I’m a junior living just outside Buffalo, New York. I’ve began looking at colleges and have created a rough list but I’m still just starting my college search so I’m 100% open to suggestions, questions and additions.
A little about me:
GPA: 3.8
SAT: 1250
Very active in my community (~150 community service hours)
IB diploma canidate
Member of my schools high school band since 6th grade
Have taken 7 AP classes
I will be the first in my family to attend college
Dancer for 13 years
My college list:
Safety schools:
University at Buffalo
Fredonia
(Looking for more, possibly farther away from buffalo)
Target schools:
Syracuse
Penn State
Rutgers
University of Rochester
Reach schools:
University of Michigan
Boston university
Boston College
(Also possibly looking for more)
My school also highly reccomends all IB diploma students to apply to an Ivy League school so I will be applying to Cornell but obviously I do not expect to get in.
Also feel free to chance me for any of these schools!
SAT is quite low, perhaps you can take it again to bring it up?
I’ve signed up to retake it in may and am currently doing 4-5 hours of prep a week so hopefully I can get it up!
I think you have a good list so far!
First of all @encadyma her SAT score is not “quite low” - it’s in the 87th percentile.
@maddie321
what are you looking to major in? Have you considered class sizes, city vs suburban, majors, etc. It looks like you’re looking to stay relatively close to home. Have you talked to your parents about how much they can pay? because that will be an important factor as well and it’s better to know up front how much they are willing to contribute each year. Once you establish that, you can narrow down schools that fit your budget too. If you haven’t already, it could be helpful to visit a few schools in different settings to get the vibe…
What is your financial situation? Some of these are expensive for OOS students.
@intparent I have a decent college fund set up and I plan on working while in school but I don’t think my parents will be able to contribute much as we are not necessarily “wealthy” and I have 2 other siblings in high school. I’m aware that school like UMich are very pricey which most likely means I will be taking out student loans if I was to get in. However, I’ve talked with my parents and we agree that I don’t want to sacrifice a good education and experience due to financial restrictions
@Fishnlines29 I think I want to major in business and I want to go to a relatively larger school but don’t yet have a preference on city/suburbs. I’m also hoping to visit colleges over summer.
@maddie321 everyone has financial restrictions and you won’t be able to go outside of them! You yourself cannot take out more than a certain amount each year in loans, so it’s important to really identify a budget for both you and your parents. There are plenty of colleges you can get an excellent education and experience WITHIN your budget and financial restrictions!
On another thread you said your freshman and sophomore year GPA was 2.9-3.0. Is your 3.8 weighted? If so, what is your current unweighted GPA?
@Otterma My current unweighted GPA is a 3.8, not sure about weighted
@Fishnlines29 i would love to find schools that offer a good education for a low price, that’s part of the reason I made this post. At the early stages of college searching, I’m mostly exposed to the big name school which come along with a big price tag, I’m hoping as I continue my search, I can find lesser known schools that fit me
Well, if you tell us your parents’ budget - what they are willing to pay each year (without taking loans) that would help with suggestions.
Also, you may not have a preference now with city/suburb, but you might once you visit a couple so if there are any you can get to within driving distance (whether you like them or not) but just to check out one in a city versus one in a suburb to find out if you care… You may not care, but some students do.
You don’t want to be saddled with a lot of debt, or ask your parents to borrow a lot. I would take the out of state publics – Michigan, Penn State, and Rutgers off your list. You would pay over $200,000 over 4 years for them. Not a good plan. I would look harder at adding some SUNY schools, and maybe some private schools that meet need. Run the net price calculators on each school website to get a handle on what you might pay. Study and take the SAT again; your scores are low compared to your GPA.
Schools like Penn State are very expensive and they give little/no aid to OOS students.
How much is in your college fund?
How about SUNY Binghamton? Great school and you’d get instate tuition.
What is your likely major? The state divisions at Cornell can be much more affordable for some NYS students than the private divisions are, and admission for NYS students can be somewhat easier in some of those divisions as well
@happymomof1 I think want to major in business but am not sure of specifically what area of business yet
@mom2collegekids my college fund is around $90k
Ok, so anything over 22,500 per year, you will need to get merit or financial aid.