What are my chances of getting into Harvard? (Brownie points if you give more tips!)

[collegemom3717]

Talking about LAC’s:

Many of their classes provide more broader knowledge (correct me if I’m wrong), whereas universities might be better fit (at least for me) because their classes are tailored towards my career choice. It almost seems as if they are providing knowledge without giving it too much application (not that their courses are inferior, of course).these concepts taught in universities will be better in helping me through my MCATs and medical college. With universities, I feel like I can apply my learned concepts in a laboratory,

To which I counter:

[quote]
Incorrectly, many people think that the more prestigious an undergraduate college is, the better the chances are for a student to get into med school. Not true. Acceptance into medical programs often has more to do with how students maximize the resources and opportunities provided at whatever college they happen to attend. As it happens, small, liberal arts colleges often offer the best preparation for medical school because students have greater access to accessible professors who actually teach and mentor them. Undergraduate research opportunities also tend to be more available at small colleges./quote

From [url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-hansen-shaevitz/so-you-want-to-go-to-medi_b_5347725.html]this[/url] post, which has some useful info for highschoolers interested in med school

You say ‘maybe even JHU’ as if it was a step down from Harvard or Stanford: be clear: for medical research, it is not.

let me ask you this: how many people do you know who have a twin brother (your own identical twin brother who is your exact blood) who is mentally challenged?

Do not make the mistake of thinking that this fact will even slightly tip the balance. How you have responded to this fact: the work that you have done, your passion for doing something about it: those actions and that commitment may tip the balance, but you would not believe the range of experiences, life circumstances and obstacles that applicants have faced. Truly: you would not believe it- I think that there is almost nothing that the AdComms at HYPS haven’t heard! What will impress them is what you have achieved in response to the facts of your life, not the facts themselves.