Please help an indecisive junior find an ED! [CA resident, 4.0 GPA, 1540 SAT, $25-30k parent contribution; psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics

  • US domestic
  • State/Location of residency: CA
  • Type of high school: competitive public
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity: asian female
  • Other special factors: first-gen

Intended Major(s)
Psychology, Neuroscience, or Cognitive Science

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.5
  • Class Rank: N/A
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1540 (770 split)
  • APs: 4’s and 5’s

Coursework (by senior year)
taken: APES, AP Calc AB, AP Chem, APWH, AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, APUSH, AP Lang, APCSP, AP Bio, AP Lit, AP Physics C E&M, AP Stats, AP U.S. government, AP Psych + 11 DE and rest are honors

Awards
Science olympiad medals for regionals & invitationals ~15 (top 5)
niche sport top3 regionals x5

Extracurriculars
Science Olympiad, President (Aug 2018-Current)

  • Increased enrollment from 8 to 40+ in my first term
  • coached members on respective events and gave them materials as needed
  • lead meetings weekly talking about resources and ways to prepare for regionals
  • Made study guides for everyone/provided them with materials and study resources as needed

Pre-Med Club, co-founder, VP (aug 2021-Current)

  • Co-host weekly meetings talking about different practices in medicine
    • Had a professor come in and present about various medical topics and AI in the medical field
  • Taught them how to draw blood, suture, and do CPR
  • Gave them volunteer opportunities within the Red Cross
  • One of the biggest active clubs in the school (60+ active members)

Elementary Math Club, Volunteer (aug 2021-current)

  • Coached underserved and underrepresented students in preparation for the Math Kangaroo competition
  • Tutored students 1-on-1 who need extra support in their math classes
  • Created study plans for each student based on needs

Art(August 2016-current)

  • Attend lessons weekly at state university
  • Crafting a portfolio that later gets displayed at a yearly showcase at CSU’s and on my district’s website

Associated Student Body (ASB), historian/event coordinator (September 2021-current)

  • Planned and helped coordinate ASB events such as homecoming, winter formal, Pi-Day, and Spirit weeks
  • Took photos for all school-related events
  • Designed and uploaded photos for the school’s yearbook
  • Made an End of the Year Scrapbook with every school event
  • Created and managed the school’s ASB social media account
  • Represented the school at various district events
  • Testing moderator for the school admissions test

District Student Advisory Council (Oct 2023-Current)

  • Contributed to the development of an ethics study course that is being piloted in 25 schools
  • Working one-on-one with community leaders on personal projects involving giving back to the community
  • Working on a personal project that sources academic material for underrepresented and underserved children
  • Lobbied for a bill that officially recognizes and acknowledges the Lunar New Year as a holiday in the district (passed and signed in 2024)
  • Contributed to the improvement and development of Dual Enrollment programs throughout the district
  • Did a presentation on my culture and how my family celebrates New Year to 100+ families in the district
  • Met up with district officials to discuss community based safety and student mental health & wellness
  • Was on the planning committee for the District’s Mental Health Conference (500+ attendees)
    • Moderated and helped organize student sessions

Red Cross Youth First Aid Services, (Aug 2023- current)

  • Worked 10+ first aid station shifts at a multitude of events
  • Performed first aid and logged patient records to ~150 people at various events
  • BLS certified, Administering Emergency Oxygen Certified

Cancer Hospital Volunteer (January 2023-current)

  • Answered patient calls
  • Assisted nurses with patients
  • Restocked medical supply room and carts
  • Helped deliver lab results to patients

Girls Who Code (June 2023-July 2023)

  • Learned game development in JavaScript

niche sport (June 2022-October 2023)

  • Trained 2 hours everyday
  • Attended local competitions

Library Volunteer (May 2023-sept 2023)

  • Set up enrichment programs for elementary schoolers
  • helped with shelving
  • In charge of the decoration in the children’s section
  • took photos to post for the library’s social media page
  • reviewed ~300 books for the library to purchase over the summer
  • Managed the inventory of books and discontinued outdated/unpopular books
  • Packaged 500+ books to be donated to charities throughout the country

Hospital Intern (this summer)

  • TBA

Schools
Was thinking ED to Northwestern (probably unlikely if im being honest lol) or Williams (also unlikely) but please help me find a good ED school that I realistically have a chance to!

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You have a great profile and many accomplishments, congratulations.

