Which top-tier schools can I get into?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Please read this in its entirety.
Hi, I am a senior in high school and I am looking into three UC schools to pursue medine which are UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UCSD.
Freshman year I became extremely ill which caused me too miss a large portion of the school year. I was constantly at the hospital and I wasn't physically able to make up a large fraction of the work which caused me to do a horrendous job my first year of high school. I believe my GPA for both semesters of freshman year was about 2.6. My disease progressed and my condition became worse, and I unfortunately was "forced" to take a medical leave from school for the entire year. After many treatments, my chronic condition became significantly better, and I was able to come back to school after the year off as a sophomore. I have proof my several doctors. I took all average classes as a sophomore but I did obtain a 4.0 GPA. Also, if this matters at all (in the sense that colleges may take this into account), my school is top in the nation, is extremely prestigious and has the reputation of being exceptionally academically rigorous. Junior year I took a few average classes and also took AP Chem, AP Bio, AP Stat, AP AP US history, AP Lit, and AP Spanish. At the end of the year I had perfect grades in all of my classes (including APs in which I had 5.0s in all). Over the summer I traveled to the Dominican Republic and worked with children in need as a volunteer. As a senior I am taking AP Art History, AP studio art ( I even have a portfolio, AP AB Calculus, AP US history, AP English, AP Psych, AP Spanish (second level), and AP earth sciences. My school started really early this year so I've been in school for about a month and I have straight As too. Assuming that I will gave a 4.0 both semesters of senior year do I have a chance of getting into these schools?</p>

<p>Also, I have been on the Model UN club for three years and we have had great victory (one of the best ones in the state)</p>

<p>-I have had an internship in a lab at our local medical school </p>

<p>-I have a 2350 on the SAT.</p>

<p>I know these 2.5-3 years I have been doing extremely well in school but what I am worried about are my freshman year grades (due to my constant absence). </p>

<p>I have about 800 hours of community service. (500 in Dominican Republic and 300 in the hospital) </p>

<p>Do I have a chance to get into these schools? Do I have a chance at getting into other schools like John Hopkins, Brown, Duke, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Cornell, etc.)?</p>

<p>I live in California and my parents are immigrants from the former USSR. I speak Russian fluently and am female. </p>

<p>Btw I am sorry I didn't submit this thread correctly. This is my first post and I am new here.</p>

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<p>Don’t worry, seriously; as long as your guidance counselor explains your medical issues in his/her rec, and if you submit medical records along with your college apps (which probably won’t be necessary), you certainly won’t be penalized for what happened to you freshman year. </p>

<p>-Reaches-
Johns Hopkins: low reach
Georgetown: low reach
Duke: low reach
Cornell: low reach
Dartmouth: mid reach
Brown (and all other Ivies): high reach</p>

<p>-Matches-
All UCs (as you’re in-state and have FABULOUS stats)</p>

<p>Good luck! :)</p>

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<p>Did you pay to go to the Dominican Republic or did you fundraise or receive a grant to pay for your trip? If the latter, admissions committees might be impressed. Otherwise, just say “volunteered with children in need” but don’t mention where because it doesn’t look as good as volunteering in nearby communities if you paid to travel to another country.</p>

4

<p>There is no reason to not show that you went to another country to do volunteer work. It is something that you have done already and it would be ridiculous to hide it, regardless of your parents having the money to send you. Although colleges may be less impressed with ‘paid for’ opportunities and they won’t penalize kids that don’t have such opportunities, it is still something you did and will be considered in context.</p>

<p>You have as good a reason as any for a poor freshman year and this should go in your additional information section as well as your GC’s addressing it. You are doing a fantastic job and will have a good chance anywhere, although only 2 years language is weak, some of your schools certainly require 3 minimum so you might want to check that and drop those. </p>

<p>UC is one application, so you can put your top choice schools and add another less selective one or two just in case. That should give you your safeties. UC will certainly take into account any health situation and subsequent strong record. But UC’s don’t count freshman year, so it is a non-issue. I would make sure to include such information in your application as it is something you had to go through and they will note it.</p>