Hi
I am a rising senior currently living in Portland Oregon and I am really curious about going to out of state schools/ out of my region. So far I have only read about top liberal arts colleges and “selective schools”. I have been looking at schools like Western Washington, Gonzaga, Puget Sound, Reed College, and University of Oregon as they are in state or offer reciprocity. I do not need or want to get into these “selective” schools. Currently I have a 3.91 gpa, a 1300 Sat( though I was sick when taking it and am taking it one more time) and I participate in two sports(one varsity) and am a captain in one. I have a slightly competitive transcript with 4 aps but I struggle in math and as such only plan on taking PSU stats and have not taken calc or precalc. Additionally, I am Hispanic and grew up speaking English and Spanish. I simply would like a list of colleges that I could consider -maybe schools that could offer aid to Hispanic students, or want students that come from Oregon? Sidenote- I do not have a defined major which is why I’m looking at liberal arts schools.
Oops forgot to add my gpa is 3.96. I thought that I had a way lower gpa but I asked my counselor for my transcript recently and that is what it was
If you would like to reach a little, you could consider some of the well-funded NESCACs. Your current SAT score would place you exactly at Middlebury’s 25th percentile, for example:
http://www.middlebury.edu/admissions/start/profile
Other liberal arts colleges in a similar statistical vicinity should also be reasonable destinations for your application:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-50-smartest-colleges-in-america-2016-10
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9
For matches, you could go a little deeper into these lists.
In terms of financial aid at a range of schools, you can read through here:
Definitely check out the WUE program!!! Here is the link address to it: wue.wiche.edu
How about Dickinson?
In general, you should run the net price calculator on each school’s website to see what the cost might be. I’m not clear from your post that you understand that private schools don’t care if you are in-state or OOS when it comes to the cost of the school.
Is that GPA weighted or unweighted? Is it on a 4.0 scale? An unweighted 3.96 means you’ve only gotten a couple grades ever below a solid A. Sounds like you don’t think that is true.
The fact you’ve not taken precalculus will be a problem at the schools that offer the best aid.
What are the 4 APs you took?
Nevertheless, if you can increase your SAT score a little, your high gpa may be of interest at several selective colleges such as Dickinson, st Olaf, St Lawrence, Sewanee (reaches), Beloit, Muhlenberg, Wooster, Allegheny, Centre,
Earlham (matches), Ohio Wesleyan, Elmhurst, Illinois Wesleyan, Guilford, Millsaps, Eckerd (safeties).
What do you want to study (general area)?
It’s not being at the 25th percentile. It’s being at the upper end of the mid-50%. In the case of Middlebury, that would mean much closer to 1460, if not there or above.
I agree missing precalc is an issue for the colleges that want to see the breadth in rigor. Any ECs besides sports? You have to get a sense of what holistic colleges expect of applicants.
@lookingforward : U.S. News profiled a student accepted a student at Middlebury with a 3.2 GPA anf 26 ACT. It happens. In any event, I recommended Middlebury as a possible reach school for this student, not a match or even high match. I agree though that the absence of pre-calc could be an issue for highly selective colleges.
Take a look at Denison.
I would also suggest that you look at distribution requirements at any school that appeals to you and reconcile those with your ability and interest in math.
I am in wind ensemble, the honor and all state bands (clarinet player), and I am on my schools constitution team ( last year we took 2nd at nationals). I also have my own club that tutor students at my elementary school for free
Im not applying to very many highly selective colleges- additionally, the PSU stats class at my school gives students 15 college credits and is considered to be a difficult math class comparable to Calculus.
Hm, no. The PSU stats class is likely worth 3 college credits. 15 credits is a full schedule of classes over a whole semester, there’s no way one class is equivalent to 15 credits.
And dual enrollment stats is quite rigorous and indeed rigorous - but for admissions purpose it’s not the same as calculus - and doesn’t offset lack of precalculus. (Some majors won’t admit anyone who’s not taken precalculus due to major requirements). Precalculus is the pre-req for Calculus. They’re part of the same sequence. Statistics is a whole different branch of math, also quite rigorous, but not the same. There’s such a thing as calculus-based statistics, but it requires students to have precalculus as well as a calculus class before they take that statistics class.
That being said, Constitution Team and All State Band would be two very strong EC’s.
I’d definitely encourage you to apply to St Olaf (they want excellent musicians who major in many different fields), as well as Dickinson, Denison, St Lawrence, Whitman, Occidental, perhaps even Skidmore.
When your new SAT score arrives you can revisit all of the suggestions on your thread, @leafraindcollege.
I am considering smith but they are test optional.
I am also looking at mt holyoke and u mass amherst
a couple of the schools i am applying to encourage you to submit a portfolio instead of tests which I will do as i have a strong rec from my science teacher- and (hopefully) my AP Lang english teacher as i had a high A in her class both semesters
Though they can be quite selective, Mt. Holyoke and Smith would seem to be good potential options for you.
ok thanks 
smith is a reach but I am still going to try
Good thinking on Mount Holyoke and Smith.
Umass Amherst is unlikely to provide you with sufficient financial aid, I wouldn’t bother. PLus, if you get into either of the above, you get to take classes there for free anyway!