Schools Where I'd Fit In?

College Search & Lists
1

I’m currently a senior in high school and obviously in the process of applying for college. I currently have a list of 7 schools I’d like to apply to, but I’d like to get that number up to 9-10, not because I want to fulfill a quota or something, but I want to keep options open as I’m not sure how I rank among other candidates for schools. My family never really had the time to go on college visits, and although I’ve done research on the internet on schools, I’m still a little confused, and was wondering if anyone has opinions or experiences with schools they think I should look at? Here are a few things about me:

Basic:
State of Residence: Ohio
Race: Asian
Gender: Female
Income: Middle Class

Stats:
ACT: 35 Composite
SAT :1470 (Retaking again in October)
SAT Subject Tests: 790 Chemistry, 750 Biology, 700 Math 2 (Retook on August test date, awaiting score)
AP Scores: 5 on Chemistry, Biology, US History, Spanish, English Language and Composition
PSAT: 1490
GPA UW: 4.00
GPA W: 4.75 as of end of junior year
Senior Schedule: AP Physics Mechanics, AP Physics Electricity and Magnetism, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Psychology, Honors Anatomy and Physiology, AP English Literature and Composition. (I’m not an AP addict, I just go to a high school where my class size is over 900 and is unbelievably competitive)

Extra-Curriculars:
3 years of varsity cross country
4 years of track, 2 of them varsity
2 years of National Honor Society, leadership position
5 years on advising board at local library, leadership position
4 years of volunteering at local hospital
I have played piano for 11 years

What I’m Looking for in a College:
I’d like to stay on the eastern half of the United States.
I want to go to a school that experiences either all four seasons or primarily cooler weather.
I’d like to go to a mid-sized coed school, but wouldn’t mind if it were a larger campus. I really like the feel of a collegetown that is close to a larger city/downtown. (Like Case Western and Cleveland).
I intend to major in something along the lines of biochemistry, microbiology, etc. I’m not entirely sure yet.
I intend to go to medical school.

I wouldn’t mind continuing to run, but with my times, I think that would only be an option at a DIII school. That being said, the athletic division is not a make-or-break aspect for me, but it’d be nice to have the possibility to run at a DIII school (I’m aware I won’t receive money for running DIII).
I know having a good GPA is crucial for getting into med school (of course others factor into it too) so I’m a little hesitant on going to anywhere that is HIGHLY known for pre-med. Yes, I know pre-med will be hard at any school, but I know I can’t really compete with those applying for programs like Northwestern’s BS/MD (I know that you never know until you try) but I just don’t know if I’d be able to handle the rigor at that level. I’m also not trying to disregard the programs of the schools I am already applying to. I am well aware they are also extremely prestigious universities and would be honored to be admitted into any of them.

Schools I’m already applying to:
Case Western
Duke
Vanderbilt
University of Michigan
Ohio State University
University of Chicago
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Any suggestions are welcome and extremely appreciated. I know that ultimately I’m the only one who truly knows what I want in a college but hopefully people can relate to what I’m looking for an offer suggestions. Thanks for your help.

2

Carnegie Mellon? Also, probably a safety for you, but University of Pittsburgh and University of Rochester (low match?)

3

WashU, Emory, Wake Forest?

4

You have no need to retake the SAT in October as you have a 35 ACT. You may want to look at the NESCAC schools. You would be very competitive stats wise and they have good medical school acceptance rates.

5

I was thinking WashU too, until you said you were hesitant about any place that is highly known for pre-med. A lot of the other things you said you were looking for seem like it would be a great fit for you, but it is definitely highly known for pre-med.

6

You say middle income- does that mean you would prefer to chase merit or have you run enough NPCs to know if your top choices will provide/meet your financial need?

For additional reaches, Johns Hopkins is a bit of a given. Of course known for pre med but truly meets many other criteria you seek.

For merit aid you should consider some of the top women’s schools especially Bryn Mawr since it’s in a consortium. The others as well- Smith, Mt Holyoke, Wellesley (not sure how much if any aid they give?). Just some thoughts but if you need decent merit aid the women’s schools are excellent options with proven pre med track records.

7

Have you looked at Cornell? Nice college town adjacent to campus, a larger town nearby (Ithaca - not very big though), and plenty of space and scenery for running. Diverse student body. Great environment. Lots to do.

Also, Middlebury is another suggestion, it has a small town nearby, and if you have a car Burlington VT is within reach. Beautiful school, happy students, small intimate school.

8

What about Tufts? I would second Pitt and CMU. Also Bryn Mawr, known for both merit snd pre-med. Those all have the city component.

Two smaller ones to consider are Franklin and Marshall (Lancaster )and Union (Schenectady ). I believe Union has a program with the med school at Suny Albany and you would almost certainly get merit there. F&M doesn’t give merit but is known for its excellent premed program. Both are D3.

While the NESCAC schools all do a good job getting students into med school, the only one, besides Tufts, that is urban is Trinity (Hartford ).

9

Given your interests–and, more importantly, your user name–I would add Rice to the mix. It’s an excellent small university that is strong in your areas of interest, with a beautiful, self-contained campus located near a [currently underwater] major city with lots of cultural amenities. You can get your training runs in on the lovely three-mile loop that circles the campus.

I expect that the Rice community will be very involved in contributing to the recovery of Houston, so if your interest in medicine entails a concern with public health, you might find the opportunity to participate in that contribution a rewarding part of your college experience.

10

GPA for med school can be tough at UChicago.

11

Chiming in with post #5: what about cost?

My son is a high stats senior, too, and we consider ourselves middle income (although we live in a high cost state/area, so I think upper middle income is actually more accurate). Anyway, we have come full circle from considering a variety of schools to now focusing a lot more on schools where tuition will be manageable, especially with grad school on the table. If you haven’t figured out how much your family can afford and how much aid you are likely to get (need-based and/or merit), I’d suggest starting there.

12

I think you have a decent list, provided you can afford these schools. (run NPC on them to confirm)

If OSU is affordable, you have a very solid safety.

So let’s go after a few more reaches or matches.

You already have some OOS public schools, which usually don’t give very good need-based aid. It just so happens that two of yours, Michigan and UNC, do give some. I’ll give you private options.

So, mid-sized (or larger) urban schools in the eastern half, preference for temperate climate and cool weather over heat. Not hot for Northwestern or schools that specialize in pre-med or where it’s an extremely popular path (hard to discern for me, but i’ll keep out obvious ones like Wash U, Johns Hopkins and Emory).

OK:

Harvard, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Notre Dame, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Tufts, Brandeis, U of Rochester, Boston U, Boston College, Northeastern, NYU, Villanova

13

@inthegarden @Otterma @CottonTales @lr4550 @gclsports @kencc83 @gardenstategal @MrSamford2014 @intparent @pickledginger @prezbucky Thank you so much for the advice!

14

Since you are in Ohio, have you looked at Miami(OH) and U of Cincinnati? Since you stated goal is Med School, doing an undergrad cheap can be important. With your stats, you may get some big merit. You would have to compare this to your EFC at other schools. At U of Cinci, you may want to look at their Medical Sciences program. It is a program they started in fall 2015.