<p>Clemson has great academics but you should only consider it knowing that you will probably get zero/non-significant financial aid from them unless you are ranked in the top 10% of your high school class (and have an SAT score above 1350)</p>
<p>Duke, Vanderbilt, Emory, Rice, Davidson, William & Mary, Wake Forest are top schools in the South.</p>
<p>The University of Southern California is an expensive private university, but seems to be fairly generous with merit scholarships (although your test scores may need to rise significantly to qualify). USC has undergraduate programs in business, communications and journalism (which is not true of all selective private universities.) They also offer warm weather and a big sports scene.</p>
<p>If you want to be a serious journalist, also consider the Missouri School of Journalism (“Mizzou”).
[Missouri</a> School of Journalism: A Brief History of the Missouri School of Journalism](<a href=“http://journalism.missouri.edu/about/history.html]Missouri”>http://journalism.missouri.edu/about/history.html)
[Missouri</a> School of Journalism: Admissions](<a href=“http://journalism.missouri.edu/undergraduate/admissions.html]Missouri”>http://journalism.missouri.edu/undergraduate/admissions.html) </p>
<p>It is true, however, that your family is in a precarious income range for college financing (the middle income “donut hole”, so to speak). So, if they have not built up a large college savings fund, you need to have good financial safeties. This points to an in-state public university, or to a school with generous merit aid and average stats that put you in the top 25%. Public university admissions and aid tend to be very numbers-driven (meaning your scores need to be above some firm cut-off). Private schools are more “holistic” in theory, but in fact, the median scores at the top-ranked places are even higher than at the big state flagships.</p>
<p>Consider relaxing some of your criteria and looking at some SAT-optional schools. These include a few of the country’s most selective liberal arts colleges (such as Middlebury) but you’d need to think a little outside your comfort zone to consider these schools. Wake Forest is a very selective, but SAT optional, southern school (and it does offer a few merit scholarships). Pitzer is another warm-weather, SAT-optional school (for students ranking in the top 10% of their HS classes).</p>
<p>Yes, you need to have the “financial talk” with your parents. How much will they spend each year on your education.</p>
<p>OOS publics don’t often give much aid to non-residents, but some will give big scholarships for high stats.</p>
<p>since you got a 185 on your PSAT, with some studying, you could be a likely National Merit if you score high enough on the PSAT junior year.</p>
<p>Sign up for this June’s SAT…that will be good practice for the PSAT. Pay the extra for the detailed score report so you can work on weaknesses.</p>
<p>If money is an issue, then getting National Merit or high SAT/ACT scores might get you some big scholarship money.</p>
<p>^ The Class of 2010 semifinalist qualifying score for Nevada was 202. So the OP is within shouting distance.</p>
<p>Furman is a well-regarded LAC with great merit aid for top students. Beautiful campus, fun town, top-notch academics. Check it out!</p>
<p>Last year Furman granted non-need-based aid (not including athletic scholarships) to 154 incoming first-year students (about 24% of freshmen). The average merit award was about $16K. Tuition, room and board was about $45K (full sticker price, not including travel etc). 75th percentile SAT scores at Furman are about 2070 (~= PSAT 207). You’d probably want to be above that point to be very confident of significant merit aid from Furman.</p>
<p>Furman is amazing! The campus is always beautiful, regardless of the weather. When it’s warm, the trees are in bloom and it’s sunny. During fall, all the trees are changing and it’s gorgeous. When it snows (which is definitely not often being SC and all) it’s gorgeous as well.
It’s also very well known in the south for it’s academics and has a reputation for having a high percentage of students getting accepted to the grad schools of their choice.</p>
<p>Another recommendation here for W&L if you are interested in an LAC. If not, UNC sounds great, but I’d also highly recommend UVA and Univ of Alabama’s honors program.</p>
<p>I think UNC would be a good school to look into-- it has an excellent Journalism program (or so my counselor tells me). But Emory, Duke, Wake Forest, and Davidson (among others mentioned) should also be considered! I’m a sophomore too and looking at some of the same stuff (UNC, Duke, and Emory mainly in the South, plus others in the North). Good Luck!</p>
<p>celebcj – did you do a Make A Difference Day project in October 2008 as well? If so, I think I know you …</p>
<p>Anyway. All the above suggestions are good – with poly sci or rhetoric or communications in your thoughts, UNC-Chapel Hill has a great college newspaper and many of its journalists have gone directly into the field.</p>
<p>I’d also look at UVa, Wake Forest, William and Mary, Duke, Emory, Rice and Vanderbilt. Just keep in mind that all of the above mentioned schools are highly competitive and actually do get other folks with ECs like yours, so study hard for your SATs/ACTs! (just fyi, Wake is test-optional though)</p>
<p>I highly highly recommend Washington and Lee University. As a current student there, it is, in my opinion, a wonderful school. Our winters are usually not that bad, though this year we had a terrible winter, but our fall and spring seasons are absolutely gorgeous. The campus is very well taken care of and the school has a very long history. The professors are very easily accessible and really make an effort to get to know each of their students. We are also only about 3 hours from DC, and the school has a lot of connections in the government. Also, between us and VMI (Virginia Military Institute), there are an abundance of prestigious speakers who come to town. Clarence Thomas came and spoke both at the beginning of this year and last year, Dick Cheney visited VMI last year, and Hillary Clinton was supposed to come and talk at VMI last week but was not able to come. Every four years too the school hosts a Mock Convention where the candidate for the opposing party that is not in office is predicted. Guest speakers come in to speak at the convention and it is a really amazing opportunity.</p>
<p>As for the town, Lexington, VA is very much a small college town and really takes pride in both of the Universities. During Alumni weekend or parents weekend or other big events, the flags for whatever University that event is occurring at are hung all over town, which is really neat. There is also a lot of school pride and the town is also very supportive of the sports teams.</p>
<p>All in all, it is a pretty southern school, so if that is what you are looking for I would highly recommend going and checking it out. I have sincerely enjoyed my time here and like to recommend it to as many people as possible. </p>
<p>Good luck on your search!</p>