How to Beat the Odds?

Applying to College
1

<p>In the spring of 4th grade, a car accident left me with injuries requiring multiple surgeries to correct. After having various metals placed in my body, my summer vacation was spent re-learning how to walk. The people who cared for me in those months and the years since, have made choosing a career easy. To be able to breathe life back into someone facing the hardest physical and mental challenges of their lives, by fixing their broken bones and supporting them through their recovery process, is my utmost dream. Currently as a rural Catholic high school sophomore, my nerves are on red alert about the competition, in order to make my goals become my reality. Guidance on how to strengthen my CV to present the best possible package to admissions committees; as well as, guidance towards specific schools/programs that would give the best chance for success, will also be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Academics:
Grade 9:
Honors Geometry -99
Honors Biology I -99
Honors English I -99
Honors Theology I -98
Honors Spanish I -97
Honors American Cultures -96
Average 97.8
Class Rank 1/127</p>

<p>Summer Community College Classes:
Psych 145 – Human Growth & Development – A
Math 105 – Intermediate Algebra – A (My school allowed me to skip Algebra II for this.)</p>

<p>10th Grade (Mid-Term Grades)
Pre-Calculus-93 (One test lowered my grade; my goal is to attain a 96 final grade)
Honors Chemistry I – 99
Honors English II – 99
Honors Theology II – 96
Honors Spanish II – 98
Honors World Cultures -96
cum GPA: 97.375
Class Rank Only Provided after 4th Quarter</p>

<p>PSAT scores:
Critical Reading: 70
Mathematics: 70
Writing: 69</p>

<p>Planned Courses:
11th Grade: Honors Calculus I, Honors Physics I, Honors English III, Honors Theology III, Honors Spanish III, Honors 20th Century History</p>

<p>12th Grade: Honors Chemistry II, Honors Anatomy & Physiology, Honors English IV, Honors Theology IV, Honors Spanish IV </p>

<p>Notes:
*There are no further math courses available at my school, so my schedule will be supplemented with math at my community college.

  • My school does not offer AP courses. SAT Subject Tests will be taken to provide supplemental proof for rigor of the coursework completed at my school. Intended Subject Tests: Math Level 2, Literature, Biology, Chemistry, Spanish Reading</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Medical Volunteering/Shadowing:
Nursing Home: 126 hours
Family Physicians Office: 72 hours
Chiropractic Office: 28 hours
Ear, Nose and Throat: 5 hours</p>

<p>SPCA Volunteer: ~100 hours
Bible Camp Teacher’s Assistant: ~40 hours
Reader at Church: ~40 hours
Coordinated a Toys for Tots Toy-Drive: Collected 183 Toys; 40 hours</p>

<p>Ran 5K for Lung Cancer – Raised $475; ran in 25:04 9th out of 62 in age group
JV Basketball - starting point guard
Track – mid-distance and hurdles</p>

<p>Freshman Home Room Representative to Student Council
Sophomore Home Room Representative to Student Council
Medical Explorers Club at Local Hospital
Private Latin Tutoring</p>

<p>Plans for Summer b/n 10th & 11th:
Have Internship at Hand Surgeon’s Office already lined up.
Basketball Camp (Required Every Summer)
Bible Camp TA (If schedule permits)
Still Looking for a Lab to Volunteer/Intern/Work at, if that doesn’t work out will take CC classes.</p>

<p>Planned for Fall 11th Grade:
Applied for Hospital Volunteer Program – requires 60 hours of service during Fall term.</p>

<p>Goal for Summer b/n 11th & 12th:
Will Apply for Governor’s School for Sciences.
If not accepted to Governor’s School – will attempt to find opportunity with another Orthopedic Surgeon and/or lab/research.</p>

<p>Other Hobbies:
Hiking/Climbing
Avid Reader (Currently working my way through the reading list for St. John’s College)
Sewing (Some of my creations are for sale in an Etsy Shop)
Spending Time with family and friends whenever possible</p>

<p>My Ideal College Must:
*Have Strong Science Departments, (especially Biology and Chemistry)
*Provide Significant Research Opportunities
*Either have a BS/MD program or has a good record for medical school admissions. Provides support for admission process, such as MCAT prep and Interview coaching.
*Award Full or Near Full Grant/Scholarship Aid (The goal being no loans for undergrad; will qualify for Pell)</p>

<p>My Ideal College May Also:
*Have a campus that is easy and quick to navigate. (Having to take a bus to get from a residence hall to a classroom eats up precious time.)
*Have a friendly-vibe. A place where people are warm to one another; where students and professors can get to know each other; where you are never “just a number.”
*Be located in a warm or moderate climate.
*Have minimal general education/core curriculum requirements.
*Have nearby places to enjoy the outdoors, with activities such as hiking and climbing.
*Have an actual campus, as opposed to being integrated into a city, similar to: NYU, Hopkins, Temple
*Not be highly politically-active with a “far-left” bent</p>

2

<p>If you’re looking for suggestions for colleges to consider, you’re in the wrong forum. And any suggestions are moot until you have a SAT/ACT score.</p>

