I live in a small town with a population with less than 20,000 and go to a small high school that has less than 2000 students and offers little AP’s and extracurriculars…I’ve been wanting to get into Ivy Leauge and study medicine but don’t know if colleges will take into consideration that the school offers little AP’s and little EC’s. I can’t really do anything outside of school either except volunteering at the small hospital, does this mean I won’t get accepted? Any suggestions from Ivy Student from small towns would be best.
A few comments:
–Living in a small town won’t hurt your chances for admission. You are not expected to take classes that are not offered in your HS. Your HS will send a school profile along with your transcript so college admissions officers will understand what classes are offered, your school grading system etc. If you feel a need to supplement your HS coursework you can look at classes offered at a local CC or online classes.
–As for ECs, again you should maximize what you can do given where you live. Keep in mind that for colleges, even a part-time job will count as a valuable activity.
–I don’t understand you comment about wanting to go to an Ivy League med school. You don’t study medicine as an undergrad. Admission to ANY med school involves an intensely rigorous process and is very competitive so don’t please focus your dreams on attending an Ivy med school before you are even in college.
–I also would not focus on Ivy schools for your undergrad. When the time comes (junior year) asses your academic stats (including GPA, standardized tests, course rigor) as well as your financial needs and apply to a wide range of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that you would be happy to attend. Recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.
Thanks for the advice I guess I’ll have to do everything that’s available in this town and school… I’ll still try to get into the Ivies with my best effort by talking AP’s and doing EC’s I’m passionate about seeing as though I’m barely a freshman…I have plenty of safeties so I’m not too worried.