Help an overwhelmed gal on her college journey!

College Search & Selection
1

So I’ve been lurking around here for a little while but I decided to finally make an account and post! Today I read through the thread @homerdog made for her D21 and found it really enlightening to see how her college journey unfolded. I was hoping I could receive some similar advice from others throughout my own journey.

My parents are immigrants and they really want to help me succeed, but the truth is they know very little about the college admissions process.

I’m a junior right now, so I’m graduating in 2023. My GPA is a 4.0 UW/4.5 W and I’m in the IB diploma program. My school is severely underfunded. A lot of kids don’t end up going to college or even graduating high school. You could count on one hand the number of kids who go out-of-state for college each year, and in most cases it’s Questbridge/athletic recruit kids. Most of the academically serious students here are not zoned for the school but attend for the IB program.

In October I got a 34 on the ACT (30M, 36S, 35E, 36R). As you can see from the score I definitely lean more towards reading/writing than math. My PSAT score is less lopsided and I felt more comfortable while taking it, so the SAT is probably where I’ll be focusing.

I don’t know about major or career ideas, so I’d like a place where I have until sophomore year to pick a major. That would give me some time to explore different areas.

I like the idea of a LAC, but I would say I am very flexible size-wise. For location, I’m not a fan of most urban schools because I think in most cases the campus isn’t very defined. I’d like somewhere more along the lines of suburban/rural, but with easy access to the town the college is located in. For example, I like Williams and Dartmouth (the idea of a strong alumni network is important to me), but I’m not sure if they would feel too isolating for me.

I don’t care very much for the whole fanfare surrounding football at southern schools. I do want to join a sorority though, but I don’t want the SEC-style of Greek life where I’ve heard rushing is traumatic.

In terms of demographics… I’m Hispanic and first-generation. My family income is too high for Questbridge though.

I’m not sure whether I’ll make the cutoff for NMSF. The predicted cutoff suggests I might but for now I am thinking of it as a possibility rather than a certainty.

I have Florida Prepaid so obviously the Florida publics are a great choice for me that would be really cheap. I will definitely be applying to a few! I really want to go out-of-state though. I dislike Florida weather and the political atmosphere here is increasingly concerning to me. So I guess I’m looking for some other options with merit or just generous financial aid in general.

I am for sure applying to:

  • UF
  • FSU
  • USF

UF is a tough admit and I am wondering whether FSU could even count as a safety with what I’ve heard about admissions this year. Maybe I need more safeties? I also don’t know about the reach schools in terms of how high I should aim.

If someone could throw out some suggestions for me for the safety/match/reach categories, I’d really appreciate it! With your help I can start narrowing down what kind of school I’d like :slight_smile:

2 Likes
2

You have done great research so far and you will have a great chance at selective schools.

Start to run the net price calculators on some of the colleges you are interested in with your family, so you understand what is viable. While they make more than the threshold for Questbridge, are they over the amount for some of the “meets 100% of demonstrated need” colleges to trigger enough needs based aid?

This list has colleges with formula merit:

This list has the colleges that meet need:

Also consider how you will get back and forth and the location of the airport. There is a big difference between being in a town with direct flights compared to having a 3 hour bus ride before getting to the airport.

3

You are doing very well. Keep up the good work. Congratulations on your great work so far!

If you like Williams and Dartmouth, but are concerned that they might be too isolating, then you might want to consider Wellesley College and possibly Bowdoin. Wellesley students can take classes at MIT and Harvard, which puts you right into the social life of Boston. Bowdoin is in Brunswick Maine which is an attractive small city, but of course does not have the social life of Boston and Cambridge. Being Hispanic should help some with admissions to Bowdoin, and having a 4.0 unweighted GPA in an IB program will help also.

Top universities and LACs do not expect you to fix your high school. They expect you to excel wherever you are, which sounds like exactly what you have done.

I do not know the universities in Florida much (we live in the northeast) but I have heard very good things about them.

You might want to run the NPC on a few schools such as Wellesley and Bowdoin and see whether they are likely to be affordable. You will need to get your parents to help. If you google “Net Price Calculator Wellesley College” you will find one of them.

There is a big difference between the University of Florida, versus Wellesley College or Bowdoin College. You can get a very good education at any of them, but the experience will be different. You should try to visit some schools and try to figure out what would be a good fit for you. You can sign up for tours, and in many cases might be able to sign up to sit in on a class.

3 Likes
4

This site can be especially convenient for estimating costs at the types of out-of-state schools you may find to be of interest:

1 Like
5

Kudos for all of your hard work so far! Your efforts will definitely pay off in having more college options available to you.

Based on the description, I assume that OP is in the top 20% of the class and thus qualifies for the Talented Twenty program. Thus, if at least three Florida publics are applied to, OP is guaranteed a spot at a public Florida school (may not necessarily be one of the ones applied to).

