I am not qualified to chance anyone for any school, but I want to offer you encouragement and kudos. You are well-qualified and sound very genuine, motivated and interesting. I hope admissions go well for you. You should be very proud of what you have accomplished so far and have a very bright future. I have my fingers crossed!
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my guidance counselor had no objections to where I was applying - I just thought I could get a better idea from people who have actually gone through it themselves or had any adviceā¦
I needed this comment today. Thank you so much for your kindness, it means so much!
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Just keep in mind when reading peopleās comments here that they all come from a place of wanting you to succeed. Most are parents, and so part of what that means is that you have a worst case scenario that you will love if it comes to be. Advice about what that best worst case scenario is, while isnāt an answer to your particular question, comes from a really good place. Donāt let it discourage you about your plans - people here are responding to your post in the first place because they can see what I see. Keep focusing on your long term goals, which you will achieve no matter where you go to college. You are clearly a go-getter.
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This is all very true, that schools far from centers of political power have arranged semester-long internship experiences in DC . Now, imagine you are applying for a job after college, or to law school. āI went to Cornell and majored in poli sci, and I participated in the āCornell in Washingtonā program sophomore year, plus I worked for a local political campaign in NYC in the summers. And hereās my letter of recommendation from them saying that I did a good job of it.ā Or, āI went to College U in a major city or a state capitol. I worked year-round in (whatever political office you can work yourself up to after 4 years of steady, at least ten hours/week and probably more, work, making yourself indispensable and learning the craft) plus I worked on campaigns in the summers (either back in NYC or there) or worked full time in that office in the summers. And hereās my letter of recommendation from the place/field in which Iāve worked for the past 4 years, and here are the accomplishments that I have from there.ā
I realize that from the viewpoint of a high school senior, whoās been told to shoot for the ultimate, which from the viewpoint of high school is an Ivy or tippy-top or at least T20 acceptance, the Ivy credential sounds better. But I can tell you that when it comes to hiring and DOING, those semester long programs in DC will be viewed as shadowing opportunities, because the truth is, one cannot truly make oneself indispensable in a semester long position, and all anyone needs to do for them is show up, because rather than you getting paid to be there, the school is likely paying them, or at least calling in a favor, to allow you to be there. But if you are attending school in a city which is a center of government, you can volunteer and then if youāre any good, are of any use, work part time for pay for four years straight in politics while attending school, and in an interview you will totally blow away the applicant with the nice Ivy diploma and a semester-long DC āexperienceā, plus summer volunteering, assuming that theyāre looking for people to actually DO something. You would be applying as someone with a proven track record, rather than a newly-minted Ivy grad.
Please, submit the application to Albany, too, and then see what you wind up with. If you and your family cannot financially swing the best private school acceptance you get, or decide itās not worth it to you, just to be in DC, you really want it to come down to Binghamton vs Albany, rather than just Binghamton. The entire reason to apply to safeties and matches is to make options. I know, I know, itās not the flagship U. But itās still a SUNY U, and it has the geographical advantage of being in the capitol of one of the largest, most politically powerful states in the US, giving you access to opportunities that Binghamton just wonāt have.
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Thank you, Im trying! I guess my fear is I wasnt realistic enough about my chances. I truly dont want the Ivyās just because of the name. Im a young woman who has a very ātraditionalā family in the sense that girls arent told to aim high or succeed. But society tells young women to aim high and to fight for what you want. Very confusing. Encouragement is everything - but I know that the posters here are being realistic. My high school is a very competive one in California, a lot of famous peopleās kids who have doors opening for them at all turns - so I have doubts all the time about my chances. You are such a kind, lovely person. I wish going through this process I had a parent like you to guide me!
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Wait a minute, youāre a California state resident??? Where are your in-state safety/match/reaches? Didnāt you apply to any California public schools?
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I dont want to remain on the west coastā¦
I hear you on that. But it sounds as if you have no financial safety. Is there a huge 529 account? Are there tremendous family financial resources that you can absolutely depend upon, to pay for college for you, no matter what happens? You said that you come from a very traditional family in the sense that girls arenāt told to aim high or succeed. In general, families that donāt strongly encourage higher education for daughters usually have no strong interest in paying >80K/yr for college for their daughters! I really hope that my concerns in this respect are baseless.
