Help a rising senior narrow down her college list?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi, guys! A lot of you have been super helpful in my college search thusfar and I'm at the stage where I want to start really narrowing down my list to the schools I definitely want to apply to, especially so I know what to focus on most next semester (where my GPA needs to be, standardized test scores, how many letters of rec, and so forth).</p>

<p>My stats are:
Class of 2015
Unweighted GPA: ??? somewhere around 3.1 ish, my school doesn't give this unless you ask.
Weighted GPA: 3.21 - would be around a 3.4 ish I believe if not for my very low GPA when I started HS, and I'm planning on raising it as much as I can next semester...I promise!
PSAT: 185
SAT: Haven't taken yet - hoping for a 1950+
ACT: 31 (36 English, 25 Math, 28 Science, 33 Reading) Hoping to get it up to a 33!
Class Rank: Top 50%
State: Colorado
APs: Junior year - Lang (4), Euro (3); Senior year - Music Theory, Psych, French
ECs: LINK Crew Junior year, Theater Junior & Senior year, extracurricular theater since Freshman year, Choir since elementary school and I made one of my school's top 2 choirs for next year, voice and theory lessons, Key Club (secretary for Senior year), hopefully another leadership/community club next year or maybe GSA. I got readily accepted into the Student Ambassador program at my school, but it conflicted with AP Music Theory.
Major: I'm about 90% sure I want to major in Music. I'm looking for a less performance-oriented major, preferably one that doesn't require an audition (though I will audition if I really love a school, or for scholarships), I've been singing seriously for about 4 years.
Other info:
* I'm half black and look very ethnically ambiguous
* I come from a very diverse family, interesting life story
* I overcame a lot of obstacles to get to where I am now,
* I think my letters of rec will be very good (especially from my music teacher)
* I've been told I'm a very good writer</p>

<p>Some stuff to keep in mind for schools:
* I have a very big need for financial aid
* I've interviewed at 3 schools so far - Willamette, Lewis & Clark, and Reed. All 3 interviews went well.
* I love schools with green, beautiful campuses - so even if a school would be a good academic match for me (for example, University of Denver) if they don't have a pretty campus it ruins the vibe for me
* Schools near major cities are a must, no more than 2 hours away, and the school must have good transportation to downtown
* Preferably schools where you don't need a car to get around
* I would prefer a school out west. Southern/conservative/Bible belt states are out of the question. Northeast would be ok if I found the right school, but for personal reasons I'd prefer to go to a school not in that area
* I don't mind schools with religious affiliations as long as religious requirements are minimal and the vibe is liberal and accepting. Schools have to be LGBT friendly.
* I LOVE schools with quirky, offbeat student bodies
* Good study abroad programs always help.
* Just for legacy info, my dad attended Bard for undergrad, Wesleyan for MA, Johns Hopkins for Ph.D; mom attended East Carolina for undergrad, Middlebury for MA</p>

<p>Here's some schools I'm looking at:
Evergreen State (safety)
CU Boulder (safety/match)
Whittier (match)
Cal Poly Pomona (match)
Mills (match)
Santa Clara University (match)
Sarah Lawrence (match)
University of San Diego (match)
University of Puget Sound (match)
Lewis & Clark (match) - 2nd choice
Willamette (match)
Colorado College (reach)
Oxy (reach)
Reed (reach) - 1st choice</p>

<p>Help me narrow down the list based on what I'm looking for, and what's likeliest for me to get into and enjoy going to?
Also welcoming critiques on what schools are matches and what aren't, suggestions for other schools to apply to, etc.</p>

<p>Thank you in advance!</p>

2

<p>I know this isn’t answering your question but your ACT is fine and better than a 1950 on the SAT. Is there some particular reason you want to take the SAT? It will certainly be easier to focus on one test this fall and use the rest of your time/energy to work on your academics and applications.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>How much will cost/aid play into your selection?
If it’s a big issue, I would remove Sarah Lawrence, and U San Diego, as these tend not to be generous.</p>

<p>L&C, Mills and Willamette all seem to fit your profile.</p>

4

<p>@LeftofPisa Good point…I just don’t want to shoot too high and get disappointed, haha. Not the best go-getter attitude, perhaps. I would ideally like a 2100-2200 on the SAT, but I’m afraid I’ll fall short of that. And taking the SAT just seemed kind of obvious, but I have been thinking about not taking it after all, especially if I can really bump my ACT score up to a 33+ like I want to. I’d have to make sure that none of the schools on my list require both tests, though. Thanks.</p>

