<p>OP,
Please clear your messages. Apparently, I'm not the only person trying to PM you.</p>
<p>Have you considered WUSTL. It meets your requirement for % of AfAm on campus and it has an excellent out reach program and scholarships for minorities.</p>
<p>MR.T, I guess I don't really understand how Questbridge operates as it seems to me that you would be the ideal candidate! Your winning essay is compelling and inspirational, though I would like to see you tone down the dramatic words a bit -- the situation is dramatic enough.</p>
<p>I think you would be a serious contender with aid at any college in America. I wouldn't worry about your weak areas -- e.g. scores -- but would concentrate on your strengths which are considerable.</p>
<p>What you need to do, and fast, is come up with a list of schools that would fit your personal needs, in a balance of selectivity -- the old reach/match/safety. Think about where you would like to go, not where you could get in.</p>
<p>I'm a big proponent of the small liberal arts college and I think the top schools like Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, Bowdoin, Middlebury etc, etc. would be knocking each other out of the way to get their hands on you. </p>
<p>Everywhere except in the South, once you get out of urban centers the critical mass of the African American community, so only you can decide how high this requirement ranks on your wish list, but with your background and interests I would recommend that you take a serious look at Amherst and Williams.</p>
<p>Good luck and let us know how you do.</p>
<p>Have you looked into Georgetown, Vanderbilt, and Washington U in St.Louis, Boston College, Northwestern?</p>
<p>Also, if you look at a highly ranked school that is just not as well known at the top 25 or so, you have an excellent chance at a full or near full tution scholarship. Schools such as Beloit, St. Louis University, and many, many others would fit this bill.</p>
<p>Even though you have a chance at an Ivy, they will still be there for grad school.</p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Thank you all for your responses! </p>
<p>I just cleared my pm box.....</p>
<p>I have a lot to ponder over!</p>
<p>\"Also, if you look at a highly ranked school that is just not as well known at the top 25 or so, you have an excellent chance at a full or near full tuition scholarship</p>
<p>Michael is from a low income family, which is why he qualified to apply to the QuestBridge program. Wouldn\'t his EFC be zero, or very close, at any college regardless of rank? Im aware at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc,
if a familys income is < 60k, the aforementioned colleges have a no debt policy. Amherst would be another college with a no debt policy.</p>
<p>Good luck Michael. You should be very proud of youself.</p>
<p>I thought your essay was outstanding! I can't imagine that you will have a problem getting into a terrific school. Carolyn appears to be very "up" on colleges. She can definitely help you narrow your choices & you should have some excellent schools from which to choose come April.</p>
<p>momrath, can you explain this
"Everywhere except in the South, once you get out of urban centers the critical mass of the African American community," I think I understand what you want to say, but I'm curious about East vs. West coast schools and URM's. Does he really have to leave California"</p>
<p>We are doing similar research in our home...</p>
<p>I hope you get in everywhere you apply. You seem like a great candidate!</p>
<p>I would also second Liberal Arts Schools in or near Philly-- Swarthmore has a very high minority percentage. Haverford may also be a good choice.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap, I'm sure momrath will check back in soon, but meanwhile I'm guessing that in 2007, the demographics of the South has many more black citizens residing in small towns and rural areas, because of the history of agriculture, slavery and then Jim Crow. </p>
<p>After WWI, many black individuals left their rural Southern roots to migrate up North, following industrial jobs located in factories, all found in cities (Detroit, Chicago, even smaller cities like Erie Pa, Flint, MI, and so on. But out in the rural areas of the Northern states, there weren't factory jobs; nor was the farmland affordable to use their skills that way. </p>
<p>So today, the rural North is (with pocket exceptions) more all-white, compared to rural South which is better integrated. For a college student, this could mean seeing more people of color in the college town or nearby towns, while attending a rural Southern college or uni.</p>
<p>EDIT: Everything I wrote applies East of the Mississippi River only. I don't know about the other side.</p>
<p>I understand the southern part, and you reminded me of the eastern migration as well, thanks. I recently visited Atlanta, and after spending 20 years in suburban California, that was a major culture shock! I'd love my d to see other ways of life.</p>
<p>I agree with many who said you should get wonderful acceptances but if you really want "black enrollment anything over 6% location- near a city?, urban or suburban campus," you won't find that at some of the liberal arts colleges mentioned. </p>
