<p>Ajda12, have you looked at a copy of the Fiske Guide to Colleges? A couple of hours with that and a pack of post-it notes to flag the colleges you are interested in is very worthwhile. After that go and run those net price calculators, because cost/financial aid is going to be very important to you. I do agree with a poster above that Dickinson is a college you should look at. Also, if you have any interest in women’s colleges, you might look at Mount Holyoke.</p>
<p>You mentioned in your initial post that you might apply ED to Colby. The thing about applying ED is that you have no opportunity to compare financial aid packages across colleges if you do that. The cost of attendance for you (and amount of debt you will come out of college with) can vary really widely by college. There are numerous other threads discussing this on CC – some people swear by it, others say you will get the best deal on college by applying RD at several colleges (10?) and comparing packages. You also should include a couple of the automatic scholarship schools among those just in case – assuming you would rather be sure you are going to college, even if it isn’t to a top choice, and if you want to be absolutely sure you have at least one truly affordable choice. Think of it as a “financial safety”.</p>
<p>I do agree that your extracurriculars are on the light side (just intramual basketball?). Do you have any other clubs? Have you been working at a job to help your family, or taking care of family members (a reason why you don’t have ECs)? Any activities outside of school you haven’t mentioned (hobbies)? Can you beef up your ECs this summer (if you have time, could you volunteer someplace and build up some hours)?</p>