<p>Hi, I'm a rising senior about to begin my applications to colleges. The problem is- I still have a few more on my list than I realistically can apply to. </p>
<p>My stats: I have a 2270 SAT (790 critical reading, 780 writing, 700 math). I will have taken 11 APs by time I graduate. I've gotten all 5s so far except for Bio (4) and Calc AB (4), but I got a 5 on BC (plus the AB subscore). I have pretty good ECAs (track, XC, honor societies, tutoring, volunteering a lot for the same causes since middle school, summer molecular biology institute at Johns Hopkins, etc). My GPA is around 3.9 unweighted, 4.6 weighted (all my Bs have been in math). </p>
<p>I am trying to decide the merits of an honors program at a large university like University of Michigan, a medium sized university, and a liberal arts college. I have visited all three types and prefer a small-mid sized feel. However, I am debating whether a "college within a university" type feel would also be a good fit for me. </p>
<p>Here are the schools I am considering:
Boston University
Bowdoin
Brown
Grinnell
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
Kenyon
University of Maryland (my state school)
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
Vassar
Wesleyan University
Yale</p>
<p>Have you run the NPCs? …especially for UMich? and other schools that dont meet need (like BU)?</p>
<p>Have you talked to your parents about how much they’ll pay?</p>
<p>OK so UMD is your rock solid safety, right? So if there are any you would not choose over it you can can eliminate.</p>
<p>Did you run the net price calculator for all these? You can eliminate by cost, perhaps. Maybe BU can go, it doesn’t really fall into your criteria. </p>
<p>The OP is competitive for BU’s honor college and merit.</p>
<p>I think for someone who wants the LAC experience, you need another safety school. Unfortunately, neither Kenyon nor Grinnell is a safety school anymore with acceptance rates <27%.</p>
<p>xxx -removeBoston University
xxx-remove Bowdoin
???-Brown maybe for grad school
???-Grinnell not for everyone
xxx-remove harvard has a name but beyond that not a fan.
Johns Hopkins bad neighborhood but for science it is tops.
???-Kenyon-neat school but kind of isolated
back up-University of Maryland (my state school)
???-University of Michigan
bad neighborhood-University of Pennsylvania
xxx-remove Vassar
xxx-remove Wesleyan University
Yale :-* 
:-* </p>
<p>add carnegie mellon </p>
<p>of course these are (IMO)</p>
<p>Well, I wouldn’t be so quick to xxx Wesleyan. It’s the largest LAC on the OP’s list and she states that she’s looking for something with the characteristics of both a small college and a university. That’s Wesleyan’s bread and butter. It’s also the least isolated LAC on her list:
<a href=“Wesleyan student, hospital volunteer wins $5,000 scholarship”>http://www.middletownpress.com/general-news/20140725/wesleyan-student-hospital-volunteer-wins-5000-scholarship</a></p>
<p>Wait, was @zobroward serious? LOL Because Yale is in the safest neighborhood in the world, right?</p>
<p>international95
watch this video I see no evidence of yale being in a bad area!
<a href=“That's Why I Chose Yale - YouTube”>That's Why I Chose Yale - YouTube;
<p>@zobroward
^^Oh, god not that thing. Did you not also realize all the singing was dubbed?</p>
<p>I love that video, but I was being sarcastic when I said it showed no evidence of yale being in a crappy place. </p>
<p>Have you considered William & Mary? It sounds as if it might be a good fit for you.</p>
<p>I actually visited W&M, but thought it was a bit too preppy for me. My cousins who live in VA went and seemed to like it however. </p>
<p>Ok- so I’ll take BU, UMI, and UPenn off my list. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good safety that is a liberal arts school, since I tend to prefer those? </p>
<p>Truman State, a relatively large LAC in Missouri, starts out relatively low price, and has automatic scholarships for your stats, so it should be a safety candidate: <a href=“http://www.truman.edu/admission-cost/cost-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships/automatic-scholarships/”>http://www.truman.edu/admission-cost/cost-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships/automatic-scholarships/</a></p>
<p>What about St. Mary’s of Maryland, your in-state public LAC?</p>
<p>You’re kidding. I hope. You’ll take UPenn off your list because someone you don’t know says it’s in a bad neighborhood?</p>
<p>Fogcity: No, I have actually visited this one. I suppose I liked UPenn, but I’m not entirely sure I could picture myself there. Plus, it might be a tad close to home. I want to go somewhere new for college, and I know the Philadelphia area pretty well.</p>
<p>I actually looked into St. Mary’s, but I really can’t picture myself there. </p>
<p>And I might actually prefer to go to UMD, so I’m not going to apply. It was a good thought though. </p>