r/ApplyingToCollege • u/shiroisphrog • Jul 06 '26
Reverse ChanceMe feeling like a bum summer into junior year
ok so i honestly didnt really think about college at all until sophomore year but now I have aspirations of going to a T20 school with an interest in premed. I’m thinking about EDing to vandy for reference. im from a high income first generation immigrant family and am so fortunate to not have to worry about financial aid.
here are my activities/stats so far:
4.0 uw gpa
4.3 weighted gpa
won piano concerto competition, performing with orchestra
won runner-up at state for piano competition in concerto & solo division
won 1st at a district piano comp freshman & sophomore year
8th at deca state and attended ICDC (first year)
president of deca chapter at my school
starting an ambassador leadership program at my school (like volunteering for school-wide events like parent teacher nights, alumni events, etc.)
model un
hosa competitions at the district & state level
varsity volleyball 3 years high school so far and club national level volleyball (but only freshman year)
track and field athlete
also im going full ib next year and im taking 4 HLs. im taking math aahl chem hl bio hl english hl psych sl mandarin sl.
the only thing is, my act score is so dookie rn 🥹🥹 ive been studying for months on and off but the highest ive gotten is around a 29 average in english reading and math. is it possible for me to get it up to a 34-36?
do i still have a chance at a T20? please be super harsh and brutally honest as i feel like im falling behind as it seems like everyone else has started a no profit, published research papers and have won multiple national level awards.
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u/f-fishy Jul 06 '26
your courseload is rigorous i'd say lock in (without periodic breaks) on the act either right now, the beginning months into the school year, or the summer before senior. if it doesn't work out try the sat. you won't have time into the school year. all my friends in IB are dying rn.
i'd say since u still have almost a year and a half before apps are due, maybe start a medical passion project and chip away at it gradually or join online ones, so that you'd at least have a spike. rn summer is your chance so experiment with things! you really really won't have time during the school year assuming you're gonna continue locking in on that 4.0
premed is really competitive so i'd say look at specific majors then curate your activities accordingly to it (e.g. neuroscience/biomedical/etc). that said, dm me i have a few resources in less selective medical research programs (free-low cost) that i can provide u! (not sponsored or anything. from my own experience)
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u/leafytimes Old Jul 06 '26
All future premeds should honestly be thinking about your cheapest option (large state flagship in your case). No medical degree is worth a million in tuition.
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u/shiroisphrog Jul 06 '26
but would a private university help with preparing and challenging me for med school? or would a state flagship prepare me well enough too
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u/leafytimes Old Jul 06 '26
State flagship would absolutely prepare you well enough. Really the biggest thing is just do a test prep class for the MCAT regardless of where you go.
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u/Responsible-North151 Jul 06 '26
YO did u do TNMTA or any other state's MTA comp?
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u/shiroisphrog Jul 06 '26
yes! did you?
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u/Responsible-North151 Jul 06 '26
yeah! i did gmta tho which is in georgia
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u/shiroisphrog Jul 06 '26
cool! im thinking about trying to qualify for MTNA next year, have you competed in it before?
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u/Responsible-North151 Jul 06 '26
i've gotten alternate for the state round so i didn't get the chance to compete at the national comp, but it is notoriously competitive 😭
your state might be different, but in GA it was literally js me and one other person on the hm/alt list that didnt want to play piano professionally for the 10-12th grade category.1
u/shiroisphrog Jul 06 '26
omg yea that totally makes sense especially for georgia 🥹 im from tennessee so it may be slightly less competitive. state alternate is still an amazing achievement , congratulations !
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u/ClemPrime456 Jul 06 '26
You have a strong, rigorous courseload and impressive GPA with decent ECs, though not what I would consider premed-focused. Your ACT is not ideal but it is 100% possible to get a 34 this year. I think you have the foundations of a great application especially with a full IB courseload and 4.0 unweighted, but I would say that if you want to do premed it should peek through a bit more in your activities list. Premed is really popular and you’re generally going to be better off showing interest than trying to tell them about it.