Tests scores bringing me down...

[vstexas09]

16, senior, (skipped a grade), Indian...

GPA: i dunno about unweighted, but 4.9 on weighted scale
Rank: 2 out of 998
area: east side of houston, so not many ppl know abt programs, and are very rare to go off

the horrible part:

9th grade: Pre-Ap

10th grade: World History AP (4)

11th grade (horrible): AP US History (4), AP ENg comp (3), Calc AB (2; no teacher, substitute the whole year), SAT: 1900 (will take again in Oct. and will guarantee above 2100), not taking ACT, but subject tests (US history, and maybe bio or phys...and also math...any suggestions on which?)

12th grade: Calc BC, Eng AP, Eco AP, Psych AP, Physics AP, Bio AP, Govt AP (i promise to pick up my slack)

extra curricular: nat. honor society, class rep, VP of nat. tech honor society, academic decathalon, debate, gents (high school frat), science club, HOSA, journalism (newspaper), comp. animation, will join more this year

made a movie with class and became a local hit, part of my interests...along w/ journalism

Med EC: 400 hours: 2 hospitals, 1 doctor's clinic, 1 physical therapy clinic...

i'm interested in internal medicine, so i have followed a doctor for so many years, but i'm considering cardio, so i followed a doctor during the summer in the cath lab...

Extra: active youth member, youth sports team (basketball), went to mexico on a medical mission for a few days, assist with education, medical aid...

chance me for:

Regulars (4 yr):

Penn, Dartmouth (got a lot of letters from them), Cornell, Georgetown, UT Austin (super easy, guaranteed admission)

really interested in BS/MD:

Drexel, howard, thomas jefferson, temple, tufts, boston u, stony brook...

chance me, but give me advice on things i should work on...thanks and it's really appreciated...

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[StIGMA]

I would relax a bit and have some fun. Also, focus very intensely on improving your SAT. I took the old out of 1600 scale, but focus on whatever a 1500+ would be for that scale (2250?), because you are probably talented enough.

Also, what's the deal with GPA's above 4.0?

 

[bookgodess15]

Also, what's the deal with GPA's above 4.0?

There are two types of GPA's: weighted and unweighted. With unweighted, all A's are worth 4, all B's are worth 3, and so on and so forth. 4.0 literally means perfect. With weighted, an A in a regular class might be worth 4, but an AP or honors class might be worth 4.25, a B, 3.25, etc., etc. Thus, there is no such thing as a perfect GPA, because there's always room to swing it upwards. College admissions usually only take into account your unweighted GPA, because different schools weight GPA's differently, so there's no even playing field.

vstexas09, I know that colleges are big on the whole "you are not a test score" thing nowadays, but with the schools that you're considering... You really should work on getting those scores up. They're not bad, if you're looking at UT Austin (in fact, you'd probably earn yourself a pretty nice scholarship), but you're looking at 1st and 2nd tier schools here. They're also going to look mainly at your unweighted GPA, so you should get down to your guidance office and ask about that.

Your courseload seems pretty solid, but the thing about these top schools is that they're going to know your school. They're going to know what classes are available to you. So, for instance, if they were looking ay my schedule, they'd see that I've never taken an AP or honors course in my life. They'd also know that my school doesn't offer and AP or honors courses, and would therefore look to see if I was taking the hardest classes that I could take. So, in your case, it certainly looks like you've been taking on a challenging courseload--but that's just me, and I have no idea what other classes are offered at your school. If those are the hardest classes offered, then you're doing good.

As far as extra-curriculars go, you have a plethora of activity going on there. That's good, of course, but remember that more is not necessarily better. It's almost better to be really, really involved in one activity and do a few others on the side than to spread yourself out so thin and join clubs just to say you're in them.

Also, on SATs, taking SAT II tests are great. They're not going to make or break your application, but they're like... pretty little gems. Nice to have. And I would highly recommend taking the ACT. Despite popular thought, the two (SAT and ACT) are not interchangeable. They're two different tests, and almost everybody does better on one than the other. I would give ACT a try and see if you do better on that one (I did much better on ACT, myself), and I would retake the SAT this fall.

And this is just me. I can't really tell you how much of a chance you stand. My best advice for you is to go to the defferent colleges' webistes and look at the incoming freshman class's profile--see how they compare to you. Tour the colleges. Do an overnighter. Send the admissions office chocolate; they like that. Send thank-you notes like it's going out of style, because if you get wait-listed, you'll most likely get put into a special box just for "clamorers". If a spot opens up, that box is the first place they go.

Good luck to you!

Monica

 

[vstexas09]

thank you monica...

so what do you specifically suggest...

that I take the ACT and subject tests, or do i work on one extra curricular...


applications are due dec. 1...can i notify colleges that i will be taking these tests and send them the scores thereafter?

 

[bookgodess15]

Specifically, I think that you should retake SAT, take ACT, and then take whichever SAT II subjects you think would reflect well on you.

