<p>Hi. Okay so I am now becoming a senior in high school in Maryland with a cumulative GPA of a 3.43 (I had a 3.43 during my freshman, sophomore and junior year) and my SAT score is a 1900. I took 4 AP classes during my junior year (Calc AB, Bio, Psych, and WHAP) and I'm taking 4 AP classes during my senior year (Chem, English, Calc BC, and Stats). I did track last spring and I am planning to do cross country during the fall next year. I am in many clubs (ex. Science Olympiad, Relay for Life, Key Club, Salvation Army Club, etc.) and I am the founder and current president of the Salvation Army Club. I also volunteer at the Sinai Hospital where I worked and shadowed under the surgeons there. I also shadowed under one of the Chiefs of Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, if that means anything to colleges.</p>
<p>I am planning on applying to University of Maryland-College Park, Loyola University Maryland, and University of Maryland. First is it even possible for me to get into College Park? Also are there any other colleges I can apply to and have a chance of getting in to (if any, please list schools that are better than UMD. Thank you)? If you have any other suggestions/tips for me, that would be so great? Thank you so much for your time.</p>
<p>College park is a bit of reach. Of course there are other colleges you can realistically get into. Can you be specific as to what you are looking for in a college?</p>
<p>Well I wanted to major in Biology so I can prepare myself for Medical school. I know that it sounds impossible to go into Medical School with my current GPA but I told myself that I will treat my senior year like a year in college and if I don’t get at least a 3.83 during my senior year then I will not become a doctor. Instead I will aim to become a orthodontist or a pharmacist. I know that a more students major in Biology in UMBC than those in UMD but apparently colleges like UMD more than UMBC so I really want to go to UMD. Is there anyways I can go to UMD? I am taking the SATs one more time in October. If i get a 2000, will I have a better chance of getting in?</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and my weighted GPA is a 4.03</p>
<p>To get into a good school get at LEAST a 2000</p>
<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using CC</p>
<p>First of all you are being a bit harsh on your self. Your grades are above average (below average on CC, but above average in the world). Also don’t say you must have certain grades in high school to be a doctor. If you had a 1.5 and failed all science classes you might want to reconsider, but right now I see no reason why you should give up on your dreams. I want to pursue medicine as well and I don’t have a 4.0 or anything (3.8 currently, might be a 3.9 next year.</p>
<p>As for SAT’s…Realistically no, your grades matter more then the SAT’s. If you do bad on the SAT’s they will hurt you if you have good grades, but they will not save you if your grades are below what the college usually accepts. So yes, college park is still a bit unrealistic.</p>
<p>There are many other schools that are good, that are realistic with your grades. Have you looked at University of Pittsburgh? You stats are a little low, but you have a shot and they are great for premed. You could also start at a different campus for University of Maryland and then transfer to college park. There is also Drexel, Temple, Villanova, Muhlenberg and many others with good science programs. Also sorry I know more schools in Pennsylvania then Maryland.</p>
<p>People on college confidential are so negative! Have you spoken to your guidance counselor to see what the stats are for umd admissions from your school? I think you have a good shot for college park. St Mary’s is another good MD college. What kind of college would you like to attend? Large state? LAC? There are plenty of colleges that would love to have you.</p>
<p>Haha well its nice to get my heads out of the clouds and to start listening to realistic comments. Thanks everyone for your honest opinions. How is Loyola University Maryland? According to USNews.com, Loyola is number 3 on the regional (North) ranking. I’m assuming that national universities are more prestigious than regional universities but I don’t really know how to compare UMD with loyola. Is UMD better (which is ranked number 55 on the national universities)? Will Loyola still prepare me as much as UMD will? Will I be accepted to medical/dental school as equally as students that attend UMD? Sorry, I’m sort of freaking out. I don’t know what to do with my life and my guidance counselor is on vacation right now -.-</p>
<p>Don’t worry too much. With medical school it does matter to some extent what college you go to, but it is more important that you make sure you are prepared. Every time I go on a college visit I try and talk with at least one student who is on the track for medical school there. As long as you do well on the MCAT, take all the prerequisites and do well in your math/science classes you should be fine. Every student I have talked to has a good shot at getting into med school (there is no magic formula that if you go to a certain college you will get into med school). Really calm down, it is more important that you focus on finding a college that you will be happy at and is a good fit for you then making sure that you will get into med school/be prepared (it is important to consider, but things change, professors change, course offerings change, your goals might change).</p>
<p>Quickly I will address the will students be accepted equally as if they had gone to a more prestigious school (I will keep this vague and not specifically address UMD). The answer is generally no. But that is partially because students at more prestigious schools usually are more qualified to begin with/sometimes more driven (though this can vary from school).</p>
<p>As for your other questions, yes a 55 on a national ranking is usually viewed as better then a 3 on a regional ranking. Like I said, calm down, take a deep breath, you’ll be fine. Compile a list of colleges, talk to your counselor when you get back. They will be able to address specific concerns. This being said, you can usually find med school admission statistics for individual universities on their websites, as well as various information about there premed program…</p>
<p>I want to make it clear I am in a similar position, in terms of where I am at in the college/med school process. I just already did a lot of research/talked to admission people/talked to my counselor. Take some time, do research, it will make everything much less confusing.</p>