I have an unweighted GPA of 3.899 and a 1520 on the SAT (I’m retaking it in August in hopes of getting a 1550+). I have taken the molecular biology subject test and got a 780, which is 89th percentile. I have taken all honors or higher classes in high school. I took AP Biology my sophomore year and received a 4 on the AP exam. In my current year (junior year), I’m taking five AP courses (US History, Calculus BC, Physics C: M, Chemistry, and Computer Science A) and two IB courses (IB English 11 HL, and IB French 4 HL). I plan on taking the chemistry and math II subject tests in June and plan to do well on them. Outside of school, I play tennis. I also volunteer from 9am - 2pm each Saturday at my local hospital (250+ hours) and volunteer hours each month at a senior center (~25 hours). I also started my own club at school that fundraisers and gives gifts to underprivileged children, those in foster homes and orphanages, in my area during the holiday season. I am also shadowing a doctor at a local hospital (~10 hours). During the summer between my sophomore and junior year, I had a summer job. My high school is also top 10 in the state, so it is relatively competitive. I am thinking about going into the medical field. Taking all of this into consideration, what are some safety, realistic, and reach colleges for me? Finance is not an issue.
What state are you from?
What do you want in a college or university? Large or small? Big city, small town, or rural?
I’m from Pennsylvania and I’m looking for a medium to large sized college. I would prefer it be on the east coast. Being close to a city would be nice, but I’d be fine with a rural college.
As an example of a match school, you might like the University of Rochester.
How qualified would I be for Ivy League schools?
I would suggest you look at UPitt, they have a good medical program and are close and in a city. If money is not an issue your could ED at the school of your choice and that would increase your chance a lot esp with a IVY.
I don’t think that it is unreasonable to submit an application to some elite schools. However, most of your focus should be on other schools. Schools like Case Western sound like they may be of interest to you. The reality is that it is very difficult to suggest school because you really don’t have a lot of requirements.
“How qualified would I be for Ivy League schools?”
I think that you have a chance. They would be reaches. Brown might be a reach. Harvard might be a high reach. Your grades and SAT would not stop you from attending an Ivy League university. However, the large majority of applicants will have stats which are just as good, and the acceptance rate at Ivy League universities is quite low.
We might wildly guess that something like half of the accepted incoming freshmen at Ivy League schools have some sort of “hook”, such as being legacy, some sort of major award, or being URM. Maybe 1/5 of the applicants are just not qualified. This would put your chances of being accepted to an Ivy League university as lower than the overall acceptance rate, but better than 1/2 of the overall acceptance rate.
Something like McGill or Toronto might be a near safety. They are both in very attractive relatively large cities. They would not necessarily be a great choice for a premed student due to the alleged grade deflation at both of these schools.
I would hope that Penn State would be a safety for you due to your great stats plus the fact you you are in-state. However, we are not from Pennsylvania (spelling it is a challenge) and thus I do not really know much about it. My wild guess is that BU and Northeastern would similarly be relatively safe. Whether either would be worth the price is something that you and your family would need to figure out. UVM might be something to consider (this is the University of Vermont – the abbreviation comes from the Latin for university of the green mountains). You would probably qualify for a merit scholarship at UVM and it is in a very attractive small city.
Would second-tier schools such as JHU, Rice, Duke, and NYU be more viable options?
“Would … JHU, Rice, Duke, and NYU be more viable”
I am hard pressed to think of Johns Hopkins as “second tier”. I think of it has having one of the strongest medical schools in the world. I do think that you are competitive for these schools. I would not call any of them safeties, but I think that they are realistic for you to consider.
I’m planning on turning the club I started at school into a nonprofit organization. Would this boost my chances of getting into colleges like JHU, Rice, Duke, and NYU?
Roughly 280 to 300 non athlete, non legacy, non employee connected, non billionaire, non politically elite, non traditionally hooked US applicants per year, per gender are accepted to Harvard.
Vast majority to USA based students.
So 46000 applying. 10000 at least at the statistical top of their classes. Double that are qualified for entry imho.
That’s your realistic chances. The other ivies are nearly the same.
Impossible no, 300 students worldwide in my example are accepted. Maybe 3500 to 4000 across all the ivies outside of the
the preference groups mentioned.
Nearly so. Yes.
Thank you, for your input. I know my chances of getting into an Ivy League are minimal, to say the most. However, I was just wondering about getting into colleges such as NYU, JHU, Duke, and Rice.
It only requires one to say yes. Of course one or more could be a possibility. It’s about reasonable expectations and probabilities. If you want assurance you must apply to schools beyond that uber elite level, in terms of selectivity as opposed to quality, as well.
Most importantly is to make sure the college is affordable for you and your family - upfront.
Money isn’t an issue. My parents stated that they would cover my college fees and they urge me to accept the best college I get into, regardless of the financial aid that has been provided.
Excellent. Expand your list to include options that are nearly guaranteed, likely and then the rest. You’ll have choices. None of the top 200 colleges and universities in the USA are not fantastic opportunities and offer incredible educational outcomes.
Thank you for your advice! Are there any you would recommend?
https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/
This is my personal go to list. It blends different size schools.
I would start with the top 100 and start with some virtual tours. Build a list of 30 or so and start focusing down on your options.
Come back with 5 nearly assured based on your research. 10 in the middle. 5 most selective.
People here will help you realign and cull based on your personal goals and preferences.
Being international you may have to go to 200 on the lists to find nearly assured. You might find some you would love.
I think you misunderstood my question, I live in Pennsylvania, so I will be a domestic student. Sorry for the mix-up!
Sorry. Same advice and you can stay in the top 100 imho. Better odds now that I see you are from PA.
Obviously Pitt and penn state are first stops for you. Personally love Pitt.