Top schools for kids with perfect scores but minimal ECs?

[Anonymous]

Son has literally perfect scores and grades but rather lacking ECs. He just a member of a couple of clubs, some community service hours etc He is super focused on academics but he just can't be bothered with anything outside. (sigh...) Are there any elites where he still could have a small chance?

[Anonymous]

What do you consider "elite"?

[Anonymous]

It will be difficult for him to get into a top ivy if that is what you are thinking. Also we don't know what "near perfect " means.

[Anonymous]

Mcgill. # 1 Canadian university. Zero interest in anything other than grades.

[Anonymous]

FFS, stop obsessing about ECs. Grades, test scores, essays, letters of recommendation all count for MUCH MORE than Model UN, Key Club or marching band.

[Anonymous]

What did he do with his summers? College courses, special programs, worked???

[Anonymous]

USC, WashU, Vanderbilt, UChicago if essays are good

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will be difficult for him to get into a top ivy if that is what you are thinking. Also we don't know what "near perfect " means.

OP here -- Yes i know he has super low chances at HYPS or MIT. Would he have any chances at the other ivies or places such as Duke, UChicago, Northwestern, Hopkins? What about any USNews top 20/top 25 school?

He has 1600 SAT, 3.98 UW GPA, 1st in his class, many APs and Math II 800, Bio 800, US History 790. His scores are impeccable it is just that his ECs are weak. He wants to do pre-med. He volunteered over the summer at the local hospital, and also spends 2-3 hours every week there during the school year. But other than this he has nothing else of substance. He is a member in a couple of clubs at school. That is it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be difficult for him to get into a top ivy if that is what you are thinking. Also we don't know what "near perfect " means.

OP here -- Yes i know he has super low chances at HYPS or MIT. Would he have any chances at the other ivies or places such as Duke, UChicago, Northwestern, Hopkins? What about any USNews top 20/top 25 school?

He has 1600 SAT, 3.98 UW GPA, 1st in his class, many APs and Math II 800, Bio 800, US History 790. His scores are impeccable it is just that his ECs are weak. He wants to do pre-med. He volunteered over the summer at the local hospital, and also spends 2-3 hours every week there during the school year. But other than this he has nothing else of substance. He is a member in a couple of clubs at school. That is it.

That's well more than enough substance. Geez, the kid is working at a hospital he doesn't have to play squash or be on the prom committee or whatever.

He does need to settle on a specific major - premed is a set of prepatory classes but not a major.
Hopkins?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:USC, WashU, Vanderbilt, UChicago if essays are good

My DD found Vanderbilt to be very fraternity/sorority oriented (party school?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be difficult for him to get into a top ivy if that is what you are thinking. Also we don't know what "near perfect " means.

OP here -- Yes i know he has super low chances at HYPS or MIT. Would he have any chances at the other ivies or places such as Duke, UChicago, Northwestern, Hopkins? What about any USNews top 20/top 25 school?

He has 1600 SAT, 3.98 UW GPA, 1st in his class, many APs and Math II 800, Bio 800, US History 790. His scores are impeccable it is just that his ECs are weak. He wants to do pre-med. He volunteered over the summer at the local hospital, and also spends 2-3 hours every week there during the school year. But other than this he has nothing else of substance. He is a member in a couple of clubs at school. That is it.

That's well more than enough substance. Geez, the kid is working at a hospital he doesn't have to play squash or be on the prom committee or whatever.

He does need to settle on a specific major - premed is a set of prepatory classes but not a major.
Hopkins?

+100
I can't believe OP is stressing about a kid like this. Good grief. He'll get in anywhere he wants. Good for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be difficult for him to get into a top ivy if that is what you are thinking. Also we don't know what "near perfect " means.

OP here -- Yes i know he has super low chances at HYPS or MIT. Would he have any chances at the other ivies or places such as Duke, UChicago, Northwestern, Hopkins? What about any USNews top 20/top 25 school?

He has 1600 SAT, 3.98 UW GPA, 1st in his class, many APs and Math II 800, Bio 800, US History 790. His scores are impeccable it is just that his ECs are weak. He wants to do pre-med. He volunteered over the summer at the local hospital, and also spends 2-3 hours every week there during the school year. But other than this he has nothing else of substance. He is a member in a couple of clubs at school. That is it.

That's well more than enough substance. Geez, the kid is working at a hospital he doesn't have to play squash or be on the prom committee or whatever.

He does need to settle on a specific major - premed is a set of prepatory classes but not a major.
Hopkins?

+100
I can't believe OP is stressing about a kid like this. Good grief. He'll get in anywhere he wants. Good for him.

No, he won't, unless he's an URM.

OP, he has zero chance of getting into HYPS or MIT. What does your school's Naviance show? SLACs like STEM kids and your kid's numbers will help boost their averages. Do non-sports kids from his high school get into Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore or Pomona? Without looking at the Naviance, you might want to look at schools like Notre Dame, Wash U and Emory.

Also large state universities like out-of-state kids like yours - look at the UCs (Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD) and Univ of Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be difficult for him to get into a top ivy if that is what you are thinking. Also we don't know what "near perfect " means.

OP here -- Yes i know he has super low chances at HYPS or MIT. Would he have any chances at the other ivies or places such as Duke, UChicago, Northwestern, Hopkins? What about any USNews top 20/top 25 school?

He has 1600 SAT, 3.98 UW GPA, 1st in his class, many APs and Math II 800, Bio 800, US History 790. His scores are impeccable it is just that his ECs are weak. He wants to do pre-med. He volunteered over the summer at the local hospital, and also spends 2-3 hours every week there during the school year. But other than this he has nothing else of substance. He is a member in a couple of clubs at school. That is it.

That's well more than enough substance. Geez, the kid is working at a hospital he doesn't have to play squash or be on the prom committee or whatever.

He does need to settle on a specific major - premed is a set of prepatory classes but not a major.
Hopkins?

+100
I can't believe OP is stressing about a kid like this. Good grief. He'll get in anywhere he wants. Good for him.

No, he won't, unless he's an URM.

OP, he has zero chance of getting into HYPS or MIT. What does your school's Naviance show? SLACs like STEM kids and your kid's numbers will help boost their averages. Do non-sports kids from his high school get into Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore or Pomona? Without looking at the Naviance, you might want to look at schools like Notre Dame, Wash U and Emory.

Also large state universities like out-of-state kids like yours - look at the UCs (Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD) and Univ of Michigan.

Notre Dame is hugely Catholic - why recommend that school if you don't know if he's Catholic or not?
And stop with the URM crap - just stop. You are racist and ignorant,

He won't bd getting into MIT because he hasn't done significant intellectual work outside of school.

[Anonymous]

He sounds perfect for UChicago. They care a lot about academic performance. My DC profiled very similar to yours Premed is tough, lots of work, but they also have an amazingly high medical school entry rate. There's a hospital on campus with plenty of internships. If he's intersted in research , there are also more positions than they have kids. Writing a really interesting essay to show how his mind thinks will be important. The good thing is that the applcation is really lengthy so he has a good shot at explaining who he is. IMO visit the campus and if he likes it, ED is the way to go. If a rurual setting is more his thing, Williams ED would also be terrific. Definitely visit there though. It's a small, perfect college campus, very isolated and has more of an athletic vibe.

[Anonymous]

Apply to Case Western. It's got a great pre-med program, affiliations to Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.

Merit aid to top kids - which he would be.