Chance Me: HS Biotech Founder (Patent, $76k Funding, ISEF) – GPA Top 11%, Sophomore Dip - Harvard/Stanford/MIT [MD resident, 3.7 GPA, 1510 SAT]

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Demographics:

Male,

Public high school in Maryland

Middle-class

No hooks (not first-gen, legacy, URM)

Stats:

GPA: 4.4 Weighted / 3.7 Unweighted / 4.0 Dual Enrollment

Rank: 24/214 (Top 11%)

SAT: 1510 (780 Math, 730 Verbal)

Course Load: 9 APs, 9 Honors, 2 Dual Enrollment (20 weighted classes)

Notable AP Scores: 5s in Psych & Lang, 4s in Physics I, US History, World History

Background / Context:

Sophomore year I got Cs in Honors Chem and Honors Trig. Not because I didn’t care—because I cared too much about something else.

Right before high school started, I found out my dad had gone through treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He kept it from me until it was over. Physically he recovered, but it triggered a relapse of old struggles (addiction, mental health). That year was rough. I saw cancer as the enemy and became obsessed with understanding it. I stayed up until 3 a.m. reading research papers, googling pathways, watching lectures. Schoolwork slipped.

Since then, my dad’s been sober, things at home stabilized, and I’ve learned to balance passion with responsibility. The obsession never left—it became the foundation for everything I’ve built since.

Extracurriculars & Research:

  1. Co-Founder & CEO – biotech company (10–12)

Started a biotech company developing a gene therapy for Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC).

Designed a modular genetic circuit to reactivate the p53 pathway in cancer cells.

Filed an international patent (PCT #63/636,803).

Raised $76,000 in funding (grants + angel investments).

Built a 5-person team including PhDs and biotech professionals.

Pitched to VCs (1517 Fund, Ecphora Capital, Village Global, etc.).

Authored an SBIR grant pitch (invited for full application, ultimately declined but commended for novelty and market potential).

  1. Independent Researcher – Baltimore Underground Science Space (BUGSS) (11–12)

Leading a continuation project testing a therapeutic in SCLC cells.

Presenting at the 2026 Morgan State University Science Fair.

Aiming to qualify for Regeneron STS.

  1. Regeneron ISEF Finalist – Independent Project (10–11)

Designed a yeast-based genetic circuit to detect cancer biomarkers.

Won Morgan State University Science Fair → selected as Regeneron ISEF Finalist.

Presented to 20+ PhD judges at the international fair.

Built a 120-slide deck and gave multiple 1.5-hour lectures to HS classes.

  1. iGEM Team Lead – East Coast BioCrew (11–12)

Leading a 25-member team engineering a miRNA switch in E. coli for a blood-based breast cancer diagnostic.

Organized weekly lab sessions, fundraising, and grant proposals.

Will present at iGEM 2025 in Paris to 4,500+ attendees.

  1. Other Lab Experience:

Volunteer Lab Scientist – BUGSS (mutated chromoproteins in E. coli using site-directed mutagenesis).

Molecular Biology Intern – Johns Hopkins (PCR, gels, automation, Opentrons robots).

  1. Clubs & Sports:

Medical Club (Co-founder/Officer): Built it to 70+ members, led research initiatives.

Varsity Tennis (1st/2nd singles): Organized 50+ off-season practices, mentored underclassmen.

Varsity Swim: Competed in freestyle and butterfly events.

Environmental Club, Badminton Club.

  1. Work Experience:

Crew Member at Chick-fil-A (hired before legal age, recognized for initiative).

Awards & Honors:

Regeneron ISEF Finalist (Top ~1,700 globally out of 175k+)

iGEM Bronze Medalist (International synthetic biology competition)

Emergent Ventures Grant ($15k) – Mercatus Center, GMU

Medici Grant ($1k) – 1517 Fund

Inventor, PCT Patent Application – filed for gene therapy tech

AP Scholar with Distinction

Morgan State Science Fair Winner (Top Prize Biology & Overall Winner)

Award of Merit for STEM Project – DoHD Aberdeen

Intended Major:

Biomedical Engineering (BME) & Neuroscience (Double Major) → focusing on gene therapy for cancer, synthetic biology, & regenerative medicine.

Letters of Recommendation:

Mentor/Co-founder (BUGSS): Said he’d write “the strongest letter of his career” (he literally told me he’d say Harvard would be stupid not to admit me).

Science Teacher: Watched me teach his class for 1.5 hours, loves my work ethic.

Counselor: Knows my whole backstory, very supportive.

Schools Applying To:

Reaches: Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Johns Hopkins

Targets: UMD (Honors/Gemstone/Banneker-Key?), Georgia Tech

Safeties: UMBC, maybe others

My Thoughts:

I know the Ivies/Stanford/MIT are all crapshoots, but I feel like my profile is unusual: biotech startup founder, patent, funding, international competitions. My rank isn’t perfect, and my SAT is solid but not insane (I am going to take 1 last time). Essays and LORs should be strong.

