Hi! I’m a junior thinking about applying Harvard REA and I’d love advice on what to focus on over the next year + how realistic my chances are at T10s.
Demographics: Asian ,F
School: Large competitive public high school
Intended major: Neuroscience / Pre-med
SAT: 1560
ACT: 35
GPA: 3.93 UW, 5.23 W
Rank: Top ~8%
Coursework: 13 APs so far (more planned senior year)
Awards/Honors
HOSA Nationals – Top 20 (international level)
BPA Nationals – “Best in Show” / Top 3
National Honor Society
AP Scholar Award
Extracurriculars
Club Officer for both Computer Science Club and Orchestra/Violin
Founded a nonprofit in junior year focused on visiting senior citizen homes; organized multiple visits and student volunteers
Shadowing: Observed multiple surgeries at a local hospital over the summer (neurosurgery/medicine-related)
Summer Research Program at a local college (competitive selection) – did research related to biology/medicine
100+ volunteer hours at international festivals and community events
Violin: Play at a nonprofit organization for community events / senior homes
Tutoring: Teach math at a reputed middle school and also at a local tutoring institution, working with younger students on foundational and competition math
This is an extremely top heavy list. These colleges have very low acceptance rates and therefore, it’s just about impossible to chance someone for admission. There are many many many well qualified applicants at all of these colleges who don’t get accepted.
Just noting that you can take the required courses for medical school applicants at just about every four year college in this country.
Before you target all of these reach schools, please please find a sure thing for admission, that is affordable for your family, that you would be happy to attend. This is THE most important college needed on your application list. You say this list doesn’t include your “safety schools”. Really those are most important.
You don’t mention budget in your post, but this absolutely should be considered if medical school is in your future. Medical school will likely be over $100,000 a year, and federally funded loans will no longer cover the cost to attend. You will likely need either assistance from your family OR you will need to take private loans to help cover the costs.
Can your family pay the full cost to attend these reach schools? You can run the net price calculators but right now they are set up for students starting college in fall 2026, and that’s not you. For the 2027-2028 academic year, you will use 2025 tax year information. Since 2025 hasn’t quite ended, you will need to figure out the year’s totals. So…use the NPCs as an estimate only. And yes, colleges do change their financial aid formulas and awarding policies…so what is this year might not be next.
Please read the thread I’m linking here. This was a VERY strong student. NMF, top in class, excellent course rigor, excellent ECs and LOR, excellent essays. He was rejected at ALL of his colleges senior year of high school, an outcome that no one expected. He did land well on his feet after a well crafted gap year, but his senior year was not a happy time. You don’t want to be this student. Read the whole thread. It’s older, but admissions have become even more competitive since it was written:
Congratulations on your hard work and accomplishments!
I would not spend much valuable space on shadowing. While it demonstrates your interest in surgery, it is, by its very term, passive. This is even more true if your parents are surgeons, because then it also removes the notion that you got the summer shadowing gig on your own. Anyone can observe stuff if given the opportunity. You want to spend your space talking about things that make you stand out.
If it were my kid, I would not suggest focusing on founding the nonprofit. Instead, I would focus on the activities involved in visiting the senior citizen homes and coordinating people to do so. When it comes to high school activities, founding of a nonprofit is most often unnecessary, and typically requires parental involvement creating the legal entity. So, it signals privilege and doing things for the resume more than for the underlying cause.
Hope you land somewhere where you are happy and will thrive!
Edited to add: Because it’s application season, my mind went straight to applications. The concepts are even more true for activities: focus on active things that ideally a) you really enjoy for their own sake and b) make you stand out or are just a little different.