College application process? Any HELP appreciated

[eamon]

Hey guys, first time posting a topic here, you guys have been great help in the past and was wondering if someone with some spare time could give me an overview on what to do, where to go, etc.. Scroll to the bottom if you don't want to read much.

Some background info, currently attending Plano West as a senior. The school is currently listed in the top 100 schools in America by the "Daily Best"

Wrestled in high school for the past 3 years, and placed 1st in the city at 140lbs last year. I have been actively pursuing experience for the medical field. I have been certified in CPR, Lifeguarding, and was recently announced a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant). I will also be receiving a PharmTech License this coming summer. I have picked up a class that allows us to perform rotations at the hospital shadowing surgeons during operations.

Unfortunately my grades aren't the greatest out there... Started slacking after freshman year which I obviously regret. My goals in the future are to pursue a career in the medical profession, hopefully as a dentist, with fall back plans as a pharmacist or an optometrist.
My dilemma: What are some good schools in the Texas area with good medical programs? Where should I be looking to apply? I'm willing to go out of state if needed.
Schools that caught my attention were Baylor, A&M, TCU..
I'm just afraid that my acceptance rate won't be very well off because of my class ranking in the bottom half. I really am beating myself on this one .. But at the same time our school is after all fairly competitive

My main concern at the moment is the whole application process. I want to do early admissions in order to have a higher chance of acceptance, but I'm not to sure on what to do.
What all is needed to apply? How should I go on about it?
What should I be doing for essays, teacher recommendations, resumes?
What else do I need?

I'd really appreciate it if someone could just set me off in the right direction
Thanks in advance!

[BTM]

Originally Posted by eamon

What all is needed to apply? How should I go on about it?Whatever the application calls for. Not sure if there are intricacies to this, but when I was applying transcripts had to be official and sent by my HS, I think they were like $15 each or something
What should I be doing for essays, teacher recommendations, resumes?There is plenty out there for application essays, but keep in mind these readers are reading a shitload of these, they all start to blend together. A word of advice I got from someone in admissions to the Booth School of Business, which can probably apply to you as well, is that often people spend to much time explaining the "what" as opposed to the "how." Schools would rather you highlight your thought process and methods of success when faced with an adversity (as this is often an essay question), rather than pour over the details surrounding the situation. Anyone can describe what happened, but set yourself apart by explaining what you thought/did, why you thought/did it, and how/why it worked for you.

Recommendations can come for teachers or coaches, other figures of superiority in your community. If a teacher in your school is only gonna write you a so/so letter, but an outside person (in a position to make such a judgement, of course) is going to write an outstanding one, always go with the outstanding letter. Realistically, everyone is going to have similar sounding letters of recommendation. who is actually sending them will blur together, so wherever you can differentiate yourself positively is a good thing. In the end, the exemplary student is going to standout on merits beyond a good letter.

My comments emboldened.

[Kiemyster]

OP, if your ok with it, i was wondering whats your GPA? when you say slack off, how badly did you slack off?

you dont need much for applications sake. I suggest 2 teacher recommendations, and have your essay based on something that will make you look good. Speak of family and respect. for instance, I wrote how my father was my inspiration in terms of having a solid work ethic. they eat that shit right up. Even though you seem like your not happy with your grades, if its not too bad, you should be ok as you have many other qualifications. note down all the community service you did, colleges love that shit.

early applications are the best because you always have the chance to try again. one last note, your letters of recommendation dont have to be limted to a teacher, try someone with authority in the school. Universities will always respect a recommendation by your head master or anyone in higher ranks of the school.

Good luck

[Brey335i]

Website to get you started: https://www.applytexas.org/adappc/gen/c_start.WBX

That allows you to fill out an application that you can then send to all the Texas Universities such as A&M, UT, Rice, Baylor, UH, TT, TS, etc.

