cards for kids in foster care (since 2017)
Student ambassador
-represent the school, give tours, that type of thing
NHS
Sports:
Krav Maga (2017 to present)
Volunteer:
Church organization to present
Summer activities:
Research intern for only one summer
Volunteered at a hospital for only one summer
I welcome extreme criticism, snarky remarks are not.
In addition to my chances, please present what you think might better my application. thakn you.
You have competitive stats, especially if you can get your SAT above 1500 but I don’t have a read about your course rigor. Are you saying you will only have 4 APs by the end of senior year?
If JHU is your top choice and you don’t have to chase merit $, apply ED. It gives a major boost.
Your GPA is kinda hard to interpret since most people here have seen UW that are on the 4.0 scale. What scale does your school use so we can look at it in perspective?
Stats: SAT needs to be improved (you already know that, aim for 1500+), You probably would benefit taking another subject test like math 2 or physics because some colleges require 2. Also, it will make you look like a stronger STEM applicant.
ECs: Nothing special. However, I think if you can write about your treasurer position and how it impacted the local medical community, you might have something. Also, talk about the happy birthday thing. Although I don’t know the details, you could make it into a really cool college essay.
Awards: none listed. I hope you have some related to STEM
Summer activities: Here is where you can make or break it. You need to write extensively about your experiences as an intern and as a volunteer. Through these experiences, colleges can gauge how far you’ve delved into the medical field and how you have shown your interest in biology (i’m assuming that’s your major?)
Recommendations:
You are still a junior, so you have time to make your application super strong. My first priority for you would be taking the SAT and the SAT subjects. Once you have those down, start looking into summer programs / internships that can show your commitment to JHU / the biology field. Here are some really good options:
Internship:
Cold email some professors at JHU that are doing research you are interested in.
Attend a summer program at JHU that focuses on premed.
Summer Programs:
If you are in California, maybe look at COSMOS and SIMR
Otherwise, here are some alternatives:
SSRP
HSHSP
RMP at UCSB
BU RISE
SSTP
SSP
RSI
I wish you the best of luck! PM me if you need any help or want any other advice!
I will have taken six AP courses, 7 tests by the end of my high school career. I take solely honors classes with exception of regular level theology courses as required by my school.
I am taking two right now. Hoping to take three next year. Apologies for the confusion. Do I really have competitive stats? I am truly going ot try to get my SAT above 1500, so I’m hoping that’s an extra boost.
By the way, my volunteer thing at my church is a club similar to girl scouts which I have been a member of since kindergarten and a volunteer since 8th grade.
Thank you very much for the response, I appreciate it. In hindsight, I can see how various portions of my post are vague. If it helps provide context, my lowest grade ever was a 92.48 in an honors course. I’m on a 4.3 scale.
Something I left out on my EC but is largely subjective: I run a blog about cultural awareness.
I’m definitely taking a second SAT subject test, probably Math II.
The only (relevant) awards I have were awarded by my school.
AP Bio, Alg 2
Community Service
Active School Member.
As for the awards, it would have been nice if you had some sort of science fair or olympiad award. However, these aren’t necessary. If you want, I would recommend you looking into Intel STS. IDK if you are into science fairs but I think you may be able to boost your application with them.
I’m restricted on time lately, but I am using weekends and the coming winter break to really catch up and get ahead in all of my classes. I will definitely look into Intel STS, I am definitely interested in science and have done intensive (or maybe not intensive, but definitely more than the average student) studying on the subject. How likely is it that I win some type of position for such a science fair? Just from looking at it, it’s national, so I assume it’s highly competitiv.e
I agree that raising your SAT to over 1500 and taking the Math 2 and one other science subject test would help. Obviously, awards are helpful but it would also be good if you are an active member of a science league (if your school has)- many high schools participate in local competitions but you could also qualify for the state competition,etc. Also, if you have the opportunity to take the AMC test or participate in Physics Olympics or MathWorks Modeling Challenge (formerly Moody’s Mega Math). I also think that your blog may provide the basis for a good essay topic that may be more memorable than some others. Good luck!