<p>I'm a senior in high school, and I'm finally narrowing down my college list, but I would like an outside opinion before I finalize my list. I'm looking for colleges near or in a city, and after all of these years of stressing out in high school, I don't want such a stressful, cutthroat environment in college. I'm not really a competitive person, and I want to major in political science or economics. </p>
<p>About me:</p>
<p>4.0 UW GPA, 4.7 Weighted </p>
<p>2320 SAT (720 on writing)</p>
<p>I've taken 5 AP's and I'm taking 4 more this year.</p>
<p>Some extracurriculars which I have stay committed to through high school.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about my teacher recommendations because I don't know my teachers very well.</p>
<p>My list:</p>
<p>Wash U in St. Louis
Tufts
Emory
Rice
Brandeis
Wellesley
UMD College Park
St. Mary's College of Maryland</p>
<p>Have you been to St. Mary’s College of Maryland? I think it is a nice little school (visited with one of my kids), and is a great place for a lot of students. Feels kind of like a summer camp, but with classes. But… it does NOT meet your near or in a city criteria, it is very remote – you can’t even walk to a store. Is this your safety? Guessing you are in-state in MD given the rest of your list.</p>
<p>What about American or George Washington?</p>
<p>Also, have you run net price calculators for all these schools? You just want to make sure they are affordable for you.</p>
<p>I haven’t visited St. Mary’s College of Maryland, but I’ve researched it, and although it’s not near a city, the location is so beautiful. I would also be able to come home more often, so I wouldn’t feel as trapped as at other small, isolated schools. It’s my preferred school for in-state over College Park because I would rather have the smaller environment.</p>
<p>I’ve visited American but not GW because GW seems to waitlist most people with my stats. American was nice, but I would probably go to a state school over it. I do like the location though, so I might think about adding it.</p>
<p>Does my list look well-balanced? I need to request soon for my school to send my transcript to the colleges because it takes 5-6 weeks to process.</p>
<p>I’ve run the net price calculators, and I don’t qualify for any need-based financial aid.</p>
<p>Do u want to try some ivys? It’s hard to get in tho, but some of them have score inflation.
I don’t think it’s easier to get high GPA in WashU and Tufts.</p>
<p>Okay… you can’t be too far away if you are in MD, maybe you should go visit. It is VERY, VERY, VERY remote. Didn’t bother my kid, but a lot of students who visit realize it is too remote for them. It is more important to visit and make sure you like your safety than pretty much any other college on your list. There are small colleges where you will get in and get merit money (Dickinson, for example) that at least have a town around the college. Pizza, frozen yogurt, bookstore, small movie theater, drug store – none of those are within walking distance of the SMCOM campus. Again… since you said near a city is a criteria and you haven’t visited, I would just worry about that. You don’t really want to go to a college planning to “escape” on the weekends, IMHO.</p>
<p>GW won’t waitlist you if you show interest with those stats. If you haven’t visited yet, you should (again, shouldn’t be hard if you live in MD).</p>
<p>So can you afford all the schools on your list without need based aid? Are you counting for/looking for merit aid?</p>
<p>cool5s, the OP stated they are looking for a lower pressure environment, so that pretty much knocks the Ivies off the list. I agree her stats are strong and she could consider them if she wanted to, though.</p>
<p>Thanks, intparent. It’s probably a good idea for me to visit. I think part of me just wants that option open in case that’s what I want, but I would definitely visit before deciding to go there. I wasn’t aware of the lack of a surrounding town because I was focusing more on the school itself. It would be nice to able to go out into a city sometimes. I suppose I should rethink St. Mary’s College of Maryland.</p>
<p>I just want to clarify that I recognize the schools on my list are good, challenging schools with smart students, which I am fine with, but I don’t want a school with a competitive/stressful atmosphere. My parents are willing to pay, but if I get a merit scholarship, that may sway me to a school lower down on my list.</p>
<p>You may want to considerTulane as well. It is a fun place to go to school (New Orleans), they have non binding Early Action, and they do give merit scholarships. And I agree, it is not a bad idea to look at a couple of Ivys and see for yourself.</p>
<p>UChicago for not stressful? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm</p>
<p>You sound like a perfect match for Macalester - great for polisci, in a cool neighborhood in a city (St Paul), laid back vibe.
Same thing for Occidental, which has a top notch International relations major with an opportunity to intern at the UN, and is in LA.
Pitzer is also quite laid back, good for things political, and near LA.
Southwestern University, in Austin (TX - fun college town and city, all in one), would provide you with merit aid.
Look into Goucher (near Baltimore) for a safety that’s sure to provide merit aid; American University should be fine; Carleton in Minnesota is within reach with your stats and it’s the most down-to-earth Top10 LAC :p, in a town and 45mn away from the Twin Cities; Earlham is well-ranked, stress-free and a safety with your stats but not in a city.</p>
<p>I think just about any school can be stressful (or not) depending on how much you challenge yourself and manage your time and workload. Having said that, I think it’s a great list. No doubt with your stats you’ll have folks on this site scratching their heads about the lack of the almighty Ivies. But I admire kids who do their research, know themselves and what their needs/wants are, and aren’t called to apply to schools just because they are - quote, unquote - top tier.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the suggestions and advice. I think I’ll add two more schools–one safety and one fit school–and remove St. Mary’s College of Maryland. I also have heard that UChicago is one of the most stressful schools. I know there are other ways to manage stress, but I know that I wouldn’t be a good fit for a school that is known to be highly stressful.</p>
<p>I am also considering applying early decision to WashU, but I would have to visit again first before I decide.</p>
But… it does NOT meet your near or in a city criteria, it is very remote – you can’t even walk to a store. Is this your safety? Guessing you are in-state in MD given the rest of your list.</p>