<p>Okay, I'm a senior about to apply ED at Centre College and Transylvania University (two colleges you've probably never heard of in Kentucky, where I live) and RD at Rhodes College. My main reaches are UChicago and UVA, which feel like a huge jump from Centre and Transy. My safeties are Indiana University and University of Louisville.</p>
<p>Now, the problem comes in when you consider the major I thought I was going to do. I want to land a well-paying job (by my standards, about $50k is well-paying) and if at all possible help the community through my job, meaning I prefer non-profit to corporate, but that isn't necessarily a requirement (even though working non-profit would make me a lot happier. Mostly because all of the companies based around here sell fast food or moving vans or shoes, which aren't things I'm interested in).</p>
<p>To meet this criteria, someone in a previous thread helped me decide majoring in Economics with a minor or double major in Art History (because I'm interested in it and it would help me get a job at non-profit arts places where I can make a community impact). Then I saw all of these people recently say economics is a useless degree or that economics is only useful if you go to a top school or graduate school. Well, if I don't get into UChicago or UVA (which I'm not counting on), I'm going to end up at an LAC without a top ranking econ program and graduate with two useless degrees.</p>
<p>Not to mention my preference for staying within a few hours of my hometown in Kentucky. The only sort of big cities around are Louisville, Lexington, and Evansville. I have no idea if my major is going to work and I have no idea what else I would major in. Help?</p>
<p>My stats for reference:
Top 12% in class, possibly in top 10% by the end of December
Rigorous course schedule in everything but math (which is about average, might take AP Stats)
33 ACT, 690 SAT II Lit, 640 SAT II US History
Waiting on SAT scores, but I feel I did well.
Average ECs, best part of it is being a state officer for Junior Classical League
I think my letters of recommendation are good, but I haven't read them.
White male from Kentucky, $50-60k family income</p>
<p>I went to top schools, but do not believe that economics degrees from other schools are as useless as someone told you. If you do well–and you seem very likely to do very well–you will succeed.</p>
<p>Do not underestimate Transy and Centre–or yourself. Both may be much better learning environments than UVA undergrad or many other better known places.</p>
<p>Look for opportunities to develop job market credentials (volunteer work, summer jobs, contacts) early and often. Make sure your economics courses include the practical business skills to help a business and not just macroeconomics classes heavy on theory.</p>
<p>I think that $50K starting pay is a little unrealistic for “non-profit arts places”. That is approximately the median starting pay for students graduating in all majors from the nation’s most selective schools. Visit payscale.com for details.</p>
<p>What you might want to do is get a degree as planned from any of these places, then work for a few years to build a network and develop experience (even if it means a lower salary). Then consider going back to school for a graduate degree in business or art history.</p>
<p>It’s hard to say at this point what niche you might discover. I read about a young woman at St. Mary’s College of Maryland who developed skills there in scientific illustration (combining biology and studio art). She went on to a graduate program in a related field (at one of the University of California schools as I recall). I’m not sure what her career goals were (museum curatorship, publishing, other) but I got the impression she had a clear sensse of direction.</p>
<p>OK … First off…YOU ARE NOT MEDIOCRE!!! An ACT 33 is firmly in the 99th percentile - top 1% in the nation!!! :)</p>
<p>What is your GPA? I know that you’re top 12%, maybe top 10%.</p>
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<p>To meet this criteria, someone in a previous thread helped me decide majoring in Economics with a minor or double major in Art History (because I’m interested in it and it would help me get a job at non-profit arts places where I can make a community impact). </p>
<p>Not to mention my preference for staying within a few hours of my hometown in Kentucky. The only sort of big cities around are Louisville, Lexington, and Evansville. I have no idea if my major is going to work and I have no idea what else I would major in. Help?
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<p>If you get great merit scholarship from a college that is further away, wouldn’t you consider that?</p>
<p>Have you looked at the Not for Profit Managemant major or Arts Administration major within the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University? IU’s public affairs programs are nationally ranked.</p>
<p>I don’t understand how you can apply ED to two colleges. Now, that’s something to be freaking out about! Otherwise, I think your stats are strong, too!</p>
<p>My best guess – and only a guess – what career you fancy after college is to run a not-for profit business that has some sort of art connection.</p>
<p>Read my further comments with the above in mind as context:
-Not for profits ARE businesses. The skill sets of people who work in them are the same as for-profit businesses. Social goals may or may not be different, but that is irrelevant.
-Social skills and connections matter more than college
-Communicating clearly through writing is important
-Going to college to learn ‘management’ is mostly a crock of baloney.
-My unsubstantiated impression is that most middle-management get degrees in whatever, and then go get Master’s degrees in bus admin. The smart people go to the more prestigious (and expensive) schools, and some of them end up high on the corporate ladder.</p>
<p>My advice? Get a degree in English at the best state school in KY.</p>
<p>Right…did you mean EA or ED? EA is nonbinding and you can do multiple of those. But ED is binding and ONLY ONE IS PERMITTED.</p>
<p>Centre and Transylvania are both respected schools. If your stats are as you say they are, they will likely offer you a boatload of money to come there. And that is worth the price of admission, it seems to me, pardon the pun. Indiana is also a fairly decent college. </p>
<p>With a 33 act and top 10% you may also get into a Reach…but money is a question…and they will likely offer you financial aid. But is it what you really want? Think hard about that.</p>
<p>Yeah, sorry, I meant EA. Both Centre and Transy are nonbinding. And to reply to a few comments/questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>I don’t plan on making $50k right out of college. I hope to make something like that once I’m more established.</li>
<li>My school uses a strange grading scale and does not weight Accel. or AP classes. My GPA is 3.4 now, but my semester GPA right now is 3.75, so it’s going up. The grading scale is :94-100 A, 85-93 B</li>
<li>If I got a great merit scholarship from a college far away, I would definitely consider it.</li>
<li>I did look at the Arts Administration program at IU, but decided the focus was too narrow.</li>
<li>Ghostbuster: Why would I not want to go to one of my reaches if I got in?</li>
</ol>
<p>Also, I’m glad some of you know Centre and Transy. Transy doesn’t even have a forum here. It’s reassuring that you know them.</p>
First off…YOU ARE NOT MEDIOCRE!!!