Unfortunately, unless you have already applied, you have missed the deadline for both the UC system and the Cal state system. But donāt worry. You will get into Binghamton, although they may not give you merit money - but probably, they will give you some. If you start reaching out frequently and lovingly to GW and AU right away, telling each of them that they are your best-beloved, you will get into both of them. And hopefully you will get into one of your T20 schools. Iām assuming that you are confident that your family will fully back you financially for college, since surely if you had had any doubt, you would have applied to at least a couple of CA public schools, too.
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My daughter applied to Bing OOS (NJ) with a little lower SAT but higher gpa, they were pretty generous with merit which brought costs down below in state Rutgers.
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Have you included some NE LACās in your apps? Less of an ORM issue there, and those schools by and large have excellent Poli Sci programs. Also it will be relatively easier to meaningfully participate in advocacy programs/clubs.
Agree with the other commentators on securing safety schools, making sure your choices are affordable and what matters is what you do in college, not so much where you go.
Iām not saying they would object - but they should let you know the odds, i.e. give you a better sense of your chances give your portfolio is all I meant.
btw - many colleges have āin washingtonā programsā¦not just Cornell. And many work through AU. Hereās a couple.
Spring Semester in Washington Students Report to D.C. | University at Albany
For the Ivys and most top 20 schools, the acceptance rate is anywhere between 3-8%. Thereās a greater than 90% chance all of them will be rejections. Right now itās all out of your control, so any advice would be unhelpful at this point, since the subjective admissions criteria varies widely from school-to-school.
Right now, itās out of your hands. But one nickelās worth of free adviceā¦just because you get an acceptance, doesnāt mean you āshouldā go there. Find out if the school is a good fit based on your career goals. College is much more about your major and job skills obtained than the name of the diploma.
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It sounds as though you donāt have a financial safety. How much is your family willing to pay toward your college education?
@parentologist has made great points about the positive aspects of attending college in a state capital for people who are interested in politics. This link shows colleges that are located near state capitals. Seeing that you are interested in the east coast, I would look at these schools, some of which have quickly-approaching deadlines:
- University of Hartford (CT)ā¦seems as though they might be very generous for merit aid with your stats
- Delaware Stateā¦this is an HBCU where you would qualify for at least tuition, and maybe tuition room and board as an OOS student.
- Florida State, youād probably qualify for an OOS tuition waiver, bringing tuition, room & board to approximately $17k/year
- Georgia State
- Oglethorpe (GA) (they do a Flagship 50 where qualifying studentsā¦and Iām sure youād qualifyā¦pay the studentās in-state flagship rate)
- University of Maine ā Augusta
- University of Massachusetts ā Boston. It appears you would be eligible for its Chancellorās Scholarship which would be $15-25k/year, bringing your costs to around $25-35kā¦.not cheap, but not $80k
- Suffolk University (MA) might provide substantial merit aid
- Milsaps College (MS) is likely to be very generous with merit aid if youāre wanting a smaller college experience
- Granite State College (NH)
- Penn State ā Harrisburg is another big, important state politically, but a quick view through its financial aid doesnāt make it appear as though there are large scholarships available for OOS studentsā¦but that was a pretty cursory glance
- U. of South Carolina ā it appears as though youād be eligible for a scholarship that gets a ātuition reductionāā¦Iām assuming thatās an OOS waiver, and some cash ($2-4k). U of SC is reputed to have one of the best honors colleges in the country.
- Columbia College (SC) ā another option if you want a smaller campus thatās likely to provide generous aid
ETA:
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SUNY Albany was also discussed before, and
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The College of Saint Rose (NY) may be worth considering, depending on your budget. Using its scholarship calculator with your SAT and a rough conversion of your GPA (they need based out of 100, I estimated 90 and 95 and the result was within $500 of each other) you would get $22,000, bringing the cost down to about $26k.
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College of New Jersey (Feb. 1 deadline) is well-reputed (10-15m drive from the state house) but its top OOS scholarship will only reduce price by $6k, meaning that this would run your family $31-32k.
As support for your choices, this site includes every Ivy League school:
Some Ivies also offer a public policy concentration, which would seem to align with your interests as well:
Thanks for your advice, its truly appreciated! I got accepted to University of Michigan today, so now I wait for all other decisions in the regular round
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Congrats on the U Mich acceptance!
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Awesome news!
Congratulations!
You must feel so relieved. U Mich is a great school.
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Are these colleges affordable for your family? What can they contribute annually? Full costs of attendance if needed?