<p>Hi everyone! New CCer here—have been lurking for a fairly long time, but was a little reluctant to post. Hope I’m in the right place. </p>
<p>I am a rising senior at a public HS in PA. I am quite competitive in my school, and think I’m pretty decent overall. I’m no by means HYP-material or even Ivy League material, but I think I have somewhat/decent shot at some of the schools I’m looking at.</p>
<p>But before we talk schools, I’ll give a brief overview of my profile:
Asian F from PA
SAT: 650 W 660 R 700 M (2010 composite)
SAT II: 740 Bio M 780 US History
Weighted/UW GPA: 4.48 (going into senior year)/4.0
Rank: 2/651
APs: 4 Total: 2 5’s (US History, Lang and Comp), 2 4’s (Bio, Euro)
Senior Year Course Load: AP French 5, AP Chemistry, AP Literature, AP Psychology, AP Calculus, Honors Microeconomics, Band
Major Awards: None, really. An AP Scholar with distinction or something but I know that doesn’t mean anything on here LOL
ECs: Again, nothing crazy… Volunteering at a nursing home, job at summer camp, school band since 4th grade, county band since 6th, soccer from ~8 to 10th grade, president of NHS, Mathletes, part of literary magazine at school, yada yada…</p>
<p>As you can see I’m a good but not excellent applicant. I will be retaking the SAT this October for the last time and have been driving myself crazy with prep. I’m hoping to at least go up a 100 pts but will ultimately shoot for +200. This will be difficult but I while I had prepared for my first SAT, I did not intensively studied as I should have. I will also most likely take a third subject test, Math II, in November.</p>
<p>Schools I’m looking at (so far, but willing to take others into consideration as well):
- UNC
- Michigan
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Penn State</p>
<p>I am planning on either majoring in bio (or something in that field) or psychology with the hopes of going to med school in the future. Working with the elderly and the young has allowed me to discover that my passion lies in the ability to take care of others. That may sound silly, but I have also always been interested in the sciences (took Honors Anatomy in 10th grade and LOVED) and have just decided that it is what I want to do. </p>
<p>Side note: I’ve researched the topic thoroughly through numerous threads, and I’ve come to the consensus that there is no “best” UG for premed. It’s all what you make of it. However, if there are programs that any of you know of/have experience with to share, I’d appreciate that greatly. I also haven’t looked into schools in term of premed advising, so if anyone has anything to share about that, that’d be fantastic. </p>
<p>As far as apps go, I am applying EA to most of the schools that offer it (maybe not Wis or PSU, they’re more of safeties). I am confident I am a stronger writer and will not have much trouble in terms of essays/recommendations. I am more worried about my test scores (mainly, my SAT). Do I still have a shot at a lot of these schools OOS, say I did bring up my score up? My parents have pretty much made it clear that if I don’t get my score up, (they think) I don’t have a good shot at most of the schools I’m looking at. I know that their concerns do hold weight, but I plan on demonstrating my full passions and abilities into these essays—I plan on showing these schools I’m more than just a number, more than just my scores.</p>
<p>And if anyone would like to know, UNC is my top choice out of these 5. The schools themselves change a lot but I was introduced (and fell in love with) to UNC the beginning of my junior year (Beat Dook!); however, my chances as an OOS student have been looking slim. Thus, I plan on putting the most effort into my Carolina supplement. And also, my brother is an alum of UVA. Graduated about 6 years ago.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for reading this monster of a post and for any advice you will give to me (like if I even posted this in the right place… LOL) I apologize for any typos—getting late over here. </p>