Can you help me find my perfect school?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi! I am currently a h.s. junior applying to colleges next fall. I am having a real problem deciding what schools I should apply to...there's simply hundreds of schools out there that I could see myself attending. Here's a list of what I'm looking for, as well as a condensed list of my stats. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!!!</p>

<p>Stats:
ACT: 33
SAT: yet to take
SAT IIs: 730 US, 730 Lit., taking Math IIC in fall...
AP's: 5- Euro; took BC Calc , Art Hist, US Hist this spring
GPA: 4.15 W, 4.0 UW
Rank: 1/320</p>

<p>ExC: choir (state honors choir 3 yrs, various solo/ensemble awards), JCL state president (secretary last year), editor in chief school newspaper, NHS executive board, theater, volunteer at local children's hospital, lifeguard during summer</p>

<p>Location:
Well, I am a midwestern girl at heart, but I could really see myself attending a school anywhere. I would, however, prefer a more urban/suburban setting; I don't really want an isolated campus. </p>

<p>Campus:
I would love a campus with lots of old buildings and interesting architecture, as well as green space and trees. </p>

<p>Socially:
I am a non-drinker, so a campus where alcohol is not predominant, few sororities and fraternities, a diverse campus where you are free to explore lots of interests, a good theater scene, a rather liberal campus with proactive, energetic, friendly students looking to change the world. </p>

<p>Academics:
I am looking for a school with rather small classes, between 10 and 20 students or so, although an occasional large class wouldn't be bad. I want inspirational professors and classes with good discussions and where there is a lot of interaction between professors and students. In terms of work load, I want a school where there is a challenging work load, yet time to pursue extracurricular activites as well. In terms of majors, I am looking for a school with both a strong Classics department and Biology department, as well as a study abroad program (to Rome or Italy). I plan on going to medical school. </p>

<p>Other Stuff
Financially, my family will probably have trouble affording a school with steep tuition; realistically, my family is looking at $15,000 per year out of pocket maximum. Therefore, I am interested in schools that give good financial/merit aid, and possibly full scholarships. </p>

<p>Thank you SOOOOOOOO much for your time! : ) All of your input will certainly be appreciated!</p>

2

<p>the first thing you need to do is go to one of the EFC calculators and see what it says your parents should pay. If 15K or less is what comes out, you can apply anywhere and your financial aid will be met (however the mix of grants, loans, and work-study will vary by school). </p>

<p>If it is a number much bigger than 15K then the schools are unlikely to make up the difference unless you are fortunate enough to win merit aid. The problem with that is that merit aid is pretty much inversely correlated with the ranking of the school. HPYS and the like don't give merit aid because they don't have to; they can get the top students who are happy to pay the EFC. As you slide down the scale you start to run into schools that will give token amounts, then more and more the farther down you go. The full ride comes if you are all-state in a big sport, or if you are looking at a school where you are going to be one of the academic stars they were able to attract.</p>

3

<p>Grinnell is in the midwest and offers great money, small classes, good academics.</p>

4

<p>i like grinnell too, arizonamom, but it doesnt fulfill the "urban/suburban" request by any means. </p>

<p>First, i would advise against deciding now that you dont wan to be around alcohol in college. I never drank a lot in high school, i used to think it was because i thought drinking was dumb.. ive now decided that i only thought drinking was dumb because all the people in my high school who drank a lot were really dumb. At colleges like the ivies, northwestern, WUSTL, Notre Dame and such, theres a considerable amount of drinking, but id be willing to wager it wont perturb you much. </p>

<p>With that said, look at Northwestern, University of Chicago (these would be slight reaches, but i got into both with the same ACT as you) you might even want to consider applying to columbia or penn. these are the only campuses which come close to your requirements of beautiful campus with great architecture. </p>

<p>Chicago would definitely be the only largish school to fulfill your small classes request. It has a student-teacher ratio of 4:1, lower than any LAC.
Macalester is an LAC near a large city in the midwest.. im not sure how liberal it is, but they certainly want to change the world for the better (kofi annan is an alum, they stress internationalism and caring for the world)</p>

<p>id submit more, but its late, ill have more later</p>

5

<p>Swarthmore would fit all of your requirements except merit aid. Virtually all of their financial aid is need-based.</p>

<p>Location (old close-in Philly neighborhood), campus (a national arboretum), academics (75% under 20, half of those under 10), and social scene (below average amounts of drinking) are exactly as you described. One of the highest per student endowments in the country.</p>

<p>With your class rank, it would be a plausible option from an admissions standpoint.</p>

6

<p>I think Carleton, Chicago, Columbia, Haverford, Rice, Swarthmore and Wash U all meet her criteria.</p>

7

<p>singingal78, It is smart to look early at schools from a financial perspective!</p>