Questions for You Guys:

How do you think adcoms will view my GPA/rank given the sophomore year explanation?

Do my extracurriculars offset my academic dips?

Do I realistically have a shot at H/Y/S/MIT or are these still lottery tickets?

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I’m not an adcom. I’d say your ECs - you’ve obviously accomplished a tremendous amount. Not sure about Chick Fil A hiring you under age - if there’s a law breaking there, may not be worth going there - so don’t note that. Also, note not every school wants extra LORs.

I think stat wise, you won’t get into your reaches or Ga Tech. UMD is I’ll say 70/30 in - but not assured.

But again, your story and accomplishments can get you over the hump.

What is your highest level of math? How many years of foreign language? I assume you’ve had four years of English and Social Science.

Do you have a budget because your reaches will approach or exceed $400K - so do you have the funds to pay? Otherwise, you need to have your parents run the net price calculator to determine need.

In any case - your safeties are your most important schools because I’m guessing you don’t want to go to UMBC.

So you’ve identified reaches and UMD - but if all else fails, what school would you get happy attending?

Frankly, given your entrepreneurial bent, you’re ahead of the game…no matter where you go!! Seriously, you are one anyone at any school can look up to.

Safeties for you might include:

U of Arizona
U of Colorado (you might get Exploratory but it’s an easy move over)
U Delaware
Rose Hulman - small but mighty
U Minnesota - very fine engineering school (one of many - quite frankly)
Union College in NY
Pitt - will be very good in both majors
RPI
UT Dallas

You don’t need targets but they might be Lehigh, Wisconsin, Case Western

Your questions are hard to answer and likely unknown but I would tend to think you don’t have a shot. But - I do know this - I’m not an adcom and if you don’t apply, you definitely have no shot.

Please fill me in on your highest math and language, etc.

Note - you’ll need in most cases a STEM and a Humanities Social Science LOR. Some will accept another but also say - most don’t submit another - so just because someone offers to write one, it doesn’t mean it will help.

Best of luck to you.

You’ve already accomplished amazing things.

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Yes you have a shot. I know Yale has recently been actively recruiting top STEM talents like yourself, so I would look in to applying there: Inside the Hahn Scholars program’s push to recruit top STEM students - Yale Daily News

How and why did Chick-fil-A hire your before legal age? Personally, I would mention the job as an EC but not draw attention to the illegality of the situation unless there’s some special story there.

For Caltech, look here: Research Papers and Publications - Undergraduate Admissions - the LoR from the site of research they ask for might need to be more narrowly focused on the details of the research and your contributions than the general letter written by your BUGSS mentor, so you may need an extra letter or for your mentor to modify it for this specific case.

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Please edit your post. It took me all of 15 seconds to find your name, picture, and address/phone number on the internets. And since this is your real name, I encourage you to change that as well to anonymize your posts.

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Frankly, your GPA might be a barrier, but it might not, so shoot your shot. Read MIT’s applying sideways. I think this can very much apply to you. Applying Sideways | MIT Admissions

We know a stellar student with outstanding science fair accolades. He could have gone anywhere (he chose Olin) and I don’t think grades would have been the deciding factor.

You haven’t mentioned finances. That might be a place to start. Luckily some of your schools meet full financial need.

Even if you were to end up at a school no one has heard of, I’m sure you will do great with your drive and what you have already accomplished. Look at where the research you are interested in is coming from and hone on in those schools. You may be surprised. Honors programs are another way to increase lab time and access to professors.

One of the things that sets you apart is that you seem to know how to bring in the funding. This is something many STEM majors are not aware of yet or don’t have the desire to get involved with. S23 had some experience in bringing in grants and it did help him get onto research teams early on.

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I read your post and found it compelling. I think there will be an adcom(s) that feel the same. One thing that stood out to me is that you write well - and I firmly believe that writing well has a huge impact on acceptance - so take time on your applications and write thoughtful and compelling essays consistent with your above post. I think you definitely have a chance at your reach schools but agree with others that, unless UMDBC holds strong appeal, I might look for another safety that you could get excited about. I would second a recommendation for Pitt - and encourage you to apply as early as possible - with their rolling admissions it could be a great start to the process. Glad your father is doing better! Best of luck!

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I would put Georgia Tech in the reach category. OOS admit rate for fall 2025 was 9%.

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I know a grad already on his 3rd VC funded company. He went to a solid, but not well known engineering name in Florida.

First was medical parts. Then augmented reality. Now an educational tool for companies and schools.

His first two companies sold for over a billion and hundreds of millions.

If you are this person as described above, you and your skillet are far more important than the school name.

