Some general help/advice, please.

College Search & Lists
1

Hello! I have a few questions regarding my post secondary plans in general. First, some generalities! I am an average student. I have a 3.4 gpa that I will raise to a 3.5 next year (My senior year). My weighted gpa is currently hovering at around 3.6, but we know that this is meaningless because colleges unweight it anyway. As for my ACT, I got a 23. Which quite frankly is disgusting and I’m working on that everyday. As for the writing portion, with the new way the ACT writing is graded in mind, I got a 12 (Of 12). I don’t know if that’s a really good thing or something that is easily attainable. Regardless, I’m not applying to any Ivy League schools so I doubt it matters. But again, these are generalities. I am not involved in any extra curricular activities at school other than HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America). I tried Key Club and Student Council but they were seriously underwhelming. I don’'t know if it’s the way my school runs things but it just seemed like a giant waste of my time. In Key Club all we talked about was reading books to old people and in Student Council we just planned spirit weeks for the majority of the year. Not something I am interested in. And yes, I am aware of dazzle that these activities bring to my resume but I am simply not comfortable subjecting myself to something that is so deliriously mind numbing. And I don’t think colleges are really looking for that, either. I do plan on trying out for Cross Country, however. I enjoy running very much, so I guess I’ll have some sort of sport to put on my resume.

As for my classes: My Freshman and Sophomore years I was put into decelerated math and science courses. I don’t know why, I had a B average in my math and science classes in middle school. It wasn’t until Junior year that i picked up the pace (This past school year). I took Algebra II and Geometry at the same time. I took Honors Biology, Honors English III (Which is for college credit)., AP United States History. I took some advanced courses my Sophomore year like AP World History and Honors English II. And now for my senior year I am taking Pre-Calculus for college credit, Anatomy and Physiology for college credit, College Composition for college credit, Contemporary Issues for college credit, and some extra-curricular science classes. Essentially a course load full of AP classes.

As for my actual plans for my post secondary education I plan on majoring in either Biology or Chemistry. Both subjects are endlessly entertaining and interesting to me. And I know this sounds cliche, but I do hope to apply to a medical school once I’ve gotten my degree.

After seeing many of my close friends apply and get accepted into Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and other rather prestigious schools I sit in this chair, typing away at this keyboard feeling entirely inadequate. And there’s obviously colleges that I will for sure get into, but I really don’t want to waste four years of my life going to a school tucked away in some corner of Missouri. I want to make the most of my college experience. And perhaps I’m ignorant in terms of which schools are better than others. And I am completely aware that in the end, what college you go to really doesn’t matter, but I want to try and get into the best college I can, simply because I can and for no other reason. At this point it seems like I’m venting and not really asking a question, I am a tad bit insecure in regard to my standing among my peers. But that’s entirely my fault. So, the ultimate question: What is the best school I can get into with my credentials? (In terms of what i want to major in). And are my credentials good in general? (Meaning, how would I compare to most students). Thanks for reading this crazy long post, I truly appreciate it. Thanks.

2

Talk to your parents about what they can afford. Talk to your GCs about where students with similar stats have gone.

3

Start with figuring out the finances – talk to your parents about what they can contribute, and run the Net Price Calculator on the websites of several schools, perhaps your public flagship and some other schools you might consider. An important part of the calculation is to know whether your family can afford the Expected Family Contribution – what the NPC says your family will pay. Merit scholarships, including outside awards, often reduce the loan/work study portion of a financial aid package, but do not change what the family is expected to pay, so searching for outside merit scholarships may, or may not be, important for a particular student.

Then, start building your list from the safety to the matches to the reaches. For many students, their in-state public universities may be the starting point for their list, depending on what state they live in. You can use the Common Data Set which is posted on most school’s websites to identify what the gpa/test scores/ranking, acceptance rate, and other factors considered in admissions, to figure out where you fit in terms of admissions. Public universities have an affirmative obligation, and commitment, to educate the students of that state, and often look more at stats and less at holistic factors such as ECs, so they may be good options for you. If your state has a system of regional campuses, you may find a smaller community, with less cutthroat competition there, but that will depend on the state and the university system.

If you are considering small liberal arts colleges, there are many in the midwest and southeast/south that would consider you. Look for the website for Colleges that Change Lives (originally a book which identified schools which are often overlooked in the arms race of college admissions). Many of these schools are also test optional, so that you would not need to submit your ACT scores (although some schools require test scores as part of consideration for merit awards). Centre College in Danville, KY, Austin College in TX, many schools in the midwest like Knox College in Illinois, Kalamazoo in Michigan, Earlham in Indiana, are worth looking at if you are interested in the smaller school environment. These kinds of schools look beyond grades, ranking and test scores to consider how the student will contribute to the life of the community, since they are small schools and want to admit people who will do things on campus – in the arts, in leadership etc. Since you say you haven’t done much in school in terms of ECs, do you work outside of school or have other commitments/responsibilities, child care for younger sibs etc? Schools want to know that, and take those commitments into account. I would suggest that it does not make sense to try to throw some ECs on the table this year, just to have something to say. Instead, look at what you have done/are already doing, and expand from there. Can you shadow people in health fields? Volunteer in health fields in some capacity? These smaller schools do care about ECs, and the story it tells about the applicant, so if there is not a coherent picture, that reduces the chances of acceptance.

It sounds like you have worked hard over the last year especially – congrats, that takes a lot of determination! Start with the finances, then look at your in-state public schools and see where you fit, and investigate the CTCL schools, if smaller schools are of interest.

4

I have taken some thought into shadowing medical professionals. But I’m not entirely sure how it works. I’ve always assumed that I needed some kind of school sponsored program to start shadowing doctors and surgeons. Do I simply pull out a phone book and call which doctors suit my needs? Or is there a more elaborate process to shadowing a doctor? I’ve started with my pediatrician, for example, but they denied me due to the fact that they didn’t have any shadowing opportunities available. Does shadowing doctors make a difference on a resume? I know for a fact that volunteering does, and I plan on volunteering at my local hospital (Mercy). Some insight on shadowing would be helpful.

I feel as if I’ve used the word shadowing one too many times… Thanks for your time!