Match me for Biochem Major from Seattle?

Chance Me / Match Me
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Hi all- mom here looking for some suggestions for my daughter. We’re finalizing her list (I know…) and was hoping for some input on good places for her to apply

She is a current senior based in the Seattle area, but is in her second year of Running Start, and all of her classes other than her NJROTC are at the local community college

We have a decent college fund for her, but cost will be somewhat of a factor and we will be applying for financial aid

She hopes to be a biochem major with a goal of becoming a PA, or maybe going into research?

Her overall unweighted GPA through 9th/10th was about a 3.8- she had Honors classes, and took advanced classes in Middle school so she could start on higher level classes earlier in High School. For example, she took Biology, Algebra. and Japanese 1 in Middle School and was therefore able to take Geometry in 9th grade instead of 10th and Physics in 10th instead of 11th or 12th. Her school does not do a weighted GPA

Starting last year, she started taking Running Start Classes, and has a 3.9. She took English, History, 2 quarters of pre-calc, and 2 quarters of Chinese among others to get the rest of her HS requirements done. This coming quarter, she is taking Calc, Chemistry, and another English class.

She already has 19 college credits through Running Start

We’re looking at test blind schools, SAT was not great.

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

List your HS coursework

(Indicate advanced level, such as AP, IB, AICE, A-level, or college, courses as well as specifics in each subject)

  • English: Honors English, plus 2 classes at college
  • Math: (including highest level course(s) completed) Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre-calc
  • Science: (including which ones, such as biology, chemistry, physics) Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Chemistry and Bio again at college
  • History and social studies: European and American History, poli sci
  • Language other than English: (including highest level completed) 3 years of Japanese and 2 quarters of Chinese
  • Visual or performing arts: 2 years Orchestra- violin
  • Other academic courses:

College Coursework (Transfer Applicants)
(Include college courses taken while in high school if not included above.)

She has done NJROTC for all 4 years, and has also lettered in orienteering for all of those years as well. Through ROTC, she has participated in Cybersecurity and Underwater Robotics, which both went to State Championships.

She also had a job last year at a local restaurant

She was a member of the D&D club at school and is part of a local group as well

She got her black belt in Tae Kwon Do, but had to stop due to injury

As of right now, her first choice is University of Washington, so she is applying there

She would ideally like to stay on the west coast

Any other ideas?

Thank you in advance!

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So test blind will be your UCs, CSUs, and UW - but let’s take a deeper look because there’s many schools you can get into that are test optional.

I would start with - what does she seek in a school?

Why UW - other than it’s the state flagship and a fine school.

Does she like the size? The city? Something else.

What does she want in a school - and what is the budget? When I say what does she want - I mean - size, environment (urban, suburban, rural), greek life, sports, etc.

There are many schools on the West coast - including WWU, the Oregon schools and some of the WUE schools.

There’s also private schools.

Tell us more about your desires and budget.

I’d rather find the right schools than just any schools.

Given the major and future desires, the where you go likely isn’t a huge deal.

Thanks

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If you share the “not great” SAT score, that can help for a few different reasons. First of all, most schools don’t need a 1500+ score, and if you only are looking around CC, it seems as though almost everyone has a 1500+ or thinks that a 1400 is a “low” score. 1000 is the average SAT score in this country. Having an SAT score, even a more “modest” one can often qualify a student for additional merit aid.

Secondly, test scores aren’t everything, but it can also be a way to gauge what kind of academic environment will be most likely to ensure your D’s success toward her goals. If she wants to be a PA, it’s a very competitive grad program. She’s going to need high grades in college. If she goes to a school where students were testing higher, the expectations of prior knowledge might be higher and the classes might be moving at a faster pace. Additionally, some science classes like to grade on a curve, and if she’s not as strong of a tester at a school with a bunch of strong testers, that might not necessarily be to her advantage.

Is she interested in doing joining the navy in the future? If so, NROTC scholarships are available and can significantly reduce the cost of college.

What is it about U. of Washington that she likes? Is she aware that many majors at UW-Seattle are capacity-constrained, meaning that even if you meet the pre-major requirements, you still have to compete against other qualified undergrads to get into the major? Almost all UW majors with bio- in the title or are somehow related to the health sciences are capacity-constrained (source).

What does she want from her college experience? Some questions that might help prod her thinking include:

  • What size classes does she do best in?
  • What size school does she prefer?
  • How does she feel about urban/suburban/college town/rural schools?
  • How does she feel about significant enthusiasm for intercollegiate sports?
  • How does she feel about Greek life (sorority/fraternity)?
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Okay, I didn’t wait for a response to the questions. Since we don’t know what appeals about U. of Washington for your D, we don’t know whether it’s the Seattle location, a city location, a big state school experience, the athletic fandom, etc. But below are a number of schools sorted by some categories that might be helpful.

