Would you help me decide on which schools to apply too?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi all.
I'm from the DFW area in Texas and am thinking of applying to a few programs/colleges.
I want my expected family contribution to be less than 20,000 since I'm pre-med and medical school is $$$.
Do you think the list of colleges/programs I'm applying for are attainable with my stats and are worth applying too?</p>

<p>IVY LEAGUE Caliber Schools
1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Princeton
4. Stanford
5. Darthmouth
6. Upenn
7. Brown
8. MIT- NOT ON COMMON APP (I'd change careers and be a neuroscientist if I got accepted to MIT)</p>

<p>Good Schools- Schools I'm targeting only for the full ride. If I don't get it, I'd rather not go to the school.
1. UT at Dallas (Targeting full-tuition plus 3000 per semester, which I'm 99% sure I'll get. This is my only safety)
2. SMU (Targeting Presidential Scholarship)
3. UNC-Chapel Hill (Targeting Pogue and Carolina scholarships as well as the Robertson or Morehead-Cain)
4. UVA- (Targeting Jefferson Scholars)
5. Emory- (Targeting Emory University Scholars Program)
6. Washington and Lee- (Targeting Johnson's scholarship)</p>

<p>Here are my stats-
Objective:</p>

<pre><code>SAT I (breakdown): 2290 on the 3rd try (M: 800, CR: 760, W:730)
ACT: 34 (M 36: E 35: R 36: S 28) Trying to bring this up to a 35/36 next try and raise the science score.
SAT II: Math II: Not taken yet, Chemistry: Not taken yet, Biology E: 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not ranked
</code></pre>

<p>I go to a high school/college credit program, so I'm taking all advanced college courses.</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Research of Gene Prediction using Markov Chain Mathematical Modeling-
Testing the Markov Chain Theory on Escherichia coli to write a PERL computer algorithm that accurately predicts the location of subsequent genes within a DNA nucleotide sequence (2013+)</p>

<p>Lumbricus terrestris and its response to Homeopathic Herbs to treat Alzheimer’s Disease
Operantly conditioned Lumbricus terrestris earthworms to model the disintegration of neurons in Alzheimer’s patients in result to beta amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Awarded the only US Surgeon General’s Sciences Award and received a congratulatory letter from Senator Samuel D. Jackson (2012-2013) </p>

<p>Founder and President of “EcoRenovation"
Registered business encouraging home owners to pursue green remodeling and sustainable products.</p>

<p>President of Robotics
Received donations from companies such as Raytheon, Texas Instruments, and AALBERT Tech to develop a programmable robot. Won BEST Robotics Competition and Entrepreneurship Award at Texas FIRST Robotics
President of French Association</p>

<p>Led students through French competitions, including the National “Le Grand Concours” (won the only “Texas Certificat d'honneur School” award) and the Texas French Symposium</p>

<p>Awards:
US Surgeon General’s Sciences Award and received a congratulatory letter from Senator Samuel D. Jackson for my Alzheimer's Research
National French Laureate Scholar- 99th percentile, awarded to 142 out of 12087 high school students learning French
Exemplary Plano ISD Musician and Solo Superior Violinist Awards at Texas Orchestra Interscholastic Competition
Regionally placed in Braniacs Regional Math and Science Competition </p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: None</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: 500+ hours in Vacation Bible School, Autistic Summer Camp,
I'm a tutor in Biology and Chemistry at the University of North Texas and am about to receive professional certification.</p>

<p>Other</p>

<pre><code>State: TX
School Type: Residential Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Indian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 110K, Adjusted Gross Income is 87000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None :(
</code></pre>

<p>THANKS! Also, quick question. Do you think I should apply for the Robertson at UNC or for the Morehead-Cain (one can only apply to one of these scholarships)?</p>

2

<p>Find out what you are interested in, the departments, and the feel instead of just “IVY LEAGUE CALIBER” Those schools are incredibly different and I hardly imagine once visiting or looking deeper you don’t have a preference. Also, narrow on your reach schools, “wanting” your EFC and actually being is two separate things. Use the net price calculator for each</p>