Once we get a sense of the budget, then it will be easier to offer suggestions of specific universities. Also, when your family runs an NFC calculation, it will let you know what the college anticipates your family would be able to pay. Please let us know if your family is able and willing to pay, in which case schools that meet full need would work. If that number is not within your family’s budget, then you would need to look to merit aid to help bridge the difference.

2 Likes
6

Emory sounds like a good fit…

7

Assuming that your family finds the cost that a university thinks it can pay is affordable, these are some colleges I would consider. (If that assumption is wrong, just say so. :blush:)

For the most part they’re smaller colleges, though there are a few medium-sized ones thrown in, and they’re all classified as being in a suburban location. (Due to concerns about the difficulty in getting to an airport from a rural location, I did not include those in my search.)

Some of the colleges on the list are Colleges That Change Lives and have been marked with a CTCL. I would also recommend browsing through the profiles to see if there are other colleges that strike your fancy.

The women’s colleges generally don’t have sororities, as the university itself is generally considered to be one big sorority, which means they might automatically be eliminated or make them super contenders. Schools that made this list of schools with the highest percentage of students in sororities had the percentage of participants noted by the school (generally schools with 25+% of females in a sorority). You can use this site to see what percentage of students participate at most of these universities.

I’ve sorted the colleges based on my very fallible sense of what your chances for acceptance might be.

Guaranteed

  • A Florida public (assuming applications are made to at least 3, and New College is also a CTCL)

Extremely Likely (90+%)

  • Valparaiso (IN), 92% need met, 32% in sororities
  • College of St. Benedict (MN), 90% need met

Likely (60-90%)

  • Providence (RI), 91% need met
  • Kalamazoo (MI), 94% need met, CTCL
  • Dickinson (PA ), 99% need met
  • Stonehill (MA), 90% need met
  • Gettysburg (PA ), 90% need met, 34% in sorrorities

Toss-Up (40-60%)

  • College of the Holy Cross (MA), 100% need met
  • Lafayette (PA ), 100% need met, 26% in sororities
  • Franklin & Marshall (PA ), 100% need met
  • Connecticut College, 100% need met
  • Denison (OH), 100% need met, 42% in sororities, CTCL
  • Lehigh (PA ), 98% need met, 34% in sororities

Possible (15-40%)

  • Wesleyan (CT), 100% need met
  • Vassar (NY), 100% need met
  • Wellesley (MA) – women’s college, 100% need met
  • Haverford (PA ), 100% need met
  • Scripps (CA) – women’s college, 100% need met
  • Smith (MA) – women’s college, 100% need met
  • Bryn Mawr (PA ) – women’s college, 100% need met
  • Tufts (MA), 100% need met
  • U. of Richmond, (VA), 100% need met
  • Wake Forest (NC), 100% need met, 57% in sororities
  • Brandeis (MA), 99% need met

Less Likely (less than 15%)

  • Bowdoin (ME), 100% need met
  • Pomona (CA), 100% need met
  • Northwestern (IL), 100% need met
8 Likes
8

Florida public universities are a bargain compared to out of state universities. I would add UCF to your list.

You should have a budget talk with your parents and run the NPC’s of any out of state schools that you are interested in asap. It is hard to turn down a school that costs $10K/year in favor of a school that costs $80K/year. You don’t want to get your hopes up, apply, get accepted and then have your parents say that you can’t go because it is too expensive. We see this every year on CC. It is heartbreaking. Even though a school may say that they meet 100% of need they get to determine what that “need” is.

4 Likes
9

For what its worth, I do not think Dartmouth would be too isolating. They have a shuttle bus that runs to Boston and back many times a day. And their alumni network is amazing. So I would keep it on your list. Of course they reject over 90% of applicants, so it is unlikely for anyone, but you have as good a chance as anyone.

10

Agree the admissions odds are a factor before worrying about day trips and travel.

But… While the drive is two hours, the two bus options are 2:46 minutes or over 3 hours, so if trying to get to Logan with a couple hours before a flight it can be tough on logistics and flight options.

11

Congrats on excelling in High School! You are definitely on your way!

One thing to keep in mind about staying in-state is that many/most schools have a Study Abroad or Study Away option so even if you stayed in-state in Florida for college you could still expand your horizons with a Study Away program. Look into it for the Florida schools you are considering.

6 Likes
12

The big open question is if your family is able/willing to pay your Net Price.

You say that you are still shopping for an area of focus. That is OK. However, do you know anything that you are willing to exclude right now? Examples would be Engineering and Health Science (e.g Nursing). It is helpful if we know if the place needs to have them as options.

How about schools that are more urban but have defined campuses? Examples would be Georgetown (reach), UChicago (high reach) and Fordham (low match?)

An important thing for you to understand is how merit and financial aid interact. If you qualify for financial aid, getting merit aid from the school may not reduce your net price because it reduces your need one for one. Some schools stack merit and need. Other do a mix. The hard part is knowing what a school does. Very few are clear on their website with their policy.

URichmond (low reach?) would be a good true suburban LAC to explore.