I'm unsure of why the scores would not reach your colleges until after December. There are two ACT and two SAT tests available for registration that would have your scores to your colleges well before the Dec 1st deadline. See here and here. But to answer your question, colleges will accept scores after the deadline, in most cases, as long as you take the actual test before the deadline. When they receive the scores... With SAT, they will take the highest scores from each section. So for instance, if you got a 630 in math the first time and a 590 the second, then they would take the first score. If, however, on the writing, you got a 710 the first time and a 790 the second, they would take the second score. The add the three highest scores together, and use that as your composite. The ACT, on the other hand, they do no such thing for. They'll only take your highest composite score--they won't substitute your individual scores.

Does that make sense? I'm awful at explaining things.

 

[vstexas09]

it's good...thanks a lot...

but the bad thing for me about taking the ACT, is that I've never taken a practice one even...i haven't even seen the test..


i don't think i can do well on it in such a short period of time...

 

[bookgodess15]

Well, actually, studying for ACT is... Different. How to explain it...

SAT is regurgitation. ACT is cognitive. That's best way I can think of to explain it. SAT will ask you what a word means, and if you don't know that word, you're screwed. On the ACT, they want to know if you can figure out what a word means using context clues and such. And I use these definitions very loosely.

But because ACT is more cognitive, it's a bit easier to study for. You won't spend time memorizing word lists and mathematical equations. I think that you can get a lot done in a month, and it's definitely worth trying. If you totally bomb out, it's not the end of the world. Colleges will look at both your ACT and SAT scores, and take the better of the two and use that one.

Which is really good for me, because my SAT scores are almost embarrassing.

 

[penguinophile]

it's good...thanks a lot...

but the bad thing for me about taking the ACT, is that I've never taken a practice one even...i haven't even seen the test..


i don't think i can do well on it in such a short period of time...

Go ahead and take an ACT practice test. There is nothing to fear, just buckle down and go for it. These standardized tests have a big mental component, if you think you're a "bad test taker" you will be. The fact of the matter is that you just have to prepare as best you can and then realize that it is all you can do. The ACT is an awesome alternative for those who don't like the SAT. The ACT is much more like the classwork you are used to (and have been doing very well at considering your 4.9) so you shouldn't fear. There is a thread about this in the Exam HQ subforum, so you can check out the SAT vs. ACT differences, but no matter what you should never rule out an option. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[Depakote]

Go ahead and take an ACT practice test. There is nothing to fear, just buckle down and go for it. These standardized tests have a big mental component, if you think you're a "bad test taker" you will be. The fact of the matter is that you just have to prepare as best you can and then realize that it is all you can do. The ACT is an awesome alternative for those who don't like the SAT. The ACT is much more like the classwork you are used to (and have been doing very well at considering your 4.9) so you shouldn't fear. There is a thread about this in the Exam HQ subforum, so you can check out the SAT vs. ACT differences, but no matter what you should never rule out an option. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.

I will say that I liked the ACT a lot more than the SAT (old version). A prep class brought my score up 4 points...

If you're science minded, it's a lot easier to balance out your weaknesses. I also found that it was easier to figure out the tricks and get a good strategy that paid off.

 

[vstexas09]

if i go ahead and decide to take the ACT, i really don't have to worry about subject tests, right??

 

[BZB]

What school do you go to?

 

[vstexas09]

North Shore Senior High School...

East side of houston

 

[penguinophile]

if i go ahead and decide to take the ACT, i really don't have to worry about subject tests, right??

Depends on the schools you are applying to. Some require them no matter what. The subject tests don't replace the ACT or the SAT. The subject tests are required by certain schools (top 20 almost definitely will want about 3 of them) and can be thought of as places to shine, especially if the "normal" tests (ACT/SAT) aren't where you want them to be. You can choose your 3 strongest subjects and blow them out of the water so that you have those awesome numbers to correlate with your grades, or you can pick a weak one and really strengthen your understanding of the subject matter if you want to prove that you improved your knowledge on a subject that you had a weak grade in. Either strategy can work, just make sure you put the time into the prep for them.

I realize that it is hard to see right now, but if you want to go to med school, there are going to be TONS of standardized tests, so you might as well adjust your view and picture every test you take as preparation for the next one. By taking the SAT and the ACT as well as the subject tests, you are more well-versed in the "standardized test mentality" than another peer who chose not to pursue all those options. Sure it is more work, but anything worth doing is working hard for. Some people are able to breeze through high school and most of college without studying much or doing their homework, but acing the tests anyway, but no matter what there will always be a point (med school) where eventually the natural talent will fall to the curb and the only way to succeed is by working your butt off.

But, back to practical information. The college board sells a book with practice tests from all the different subject tests. Each subject test has its own individual book published with tips and study skills, but the book linked has practice tests that you can do and see whether a subject is right for you. Remember, even though you want you do medicine doesn't mean you have to take bio or chem or any other science. Take whatever you want to take, just be sure to rock it.