paki786

So, I am really hoping to get into a BS/MD program next year. I got a 32 on ACT this year but am wondering if I should retake it.

GPA : 4.0 w
3.97 uw

My extracurriculars are pretty good...

-President of Chess Club
-Volunteering at Hospital (70 hours so far, will increase to 150ish)
-Student Council Representative (9th,10th)
-Yearbook Editor (9th)
-National Honor Society (maybe on exec board next year)
-Quiz Bowl Team competitor (10th, probably not going to write on resume)
-Health Occupation Students of America (10th, probably not going to write)

-Track and Field (9th)

-Hospital job this year and next year.

Summer plan:

Volunteer for red cross
Shadow doctors
very prestigious summer science research program

awards:
chess district champion 1st place

R-KATT

good for what??

I doubt you can get into ivy league schools.
but you can probably get into any big ten school.
you might get a little scholarship money, but no full rides unless you apply to some non-competitive university.

But seriously, if you want to go to the ivy league, you have to stand out. getting a 4.0 and 32 act is pretty basic for ivy league. But what else do you do besides volunteer and chess?

All I am saying is that Harvard, Princeton, Yale are way out of your reach.

The only ivy you might have a chance at is Cornell. But their med program isn't that great anyway.

xSteven

R-KATT is wrong. Plenty of people get into ivies with a 32. Obviously, a higher score will help you. I saw people with 29-30's get into Penn, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, and Cornell. Of course, people were rejected with those scores, too. Cornell's med program is top 20; it's not bad at all.

To answer your question, a 32 probably won't be enough for a good BS/MD program like PLME.

Here are Drexel's stats:
For consideration to the BA/BS/MD accelerated degree program, applicants must:

* Submit the admission application and all required documents prior to December 1
* Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident applying for freshman admission
* Have graduated from a high school in the United States
* Have ranked in the top 10 percent of their graduating class
* Have a minimum 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 weighted scale (subject to change)
* Have a combined SAT score of at least 1360 (Critical Reading and Math sections) or a minimum ACT score of 31; submission of SAT Subject Test is recommended (subject to change)
* Have satisfactorily completed four years of science with one year each of biology, chemistry, and physics

As a point of reference, freshman students admitted to the BA/BS/MD program had an average GPA of 4.0 and and average combined SAT 1472.


Go ahead and try!

paki786

my question was is a 32 good enough for the BS/MD programs considering my other activities.....?

should I retake?

What are my chances at PLME, Penn State bs/md, HPME, and others??????

will it be worth retaking ACT for?

supersweet543

taking into consideration ure grades and ure activities, i would say you need to get that ACT score higher at least to a 33. PLME, Penn state's bs/md, and HPME are extremely competitive programs. I would say HPME is the hardest in the US to get into. You need more medical research like shadowing or medical research. Plus, your GPA is more on the low side. I would say you have little chance of getting into the programs you listed, but i would definitely say to try for easier programs, like the UAB program, VCU's program, or any programs through Albany Medical School or Drexel Medical school (thats the program i got into)

paki786

what should i do to improve?
should i retake ACT??


-i am doing a very prestigious RESEARCH program about (300 hours) this summer.
-i will be shadowing doctors.

xSteven

If you would've read my answer, you'd see that I did answer your question. o-o. I said no, it's not good enough at all.

Batllo

Op- You asked to be evaluated yet you argue with the replies. If you think what you are planning to do is enough to be admitted to the programs you aspire to then why ask? Hopefully you haven't overestimated yourself. But you won't know until a year from now.

paki786

^ my apologies for misunderstanding. And batllo I did not mean to come off in that way. In no way am I overestimating myself. I know I am on the low-end. Just asking for some advice.

So, I will retake with hopes of a 33 or more.

Besides that, how else should i improve. I am taking the SAT Math 2 and Chem exam this upcoming june.

How else should i improve with my extracurriculars etc. to raise my chances at Ivys and programs like PLME and HPME?

paki786

bumppppppppppppppp

MiamiDAP

R-KATT, "good for what??" - OP has asked very specifically about his chances at bs/md. I am not sure why are you bringing Ivy leaque, most bs/md programs are outside of Ivy Leaque.

paki786, I would say that your chances at bs/md are borderline, you need to apply to wide range of programs some less known than others and see what happen. Also be prepared with the option of going regular route. My D. got into 3 out of 6 programs, but she applied mostly to state schools. Her ACT was 33 on a first try, GPA=4.0uw, she graduated #1 in her class from well known private school (if you need for comparison).

wldcats2012

Bottom-line: It can be good enough for some lower programs, but not good enough for most. Retake it. There is nothing to lose. You have score select for ACT, so you can retake it as many times as you can (time, money, etc) and simply submit the best one.

[Note: Seeing the admissions side of things, most kids who claim they got into good programs (plme, hpme, etc) with relatively low ACT scores (30-33) either do well on the SATs and dont talk about it (2300+) or had something else going for them (finding a cure for aids).]

paki786

^ very helpful.....what else can I do, besides retake the ACT, to improve my chances of getting into HPME etc as well as low tier bs/md programs?

What can I do in terms of extracurrics etc?

one_proud_Korean

get involved in leadership activities; in my opinion, this is more important than volunteering at a hospital or doing research.

apply to as many summer programs as you can.

Mango Man

my sister got into the MSU MD program last year with a 32.