There are 2 early types of admission: early decision and early acceptance. Early decision means you have definitely decided to go to that school if you get in and is the earliest admissions but requires you to continue to that University if they do accept you. Then early acceptance opens, which allows you to turn in your application early and hope for an easier time getting in.

For what it's worth, I have seen a lot of top 10% students (like myself) wait until almost the last moment because they are so sure of getting in. So there are definite advantages to applying early.

To apply and see what is needed follow the directions on the website I provided.

Essays can be filled out right on that website. Just follow the prompts and write well.

Teacher recommendations are often optional / recommended but not mandatory. It can still be a good idea to get a credible teacher to write them for you. Choose a coach who knows you well that you have worked with for a long time, or a teacher in an important subject like math / English / etc. Do not make your art teacher or P.E. coach write you a recommendation.

You need to stand out from the rest. If your grades aren't the best then your extracurricular activities and your personality have to shine.

Baylor and A&M have good medical schools if I remember correctly. UT Austin (where I go) might be good, but to be honest I am not sure. Do your research and narrow it down to a few places.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[dth656]

you should be fine, i went to a pretty good public HS in houston, and pretty much everyone got into schools like A&M, UT, texas tech, etc. however, rice was pretty selective for in-state students, and very few students from my school got into ivies or other highly selective schools. ymmv...

[Greenkirby21]

yo bro, I live in plano west too.

EDIT: Word of advice, GRADES DONT MEAN JACK. It is ALL about your SAT/ACT score. Holy crap I had all A's in highschool, but didn't do so well in SAT(1950), my friend got B's and was a slacker in highschool, but he made a 2200 on the SAT and got a full ride while I only got 3/4 of a ride!! Pissed me off! So, don't worry about your grades too much!

Since you are interested in going to medicine, that means are you probably going to go to medical school?

If so, you need 4 years of college and then medical school is 4 more years.

If that's the case, I would suggest going to UTD or some school near the Dallas Area, or even community college like Collin college.

Here is what my girlfriend is doing, and actually a lot of people in the plano area that are doing this.

UTD has a pretty good pre-med program(Biology). They have a lot of internships with UT southwestern, which is one of the best medical schools in the country.

It also depends what you and your parents want. For example, the first 4 years of college don't really matter where you go as long as you get good grades. If it was me, I would save my parents serious dough and stay local instead of going to A&M or UT austin. According to my advisors, the college you go to doesn't really matter, medical schools look at your GPA and experience.

Medical school is hellaexpensive.

As for applying, I would talk to your adviser at your school. She should know everything you need to do.

Use apply texas as shown below. I applied to like 6 schools using that xD.

As for recommendation letters, your coach would be a good bet : ).

if you have any more questions let me know

[eamon]

Originally Posted by Kiemyster

OP, if your ok with it, i was wondering whats your GPA? when you say slack off, how badly did you slack off?

you dont need much for applications sake. I suggest 2 teacher recommendations, and have your essay based on something that will make you look good. Speak of family and respect. for instance, I wrote how my father was my inspiration in terms of having a solid work ethic. they eat that shit right up. Even though you seem like your not happy with your grades, if its not too bad, you should be ok as you have many other qualifications. note down all the community service you did, colleges love that shit.

early applications are the best because you always have the chance to try again. one last note, your letters of recommendation dont have to be limted to a teacher, try someone with authority in the school. Universities will always respect a recommendation by your head master or anyone in higher ranks of the school.

Good luck

Thanks for all the great advice everyone.
The texas apply website sounds really useful.

This is pretty embarrassing guys, dont judge, ive been averaging a 3.3 gpa..

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by Brey335i

There are 2 early types of admission: early decision and early acceptance. Early decision means you have definitely decided to go to that school if you get in and is the earliest admissions but requires you to continue to that University if they do accept you. Then early acceptance opens, which allows you to turn in your application early and hope for an easier time getting in.

