Does it make sense to still consider Johns Hopkins?

I'm a sophomore and I feel like you should lower criteria for schools if the only ones you are looking at are prestigious. There are plenty of public colleges that offer amazing health science programs. An example would be Texas A&M who also feed into their Medical School which is spectacular. Since I am in the mid-west I can't offer you any solid western colleges but maybe Washington State would be a good option for you. Another thing is that you should be fine if you have a solid GPA and okay SAT score. I feel like you also might be underestimating yourself for colleges unless your current grades aren't best. Johns Hopkins is for the cream of the crop, but there is a chance that your personal essay is out of the ball park and they decide to take you. The chances are slim, but never zero. Keep your options open, evaluate colleges not based on their prestiege (after all, all it brings is fame), but based on how well it suits how you learn and your needs, and don't belittle yourself. You might be a stronger applicant than you're making yourself out to be.

Honestly if you don't really like the school's location and if you think you probably won't be accepted I wouldn't apply. There are some other colleges that aren't bad that you could consider, such as Emory or Rice.

As for good colleges that have a good variety of options/oppurtunites in the natural sciences and with research and a high acceptance rate, I would go for University of Georgia; it's ranked 12th on niche for Natural Sciences, it's 57th in the nation, and it's acceptance percentage is 45%. It's not that bad, but honestly it really depends on what your definition of bad is.

I would apply to Johns Hopkins no matter what.