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Also, drop the MS office suite from the skills section on your website. Anyone using Biorender also knows how to use office, and the jump from vectorbuilder to MS office was almost funny.

(I’m just being nitpicky for fun here)

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Deleted.

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Do you have a shot?
Of course you have a shot.
Is it a lottery ticket?
They all are.

Love the profile and accomplishments. Feels like the kind of person who could maybe do a Sloan undergrad or Stanford. Hard to get in, but if not you, who?

Go for it and best of luck!

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One thing for you to think about: MIT and Caltech are very intense. Studying at MIT has been compared to drinking water from a fire hose, and Caltech is not much different. To attend either school you need to put an enormous amount of effort into your classes and your homework, and possibly some more effort into research opportunities. This is not going to leave much time for anything else. Do you want to do this?

At Stanford I still remember doing homework on many Saturday afternoons. Again, do you want to do this? Suppose you spend six hours on a sunny Saturday afternoon solving one problem on a homework assignment, for one class out of the five classes that you are taking. Do you feel great that you solved the problem, or do you feel like you just wasted a Saturday? Do you want to keep this up for a full 4 years?

I also think that Georgia Tech is a reach.

I also think of cancer as an enemy. There are a lot of us walking around after some degree of cancer treatment. A lot of smart people like you, except older, have helped to improve our treatment options quite a bit. Best wishes with this.

It is. This makes it tough to guess your chances at your reaches. Make sure that you apply to solid safeties.

To me your interests make me think that some form of graduate school is entirely possible. You can get accepted to very good graduate programs coming from your in-state public schools.

Best wishes. To me it sounds like you are on a good track.

And best wishes to your father.

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Make sure you apply to University of Maryland in their early round…that’s when they fill almost all of their freshman class.

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You have accomplished more than most. And you have a wealth of experience in academics, research, and the realities of life.

Your recommendation letters will be important.

My best guess is that UMD with a significant scholarship & JHU are going to like your application.

Uncertain about the AP score of 4 in Physics and how that might affect a couple of your applications (Caltech & MIT).

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OP, can you return when you get your results and update us?

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Congratulations on your achievements, and glad your father is doing better.

Are you sure you want to go to college right now? Who will run your company when you are in college? Have you talked with your angel investors about that? You can’t accept their money and then leave for college, unless they are ok with whatever plans are in place for when you are in college. You may have other people running the company which will be ok, but you must have that conversation with investors (and any VCs you are talking with.)

For relatively more holistic schools, possibly. But fundamentally, with a 3.7 uw GPA, C’s on the transcript, and outside the top 10%, your chances of admission at reaches are likely lower than the overall admit rate. Many highly rejective schools talk a good game about holistic admissions and forgiving grade hiccups, but when push comes to shove, relatively few unhooked students with C’s are accepted at these schools. That last sentence describes the school where I work to a T.

I’m not saying don’t put in apps to reaches, but at the same time, Iove the target and highly likely/safety schools you apply to. So, I would encourage you to add more targets and highly likelies. You need at least one affordable highly likely/safety school…is that really UMBC?

Does your HS use Naviance or Scoir? If so, what do the scattergrams look like at the intersection of your unweighted GPA and test score for UMD?

Georgia Tech is a reach, and less holistic than some others on your list, especially for OOS students.

Obviously he shouldn’t write that in anything that goes to schools not named Harvard.

Lastly, you haven’t said if you have any budget constraints, but if so, do let us know that.

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No one should put MS Office Suite as a skill. That’s an Executive Assistant skill. Every college-bound student will (should) have it. Kind of like putting Driver’s License on your college applicaion.

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Here is your real challenge, OP. It’s not your GPA or test scores: It’s about what you will contribute to the school as a student and community member.

Like, it’s obvious you have all sorts of extraordinary drive and ability. But also, it seems like you kind of blew past high school to chart your own path. I think Harvard/Stanford/MIT would justifiably wonder whether you’ll just sort of blow through their schools, as well, to do your own thing, you know?

I actually think a great deal will turn on your essays. Who you are as a person when you’re not being a biotech phenom. Who you are to your friends. Who you are to your family. Who you are beyond you resume. Your writing is going to make the difference.

But it has to be real. So, to that end, stop using chat gpt to write. Now.

“The obsession never left—it became the foundation for everything I’ve built since.” Big nope. Very transparently gpt. You’re going to need to sound like the teenager you are for you to have a chance, actually.

You have a shot anywhere but they are still lottery tickets. Your senior year coursework and grades might matter a lot: Make sure you’re taking the most challenging possible course load AND getting A’s if you want a chance at those top-tier admits. Because you need to show that you aren’t just a talented young scientist and and biotech founder: You need to be a willing and able student.

So hit the books, and do a LOT of writing.

And cast a wider net.

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I’ve seen Vanderbilt give money to another kid with a profile like yours.

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