Junior: Chances for top institutions and ways to improve

Applying to College
1

Hi. I live in a small university town in Iowa.

I want to attend top universities and aspiring to be a doctor so BS/MD programs are also on the look out like Brown PLME and UMKC. I’m also keeping engineering and MBA open but I’m leaving more towards doctor. Looking at Ivy institutions as well as UC and Stanford.

Chinese Male
Stats: GPA UW - 4.0 through 5 semesters.
SAT Math 2: 800
PSAT: 1470 - 760 math and 710 EBRW. More than enough for NMS
Going to take SAT Bio, SAT Chem, SAT Physics, SAT, and ACT.
Total AP Classes by graduation: 10 (AP Human Geo, Environmental Sci, Calc BC, Physics 1, Bio, Chem, etc)

Research at local university: 400 hours shadowing and lab experience
Publications: None
Volunteer Hours: Over 250 at local university
Clubs: Math Team, MU Alpha Theta, USACO, HOSA, DECA, Science Olympiad, NHS
Heavy participation in Math Team, DECA, Science Olympiad, and NHS
Leadership roles: None

Sports: Varsity Tennis 3 years.
Tennis Recruiting: 3 star
UTR: 11

If I get to 4 Star that will be near recruitment level for universities like John Hopkins

I will attempt the USABO test this year.

I’m trying for some summer programs like RSI and NIH. I also got an invitation to NSLC and inquired about that somewhere else. Is it worth attending?

Thanks!
How can I improve my resume over the next year?

2

Before you do ANYTHING with NSLC, please read this article. It is NOT a prestigious program and will do nothing for your chances of admissions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/education/edlife/leadership-t.html

3

Get leadership positions in some of those clubs, definitely do something over the summer and work on your tennis!

4

Check out SIMR

5

If by UC you mean University of California, that’s going to be prohibitively expensive for OOS.

Also run the net price calculators to make sure that all your schools are affordable.

What is your selection index for PSAT? Depending on the verbal subscores 1470 might not be enough for NMSF, even for Iowa.

6

Your academic stats are impressive! I would suggest some physician shadowing and volunteering at hospitals to really show your passion for medicine. I also recommend trying to get/display leadership roles if possible - colleges love leadership. Perhaps if getting a role is difficult, you can try starting your own club? Also try and get some more volunteer hours that show like a variety in where you have volunteered. Also, lots of bsmd programs look for the ability of students to connect with other people. So perhaps some activities that pertain to that (like tutoring etc.). My final tip to you is to start early in the writing process so you know and get a grasp of what colleges are looking for. Essays play an important role, so make sure that you put a lot of work and passion into those. As for the summer programs, look for some leadership based camps - this could perhaps make up for the lack of leadership roles. HOBY is a good leadership seminar. They have a seminar called ALA you should check it out. Here is the link. http://forum.hoby.org/programs/advanced-leadership-academy/dates-location
Hope this helps

7

Your stats are great, although you don’t really need to take that many SAT subject tests to show your proficiency. With a 1520+, you will be a competitive candidate for all of these schools. With your ECs, you should focus on getting leadership positions in case you don’t get recruited for tennis. I can see you like STEM and business, which is good, so perhaps explore those areas further. Start a business this summer. Do mathematical research with a professor at a nearby college. Get leadership positions in those clubs.

8

No need to go to a “top” undergrad school to get into med school. No need to go to a big name med school to become a respected and successful doctor. Why are you putting these limitations and pressures on yourself?

9

@STF4717
Thanks! Seems like NSLC isn’t as good as it seems…

@bigbrewer299
Will definitely work on getting some leadership positions. Any summer activities you’d recommend?

@Yarnweaver
The thing is I heard that SIMR is much more focused on in-state students. As I’m from Iowa I thought the chances of me getting in will be near zero.

@Hamurtle
I wasn’t aware UC is more expensive for OOS. My Selection Index score comes out to a 218 which almost guarantees NMS for Iowa. Grateful not in a state like Virginia.

@bluemonkey66
Thanks for the compliments! I will definitely try to get some leadership roles in some clubs next year. I will also try and get some more volunteer work in as well. I’m not sure if I can incorporate stuff like tutoring however… I’m trying to lean into research to show I’m ready for BS/MD. How good is a publication and how much does it impact your admission chances?

