What will it ultimately take to get in?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Johns Hopkins University
1

Hello guys! Im currently a freshman in High school. I have always aspired to be the best, the best in my grade in academics and everything im passionate about. I got to a very competitive, top high school. Everyone is a grade ahead of the whole state. I want to be in the medical profession just like my father has, except, I want to go to a very prestigious medical school, like John Hopkins or UPenn. Here’s my current statistics for freshman year and my possible game plan for high school:

Classes 9th grade:
Concert Orchestra
Pre Calculus
Chemistry
Foundations of World HIstory
Freshman English
Chinese 1

Will a rigorous coarse load help somewhat of my chances of being accepted?

For those of you who got accepted, what did you do? How many Ap’s/ other college credit courses did you take? What extra curriculars did you do? I see in the forumns that tons of people are literally inhuman, having to start about 2 clubs, leader in this and that, etc etc its so daunting. For those of you who got accepted, did you dedicated great to few things or moderately to a lot of things? What kind of volunteer work did you do? I’m taking Pre Calc in Freshman year, AP Calc AB in Sophomore year, Advanced Calc in junior year and Differential Equations in Senior year. Does Differential Equations/Advanced Calc count as a college course for credit? Please enlighten me! I am the most ambitious freshman you will every find in the United States of America!

Other stuff:
Pretty strong cello player in one of the nations best high school orchestra programs
Thinking of doing Speech and Debate
Varsity team in Science Competition Club
JV XC in Freshman Year(Varsity most likely in sophomore year)
UNICEF(Hopefully become president)

This is my main force of extracurriculars so far, should i switch between years or should i dedicate fully to these?

2

Your exuberance is fun. And I do have an affinity for people who are driven to achieve their goals.

However - a little bit of reality might help you along the way.

No one can tell you what it will take 3 years from now to get into a particular school. For that matter it is very difficult for anyone to tell you what it will take to get in somewhere TODAY.

I have a child at JHU which is why I visit this board from time to time. Top 10 in HS class, multiple AP courses and extracurriculars. Waitlisted at first and second choice schools (non-Ivy), but obviously got into JHU which most would say is more competitive than the other two. There is no blueprint for getting into the college of your choice. None. Can you make yourself a better candidate with all of the things you mention? Sure. But if the year you apply the applicants are all outstanding, or many are full pay and you need FA (you didn’t say one way or another), or you aren’t part of some group targeted by the school’s diversity strategy, etc. you still may not get in. The factors that influence admissions decisions are too numerous to list.

So I know this is an over used expression on CC, but you need to “cast a wide net.” You need to look into as many colleges as you can, and apply to as many as is financially feasible (application fees add up!) that you would consider attending. DO NOT set your heart on two schools because you are setting yourself up for the possibility of huge disappointment.

As I said I like your enthusiasm. But you’re a freshman in high school - enjoy it! Don’t wish your youth away. You have the rest of your life to be an adult. Best of luck to you.

3

Thanks! I haven’t really set my heart into two schools, those are just some of my best options. Out of curiousity, how did your child get into JHU? What extracurriculars did he do? How much AP courses did he take? I just want to get a general idea of the general level of JHU. THanks!

4

I think you already know JHU is one of the best universities in the world, and the “general level” is pretty much as high as it gets. This year’s freshman class was applied to by 24,718 students. They enrolled 1,310 or roughly 5%. So how many did they admit? I don’t know but let’s say 10% that means 9 out of 10 applications was waitlisted or rejected. Of those enrolled 92% were in the top 10% of their HS class. So you get it, it’s very competitive.

Doesn’t matter what my kid did. If you want to get into a school like JHU there are no guarantees but take the most rigorous course load you can successfully handle. Be involved in as many extras as you can handle. And while you’re doing all that take a breath and be a kid!

5

Thanks. I have another problem though. My High school doesn’t give out class rank or an increased GPA more than 4.0 because it has simply become way too competitive. How could I show that I am a stellar student in my class, who would be in the top 5%, if I don’t have hard statistics to show them?

6

I think there are a fair number of high schools out there now that don’t report class rank. JHU is used to seeing that. Get the best grades you can and if you are the kind of candidate they are looking for, it will show.

7

Test scores, subject tests, letters of recommendation, any special academic-related projects that you initiate.

Your attitude resonates with me because I too was an eager freshman who cared only about grades, getting into the Ivy League, and doing everything perfectly. To save you years of stress and disappointment, let me tell you that life is about more than getting to the next step. For the next four years, you have unlimited opportunities to strengthen your passions, learn things about yourself, and relax. You can shape yourself into whoever you want to be; please don’t waste that on trying to plan everything to a tee and be the ideal candidate.

I’ll let the prestige obsession linger, haha, because it’s good to dream big and give your 100% to everything you do. But listen to the people who tell you to cast a wide net. There will be a point in time where you’ll see how many other things go into choosing colleges beyond prestige.

Your courses are fine. A rigorous courseload will help you as long as you can maintain your good grades. I’m not telling you how I got into Hopkins, because 1. I’m not sure myself, haha, and 2. comparing yourself to other people isn’t useful or healthy. Being a human and living life isn’t like studying for the SAT; there aren’t any strategies that will help you do better in the eyes of admissions officers. Don’t worry about the inhuman people; you don’t have to break your back and do things you don’t want to do to be a strong candidate for college.

Whether Diff EQ and Advanced Calc will count depends on the school you apply to and where you take the course (it would have to be at a college). If you think it might count just because it’s “higher” than AP Calc (if you feel so confident about your math abilities, why not do BC?), that’s not how it works.

As for ECs, do what you want. If you like it, stick with it. If you don’t, or want to pursue something else, leave. I will say that sticking with activities you’re passionate about and “going deeper” (ex. you play cello in an orchestra, so you could also teach music classes to small children, be a peer tutor for the cello section to help them become stronger players, play at people’s weddings or parties, etc.). It shows passion and commitment, and it gives you a richer experience.

I hope this didn’t come off as disparaging; that wasn’t my intent. I think that this realization is something that every student will grow into at one point, but the sooner you do, the happier and more meaningful each day will become.

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^ Young grasshopper is wise!

Do your best, pursue ECs that you genuinely enjoy, try to have fun during your HS years, and see what happens. If JHU or PEnn don’t materialize for undergrad, maybe you’ll go there for graduate school. There are many universities out there that are equally good.

9

I would also add that if you’re interested in pursuing medicine then a course in statistics would be much more valuable to your career than courses in differential equations, etc. Most medical schools require or highly recommend stats and so early exposure in high school would be helpful.

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Thank you all for these amazing responses, and especially to you, OnmyWay! So I guess, there is no secret recipe?