<p>@hop Thanks for the heads up. Cost will be a huge factor since both of my parents are currently unemployed, we’ve fallen on extremely hard times for a number of reasons and I’m going to need all the help I can get.</p>

5

<p>There are some odd schools on your list if you want to major in music - such as Cal Poly Pomona. How did it get on your list? Have you looked at the music offerings at some of these schools to see if they offer what you’re looking for? Mills, Sarah Lawrence, University of Puget Sound, Colorado College, CU Boulder are probably the best known for music on the list, although at some, like Boulder and Puget Sound, you need to check if they offer a non-audition BA. Reed, your first choice, is not a school mentioned very often for those interested in music. Because of your need for substantial financial aid, and your low GPA, you might want to push some of your match schools up to a low reach/reach category. I’d look at Chapman, if you’re looking at Whittier - it has a very strong music department - but probably audition only.</p>

6

<p>@SpiritManager I know Cal Poly Pomona isn’t generally considered as a school for music, but their department seemed pretty solid and to be honest I like the location. It was suggested to me, though, so it’s one of the iffier schools on my list.
Also, I’m fully aware that Reed isn’t generally considered for music, but I had a very lengthy talk with students at the school where I and my dad inquired about opportunities for music majors and they were very honest and helpful about it. Even if it’s a small department, I love the Reed vibe and the music department doesn’t seem any less rigorous than the rest of the departments do.
As for reaches - what schools specifically do you think I should place in that category? Part of my consideration for that was using Parchment and seeing what results I got as to the percent chances of getting into schools and the potential accuracy of those assessments.
And thank you for the suggestion, I’ll look into Chapman.</p>

7

<p>Parchment doesn’t have a good rep around here, OP. </p>

8

<p>Use the net price calculator on each school’s web site to get financial aid estimates. Don’t forget to include your state’s public universities in your search, since they are likely to be lower cost than out-of-state public universities. The Western University Exchange can help reduce costs at some schools (1.5 times in-state tuition if out-of-state tuition is higher than that), but not by itself by enough to make them affordable if your parents can contribute nothing.</p>

9

<p>@jkeil911 I figured, but hey, I’m trying to be as holistic as possible by getting information from multiple sources - not JUST Parchment or CC or other places. Otherwise I would just stick to one or the other, wouldn’t I?</p>

<p>@ucbalumnus Thanks. Although it is worth nothing that they can’t contribute nothing, it’s just that neither of them have steady jobs. I’d really rather not go to a public university in state, but I won’t rule them out because that would definitely be better than nothing.</p>

10

<p>You like the location of Pomona? Have you been there? Perhaps you’re thinking about Claremont instead where Pomona College is located? CU Boulder is your in-state school and you feel it is a safety - it has a nationally recognized music department and so should be high on your list - if you think you can get admitted to the music major. It is a competitive department. </p>

11

<p>@SpiritManager I don’t mean the specific geographical coordinates of Pomona, I mean I like that it’s in a western state near a major city. That’s what matters most, to be honest - even if it’s not in the most beautiful area (ie Mills).
I feel CU is a safety/match - I’m sure I can get in, it’s not very selective, but I’m aware that some of the departments are quite competitive. I really, really don’t want to actually go there, though. I very much dislike the idea of attending a school with over 10,000 people. And I really dislike the idea of going to a school so close to home, especially one that tons of people from my graduating class will be attending.</p>

12

<p>Check out Univ. of Redlands (they have a very strong music department and they have an alternative program within the college that might very much appeal. The Johnston Center of Integrative Studies: <a href=“The Page is Unavailable | University of Redlands”>The Page is Unavailable | University of Redlands) Also look at Loyola Marymount in LA. I would drop Cal Poly Pomona from your list. Univ of San Diego is not going to be filled with quirky offbeat students - although, as anywhere, you can probably find a couple!</p>

13

<p>Reed is $60 k per year! Plus travel expenses. Lots of quirk but wealthy quirk would be my guess from time spent in Portland.
If you like Portland, there are lots of schools there. Portland State, for example, is in the city–just blocks from main downtown- and the OOS tuition is under $13k a year. All of Portland is quirky. I can’t speak to the music department. If money is an issue you may have to look broadly. Best. </p>

14

<p>@SpiritManager Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve looked into Redlands before, my cousin went there with a very big scholarship, so I have someone who I can ask about it as well.</p>

<p>@TempeMom Absolutely, but from what I’ve heard they have pretty good aid, even though all of it is need-based. Portland State isn’t my thing. Again, small colleges are ideal for me, though I will consider applying to some non-ideal schools just so I can have options. Thank you!</p>