3

<p>Have you run the net price calculators on the “need based financial aid only” schools?</p>

<p>Have you considered the non-academic aspects of each school, since they are very different from each other? For example, Dartmouth and W&L have fraternity/sorority dominated social scenes, while Princeton frowns on fraternities/sororities (though its coed eating clubs do fulfill some (not all) of the social aspects of fraternities/sororities).</p>

4

<p>Thanks guys. Fit is honestly one of the least requirements for me. The only criterion for me are probably that the university must have a large library with totally silent study spaces, which practically all universities have. I’d prefer to go to a non-Greek school with an academic atmosphere (no partying, conservative, etc.), but I’ll gladly take any prestigious university or prestigious full ride.</p>

5

<p>You’d might be surprised how much fit matters. At Washington and Lee there is a significant portion of the population in greek life, but it is probably one of the more conservative (politically speaking) on your list. I’d definitely visit if you haven’t already</p>

6

<p>I’d like to attain the full ride before I even think about visiting it :stuck_out_tongue:
I think I’d make an ok fit at any major university.</p>

7

<p>Bump?</p>

8

<p>Oh, and I forgot to include Wake Forest. I’d like to target it for a full ride :)</p>

9

<p>The only Ivies you left off your list are Columbia and Cornell…
Fit is extremely important. If you are going after prestige, it will show in your essays and interviews even if you think you’re masking it. I doubt you would be happy at all the schools on your list. They’re extremely diverse with different values and traditions.
Do your research and find out schools that fit your academic and social needs the best. I did the best case scenario for Yale and Harvard only knowing you have 110k income. You’ll be paying 10k-12k out of pocket at the very least. Will your parents be able to afford this? The Ivy Leagues do not give out scholarships. Only financial aid. And honestly, your grades/stats aren’t good enough for a full ride at those caliber schools (no offense). They are extremely impressive though and will definitely help you.
For the state schools, you’ll probably get a very nice scholarship from them.</p>

<p>Honestly, your state flagship would offer you everything you’re looking for in a school if all you need is a quiet place to study and a big library. </p>

<p>But to answer your overall question, yes. Those schools are attainable with your stats but they are far from guaranteed. Your prestige chasing ways will definitely hurt you as it will show in your interviews and essays. Know why you want to apply to these schools. Harvard and Yale may be on the same prestige level, but they have very different traditions with different programs and professors.</p>

<p>If you don’t mind, go through every school on your Ivy Caliber list and give me one reason why you want to go to those schools. If the main reason is prestige, it’s not a very good answer. Fit is so important.</p>

10

<p>I’m not too familiar with the competitiveness of the scholarship programs you listed, but since they are all already at highly prestigious schools, I would imagine it is very intense. Your essays, recommendations and interviews will have to shine to give you the best shot at winning those scholarships. You will be up against hooked applicants with very compelling stories. The best way to make sure the aforementioned subjective pieces shine is to do due diligence on these schools and find clear, specific reasons you want to apply to each. Maybe you will discover a favorite as you do that, but I’m not going to try to talk you into considering fit. You seem to have your mind pretty well made up on that point, and I’ll respect that, although Caltech may be worth a look (very academically-oriented and prestigious). </p>

<p>Why are you not applying to UT-Austin? Do they not offer some sort of full ride? Your list seems very prestige-oriented, and UT-Austin is definitely more prestigious than UT-Dallas. </p>

<p>I can’t really narrow down your list since you have so few criteria which they all already meet, heck, you could pretty much flip a coin to determine what schools to apply to off this list. Something to consider may be that a high GPA is more important than prestige for med school, being the big fish in a small pond (or big pond) might be a great idea. This will be harder at an Ivy, especially one with grade deflation like Princeton. You are well-qualified for every school in the country (I’m kind of jealous of your ECs, they are pretty fantastic). Best of luck!</p>