The most crucial piece of information is your budget. How much are your parents willing/able to pay per year toward your college? This info is required before anyone can chance/match you.

The other important info is what kind of schools are you interested in? Northwestern is a large highly-selective private comprehensive research university. Williams is a small, super-selective liberal arts school. What are your preferences for size, geography, public/private, religion, greek life, vibes, ability to play your niche sport, etc? Are you interested in any public schools?

It would also be helpful to know what you think you might like to do after you graduate from college.

Finally, why are you interested in doing ED instead of EA/RD?

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How did you manage this?

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Applying ED is not about what you might have a chance for. Applying ED is for a school you LOVE as a 100% top choice that is also affordable. Have you visited any schools? What appeals to you at Northwestern and Williams? Are they affordable?

Please do not think you HAVE to apply ED anywhere. Only do it if it makes sense for your situation.

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i did a training camp at a hospital and im certified to administer and teach people ab it! we also have a lot of dummies and materials that i received via the training camp which we use to practice on

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idk how to describe it and it may seem silly but for NU im just really drawn to it and their cognitive science program! for williams i love the interdisciplinary studies and the idea of concentrations and how the school really focuses on the students! i havent rlly visited bc of APs and stuff but Ive attended talks whenever they came to my region and i love them both sm!

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So you have a valid phlebotomy certificate?

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My parents can contribute ~25k to 30k if that helps? I really love schools that support and take care of students well (LACs) and I also love schools that focus on interdisciplinary studies and provide a lot of opportunities for reseach. I’m planning on ED because I feel like my chances in RD would be abysmal. I know that ED also factors in legacy and athletes and stuff but I still feel like it would help me over RD.

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smth like that?? lol i know that there are age requirements for the phlebotomy certificate and its kinda complex but i swear im not like illegally teaching or smth LOL

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Is that per year, or in total?

Have you/your parents run the net price calculator on NU’s website? Does it indicate you’ll be eligible for need based aid?

To confirm you’re using this term properly: neither of your parents has a college degree from anywhere in the world?

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  1. per year (maximum they could go up to) & yes! i am eligible for fin aid (usually 10k-30k)

  2. yup no college degree

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Here is NU’s net price calculator. Run that with your parents to get an estimate of how much it will cost per year. NU primarily gives need based aid only.

https://npc.collegeboard.org/app/northwestern

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and by 10k-30k i mean my estimated cost contribution

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Not giving you a hard time, but just pointing out things that will raise eyebrows.

If you are listing a skill that has legal requirements and you don’t meet it, that will not be seen positively. Or you can clarify this more when you are actually preparing your app. People notice these things.

If you meet this, then you can write them out individually:

  1. completed phlebotomy training
  2. work with peers to stimulate interests and skills using sim lab equipment
  3. supervised by licensed medical provider …
  4. covered under institutional liability insurance policy
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ohhh alright thank you so much!

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Again, you are very well qualified and ambitious. Don’t let minor detail derail your application.

Another thing is Red Cross. Unless you work for Red Cross, you didn’t give people volunteer opportunities. You helped guide and assist in obtaining spots (I guess).

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yup! sorry for the bad phrasing or any misleading statements, basically i just helped all of them sign up and get hours/ youth opportunities

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Agree that ED is for your clear top choice among colleges that are realistic for admission and affordability. If you are unsure enough that you may have regrets about committing early to a specific college, ED is unlikely to be a good idea.

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I’m pretty sure that I wont have any regrets committing early, i actually prefer it because knowing me, ill probably not be able to stand the wait if it makes sense?

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Likely not. For colleges like Northwestern and Williams, they aren’t going to make a decision in the early round that they wouldn’t make in the regular round. The early pool is HIGHLY competitive- children of faculty, major donors (talking people who have donated a lab or a named chair in genetics, not just gave half a million dollars), athletes with Olympic ambitions, etc.

I think your focus needs to be on finding affordable match colleges- affordable because you have run the numbers with your parents, and you all agree the likely aid is workable. Not a range- but actual dollar figures (if your parents are contributing 24K per year, for example- that’s a commitment for 2K per month-- where is that money coming from?)

Once you have those colleges nailed down, we can be helpful talking through the pros and cons of the reachier schools on your list. If you love Northwestern, there are another ten reachy type schools you are likely to love. The harder part is finding the affordable schools similar to Northwestern where you are very likely to be admitted.

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