Clueless Junior Here! Please Help Me Find Colleges!

College Search & Selection
1

I’m a junior living in a suburb outside Cleveland, Ohio. I’ve been looking at colleges for a while, but still am having trouble making my list, especially deciding what is a reach, a safety, and a match. I’m interested in Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, and am especially interested in colleges where I can be involved in research
Here is some info about me:

Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Composite ACT: 35
Composite(new) PSAT: 1480 w/ SI of 221
I’m homeschooled, but since 9th grade I’ve taken my classes either at a local community college or AP online
I am qualified to join Phi Theta Kappa as soon as this next semester starts
I took AP Stats last May after taking Stats at the community college and got a 4
Am taking AP lit and bio this year
790 in both SAT 2 World History and Literature
Have about 200 hours community service, I volunteer at a hospital, at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and with Girl Scouts
Irish Dancer for 9 years
Epee fencer in middle school and freshman year, dropped out first semester of 10th due to injuries
Varsity Academic Challenge player (NAQT and OAC), qualified for HSNQT and OAC regionals, I played JV in 9th and captained JV in 10th
I’m an Ambassador Girl Scout(I’ve been a GS for 12 years) and completed my Silver award and am working on my Gold award
I work as a math tutor and seasonal jobs
I’ve been involved with theater since 5th grade
I’ve played flute and/or keys in a Jazz Band and/or Orchestra since middle school
This is my second year in choir
I am the Membership Delegate for the Girl Scouts of my city, which the liaison between the city and the regional council
I’ve been taking challenging classes all through HS and have doubled up, such as Chemistry and College Physics in 10th and Calc I and II this year.

I prefer small-medium colleges

My college list:

Safety schools:
College of Wooster(Not sure if a safety or a match)

Target schools:
RPI
Maybe University of Rochester
University of Virginia(I’m a legacy)
Ohio State honors college

Reach schools:
Dartmouth
Vanderbilt
Northwestern
Maybe Johns Hopkins

I have an even longer list of reach schools, but am having trouble finding safeties and matches!
Also feel free to chance me for any of these schools!
Thanks!!

2

Since you will make national merit, you may as well use the list of colleges that give large national merit scholarships or scholarships for high stats as your safeties:

http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/

3

How’d you do on the PSAT?

4

For biomedical engineering, have a lot of match schools. This is a “hot” major and often the most competitive major in engineering admissions. Apply to every university in your state system that offers BME.

5

@mom2collegekids

“Composite(new) PSAT: 1480 w/ SI of 221”

6

Use a college screener like collegeboard. I plugged in your degree choice, medium school, near cleaveland and got back:
Lehigh
Smith
Binghamton
Syracuse
Trinity
Union
Rochester

A couple notes:
Research is done mostly at universities, which are bigger, so thats a bit of a contradiciton with your desire for medium-small.
Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience are likely in different colleges, so decide if you want to go into engineering or bio science. That will help your search.
All schools have honors admits, and I would encourage you to pursue them wherever you go (not just at OSU). Its true that honors admits will be tougher at your reach/match schools, so consider how important that is. GL

7

Thanks everybody for the feedback! I really don’t care where the school is geographically, as long as it isn’t in Alaska or Hawaii. Do you think my matches are realistic? @nw2this , those lists are super helpful! A few schools I was looking at as safeties/matches were on the full tuition list!

8

Yes, your current list is realistic.

9

Sit down with your parents and run the Net Price Calculator at each institution’s website to get a notion of what your family is likely to be asked to pay. Then have a money conversation with them. The sooner you know what your parents consider to be realistically affordable, the better.

10

@ShrimpBurrito I asked the OP the question about PSAT. Are you the OP’s parent?

11

No, I just copied and pasted what was in the OP.