<p>I'm not very knowledgeable about the numerous colleges found across the nation. I have a few in mind, with the University of Washington (Seattle) as my target school. I am looking for a large school in an urban setting, with at least a decent amount of racial diversity (>10% Asian?). I'm somewhat undecided about my major, but I do know I want to study something in the health sciences category. I also plan on studying pre-med. I would strongly prefer a school that has no religious affiliation. Whether a school is public or private is unimportant to me, although I am a Washington state resident and would prefer not to fork out ~$30,000 a year.</p>
<p>As for my stats:</p>
<p>3.935 unweighted GPA
Taken 6 out of the 7 possible AP's at my school by graduation
Only two years of my foreign language, which was Japanese
1980 SAT-- 680 CR, 670 M, 630 W
2010 Super-Scored SAT-- 680 CR, 700 M, 630 W</p>
<p>Senior Year Course Load:
-AP Government
-AP Biology
-AP Calculus AB
-AP English Literature
-Anatomy (not guaranteed)
-Technical Drawing (not guaranteed)</p>
<p>That is the most difficult senior schedule one can take at my school, with exception of a fourth year of Japanese, I guess. Stuffing Physics in there is probably not possible, although that would be unnecessarily rigorous anyway. AP Government and AP Calculus are avoided like the plague by most students at my school, so I'm confident that my schedule is more rigorous than most of my peers.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:</p>
<p>-Private acoustic guitar lessons since 2009
-Tutoring (volunteering) in my local area since 2009</p>
<p>So yeah. Not much.</p>
<p>Miscellaneous:</p>
<p>Fluent in the Vietnamese language</p>
<p>So could you guys please inform me of potential safety, match, and reach schools for me to look into?</p>
<p>You don’t say anything about what your family can afford. Large schools in urban environments under $30K are going to be tough unless you can qualify for FA, either need or merit. </p>
<p>That said, with your stats, Case Western Reserve in Cleveland might make you a nice merit aid offer. </p>
<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using CC App</p>
<p>I just asked my dad, and he said they’d probably be able to pay up to ~$15,000 a year.</p>
<p>And I’m actually not sure if I could get financial aid from CWR, or even get accepted. CollegeBoard says they regard extracurricular activities as ‘Very Important’, and I don’t really have that many.</p>
<p>With $15k p.a., you are looking at in-state tuition or a school that is mid-tier where you will be one of the top students (grades and test scores) and therefore eligible for significant financial aid. Schools where Asians are URMs (in the midwest for example) are also more likely to give you aid to increase their diversity. Look at Beloit, Laurence, Hendrix, etc…</p>
<p>Given your critieria, though, it sounds like U of Washington is your best fit, especially if you can get into an honors program.</p>
<p>^ That depends on how the $15K corresponds to the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
It’s one thing if your EFC is $15K. In that case, you’d qualify for generous need-based aid at many private schools (though this probably would include subsidized loans and work study, if not private loans). It’s another thing if your family is able to contribute more, according to the EFC formulas. In that case, if your family can’t or won’t meet the EFC, you need to focus on schools with good merit aid (possibly including Case Western) or more affordable in-state schools. In many states, the public flagship (and some directional schools) cost >$20K to attend as residential students. So you may need to include at least one commuter school among your safety options.</p>
<p>Bottom line: At this point, you need a good estimate of your EFC. This is what is expected from the school’s point of view, not your parents’. Without that, it’s hard to develop a realistic strategy.</p>
<p>Hmm yeah, I guess you’re right. Do you mind ‘chancing’ me for U of Washington also?</p>
<p>^ Your stats look to me like they’d be good for many state flagships … but for UW in particular, I’m sure you can do at least as good a job as I can by finding information on their site (or better yet, Naviance, if your school offers it). Ask your HS GC if your stats are good enough to make UW a safety. Or post to the UW forum.</p>
<p>Would SUNY Binghamton be somewhat of a match for me, too? I just looked them up on CollegeBoard, and my SAT scores and GPA are right in their range. The out-of-state tuition looks pretty affordable, too!</p>
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<p>That’s pretty much the definition of a “match.”</p>
<p>Wait…there’s a 3-year foreign language requirement? It says it’s only for liberal arts majors, but I still want some clarification on this.</p>