<p>For general advice, try reading this excellent advice: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1122176-bluedevilmikes-ten-step-guide-picking-premed-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1122176-bluedevilmikes-ten-step-guide-picking-premed-school.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you’re looking at BA/MD programs–you’re still in the wrong forum.</p>

<p>Try here: [Multiple</a> Degree Programs - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/multiple-degree-programs/]Multiple”>Multiple Degree Programs - College Confidential Forums)</p>

<p>If you’re looking for FA, try these threads:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=automatic+scholarships[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=automatic+scholarships&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html?highlight=automatic+scholarships[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html?highlight=automatic+scholarships&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html?highlight=automatic+scholarships[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html?highlight=automatic+scholarships&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Please be aware that not all BA/MD programs offer FA.</p>

3

<p>Since you’re only a sophomore, then if you study for the PSAT for junior year, you might score high enough for National Merit.</p>

<p>You need to talk to your parents about how much they’ll spend on college.</p>

<p>If you want to go to med school, then once you have SAT/ACT scores and your budget, you’ll be better able to come up with a college list. </p>

<p>What will your major be?</p>

<p>Edited to add… Just saw this…</p>

<p>**Award Full or Near Full Grant/Scholarship Aid (The goal being no loans for undergrad; will qualify for Pell)*</p>

<p>Do you have a non-custodial parent? If so, then the schools that give the best aid will want his info as well.</p>

<p>You’ll need the best test scores to get the best aid…either merit wise or to get into the schools that give the best aid.</p>

4

<p>

</p>

<p>Your first question is best answered here on the Admissions forum. For your second question, please post it on the College Search & Selection forum.</p>

5

<p>Wow…love the focus and detailed life-plan! If it weren’t for the part about loans, I’d suggest Harvard as a high match. Might want to work on that PSAT, though…</p>

6

<p>I would agree that you can further strengthen your application by studying for the PSAT and making National Merit Finalist if you do well. You look like you are positioning yourself very well. Maybe I missed it, but what state do you live in?</p>

7

<p>@discipulus: Harvard has one of the most generous FA extant on the planet. If one wishes to avoid loans and is a super qualified applicant, Harvard should DEFINITELY be in the picture. </p>

<p>You must be holding on to old myths about the affordability of HYP (Amherst and Williams, too).</p>

8

<p>entomom: Thank you for directing my questions to the proper location. </p>

<p>WayOutWestMom: Thank you for taking the time to provide all the links; that’s a very helpful list to maximize the usefulness of my time spent on this website. </p>

<p>mom2collegekids: The NMS qualifying score in my state was 214 last year. My guidance counselor says that sophomore PSATs are intended as a baseline, without prep my score was still in the 99th percentile (98th for writing) for sophomores. My guidance counselor downplayed the importance of improving this score, in comparison to the advice here. My new goal score for next year is 220. </p>

<p>We are a single income household. My mom also suffered injuries in the car accident and gave up her career following the accident, so that she could be there to care for our family. My parents, who are married to each other, can only spend $5,000-$7,000 each year, and that would be making life difficult for them. The tuition at my high school is $4100/year and we receive partial financial aid there. If a school were to make an offer that would avoid putting that burden on them, that school would get chosen over more prestigious school, so long as it doesn’t jeopardize the opportunity to attend medical school. Financial Aid is a top priority. </p>

<p>DiscipulusBonus: Your input also influenced my new PSAT score goal – thank you. Harvard never seemed an attainable goal, but your words are encouraging! Harvard always seemed untouchable for a small town girl, as far as my awareness goes the only Ivy my school sends students to is Penn, and that’s maybe 1 or 2 students per year that get into Penn. In my class, there are 4(maybe 5) of us, who are super-competitive, so we may defy the norm for our school. </p>

<p>intparent: You also were influential in my PSAT goal – thank you. For my entire life, my home has been in the same small town in rural PA.</p>

<p>T26E4: “Harvard should DEFINITELY be in the picture” - this brought a smile to my face, thank you for having this level of confidence in me! A friend of my family had told me that the more prestigious the school, the more money that is available in their coffers for financial aid; (as well as for research opportunities.) That person led me to believe that reach schools such as: Carnegie Mellon, Swarthmore, Haverford, Villanova, William and Mary, would be appropriate for both money and a real chance of acceptance (although not necessarily the best pre-med options.) Your post is leading me to believe that shooting higher may be as appropriate/more appropriate. These thoughts are thrilling, although in practice the school that provides the best combination of financial aid and opportunity to reach my career goals, will take precedence over prestige, but it wouldn’t be so bad if Harvard was the one to provide that combination either. ;)</p>

<p>Parent who sent me a PM suggesting UAB: Thank you for the suggestion. It sounds good from what you say. The weather is definitely more appealing than Boston too. More research is needed, but thank you for sending me in that direction. UAB sounds like a great choice for pre-med from your message. :)</p>