@doorrealthe
Ok I figured overloading on subject tests weren’t a good idea. I’ll try them in moderation. I know for sure I need one more science one for most colleges and some of them require Chemistry in particular. I’m not sure I’m high enough to be actively recruited… And for most of the best institutions you’ll have to be crazy good to be sought out. I’m hoping 3 star at least shows that I’ve put over 8 years into the sport.

@snarlatron
Most top colleges have a higher matriculation rate into med school. If i’m not wrong I believe Harvard had like a 90% rate for premeds moving on. Getting into med school is a big bottleneck.

10

Bump. Any other ways to improve CV?

11

Still wanting to know how I can improve! I have a full year ahead before most admissions are due

12

Suggestions? I want to make the upcoming year as productive as possible. Also, I’m planning on taking 5 AP courses next year. This will bump my total to 11 APs. Will colleges see this as a rigorous courseload?

13

While top schools have high med school matriculation rates, that’s just the people that applied. There are many people that entered on a pre-med track and didn’t even make it that far or didn’t have a high enough GPA so they didn’t bother. A 3.7+ with good internships and MCAT scores at any reputable school will put you in good shape for medical school.

14

@a20171
I’m wondering more along the lines of what else I can do to bump up my overall resume. Maybe summer research programs? Suggestions?

15

Have you talked to your parents about what they will contribute toward your college costs? If you choose a below-budget college, will they allow the leftover to be used for medical school?

Medical school is expensive. University of Iowa medical school is about $60,000 per year for Iowa residents ( https://medicine.uiowa.edu/md/sites/medicine.uiowa.edu.md/files/wysiwyg_uploads/1718_MD_COA%20revised.pdf ). Private and out-of-state public medical schools are generally even more expensive. $240,000 or more of student loan debt is heavy burden to start a medical career with, and can significantly limit your career and life choices (i.e. you may have to chase the money, even if you prefer to do something else that pays less).

16
  1. They start with stronger students to begin with.
  2. Some have a pre-med committee that screens pre-meds and only issues committee letters to those who are very likely to get into medical school (lack of a committee letter basically means "don't bother applying" since medical schools expect one if your undergraduate school issues them).
  3. Many pre-meds abandon the idea after seeing that their grades or MCAT score are too low and never apply.
17

And one more thing-being a Chinese male is one of the worst demographics for pre-med. There will be plenty of competition for the top colleges and you need to distinguish yourself.

National level awards/published research might help, but it’s no guarantee. Is the research you are doing worthy of Siemens/Regeneron level recognition?

Small college town in Iowa-Ames? I suppose Iowa State and University of Iowa are your safeties. Nothing wrong with the University of Iowa and it might be good to get a higher GPA and apply to med school than at a ‘prestigious’ institution that does grade deflation.

You might want to consider Rice, Vanderbilt, and WashU as reaches that are achievable with your stats. Vandy would be good since you have a high GPA/SAT and they don’t get as many Asian applicants as some of other schools that have similar ranking. John Hopkins would be another target with your stats.

Joint BS/MD programs are reaches for anyone, even with your stats.

18

http://www.rpi.edu/dept/admissions/undergraduate/admission/freshman/bsmd-application.html

RPI has a BS/MD program worth looking into. SUNY Stony Brook has a pre-admit program in their med school.

19

Note that BS/MD or BA/MD programs also require maintaining a high college GPA and earning a high MCAT score to enter the associated MD program (although then you would skip the application process, which can be expensive and stressful). The college GPA and MCAT score requirements are typically high enough that you would have a decent chance of admission the regular way.

20

@ucbalumnus
I don’t think cost should be too big of a problem for my family. My dad is a successful business man here and my mom works in the healthcare industry for good pay.

I didn’t know that colleges could deny committee letters like that to boost their matriculation rates. Thanks, and now I’ll have a sharper look at these high numbers.

Some of the BS/MD programs, like the one offered at Brown PLME, don’t require you to take the MCAT and you can actually even take majority pass/fail. This is obviously a pretty easy and straightforward route to med school.