College recommendations?

I’ve been trying to figure out which colleges I might want to go to, but there are so many options and I can’t figure out which colleges would be best for me. I think that I probably want to go to a larger university and might want to major in education. My current weighted gpa is a 4.15, and I haven’t taken the ACT or SAT yet but I got a 1330 on the PSAT. I think I would prefer colleges in the midwest, California, or Florida, but I’m still not sure. I started doing some research and the list I came up with includes Purdue, University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin, Vanderbilt and UCLA, but I don’t know if those colleges would be a good fit for me, and I’d like to know if there are any better recommendations. Could anyone give me some advice?

I don’t know enough about recommended colleges for teachers to comment on that, but there is a thread on the Parent’s Forum (might be in the Café area) that is talking about special considerations in selecting a college for teaching majors. Go check it out for some good info.

Home State? What can you and your family afford to pay? If you plan to go into teaching, it is best to get your teaching requirements completed in the state where you plan to teach.

My home state is Illinois. I don’t know exactly how much my family can afford to pay. I think my family will be able to afford to pay for me to go to whichever college I get into, but obviously the less expensive the better. I haven’t thought far ahead enough into my future to think of where I want to teach once I’m done with college. My plan was to teach in whatever state I go to college in, instead of the other way around, so I’m still looking at colleges throughout different areas.

Teaching is a solid profession but by no means will be it very lucrative. Since you mentioned UCLA, just be aware that they offer No Financial aid to out of state students, so you are looking at a price tag of $60K/year to attend. Going into debt for $240K for 4 years is definitely not worth it.

Thank you! I guess UCLA isn’t an option then. Do you think any of the other colleges that I listed would be good fits for me?

I really cannot comment on the other schools but you should run the Net Price calculator (available on each school’s website) to determine you and your parents costs before formulating your list. You should also check out each states requirements for getting a Teaching credential so you will know what to expect when you start your undergrad education.

Baylor offers pretty good merit scholarships based on test scores, and your PSAT score looks like you would be able to get a score on the SAT or ACT that could get you a decent amount of money. I don’t know too much about the teaching program. I believe that you are guaranteed at least four semesters of classroom experience, and I know plenty of elementary education students that just finished their first semester and were regularly in the classroom.