Chances for elite schools?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

I’m a junior and wondering what my chances are at Northwestern, Duke, JHU, and if I should even bother applying to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UPenn with admittedly weak EC’s that I’m struggling to make outstanding.

Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income: upper middle class
State: Ohio
School: Public, small town
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering or Biochemistry with pre-med track
Career: Would like to go to med school, as a doctor specialize in internal medicine, anesthesiology, or surgery

Test Scores:
ACT: 34 (30 math - I know, I’m taking it again soon- 34 science, 35 writing, 36 reading, 11 essay)
SAT: 1460 (reading/writing 790, math 670- also taking again, 22 essay)
SAT II: M-Biology (750) and will take chemistry and math II, maybe literature
AP Scores: Biology (5), U.S. History (5)

Academics:
9th grade: honors classes/ no AP’s offered
10th grade: honors classes/ AP Bio and AP U.S. History
11th grade: AP Chemistry, AP U.S. Gov and Politics, AP Language and Composition, AP Psychology, AP Statistics
12th grade: will take AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, AP Literature, and probably AP Macroeconomics…some other stuff too

  • took French until 11th grade (up to French IV) and chamber orchestra all years
  • also took a business law class at a community college before 10th, a marketing and a management class at a public Ivy before 11th, and maybe something science-y this summer
  • took constitutional law course at Harvard in Pre-College Program last summer
    GPA W: 4.442
    GPA UW: 4.0
    Rank: 2/ almost 400 kids, but will probably drop to 3 because of unweighted chamber orchestra class

Awards:
Expected National Merit Semifinalist (hopefully Finalist) with PSAT of 1490
Hopefully National AP Scholar
2 (hopefully 3) time All American Cheerleader

Extracurriculars:
JV Cheerleading (9) and Varsity Cheerleading (10-12)
- helped coach a youth cheerleading team from middle school- 10th
- have helped out with the middle school teams every year in high school
Competitive Cheerleading Team (9-12)
- team won 2nd in ECC last year, hopefully we do better this year
Piano (will be 10 years of study)
- played conductor’s score as primary pianist (9) for high school production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
- played 1st movement of Trout Quintet
Violin (will be 8 years of study)
- High school’s auditioned chamber orchestra (9-12)
- Will compete as 2nd violin at OMEA (hopefully we do well), playing 4th movement of Dvorak American Quartet
- Organized string performances at Christmas in Loveland (my community’s Christmas celebration)
- In the process of organizing scholarship fund for $1,000 to one senior in chamber orchestra each year - the money is inheritance from my grandfather, who has an amazing story and went to UPenn, and hopefully the scholarship will be in his name
Science Bowl (11-12) - we probably won’t do outstanding, but a low commitment EC that I’ve enjoyed
National Chemistry Olympiad (11) -hopefully will do well at regionals, but unlikely any national recognition
National Honor Society (11-12) - will be running for President
Women in Science and Engineering (11-12) - just participating right now, but hopefully will help run next year
Senior Model Crew (10-12)
- for one of the top senior photographers in the U.S.
- participated in Project Beauty, a campaign of shoots with no makeup to raise awareness for eating disorders, mental health, and promote real beauty for girls
Volunteer at Loveland Public Library- I did this in middle school through 10th
- I’m thinking this helps show how passionate I am about reading, I really loved helping out there
Trying to volunteer at a local hospital - sent in an application months ago, need to do a follow-up on that
I also published a novel (on Blurb) in middle school, but I’m not sure that counts for anything.

I’m trying to find a research opportunity/ internship to help me stand out a little more, but it’s proving really difficult to find someone who will let a 17 year old kid hang out in their lab :slight_smile:

So yeah. Maybe I’m freaking out too much, but my accomplishments seem very sub-standard compared to kids who have been admitted at elite universities, and I’m not really sure how to change that second semester of my junior year, it seems too late. I’ve wanted to go to Harvard since forever and my grandfather went to UPenn so that’s been a dream too. I’m just wondering if I have a shot at schools like JHU, Duke and Northwestern and if it’s even worth it for HYP and UPenn, as I’ll get 4 rejections in one day without any divine interference. Thanks!

2

The issue with the ivies on your list is that being upper middle class likely makes you full pay. Your undergraduate degree will cost you $300k. Add on medical school, and you have spent a really big pile of money. Are your parents willing to do this? This can also happen at the other schools on your list. They give some merit, but it is difficult to get.

3

Unless you have some special situation like relation to a large donor, “elite” schools should be considered reaches.

4

Thanks for the reply @Eeyore123! Definitely the cost is an issue, my parents and I are planning on seeing where I get in and weighing the pragmatic costs/ benefits before deciding.

5

I strongly recommend doing a budget first and only applying to places that have a chance of being under budget. You and your parents should become familiar with the Net Price Calculator on each schools websites. Trying to figure out how to pay after acceptance is a recipe for disaster. Soon this board will be full of threads about how to pay for a school that someone got in but can’t afford.

6

You have a pretty competitive profile. If math is not your strength than don’t take math 2. Write great essays and apply ED to a school

7

First, find out what your parents are willing and able to pay.

Second, form your list of schools according to fit – preferences based on things like environment/location/weather, academics and academic vibe, social vibe, etc. Try to include some reaches (you have named some in this thread), at least a few matches and at least one safety.

Third, run the NPC on those schools to get a pretty fair idea of whether you could afford them.

The schools that pass that test should be good to go for apps.

Bottom line is that if you only apply to schools you can afford and that fit your preferences well – at least one of which is a safety – you are virtually guaranteed a happy outcome. At least, about as well as you can guarantee one…

8

@biomeg7, there is no reason these days to wait and see where you get in. Each school has a net price calculator on the school website to run to give you an idea of what you might pay (but be aware, there have been several stories out of Penn in particular this year where aid was a lot less than the calculator showed).

In any case, given the cost of med school, you should minimize your undergraduate debt and save what you can. You can get to med school from many schools, including your state flagship or a second or third tier school that gives good merit aid.

9

It’s difficult to find research opportunities- I looked at all the local colleges and got rejected again and again. You seem to have enough of a science spike anyways from your ecs. If you can get a research opportunity, great. But if you don’t, it won’t break your application.

10

Ayeeeee, repping Ohio! You live in Ohio, so why don’t you apply for Case? They have one of the best biomedical engineering programs in the country. Case gives a ton of aid (about 82%) get aid. By the time you’re done with med school, presuming you’ll be applying somewhere prestigious, you’ll easily be over 600-700k in expense.

11

You have a strong profile, but I would just send the ACT score, not the SAT. If you have the time to put together the HYP essays then go for it — set realistic expectations though.

Penn has a ~25% legacy admit rate, but only if you apply ED. I’m not sure if they view a grandparent’s legacy equally in this regard, but something to keep in mind as you decide between ED vs. RD options.

12

@ab2002 Already planning on applying to Case! Love their BME program for sure and hoping to get a visit in soon. If they have a good aid program too that’s definitely a plus. Thanks for the response :slight_smile:

13

ehh, I say 50/50 b/c at the end of the day, its you either do or you don’t. :slight_smile: hope that helps

14

The colleges you list reject many excellent candidates. It’s impossible to predict. JHU is probably the easiest from your list. Many of the colleges you have listed are in very urban settings. Coming from a small town, make sure you like that environment.

One other suggestion, University of Rochester. A neighbor went their specifically because of their excellent pre-med program and hospital. She was very happy and accepted to medical school. They offer merit scholarships. Might be worth a look.

Good Luck!