Confused junior...help me start my college search!

College Search & Selection
41

Realize a good merit scholarship could be say $20,000 a year. That brings a $65,000 School to $45,000.

Realize that isn’t bonus money on top of your need. Rather it replaces loans, work study, etc.

Now if it’s an OOS public that costs $42,000 and they give you $20,000 your net cost is $22,000.

Run the financial calculators at schools and see what they show. Then research merit you can qualify for…

42

@DancingwithStars

Pitt has fantastic diversity scholarships where merit is highly considered.

Crank that score with consistent practice. Show interest to Pitt.

It isn’t automatic like some schools but you should at least try.

43

In answer to your questions re: U Rochester: very high caliber of academics; ranked #32 by US news. Top level research institution. Sciences are especially strong. Great research opportunities including for undergrads.
34% acceptance rate.
Diversity: 5% African American, 11% Asian, 7% Hispanic, 18% international with 114 countries represented. (Source: Princeton Review.)
Rochester is a mid-sized city with cultural opportunities that can be especially cold and snowy in the winter. The campus is near the Genesee River.
You can take a fifth year of studies completely tuition-free.

44

Schools with good merit scholarships:

You qualify for a couple of these with your current scores:
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/

Consider these if you get your scores up:
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/

45

@TheGreyKing thanks for the stats about u of rochester. I think i’ll add it to my list of schools!

46

I’ve noticed that a lot of the schools that offer automatic full tuition are in the midwest/south. Does anyone know why there is any more in the northeast area? @nw2this

47

More desirable locations tend to have less need to offer money. Think for example :excellent money in the Dakotas, Wyoming etc. Not so much on the beaches.

48

I suggested Howard U earlier in the thread because it is in the NE and you are likely to get full tuition with your current scores, there probably aren’t many others in the NE that would do that.

I did find Westminister College in PA, a small lac, that might also give you full tuition with your current stats.

and UMass of course.

49

Some colleges doing this are making a concerted effort to move from a regionally-known university to a national one, by attracting top students from around the country. Alabama in particular is doing this, and its goal is to join the ranks of Virginia, Michigan, etc. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/education/edlife/survival-strategies-for-public-universities.html

50

@insanedreamer that article was very interesting. I’m not sure if my parents want me to be looking at colleges in the south and so far from home, but I’ll definitely start doing research

51

@insanedreamer that’s what one would call an aspirational goal. There are perhaps a few dozen publics between them and those top “peers.”

OP, if you widened your geography there are many excellent options in other regions.

I totally understand your parents wanting to keep you a reasonable car ride from home…

52

So my mom was telling me I should also look into all women colleges, and I realized that most colleges I’ve looked at are coed. I’ve only really heard of Wellesley and Barnard. Does anyone have any info about those two schools I’ve mentioned and any other all women schools?

53

You may want to look into College of the Holy Cross. They meet full need and have a strong bio program. Trinity in Hartford, CT may also be an option.
Some other women’s schools are Smith and Mt Holyoke.

54

@DancingwithStars for women’s colleges on the east coast, also look at Bryn Mawr, Simmons, Mary Baldwin, Sweet Briar

55

Women’s Colleges

Agnes Scott College
Alverno College
Barnard College
Bay Path University
Bennett College for Women
Brenau University
Bryn Mawr College
Cedar Crest College
College of Saint Mary
Columbia College
Converse College
Cottey College
Hollins University
Judson College
Mary Baldwin College
Meredith College
Midway University
Mills College
Moore College of Art and Design
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Mary University
Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Russell Sage College of The Sage Colleges
St. Catherine University
Saint Mary’s College
Salem College
Scripps College
Simmons College
Smith College
Spelman College
Stephens College
Sweet Briar College
Trinity Washington University
University of Saint Joseph
Ursuline College
Wellesley College
Wesleyan College
The Women’s College of the University of Denver

56

Hey all,
Sorry to revive this thread after a couple weeks, but I had a few questions after taking to my guidance counselor.

  1. My counselor was saying I should aim
    for really selective schools, like Tufts, Brown, and Wesleyan. These schools seem great, but I’m not sure if I should bother with really selective schools. Do I really have a chance?
  2. My counselor also suggested making a common app account now, so I can start on the essays and start applying to colleges now. Is this a good idea? Is it too early?

Thanks!

57

Hey all,
Sorry to revive this thread after a couple weeks, but I had a few questions after taking to my guidance counselor.

  1. My counselor was saying I should aim
    for really selective schools, like Tufts, Brown, and Wesleyan. These schools seem great, but I’m not sure if I should bother with really selective schools. Do I really have a chance?
  2. My counselor also suggested making a common app account now, so I can start on the essays and start applying to colleges now. Is this a good idea? Is it too early?

Thanks!

58
  1. My counselor was saying I should aim for really selective schools, like Tufts, Brown, and Wesleyan. These schools seem great, but I'm not sure if I should bother with really selective schools. Do I really have a chance? => why not? But FIRST, identify two affordable safeties you like, and about 5 affordable match schools you like. Among those you'd likely include your state flagship's honors college, universities with automatic scholarships for stats, LACs where you've run the NPC and know you can afford it + are in their top 10-20%, etc.
  2. If you live in Massachusetts, do not fall for the "trick" that you got full tuition through Abigail Adams: at UMass, tuition is like 3K, fees 12K... !

Once you’re done with these, you can go crazy and apply to as many reaches/dream schools as you wish or can afford. :slight_smile:

  1. My counselor also suggested making a common app account now, so I can start on the essays and start applying to colleges now. Is this a good idea? Is it too early? Not really, since commonapp accounts close in July and reopen in August. You won't be able to apply till August. You could, however, open one just to navigate it, figure out what information you need to input, etc. You can find the essay prompts, work through a couple prompts, etc.
59

@insanedreamer Great info and encouragement provided here, so I ll ask you my first question as the rookie mom- what did your daughter use to take the practice test 1x week for 10 weeks?

60

@DancingwithStars This has been said before, but I’ll say it again for emphasis. The main thing right now that is currently holding you back is your test score. It’s by no means a bad score but working on it is probably the single best way to enhance your desirability as a competitive applicant for scholarships as well as admission.

I strongly recommend that you take a practice ACT test under timed conditions at home and see how you do. The reason I say this is that my daughter did significantly better on the ACT than the SAT. I wish we had figured that out sooner because she put in a fair amount of time on SAT prep and hit a ceiling beyond which she could not go. She tried an ACT because I nagged her and she was really encouraged by the result, did some more practice, and got a great score on the real thing. It may not be the most exciting way to spend your free time but I’m firmly convinced that her test score contributed to the scholarship offers she has received.

It may be that the SAT is “your” test. If that’s the case, there are a fair number of authentic SAT practice tests now in circulation as well as the free interactive tutorials on Khan Academy. If you go the ACT route, I think it is worth paying for their on-line practice program, which is about $40 for a year’s worth of access.

As has said before, make sure you have a few solid safeties/matches on your list and then aim a little higher and see what happens. U Mass Amherst is an excellent safer option, especially if you qualify for the Honors Program. Do run the numbers in advance to determine if the schools that interest you are likely to be affordable for your family.

Best of luck to you!