That's actually a common misconception. Nobody can be forced to do anything against their will. It'd be akin to slavery, which is why if you make a deal with someone to perform a task and they don't do it you can't sue them to make them do the task, only for money lost/costs incurred to find someone else to do it. Even though all the programs say it is a legally binding contract, no university, business, person, whatever, can force someone to do something against their will.

HOWEVER, you may be financially liable for the tuition etc. It really depends. If you get accepted through ED and then decide not to go the school will most likely give you a huge hassle about it but the fact of the matter remains that you are just one person out of 10's of thousands that apply to that school and they can just as easily find another person to take your spot.

To play it safe only apply to the one school you really really want to go to through ED. You can get out if need be, but it will probably be a process.

[Echo M3]

I wouldn't focus too much on medical/dental school quite yet. You are a long ways from there. Instead, focus on getting into the best college you possibly can, and then knock out some solid grades in college. Then, you can evaluate how you want to move forward.

Medical schools (and increasingly, dental schools too) require great to stellar grades - most successful applicants have, at minimum, 3.6-3.7 undergraduate GPAs. So if that is really the path that you seek, you need to fix your study habits so that you can succeed in college and beyond. Good luck

[Kiemyster]

Originally Posted by eamon

Thanks for all the great advice everyone.
The texas apply website sounds really useful.

This is pretty embarrassing guys, dont judge, ive been averaging a 3.3 gpa..

well.... I dont know what to tell you. Its not disgusting, but its not going to be anything special. your going to get "standard" treatment.

here is a solid word of advice, and take it from someone who's holding down a 3.9, your grades can earn you so many benefits. from laptops to discounts on tuition, every hour you spend working on maintaining a high standard of education will pay off. play hard, work harder.

When you get into university, just make sure and do your homework, and absorb the material, dont just read it. No one is going to be watching your back and reminding you of what you have to do. get a good system going now of dedicating time to study and do your work.

When your at university, just remember your wasting alot of time for your education. Your going to be in class, so make the most out of it. it makes no sense to go to school and come out at the end of the year with a gpa that your not proud of, you then essentially wasted your time and money. You could have put these resources elsewhere and make money, but instead you just decided to relax a bit in class.

decisions are hard to make, but the consequences of your actions will follow you for years after the first though has been given to the beginning of the first thought.

In a world where the value of education is constantly being undermined, I commend your pursuit to higher knowledge and I wish you the best of luck. You can be average, or you can be amongst the best. The choice is yours, you have the tools and resources to do so.

[dth656]

Originally Posted by pman10

I wouldn't focus too much on medical/dental school quite yet. You are a long ways from there. Instead, focus on getting into the best college you possibly can, and then knock out some solid grades in college. Then, you can evaluate how you want to move forward.

Medical schools (and increasingly, dental schools too) require great to stellar grades - most successful applicants have, at minimum, 3.6-3.7 undergraduate GPAs. So if that is really the path that you seek, you need to fix your study habits so that you can succeed in college and beyond. Good luck

actually, i have two friends that recommend the exact opposite (ironically, one desi, and one arab): goto a crappy state school for undergrad where you can crush the mean. at a competitive school, its just too difficult to maintain a high GPA in a pre-med major (especially if there is a curve, and only the top 10-15% of scores get an A or B).


it worked for them, one is a northwestern trained anesthesiologist, and the 2nd is finishing residency at stanford after univ of chicago med school.

[aretardedorange]

Ahhhhh I am in your exact situation. Even want to do the same things. If you don't mind me asking what did you get on your SAT and what is your GPA?

EDIT- I see you have a 3.3. What about your SAT?

[DevJ]

your act/sat score will help a lot. focus on that and get it above 33/2000. you have plenty of time to focus on applications so worry about your test scores first.

[coogs08]

Just wanted to add that getting into pharm school isn't as easy as it seems you think it is. It is just as competitive as almost any other post-graduate professional school.

