Hi everyone! I’m a white, female junior in high school, and before you know it I’ll be applying to schools. Based on the information provided, what kind of school would take me? I had a sophomore overall GPA of 97.78, and currently have a 99 GPA. I had one AP class last year and the year before (that’s all my school would offer) and now am taking two. However, I plan to be taking 5, with additional honors classes. I have recently published two articles in my local newspaper, contribute a lot of time to volunteer service, and have a part-time job year round (with a full time one as a camp counselor in the summer). I’m the president of the HOSA chapter in my school, a nationally regarded organization for students wanting to pursue medical careers in the future and will soon be the president of Prom Committee. I do both winter and spring track. What do you guys think?
90% of the colleges in the US would probably take you- but I’m betting that’s not what you are looking to hear. I’m guessing that you are looking for 'wow! with a GPA like that and all those great EC’s you should be aiming for <insert top="" 20ish=""> college(s).
Part of the reason that I think that is that you tell us absolutely nothing about what is important to you in a college. Of course, discerning what you want in a college is a big part of Junior year/summer, so fair enough- but you have to give us something to work with. Basics include financial considerations, characteristics such as region and size, and fields of study you are interested in.
Btw, you don’t mention any test scores, which will matter to many of the tippy top schools.
Yes, much will depend on test scores. Your info,is too vague. Are you looking for big, with lots of school spirit and football, small with small classes and close contact with professors? Something in between? I strongly recommend you get something such as the Fiske Guide, or Princeton review. You need to start thinking about what is important to you in a college. Also, please get started soon. When my D was a junior, we finished all,our college visits by the April break. You do not want to be scurrying around visitng colleges when your senior year starts. The beginning of Senior year should be about getting college essays written, working hard in good grades, retaking any tests if necessary, and also enjoying yourself a bit. Not sure where you live, but I recommend using the Feb break to visit colleges. Many juniors do,this. And if you can’t afford to, or your parent can’t take you, start researching. Come up with an initial,list from a guide book. Example: when my D started, there were 50 colleges on the long list. Lots of research on the Internet led to,the list being reduced to 30, and so on. We visited the really interesting schools that we were able to, whihc helped my D whittle the list more. She realized she didn’t want preppy, sporty, big, or urban colleges pretty quickly, which helped eliminate a lot of choices. I am afraid it really does take some work on your part. And yes, people on CC are very helpful, but give them a little more to go on.
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Regarding your target schools, if you aspire to become a physician, where you go for undergrad is not as important. What is important is getting an undergrad GPA above 3.6 and scoring high on your MCATs. However, if you are super-ambitious and want to attend a top-tier undergrad schools with elite medical programs, some of those schools include: Harvard, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Washington University, Emory University, UCLA, USC, Stanford and the list goes on and on. Good luck.
What’s your GPA?
What can your family afford?
Do you want a midwestern, east/west coast school?
Do you want an urban/suburban/rural campus?
What are you interested in studying?