<p>I think you have a good shot at Ivy and would apply to several-- including Brown, Columbia and U-Penn which are in urban environments. I would urge you to consider Georgetown. It is over 7% black, urban and offers the possibility of excellent internships for a political science major. You should also consider that DC is a majority-black city and a city where many blacks are in powerful positions (in law, politics, in everything). It is a good place for a gifted black male interested in political science.</p>
<p>By the way, one safety you might want to consider (besides from some instate schools) might also be UNC-Chapel Hill. I'm not sure how good they are about out-of-state aid though.</p>
<p>Would you consider UNC-Chapel Hill a safety OOS? I thought there OOS admissions was almost as hard as the UC's. Maybe D should keep it on her list, even without aid. I think UNC-Chapel Hill would be great but never thought of it as a safety. They have some merit stuff for which the in-state deadlines may have already passed but I think the OOS dates haven't passed yet.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap, I looked at the average kid from the local public school here who was accepted at UNC out-of-state and the poster looks fine to me. Maybe I'm wrong and it's harder from some schools though. The admissions appears to be very holistic for a state school because I see kids with high numbers who were denied and kids with lower numbers who were accepted. Of course, with holistic admissions, nothing is guaranteed but I do think it's a school that he might like. So maybe it's more of a match?</p>
<p>Mr T. others have mentioned Columbia and U Penn but you should also consider U Chicago. You are a strong candidate for all of these schools. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Taking all your suggestions this is my college list so far ( in no particular order) :</p>
<p>Questbridge schools ( free app)- Yale, Princeton, Stanford
Harvard
Brown- ( Campus has a rep of being eccentric, worried if Id find a fit there)
Columbia
Upenn- ( Debating Wharton vs Cas obviously much better acceptance rate with CAS but did LEAD at Wharton and love business! still math scores are not that great, but what if I want to do management/marketing?)
USC
Duke
Emory
UCLA
UC Berekely
MOrehouse
Georgetown
Howard
Wash U
Amherest- maybe ** In terms of LAC's I'm not sure that I'd enjoy the small environment, coming from an urban school with 3,000 students...I love noise!</p>
<p>Do read the book, "Hope in the Unseen" about an inner city African American boy, Cedric Jennings, from a single parent household in inner city D.C. (His father also was in prison) who attended and graduated from Brown. Here's a link to an interview with Jennings: Hope</a> in the Unseen - Cedric Jennings</p>
<p>Given your apparent love of urban envrionments (a love which, incidentally I share and that contributed greatly to how I applied to college), your list looks good. </p>
<p>I wouldn't call Brown students "eccentric." I think of them as friendly, intellectual and laid back. By comparison, Harvard students are more intense and fiercely independent (I'm not suggesting that Brown students are dependent, just that they seem to value friendliness over intensity while IMO Harvard students value intensity over friendliness. Both ways of acting have their plusses.) I was accepted to both, and had a very hard time turning down Brown because I loved the students.</p>
<p>My guess based on years of watching admissions results on CC is that you're far more likely to get into CAS than Wharton. I think your scores will hurt you at Wharton.</p>
<p>Make sure you get those merit aid apps in for Wash U as I think your chances for those are excellent there. Check, too, to see if those apps have an earlier deadline than does admissions. If you've missed the deadline, e-mail admissions, sending a copy of your essay and other info about your background, and ask if they'll make an exception about the deadline. They know that you're at a disadvantage finding out about things like those scholarships compared to the students whose well educated parents are scrutinizing sites like this.</p>
<p>Let us now how things go. I'm CHEERING for your success!</p>
<p>Re your list in southern cities I have lived in and worked in. I had a job on Clifton Rd where Emory sits near the CDC. Emory is not as sporty and school spirited if you like to wear school colors and want to show up as an alum to meet at sporting events with friends from your youth. On the other hand, Atlanta is a young at heart city to die for if you like stimulation with an economy that just never quits and jobs and internships aplenty..and a state capital is always going to offer quite a lot of such opportunities. Atlanta is more than that. It is a regional capital and it has international business. I have lived there four times, and it always excites me. The Carter Center is close to Emory and enjoys a tight relationship with Atlanta college students, and there are scores of highly successful African Americans working and doing the hiring in Atlanta in all fields. I hope you are carving out time to apply to merit scholar options at Emory. My only other caution about Emory is a prejudice I have for a cozy campus for three years or so..Atlanta is so beckoning that the upperclassmen get cars and tend to feel a pull to Atlanta and her charms, and you won't have that tight community feeling on campus as you age up re campus for upperclassmen.