[dwells]

Originally Posted by coogs08

Just wanted to add that getting into pharm school isn't as easy as it seems you think it is. It is just as competitive as almost any other post-graduate professional school.

+1. I got my Bachelor of Science from a local university with a decent academic rep and managed a 3.97 GPA. When I went to the same school's new pharmacy school and sat down with admissions, they weren't all that impressed and informed me that I'd need to maintain the same types of grades throughout all of my pre-pharm courses and seek something else to help set me apart, preferably employment in a pharmaceutical field. There's another pharmacy school that opened in the area, they accepted 50 something of over 600 applicants. I believe there's only a little over 100 pharmacy schools in the US. That's great for job security, but it means you better be on top of your academic game.

It's extremely competitive for a job that only pays in the low $100,000 range (as far as retail and hospital pharmacist positions go, there's more money in director positions and at pharmaceutical companies). The course material isn't exactly easy, either.

[AU335i]

Originally Posted by dwells

+1. I got my Bachelor of Science from a local university with a decent academic rep and managed a 3.97 GPA. When I went to the same school's new pharmacy school and sat down with admissions, they weren't all that impressed and informed me that I'd need to maintain the same types of grades throughout all of my pre-pharm courses and seek something else to help set me apart, preferably employment in a pharmaceutical field. There's another pharmacy school that opened in the area, they accepted 50 something of over 600 applicants. I believe there's only a little over 100 pharmacy schools in the US. That's great for job security, but it means you better be on top of your academic game.

It's extremely competitive for a job that only pays in the low $100,000 range (as far as retail and hospital pharmacist positions go, there's more money in director positions and at pharmaceutical companies). The course material isn't exactly easy, either.

+1

focus on your SAT/ACT scores. a 3.3 gpa isn't too bad, and when paired with a good sat/act score is pretty solid for admissions... now if you want to talk scholarships, i'd say focus on getting your best test scores in before december because if i recall correctly, most schools scholarship deadlines are around the end of december.

I got into Auburn and dont remember if i needed to write an essay or not...

[eamon]

Originally Posted by coogs08

Just wanted to add that getting into pharm school isn't as easy as it seems you think it is. It is just as competitive as almost any other post-graduate professional school.

I never meant that it's easy at all by any means. That would be ludicrous of me. I am well aware of the work that goes into it after growing up with a few family members in various medical professions, including pharmacy.
When I said fallback plan, I meant that I will be applying to all these schools. Personally I'd be thrilled to graduate through any of these professions
I just hope I'm able maintain good study habits in order to be competitive when it comes down to applying.


Thanks for the advice so far guys.
I don't have my SAT scores in front of me, but I only took it once anyways. Going to take it or the ACT soon.

[coogs08]

For undergrad I'd just go to a school that has a lot of research activity. In Texas you can't go wrong with any of the large state schools, especially UH (unbiased opinion )

[BrokenVert]

1) take both the SAT and ACT. Both tests play to certain strengths and weaknesses. I always thought that the SAT was crap being as I scored higher in the English section than my sister did (she was an English major) and she scored better than I did in the math section and I'm an engineering major.

I got a 1280 if I remember right but on the ACT I scored a 33 - that's equivalent to a 1430 on the SAT.

I used my ACT scores and my SAT subject tests and went about it.

2) get your shot together early. Sounds like you're on this path already, but I didn't apply for schools until late November, I got lucky and got a solid scholarship at a good school but I could've done much better.

3) don't worry about your GPA. Focus on getting to the interview and nail it then.

Your grades say a lot don't get me wrong. But if you make a lasting impression on someone who talks to 200 people a day, that counts for even more.

4) Listen to the safety/reach etc school breakdown. I got into all of my targets and safetys. But I know people that only applied to ivy leagues (like my salutatorian) and ended up going to community college for a year.


Just dont sweat it. It's a big process but break it down into manageable portions and don't be afraid to look out of state. just don't let the pressure break you down, because nothing good happens then.