<p>Everyone: your input is greatly appreciated. My next step after reading your thoughts is to start a study plan to insure a 220 is attained, particularly to practice writing each day. A visit to my guidance counselor will also be scheduled to discuss the reality of Harvard-level admissions.</p>

9

<p>If you guidance counselor said not to bother trying to improve your PSATs, then they are likely not thinking too much about the Harvard candidate. The odds of acceptance there are miniscule even for a great candidate – so go ahead and apply, but you need to spend a lot more time thinking about other schools that likely will give you good aid and a good shot at medical school.</p>

<p>Note that while many of the schools you listed have very good financial aid, they WILL expect you to take out some loans for your education. You can use the net price calculator to get a flavor for what would be expected for each school, although the results may not be accurate if your parents’ finances are complex or they own a small business. </p>

<p>But I think you would be a strong candidate from some large merit scholarships, too, at schools where your statistics are near the top of the heap.</p>

10

<p>2023MD: I’m not endorsing your intention to or not to apply to Harvard. That’s your decision to make. I avoid “chance me” scenarios. I was just clarifying the seeming misunderstanding by poster 5 about the relative affordability of some top schools.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you, wherever you apply and eventually attend</p>

11

<p>You are definitely on the right path for any of the top schools, although they are so selective. You might want to consider self-studying for some AP tests in addition to taking dual-enrollment courses, to prove you can compete with students from big high schools.</p>

12

<p>mmmgirl - Thank you for the suggestion. Does anyone know how much of a factor AP scores play? My plan is to take SAT IIs and some community college courses. To me it seems like a lot of time that could be better spent, but if it is a significant factor, then it is worth considering.</p>

13

<p>I think you should take the AP’s. It is based on school work. A good barometer. You are aspiring to take way too many SAT 2’s. Not necessary. BTW, the Spanish SAT 2 is very difficult…lots of native Spanish speakers take it impacting scoring.
How about something personal? Why not help ONE child thru rehab like you were helped. I can imagine a great essay flashing from your situation to present but more personal if you have a personal connection. That sewing sounds very interesting … why not expand your “business”?</p>

14

<p>I think you should apply to WashU in St Louis (they also have amazing med school, lots of research opportunities) Northwestern, Duke. Yes to Swarthmore, Haverford etc. Spend some time zero’ing in on ONE school by senior year and apply EARLY. So much better odds. I see you at a friendly place like WashU or Northwestern. Do not put all your eggs in the Harvard basket early. Odds are so against you.</p>

15

<p>Taking advantage of the few weeks between the end of basketball season and the beginning of track season, a lot has occurred since my last post. </p>

<p>My guidance counselor has a better understanding of my goals and now that we are on the same page, we have developed a plan for testing, so that I will self-study for AP exams and take them at the local public school. Because of the timing my first AP tests won’t be completed until Junior Year though. The first tests will be the SAT subject tests in Chemistry and Math Level 2, which are scheduled for June. Then next year will be PSATs in October, SAT I in March (if I need to retake will do that Sept of Senior Year) and AP Calculus AB, AP English Lit, and AP Latin in May. The AP plan for senior year is still in the air, my preference would be to complete AP’s in Chem, Bio and Spanish, but time may not allow for it.</p>

<p>My calendar for the summer has filled in as well. I will still be shadowing the hand surgeon, 12 hours/week – to a total of 68 hours over the course of the summer. My guidance counselor got me enrolled in the College Opportunity Program at a local liberal arts college, which will allow me to take “Intro to Sociology” and “Writing about Texts” at 4 credits each. Basketball camp will overlap with only 1 class day, since my team is only doing a 4-day camp this year. Class ends on August 3rd, giving me a week “off” before volunteering as a teacher’s assistant at Bible Camp again. Volunteering at a nursing home, the SPCA and my church fill in my weekends year-round. The other big thing is, I got a job! There’s a dairy bar down the road, where the first job my mom held was, and it will be my first job too – serving ice cream. The hours will change my normal social life Fri, Sat and Sun nights, but applying to college is expensive, so that 18 hours a week should help pay for everything. There are about 30 teenagers who work at the dairy bar too, so it should be fun getting to know all of them as well. </p>

<p>Admittedly, there is a little disappointment that my goal of working in a lab this summer isn’t going to happen; however, an email came on Friday, congratulating me for being chosen for the [Name Withheld] Hospital Volunteer Program for the Fall Term. This obligates 60 hours of hospital volunteering, between September and December; as far as obligations go, this one is super exciting. </p>

<p>Normally in the fall, I’m climbing up walls in anticipation of the start of basketball season. A highlight of each year are the first official workouts when you run for hours, to the point that the next morning you can barely move; those workouts lead to drills, which lead to running plays, which lead to playing games. One of the first questions out of my mouth following the car accident was asking whether I would run an offense again. To me there’s nothing more fun than calling the plays, making assists, setting up picks, or scoring points myself. Lately my mind has been wandering to the thought, “will running an O.R., be like running an offense?” The only way to find that answer out is to experience both, so there it is, my latest motive to keep on this path - an answer waiting to be discovered.</p>