Deciding on a college

My name’s Rachel and I’m sophomore in high school. I would like to study psychology in college, but I need help with narrowing down good schools for me. I’d prefer to go to a medium/big sized school in a warm area, but if you have any other suggestions please let me know! I currently take 3 honors classes (English, Math, & Spanish) and I would like to get into the best college for me! Thanks!

Do you have PSAT results? What’s your current GPA?

My PSAT score was a 152 and my GPA is currently a 3.7

Let’s pretend your PSAT score equates to a 1520 SAT. Plug your interests, scores, and desires into SuperMatch, a function found in the column on the left side of this page. It’s a good place to start your search.

It’s also a good idea to start the conversation with your parents about college costs and what your parents can provide toward the costs. They might hesitate to address the issue with you, but you can plant the seed and then promise to revisit it in x number of months. You cannot come up with a list if you don’t know what kind of support they can provide.

My only “other [suggestion],” Rachel, is to visit at least one small college (~1500-2000 students) to at least see what one is like. This is similar in principle to what I have suggested to my niece who thinks she wants a small school – except in her case she should see at least one large or medium-sized university! Lots of luck to you!

As a sophomore it is really too early to think about specific colleges. Next year I suggest you do some research – get some of the college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review, Insiders Guide) and start reading, Have the money talk with your parents. Visit some different types of schools (ex. large/medium/small, urban/suburban/rural etc.) and get an idea of what you like. You need to have a better sense of what you want in a school before anyone can provide meaningful help.