<p>Small urban/Suburban: Lawrence University, good merit aid, great financial aid packages for families, Classics and Biology, 3 study abroad programs in Italy, Pre-Med Program discussion at <a href="http://www.lawrence.edu/admissions/acaddepts/med_school.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.lawrence.edu/admissions/acaddepts/med_school.shtml&lt;/a>. Merit available if you want to participate in choirs yet not major in music. Academic Scholarships <a href="http://www.lawrence.edu/admissions/finaid/scholcomp.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.lawrence.edu/admissions/finaid/scholcomp.shtml&lt;/a> They would love your stats and interests, I think. If my son chose this campus and their programs it is diverse, friendly and interesting to an international kid. He was NHS pres, IB Dip candidate, Newspaper editor, and tons of music. He loves the idea of the Midwest. He looks forward to being an Appleton resident next fall.</p>

8

<p>Thanks for all your suggestions! </p>

<p>I do believe that I will qualify for some financial aid...using an EFC calculator, the number did come around $15,000. Ever since the beginning of my college search, my mom has drilled into my mind that I can go to any school I want, as long as our family can afford it (she's an accountant...money is always on her mind!). </p>

<p>I will definitly explore all the schools mentioned. Any more suggestions would be appreciated as well!</p>

9

<p>U of Chicago, Emory, maybeee Northwestern</p>

10

<p>Bryn Mawr resembles Swarthmore in some respects, but a bit easier to get in--a women's college with ties to Haverford and Swarthmore and an outstanding Classics reputation.</p>

11

<p>I had my mom fill out the financial aid calculator. Apparently, instead of the 15,000 I figured, the expected contribution would be around 30K. This seriously rules out many schools, as my mom is only willing to pay around $1000 per month for school (12K per year). Any comments?</p>

12

<p>singingal,</p>

<p>You have a very good chance at getting excellent merit aid at a number of LACs not right at the top of the list. What part of the country are you considering?</p>

13

<p>singinggal78, as momofthree said go for the LACs that are not right at the top of the list. Find those, like the example I gave you, that offer merit awards for your grades and talent. Make sure you apply to that type of school. Don't waste your applications on schools that are not a financial option. Apply at the same time for outside scholarships. You may be pleasantly surprised. Stick to the Midwest & South where prices for college are lower than the coasts. You will also be given an option to take out loans. If they are not too much per year, you could handle that. </p>

<p>Right now make a list and start emailing admissions at various schools and departments you may take an interest in. See what responses you get. Take it from there and make sure you visit. That will give you a good idea of what you like and don't like in a school.</p>

14

<p>Momofthree- I am most interested in the Midwest, but am really open to any area of the country.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the replies! This has been very, very helpful. Its so hard to fight with my mom about what schools to apply to-especially when she is worried about being able to afford them. Its so nice to receive other perspectives : )</p>

15

<p>singingal78, if you can tolerate rural, look at College of Wooster where they have the most outstanding of merit awards, music and science. Also look into the financial and merit aid offered at Rice.</p>

16

<p>For pre-med look at Wooster....</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wooster.edu/magazine/winter2005/outside_box2.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wooster.edu/magazine/winter2005/outside_box2.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

17

<p>I would take a serious look at Columbia. For an urban campus, it has open green lawns with trees and a vibrant quad that is always bustling during the day.</p>

<p>Greek life at Columbia is extremely low at about 12% and is one of the most diverse campuses in the nation, as well as located in the most diverse city on the planet. The type of student that you described is the ideal Columbia student and from all of the incoming '09 members that I have met, I can truly state that the students are all like that.</p>

<p>Columbia is the 5th oldest university in the nation and is one of only 2 Ivies to have a non-Gothic architecture. Low Library, Butler Library and Lerner Hall are all incredible feats in building and Low is built on the highest point in Manhattan.</p>

<p>Columbia has a student:faculty ratio of 7:1 and most of the classes are under 15 students. Even the Core classes are capped at around 22 students with 1 professor. Time just named Professor and head of the Earth Institute, Jeffrey Sachs one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and he teaches undergraduates. Since 2000, 3 Columbia professors have been named Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine. </p>

<p>As an incoming freshman, I look forward to possibly being able to spend time in Italy in a study abroad program. With the Core language requirement, one can take Italian in their first year and then go abroad to apply the language you learned in the classroom.</p>

<p>Columbia is an urban campus with almost unlimited opportunities as it is in New York City with one of the most influential and powerful faculties in the country, and unique students ready to take on the greatest challenges of our time.</p>

<p>I highly recommend you looking into Columbia and if you come to take a campus tour next year in the fall, I might be your tour guide. </p>

<p>Best of luck to you in your application process!</p>

<p>-Jaug1
Columbia College, Class of 2009</p>

18

<p>"Chicago would definitely be the only largish school to fulfill your small classes request. It has a student-teacher ratio of 4:1, lower than any LAC."</p>

<p>They cheat. :) They count people working in their research labs. I think the real ratio is around the same as an LAC.</p>

<p>Ohio Wesleyan has a great med rep. Better than Wooster's I think.</p>

19

<p>Might want to look at Holy Cross-very good LAC with strong classics and pre-med programs. HC has a very nice campus in a mid-size city and is also only 1 hour from Boston. Like most selective LAC's, Holy Cross class sizes are small and there are no sororities/fraternities on camous.</p>

20

<p>columbia is a great school. However it gives nada in merit aid, which seems to rule it out based on what the OP said her family will contribute.</p>