My unweighted gpa is 3.56 whike for my core courses is 3.66. I just graduated highschool this year and I'm 16 years old. I'm looking to study biomedical sciences or Biology in USA and I don't know if I have any chance of getting in. I'm also hoping for financial aids. I didn't take SAT or ACT because it is more than what my family can afford and there's no opportunity for volunteering. I only have 5 extracurriculars to list. Is there any hope?
Don't stress! A lot of schools are test optional, for one. While your GPA definitely won't get you into a top school (Unless you've taken a TON of APs), you don't need an Ivy League to succeed in life.
While not having many extracurriculars isn't very good for a test optional applicant, it may just be that you're selling some of your activities short. You don't need to be a math olympiad to have good extracurriculars! Any activity you actively participate in outside of school counts. Also, your essay counts just as much as anything else! If you're struggling to find more ideas, try looking up advice online. A TON of advisors and admissions officers have blogs or videos on what you could put there.
I'd look into Test Optional universities, for one. I'd also consider looking into universities with the best financial aid programs. And, make sure you know the acceptance rate. Applying test optional to a 50% acceptance rate school will yield wildly different results than an 80% or a 20%! And, of course, try using the chancing calculator once you have some ideas.
Also, check out ranking sites like U.S. News Report or Niche, if you're not sure. They aren't 100% accurate, but they'll give you a baseline to work off of!
There's always hope! Happy hunting! :D
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