WUE Schools

  • Cal State – Chico: About 13k undergrads
  • Colorado State: About 26k undergrads
  • Oregon State: About 29k undergrads (not all students receive WUE classification)
  • Sonoma State (CA): About 6k undergrads
  • U. of Idaho: About 8800 undergrads
  • U. of Montana: About 7200 undergrads
  • U. of Nevada – Reno: About 17k undergrads
  • U. of New Mexico: About 16k undergrads in Albuquerque
  • U. of Utah: About 26k undergrads in Salt Lake City. Additionally, getting residency is easy after the first year if she stays over the first summer.
  • U. of Wyoming: About 8500 undergrads

Other Big State Schools

  • Arizona State: About 65k undergrads in the Phoenix metro area
  • U. of Arizona: About 39k undergrads in Tucson
  • U. of Colorado: About 31k undergrads
  • U. of Oregon: About 20k undergrads

Small to Mid-Sized Private Schools

  • California Lutheran: About 2500 undergrads
  • Chapman (CA): About 7900 undergrads
  • Gonzaga (WA): About 5100 undergrads at this Jesuit school
  • Lewis & Clark (OR): About 2200 undergrads in Portland
  • Loyola Marymount (CA): About 7300 undergrads in Los Angeles at this Jesuit school
  • Occidental (CA): About 1900 undergrads in Los Angeles
  • Santa Clara (CA): About 6100 undergrads at this Jesuit school
  • Seattle Pacific (WA): About 2400 undergrads
  • Seattle U. (WA): About 4k undergrads at this Jesuit school
  • U. of Denver (CO): About 6200 undergrads
  • U. of Puget Sound (WA): About 1700 undergrads
  • U. of San Diego (CA): About 5700 undergrads
  • U. of the Pacific (CA): About 3300 undergrads
  • Whitman (WA): About 1500 undergrads
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Thanks for the reply! Been at work all day, so just checking in

She got an 1150 on her SAT. She has some test anxiety which we are working on. She has no trouble keeping up in advanced classes, but tends to second guess herself when testing.

We’ve asked if she would like to join the Navy in the future, but she was not interested.

She likes UW I think mainly because it is in Seattle and we live in Seattle, and she is maybe not ready to go too far from home yet. I say west coast as we are originally from California (we moved her when she was 9), and we still have a ton of family in SoCal and the rest of California.

She is really not sure what she wants from college other than the academics- she does not care about sports or Greek life at all. I will say that she is rather shy and introverted, so hopefully a place big enough where she can find people who share her interests, but not so big that she gets lost.

She is also hoping to have a school which takes her Running Start credits, so she can graduate early.

As for budget, her college fund should have enough for 4 years of an in-state public school like UW.

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I will add- a lot of her friends went to UW, so I think that is part of the appeal for her

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So she wants to stay close to home - there’s other campuses like Bothell. Or WWU is close enough.

It sounds to me like UW might not be best for her interests - and perhaps a mid size is better or even smaller school like Puget Sound or Whitman (they’ll get you an aid pre read b4 you apply).

You never know - will a UW be too big or she can find her people. Will an LAC be too small - or she’ll have a better chance to meet new folks in a smaller setting.

As for my friends go - I’m not sure when kids get to the next level that the hs friends stay a huge part of their lives. They all go in different directions - with new friends, clubs, majors, some drink and go to sports, others don’t, etc.

The other thing you can look at is WUE to get low tuition.

Not too too far - you have U Montana, U Nevada, Portland State that are somewhat close - and then lots of LACs that might be better. The three publics I mentioned (and there’s more) are WUE schools - so heavily discounted.

If she liked WWU, for example, you could apply to UW and WWU and call it a day kind of thing…or UW and UW Bothell, etc.

Good luck

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If your daughter is pretty sure she would like to be a PA, might she be interested in doing a combined BS/MS Physician Assistant program?

Here’s list of the 44 accredited combined programs:

There are no combined programs in Washington or California. Most are in the East and Midwest ( mostly NY, PA, NJ, OH). Closest program is in Nebraska.

There are only 2 accredited PA programs in WA state: U Washington and Heritage University. California has about 2 dozen PA programs

Here’s a listen of all accredited PA programs in the US:

Edited to add: PA programs require PAID hands on medical experience. CNA, phlebotomist, EMT, PT-assistant, paramedic, surgical or ER tech, or similar.

The amount of hours required is specific to each program but runs from a few hundred to 1000+ hours.

Your d may want to check to see if she can take her certification coursework for MA/CNA/EMT/PT-A/CPT, etc as part of her Running Start program.

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Please be aware that becoming a Physician Assistant requires a 24-30 month long graduate degree. There will little to no financial aid other than unsubsidized loans for PA school.

There is a cap of $20,500/year for federal students loans for PA school. If Her costs are higher than that (and that’s very likely), she will need to borrow additional monies from the Grad Plus loan program which has higher interest rates, higher origination fees and fewer payback options than federal student loans.

Keep this mind when considering the cost of her undergrad school.

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