this sounds great! definitely will look into it more. i’m a little intense and competitive though but i think not putting a huge emphasis on grades is a plus.
most low matches or safeties that i can think of are good in theory, but way too close to home for me to be comfortable. i’d be happy at UCR i think but the short distance from home makes me uncomfortable. i know i lack safeties so i’m meeting with my matriculate advisor to discuss that.
I´ve seen a few people mention Reed College but no one´s mentioned yet that it´s a notoriously white school. This probably has something to do with being located in Portland which is also super white. Just something to keep in mind.
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my local CSU is CSULA where I do not want to go. CSULA happens to be 10 minutes away from my house and i’d feel so trapped there. I’ll definitely look into more cal states but not Cal state LA.
ooh yikes. i live in a very diverse area so a less diverse population is not ideal for me
How about a school like University of Wisconsin-Madison? Lots of people from Chicago, Twin Cities and Wisconsin, but also East Coast and California. Most people that visit fall in love with the location right away.
They have a great scholarship program called the Mercile J Lee Program.
https://cspks.wisc.edu/
Here is who is eligible:
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for consideration, an applicant must:
- Demonstrate outstanding academic performance in high school (3.0/4.0 minimum GPA)
- Plan to enroll as a new freshman in the fall after high school graduation
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be any of the following:
- African American
- Native American
- Hispanic/Latino
- Southeast Asian (Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, or Vietnamese)
- Socioeconomically disadvantaged
If your family is from Southeast Asia, you can qualify. Same for socioeconomically disadvantaged. Full ride scholarship.
Wisconsin is a socially progressive campus, so being nonbinary there, you would feel welcomed.
Madison is medium-size city, and you are 2.5 hours away from Chicago.
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i am East Asian (Chinese) but low income (hence QB), would i still qualify?
San Diego State or Cal State Long Beach would be solid Target schools but Sacramento State would be a HIghly Likely school with a great location for a Poly Sci major. Also look into the Honors college at Sac State which would be a bonus.
Yes, check out the last bullet point.
My daughter considered the school, but chose ASU Barrett. I know Wisconsin really well. One of my favorite schools, even more than my alma mater (Michigan). Such a cool place.
May want to look into ASU Barrett. Also very cool. Best of both worlds…small liberal arts feel with the honors college, very big university, socially moderate. Big enough that you will definitely find the people you click with.
UC Davis being so close to Sacramento is a good fit for you too, I would think.
Sac State seems to be a great safety for me. is poli sci an impacted major? in general and at sac state
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ASU is already on my list as a safety but i don’t know my chances for honors college. it’s an enticing option for me nonetheless and i’m definitely considering it.
UC Davis is one of my favorite UCs and i’m glad I can consider it a target school. if i got in (that is, with no QB acceptances) i might go there. it checks most of my boxes but i have heard that the location is a bit isolated.
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With your grades and scores, you will be admitted. A bit lower scores than UCSD and Davis. Daughter has met lots of very bright kids. Tons of NMFs and NHRP (National Hispanic Recognition Program).
Why not UCSB and SDSU Webers HC too?
UCSB is also a bit too close for my liking and I don’t have particularly strong feelings for it so i’m leaning towards not applying. this may change of course. and I haven’t considered most Cal States at all, so I’ll look into a few of them as safeties.
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Sac state’s Political Science major is not impacted. Here is a link for CSU impacted major/campus matrix to help you narrow some Cal states down.
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Reed students are 57% White, according to College Navigator - Reed College . This is high compared to California publics (as low as 5% at CSULA and CSUDH, up to 54% at CPSLO) and privates (e.g. 27% at Caltech, 32% at Stanford, 34% at Pomona, 37% at USC, 47% at Santa Clara), but some in other states are much higher (e.g. 82% at University of New Hampshire, 77% at University of Alabama, 79% at Washington and Lee University, 68% at University of Wisconsin).
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UCSC should be a safety/target that is in NorCal too since you prefer some distance from home. @Gumbymom What do you think?
Look into Cal State Chico Honors and Sonoma State Honors along with Sacramento State Honors. Chico and Sonoma are less commuter than many Cal States and all three are NoCal. If you qualify for an app fee waiver, it’s very easy to apply to all these and the honors apps aren’t onerous, they’ll be good preparation for your big apps. CSUs do not offer FA for R&B, but they may well offer some merit aid on top of financial aid if you get into the Honors program/college.
UCD is a good match, even a low match. Great college town.
UCR is a clear safety. ASU is a match even for Honors however it may not be affordable so it’s an academic safety but not a financial safety. Do apply, fingers crossed, all that.
So, with all of these, you should be set. If you’re happy with these, you’re good to go.
For the rest, especially if you identify as nonbinary, a woman’s college may be very welcoming; they’ve become safe havens for gender non conforming students. Smith or Mount Holyoke, which are near Amherst, and Bryn Mawr near Haverford – are worth looking into.
BTW Amherst is not isolated, Williams is. Both are top colleges, one is rural and isolated, the other is part of a college consortium so there are about 40,000 around, in several colleges towns.
UChicago and Columbia have a “core” in common was well as an identity as urban universities.
Can you find 2 other Questbridge partners you’d be interested in?
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And, theoretically, they would only have to fill out the NPC for one college and you can do the rest on your own time because you will then have 99% of the basic information.
thank you so much !! i really only want to apply to 1 or 2 but this broadens up my choices.
I’ve considered UCSC but the campus seems a little too isolated for my taste. i appreciate its beauty though.
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