College Suggestions

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So far I only have two colleges I will definitely be applying to – Santa Clara University and University of Rochester – and I'm looking to apply to at least 3 more, max of 5 more.</p>

<p>Things I'm looking for:
- A variety of majors; I'm currently interested in bioengineering and chemical engineering, so I'd prefer the majority of my list have engineering as an option, but I'm willing to add a ~2 schools without, in case I discover I don't want to study engineering by the end of May.
- Medium sized, 2k-10k. I prefer campuses with either an urban feel but not too big – e.g., U of R, not UW – or an intimate feel but near a city/opportunities – e.g. SCU, not Willamette.
- Research and/or hands on learning environment. Definitely no schools where Great Books or Socratic Seminars are common, or anything of that like. Majority of classes 10 to 30 students.
- Diversity! ~50-50 M to F, at least 20% color (preferably more), socioeconomically diverse
- West Coast/near CA preferred. NY or MA acceptable. Less inclined if elsewhere. Definitely no to Texas. At least one school in WA is a must.</p>

<p>Things I love about SCU and/or U of R not listed above: people seem to love their school and want to be there, internship opportunities, open curriculum, plenty of interesting courses that I definitely won't exhaust in my 4 years, cooking meals on campus is possible (some housing has kitchens, basically), fitness is important to students aka they like to be athletic.</p>

<p>Some info/stats: Salutatorian, 3.59 UW GPA (~4.0 before 12th; compelling explanation), currently gap year working + career & personal exploration, first generation. SAT superscore: 710 CR, 650 M, 770 W. SAT II: Chem 690, Math II 720. 9 AP courses, 8 AP tests, AP Scholar with Distinction. 3+ honors courses, 2 self-studied classes, 1 zero-hour class. ECs in HS: family responsibilities, HS soccer, childcare, volunteering.</p>

<p>Any recommendations are welcome, and if you can explain why you've suggested them that's even better. Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>If your open to Colorado check out the University of Denver. The campus is beautiful, close to lots of outdoor activities, and in a semi urban setting. I believe its about 7,000 students. Its a very expensive school, but it looks like your high school stats will get you a lot of scholarship money.</p>

3

<p>Yeah, CO/AZ/NM/UT are actually fine too, even though they’re not really West Coast. My only concern with them might be altitude because when I lived in AZ I had a lot of asthma problems, but that was also when I was younger. I’ll take a look at U of Denver, thanks!</p>

4

<p>I think Santa Clara is a perfect match for you. S2 had it as his #2 choice so we toured several times, and we know a lot of kids who go there. It was painful for me to see him turn it down, even though I like the school he chose, too.</p>

5

<p>Yeah thanks! I’m close to someone who goes there so I’ve heard lots about it and met some friends too, it seems like a great place.</p>

<p>Anyone have additional school suggestions, pretty please?</p>