Hi,
I'm looking for some advice on colleges that are good for the pre-med track. Obviously, there is JHU, UCLA, Harvard, USC, etc, but I don't think I'll aim for those extreme top-tier colleges for my undergraduate years. Does anyone know good premed colleges I'll get into with these stats?
Here are my stats (some are estimated)
3.78 UWGPA, WGPA ?? (I'm not sure how to calculate this...)
AP Chem, AP bio, AP Lang, AP Lit, AP calc BC, 12 honors classes, 2 (or 3) college courses
ACT: 32-33 (estimated)
ECs: most likely captain of speech and science olympiad teams. Debate, speech, scioly, tennis 4 years each. Piano, tutoring at Kumon, and my school's peer tutoring program. State choir and top choir group at school.
SAT: unsure, haven't taken the psat bc of covid.
Thank you!
I think you got real chances at good colleges with your stats! Congrats! A friend and I were in a similar boat as you and we both are looking at pre-med. We were probably just as impressive as you, and we are going to JHU and Washington University of St. Louis. Definitely plan on good safety schools as this year was hectic but don't write off dream schools either, since this year proved to both of us that anything is possible.
Note, JHU is more elite for Medical School than undergrad, though the undergrad program obviously is still fun by association, so you're right there with your thinking. I hear good undergrad grades are important for getting into med school, so lots of ids go to easier schools to ensure that versus some of the schools (like mine, gulp), with grade deflation. UCSF is a great Medical School too for Grads that you should add to your "later" list!
Anyway, for now, here are some mid-tier options that I think would be fun targets for you based on my friend and mine's list:
Add Boston University (for MD-Undergrad 7-year accelerated program), Washington University St Louis (majority students PreMed), Case Western (another high # of premed), Notre Dame (South Bend has a good hospital from what I've heard), and UNC Chapel Hill (they allow specialization for undergrads that gives boosts for Med School Apps)
Thank you! This was helpful!
What's your home state? Keep in mind that your state school may be a great option. I live in NJ, and Rutgers is an amazing school for Pre-Med, and essentially most health-related fields. For pre-med, a major factor regarding medical school applications is your GPA, so attending a "non as extreme" college may benefit you in terms of grades.
I live in MN so the UMN Twin Cities is my main choice, but I still want to research other choices. Also, is my gpa on the low end for premed? I still have a little bit of time to improve it, so I would like to know.
UMN Twin Cities is a great choice... I'm actually thinking of applying BME there. My gpa is similar to yours, and I wouldn't say it's low. However, if you do have time, definitely bring it up as high as possible for the best shot at the more selective colleges.
I would say your UW GPA truthfully might not be at the greatest, but you took tons of rigorous courses so I wouldn't worry about it. Taking college courses especially probably helps you out. Your Weighted GPA is as competitive with everybody else, and your ECs are decent too, so I'd just say keep it up and try to hone in As this year!
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