Chance me and help me get rid of possible colleges!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>So I have this insanely long list of colleges that I've run NPCs on and found affordable and somewhat likable. The problem is that I don't want to spend a thousand dollars (basically all of my money) on app fees.</p>

<p>For reference, here's some stats.
34 ACT
Taking SAT subject tests soon (ish)
will be NMSF
class rank 1/245
Estimated 3.97 UW GPA. My school only does weighted and I'm too lazy to do the math on my tablet. My concern is that transcripts show grades from every single quarter, and I've had a few quarter Cs. All final grades are A or B. (No plus or minuses here)
Crappy (5th worst I think) public school in HI.
AP :
5 on lang, gov, psych
4 on world, micro, macro
3 on bio and calc AB (I'm pretty sure few people got higher than 3 in my school on both calc and bio) </p>

<p>The most interesting thing about me is probably that I speak Hawaiian fluently. I'm (unfortunately) not Hawaiian, though. I'm half white and half Taiwanese.</p>

<p>ECs include speech and debate (VP and state qualified twice), band including pep, parade, marching, and orchestral (first chair since 9th, section leader since 10th grade), another band at local university that plays higher level music, literary mag staff (probably will be editor this year)</p>

<p>Awards include some basic school stuff like school model UN and Congress awards, wellesley boook award. Scholastic writing honorable mention (x2) in western regional at large, national forensic league all state (basically top 150 in state)(x2), state winner of We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution and national participant, state winner and runner up (different years) in national history day and went to nationals both times, special award winner at the real (not state) National History Day, NHD finalist, will get Ap scholar with distinction come September or October.</p>

<p>My prospective major is political science or government or whatever schools like to call it</p>

<p>I'm looking for a school that's affordable (either superb need based or merit based.) I want a place with seasons and brick buildings with columns. I'm very liberal and don't necessarily mind being in the minority (because I already am at school), but would probably need some feminists and pro -choicers to hang out with. </p>

<p>So here's my list:</p>

<p>Amherst
Bowdoin
Columbia
Carleton
Harvard
BYU (would be alright because I have a bunch of friends here already)
Princeton
Stanford
Swarthmore
U Chicago
Vassar
Wellesley
Williams
Yale
Bates
Washington and Lee (esp. Johnson scholarship)
Haverford
Colby
U Alabama (potential NM school)
Northeastern (NM)
UCF (NM)</p>

<p>I'd also be alright if you suggested some colleges. I know the list is really reach heavy, but I don't see the point to more than one safety school.</p>

<p>Excuse the typos (because I'm sure there are some). Also, I swear my writing is a lot better when I don't type on a kindle. I promise.</p>

2

<p>WHat areyou taking next year?</p>

3

<p>I recommend the Fiske Guide, which will tell you the quality of life for students.</p>

<p>I’d get rid of:
Columbia
Carleton
BYU
Swarthmore
Vassar
Wellesley
Williams
Bates
Washington and Lee
Haverford
Colby</p>

<p>P.S. What do you think about UMichigan and Ohio State?</p>

4

<p>Next year I’m taking ap lit, ap stats, ap us history, physics (no ap offered at school), and some filler classes. Yes, there are only 3 APs, but that’s all I have left at my school.</p>

<p>I’ve been thinking about Ohio State and might add it to my list. U Michigan has like no merit for out of state students, and I cant affordthe OOS price of 60k.</p>

5

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<p>There are 3,000 schools in this country – you really wouldn’t be happy at BYU even if you have a few friends there already. Drop that one. From your description of yourself, leave Wellesley on (although someone above said to drop it).</p>

<p>I like your Hawaiian speaking skill. :slight_smile: My D1 spoke Finnish, and we are not Finns. It was something unusual about her in her application (she did the Common App short essay on it, and a couple of longer essays for colleges that wanted something beyond the “Why College X?” essay).</p>

<p>I agree about Fiske, start with reviewing that. Then go run the Net Price Calculator for every one of these schools, THEN plan some visits if you can.</p>

<p>You want to keep a few of the schools you are pretty sure to get into. Then narrow the list down to another 7 or so (10 is plenty of schools to apply to).</p>

6

<p>What is your intended major? Look up the ranking of these schools for that program. Check their financial supports to see if they meet your need. Your credential is fine to apply to any of these schools. You just need to have a balance of reach/dream schools, matches, and a couple safety.</p>

7

<p>Cut BYU, U Chicago (could be too conservative for your own good), but you have too many reaches.</p>

8

<p>My intended major is political science. I know basically every college offers political science (or something like “government”). I don’t think that there are rankings for undergraduate programs (although I guess there are rankings for stuff like engineering). There are rankings for grad programs, but seeing that I am looking into a bunch of LACs, the grad school rankings won’t help much.</p>

<p>I’m really hesitant to cut BYU. My school is basically a BYU feeder school and I think that I’ll be admitted. (I am mormon, and even though I didn’t go to seminary, which is part of BYU’s admission rubric, my test scores are very above average.) Of course, it isn’t a place I really want to go because I feel like it would be like my high school (except the BYU students are smarter) in terms of blind obedience to the church. However, finances are the biggest issue when it comes to college. My parents do make a seemingly high amount of money, but the cost of living in Hawaii is really high and subsequently can’t afford what a lot of net price calculators say we can. At BYU I am guaranteed at least half tuition because of something (that I’m not going to name), and my ACT score should get me at least another half tuition (students from my high school with lower stats than me got half tuition merit). While the political environment is not what I’d prefer, I know that I’d be able to find friends with the same ideologies that I have. It’s basically my almost-safety. (I know I’d be happier at BYU than at some other colleges because here wouldn’t be any emphasis on drinking or drugs and I’d be able to socialize in a similar fashion as what I do now.) I’m ambivalent about the prospect of going there, but applying would appease my parents and might provide the most affordable choice, which is important because I am planning on grad school.</p>

9

<p>OK, then, which colleges seem to have the worst financial aid among them?</p>

10

<p>Google which schools are best for your intended major. Any of your listed schools that aren’t in the top 30, 15, etc. Whatever you want get rid of. </p>

<p>Then look over each colleges finacial aid program see what works for you.</p>

<p>Finally visit colleges. They may appear to be what you want online but in person they could be totally different from your preference.</p>

11

<p>Yes. Google and you will find the ranking. Add UMich and UCB to the list that you should be match and they have one of the best PS program. You may also easily remove a bunch of schools on your list after checking the ranks.</p>

12

<p>U Mich and UCB both have great programs, but in both schools, the out of state aid is nearly nonexistent.</p>

<p>Am I just really bad at using Google? I cannot find an undergraduate political science ranking. I know I can’t use the grad school rankings because liberal art colleges don’t have graduate programs, and are therefore not ranked in these rankings, so I can’t assessed their comparative strength.</p>

<p>I guess I’ll probably drop Colby, U Chicago, Haverford, Vassar, and Bates. I might add in a few public schools that I could get merit at like Ohio state, Pitt, and U Maryland (which in effect would save ~200 on app fees.)</p>

<p>Visiting schools is really not an option. Living where I do, hopping in the car and going somewhere can’t exactly happen. Flying out on my own dime is insanely expensive and I’ll have to rely on the Internet and books to make all decisions (unless I miraculously get accepeted into college diversity fly ins.)</p>

13

<p>Shameless bump. Do I have decent chances at the reaches?</p>