11

<p>Thank you @xFirefirex‌. I’ll come up with a list. I’m DEFINITELY not expecting merit aid from the Ivies (they barely give out any), but I can afford HYP and will have to take out loans for the rest.
@butterfreesnd‌ You’re also completely right. I’ll find specific reasons why to apply to them. I’m not applying to UT because I think UTD is a better school acadmeically, and UT-Southwestern seems to LOVE it. Plus, I’ll most likely get to be paid to go to college (UTD is super generous with their money), which is very exciting. Thanks for the help!</p>

12

<p>@Hello98‌ It all depends. For the most part the ivies and stanfords are a crapshoot. If you are intent on getting into one, find a few that you like and apply. Do not apply to just one hoping you will get in, your best chance would be applying to 3-5 of them and hoping for two acceptances. Getting full tuition paid at a larger university like UNC will be difficult, but you have decent stats. All of those are good colleges, I would try to visit as many as you can and figure out what appeals to you, as some of those colleges are rather different.</p>

13

<p>As has been previously stated, all of those colleges are extremely different from each other. Have you asked yourself why you want to attend each one? If the answer is simply its caliber then you are applying for the wrong reasons. Really research each one and visit them if you possibly can. Visiting colleges really helped me cross a bunch off of my list. You may not think fit is important now, but it truly is. I thought I would love to go to Yale because, well, it’s Yale. But I visited and absolutely could not see myself there. I would choose maybe four reach schools that are your personal favorites (regardless of their rank!) and apply to those, plus additional matches and safeties. </p>

<p>Also, your listing of “Schools I’m targeting only for the full ride. If I don’t get it, I’d rather not go to the school” worries me. If you don’t want to go to the school, then don’t apply. There are plenty of safeties and match schools that are really really nice and you can fall in love with. What if you don’t get into your “high caliber” schools nor get a full ride anywhere else? You are stuck at a school you don’t love. Heck, even if you do get a full ride, you’re at a school you’d “rather not go to.” I’d find better safeties and matches if I were you. </p>

<p>Also, don’t expect to be paying under $20K for most of those. It sucks and you can check the net price calculator, but you’re probably going to end up paying more.</p>

14

<p>@Hello98‌ Are you at TAMS, cuz PISD doesn’t do unweighted GPAs</p>

15

<p>First of all, congratulations on having done so well in high school and making so much of your opportunities. You will go far, I think.</p>

<p>If you have to pay less than $20K, then also look at full tuition scholarships. You’re an automatic for a couple of them; if you like the campuses and would attend if all else fails, they could be safeties. You are much more likely to get a full tuition at one of a dozen campuses than to get a full ride at any of these. Full tuition would leave you with fees (in some cases), room, board, books, travel, etc., about 15-20K.</p>

<p>Do spend some money visiting schools before you get all the FA packages. There’s so little time in April to visit more than a few schools and do it well. I’d say think about fit but you seem adamant about this. So I’ll say instead that humility is a really important characteristic in a physician.</p>

16

<p>I would disagree where you said that UT Dallas is better than Austin Academically, but that’s just my opinion. Maybe it’s different for whatever program you’re considering. However Austin gives out very little merit aid.</p>

<p>Are you a possible national merit semifinalist this year? I assume you’re going to be a senior which means you likely took the psat last year. Letters will come out next month, and if you get selected for it, doors open for a few full rides at half-decent schools. If not, you could look at the University of Alabama as a school where you would most likely get a full ride. If you’re looking for more prestigous programs, check out Vanderbilt and Rice because I know they all give anywhere-between-decent-and-great merit aid. Also, WUSTL is incredbile for pre-med and I know for a fact that they have some good merit aid that they give out. It’ll be extremely competitive, but if your stats are what you claim, then you’re in the running for some $$$.</p>

<p>Definitely narrow your “ivy league caliber” school list with at least some sortof criteria. It’s easy to say that you would deal with a ■■■■■■ campus at a school with prestige, but it’s going to be harder to learn in a setting where you’re miserable. </p>

<p>Just my thoughts</p>