Next comment, I don't think you need Vandy on your list, but I think you would be recruited there, and you may not realize how exciting a city Nashville is, how booming its economy...and how high spirited it is. Again, in contrast to Emory, Vandy is sportier, has great success in sport teams and alum enthusiasm, and while Emory is nestled in Decatur (close in suburb), Vandy is nestled in Nashville city..granted a slight bit out of the city center/govt building district, but Vandy is not in a suburb and enjoys a very positive relationship with a capital city with a booming economy. To be fair, Emory is also beloved in Atlanta. One thing I noticed about Vandy is the intimacy factor with students and faculty. Intimacy between undergrads and teachers at Vandy is unusually excellent for a larger college with graduate schools. Full professors were in labs and were clearly interacting with students 24/7. Also, you can walk everywhere you need to for great places to eat or stroll and the campus is somehow a cozy haven if you want a campus that feels tight. Cars are not necessary for quality of life there. Sounds like you already know you prefer city locations like Philly and DC etc. Georgetown is going to be great for an extrovert who likes stimulation and you will have the thrill of being so close to where policy is actually made daily. DC however, is an expensive city for the young, so make sure you like your living arrangements there, if you don't expect to have much cash on hand. Also, this is something that makes Georgetown different. The Beltway is a pretty brutal aspect of life in DC. I live in VA where millions of DC workers live. Much of the faculty at Georgetown is scattered throughout the far flung corners of DC suburbia in VA and MD. You may not realize it, but at Emory, Vandy, Duke, teachers live within 5-20 minutes tops of the campus and there is simply less stress, and this just changes the feeling for undergrads some, and the teachers are part of the community just outside of campus. I have been told by students there that the Jesuits give Georgetown more of a sense of place re faculty presence.<br>
Re Duke, selfishly hope you apply. Student body is high spirited, full of hard work but also full of great fun. Many many go abroad for service projects and studies. My son has already done two things overseas that did not cost us a penny more. It has an international student body and outlook and is a pretty great school for loyal alum life in your future. My son praises every teacher he has had to the skies, and there are ways (Duke FOCUS) to convert Duke to a sort of LAC experience during several of your semesters when you find your niche. Take a look at the Terry</a> Sanford Institute of Public Policy
and
Undergraduate</a> Program - Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy</p>
<p>As a black person who loves cities after growing up in a small Upstate NY town where my family members were virtually the only African Americans around, I understand your reservations about Amherst and similar LACs, and I think they are well founded. For people who love cities, Amherst's lovely location is not a draw. For black people who want to have many other African Americans nearby, small town New England is not the place to be. </p>
<p>I am not an expert on California schools, but I do know that California has some of the best liberal arts college in the country. If you want to consider applying to a LAC (and I agree that they have strengths particularly in the one-on-one attention you can fairly easily get from your professors. My S is a freshman at a LAC, and he's getting far more personal attention than I ever got at Harvard), why not consider Pomona or Claremont-McKenna, which are in the top LAC's in the country, and have the added plus of being reasonably close to your home?</p>
<p>I know that you loved Penn. over the summer, but there is a very big difference being 3,000 miles away from home in a summer program (where more than likely the other students aren't allowed to go home over the weekend) and being 3,000 miles away from home on a campus where on weekends, more affluent students are flying to interesting cities, and other students may be heading home. </p>
<p>Adjusting to college is a big step for all students, and particularly for students who are first generation college. It can be very nice to be able to hug one's mom or sleep in your own bed for more than summer and Christmas vacation (which is what many low income student end up being able to do if they go to college very far from home).</p>
<p>It's also really nice to be able to have one's relatives come and visit for family weekend, something that most colleges do, and that is particularly nice for freshmen. If you go to college far from home, it's likely that at best, the only time your proud family will be able to visit you will be when you graduate.</p>
<p>Speaking of Atlanta, no one's mentioned Morehouse yet?
About</a> Morehouse | Morehouse College</p>