A true rural example would be Kenyon. It is heaven for some, but not for everyone.

2 Likes
13

OP - @AustenNut has done a yeoman’s job of putting together this basic list of T50 private colleges and universities. This is the kind of information that used to be handy back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and before USNews turned everything into a ranking system based on phony statistics. If you can get hold of a Fiske’s guidebook, that might help you flesh things out a bit. Or, you can just keep coming here with questions. Nothing beats College Confidential for inside looks at various colleges, IMO.

3 Likes
14

@heartwood, I think you would be a person of interest to many, many colleges and universities, even the most selective. (Of course you still need a balanced list by reach/match/safety.)

As others have pointed out the first step is to tackle your financials.

Since you’ve indicated an interest in Dartmouth and Williams, a good starting place would be to run their net price calculators to get an idea of the amount of need-based aid you would likely be eligible for. If that amount works for your family, then you can make a general assumption that the same would be true of other schools that guarantee to meet full need. (Though you still have to run each school’s NPC!)

If the need-based aid estimated by Dartmouth and Williams doesn’t work for you then you will need to look at schools that offer merit aid. Many academically rigorous schools are need-only, meaning they don’t offer merit aid period. Others offer both, but don’t necessarily guarantee to meet full need. You really have to check one by one.

Williams – like many LACs – doesn’t have fraternities or sororities. Dartmouth has a lively Greek culture, as do Cornell and Colgate. If joining a sorority is important to you then, again, you’ll have to check one by one.

My son found Williams more insular than isolating (or isolated). He liked the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains and the opportunities for outdoorsy activities. You may feel the same. . .or not. I would recommend a visit if at all possible.

LACs and medium sized privates have distinctive personalities. Once you’ve identified one or two that appeal, you can widen your research to others with similar cultures. A good way to identify the type of culture that would be a good fit for you is to think about what you like to do when you’re not in school, i.e., your activities, extracurriculars, interests. For example, if Williams sounds good, you might look at Middlebury, Hamilton, Bowdoin, Kenyon, Grinnell.

3 Likes
15

As far as the financials go, students from families with lower incomes are often offered need based financial packages that allow them to attend. However, if your family income is in the middle to upper middle class range, the amount of need based aid is often inadequate from the perspective of many parents. As you’ve probably noticed on the board, the general recommendation is to not take out loans beyond the subsidized federal loans offered to students.

Your parents will also be expected to fill out the FAFSA. The FAFSA has a clunky interface and both you and your parents will need to make accounts and it is submitted through your account. Many of the liberal arts colleges mentioned on this thread require parents to also fill out the CSS to be eligible for financial aid. The CSS requires more details but the online form is easier to negotiate.

Because your parents aren’t familiar with colleges in the US, I’ll share that I find the kinds of questions international parents ask on my son’s university parent FB page interesting. A common one regards whether students can stay in the dorms over breaks (yes, except for winter break) and whether they can leave their things in the dorm over winter break (they can). Another surprise for many parents is that they won’t have access to student academic records unless agreed to by their child. And, even then, access is generally limited to final semester grades.

I graduated from a LAC and agree that LACs are a good option if you don’t yet know what you want to major in. The smaller classes and easier access to opportunities is a plus. Quite a few LACs don’t have sororities. I’m not sure what you’re hoping for from a sorority, but on a smaller campus, I never felt like I needed a sorority to find community.

3 Likes
16

Not all colleges are open over breaks. I know Rutgers is not open this week, there are a couple of dorms open for international students (just like winter), but dining halls are closed.

17

Did someone recommend Washington and Lee, and I just missed it?

The campus sounds like what you are looking for. Greek life is highest in the nation, which paradoxically makes it more inclusive and less exclusive than other schools.

The strongest reason for considering W&L, though, is the Johnson scholarship. 10% of each class gets them; it is a total free ride plus stipend. The school is wealthy-- there’s financial aid for sorority dues, eg. There are a few institutional priorities for the school, and 1st gen hispanic would be helpful for you with admissions.

5 Likes
18

OP run the calculator with your parents to determine which schools will be affordable. Next, make sure you sign up for diversity programs with the schools and talk to other minority students there. My Son was able to remove and add schools to his list after talking to other minority kids at the schools. You aren’t just looking for the cheapest school, but a school that you can feel comfortable living at the next 4 yrs.

Good luck!

2 Likes
19

Edit: meant to reply to @heartwood.

If you want the Williams experience without the isolation, why not substitute it with Amherst? The Amherst-Northampton area is vibrant. The school is need-blind, and although it is also a high-reach, there appears to be an advantage to applying ED and they care a lot about building a diverse class.

20

Congratulations on your achievements!

I second @aquadeco’s advice to run the NPCs at each school on your radar, and also to check out some of the fly-in programs (although some may still be virtual)…here is a thorough list, but do double check each college’s website to verify/sign up for info/apply. If the link doesn’t work just google College Greenlight fly-in programs.

3 Likes