For some background info: I’m a Californian Vietnamese female with a 4.5 weighted GPA, 4s in all my APs, 670R/700M/710W old SAT, 720 Chemistry Subject Test, and 780 Math II. I’ve three college classes and drowning in extracurriculars.
Here’s my list of colleges I want to apply to:
Back ups:
Local Community College
Oregon State
UCR
Middle:
UCD
UCSD
Reach:
Standford
Harvard
University of Michigan
UCB
Brown
UToronto
Pomona
Rice
UNC Chapel Hill
USC
Should I take any of these off the list and where else should I look into?
I don’t know what’s better for a prospective pre-pharm student: a liberal arts college with little to no competition in health sciences or a highly competitive health sciences undergrad like UCLA?
Looks good to me. And Toronto is not a reach. I’d suggest a somewhat competitive school (like UCI+) if you’re up for it. Competition is not something to necessarily avoid.
I think you should focus on more schools that you have a shot of getting into. With so many reaches and very few matches, you risk not getting into any of your reaches and then having to settle for your safeties, or have limited options to choose from. So add some more matches and cut down on your reaches (like drop Stanford & Harvard) unless you have plenty of extra time (and money) to spend on applications.
Your list is all over the place. We need to understand your budget constraint. Do you need financial aid?
Your stats are very good, but your SAT is a little on the low side for your reaches, though there are many many appropriate match schools. Many people get into their reaches, so I don’t want to discourage you, but you should put some more thought into your matches and safeties too. If you need financial aid, there are many match options that will meet your need.
Toronto is a safety if you can afford it. You will not be denied from there. But it’s not that cheap.
Michigan and UNC don’t offer much aid for out-of-state. I don’t see the point of them being on your list unless money is no object. Why Oregon State as a safety when UCR will be so much less expensive?
What makes you choose pre-pharma as a high school student. How sure are you of that?
Are your college goals purely pre-professional or do you enjoy the intellectual stimulation of a college education?
this ^. Financials are critical. If paying OOS is no issue, then sure Michigan and UNC are great. Otherwise, drop those along with Toronto and focus on: