help choosing colleges to apply to

<p>Hey, im having trouble choosing what colleges i plan to apply to and i thought this would be a good place to come for help. I have been having a few problems with my college search. I want to get into the best school i can with my current GPA/ACT. I live in Illinois so im interested in schools around here but also the east and west coast. School size is not extremely important but I dont think i want a particularly small school. My GPA for freshman and sophomore year is around a 3.2/3.3 but junior year i am getting straight A's and am enrolled in many honors classes next year. My ACT composite is a 32. Im not sure what i want to major in but im considering business. The cost is not important but i want some colleges that i could have as a reach and some that I would for sure make it into. Both my parents went to The University of Michigan Ann Arbor and i am looking into that college. I have one brother who is attending Washington University in St. Louis as a freshman. Any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Have you looked into UIUC? Otherwise it depends on how much you want to pay. University of Minnesota has a great business school (Carlson School of Management) and costs 28k w/ room & board for out of state, which is about the cheapest you’ll find.
If you’re looking for an east coast school, tell me what your price range is.
Thanks!</p>

<p>Maybe also Fordham, Syracuse and Boston University. Best of luck!</p>

<p>I don’t know any schools that match what your looking for but try the Collegeboard website. They have a college match service that matches you to college based on your preferences like size, location, what major you want focus on, etc.</p>

<p>Reach: (Business programs are highly selective)
UPenn
Cornell AEM
NYU Stern
UMich Ross
CMU Tepper</p>

<p>Match: (Great schools without business programs)
UChicago
Northwestern</p>

<p>Safety:
What poi and impersonations said.</p>

<p>You wrote “The cost is not important”. Do take time to sit your parents down and find out just exactly how they expect your family will pay for your education, and what the budget looks like. Some private colleges/universities are in the range of 60k per year, and an OOS public U could be more than 40k. Sometimes parents haven’t been paying attention, and even though they tell their kids that cost doesn’t matter, the cost that they have in mind is from five or ten or twenty years ago.</p>

<p>Thanks for the help! i will be looking into all the suggestions. I really need some help because I want some colleges that i could use as a fallback as well as some reach schools. Im confused because it seems that when i look at colleges they either have average incoming GPA of 4.1 or 2.8! Im trying to find some colleges that are right at my range of a 3.3(with big upward curve), and a 32 act. When my brother went through the college application process he was denied from all ivy league schools and also northwestern despite being in the top 15 students in his class of 700 and a 35 act. Im scared i will have some of the same rejections from the colleges i apply to!
impersonations: I am very interested in East Coast schools but im not sure which i should look at. I don’t really have a budget as of now. but obviously cheaper is better. That said, i would not eliminate any colleges due to price.
happymomof1: You are very right. I would be ignorant to say its not important, but i have an account set up for me from relatives that will help greatly to cover college. So i decided not to eliminate any colleges due to price until i have a more narrow search</p>

<p>Hmm well all east coast are expensive, so you’re best shot is to get into a nice private school with a big endowment so you can slash that price.
Also try Duke, i don’t know with your GPA that you’ll get in, but your act is their average.
In the East coast you can try SUNY schools or a school like NYU or Columbia ( big endowment )
Remember the cost of living in the east coast is not the cost of living in Illinois (or the midwest). It’ll be a pricey 4 years for undergrand. Consider staying in the midwest if I were you. For you I think it’d make sense to look into UIUC or Minnesota, even Madison (even though Madison is like 35-36k w/ room & board for OOS).
There’s always Michigan, but you’ll get no money there. It’s 50k too.
Other schools that I think of is Indiana or Ohio State but these too cost around 35k for OOS.</p>

<p>Some of the best schools for business that match a 32 ACT and 3.3 GPA are the Jesuit schools. Here’s the link:</p>

<p>[Association</a> of Jesuit Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://www.ajcunet.edu/]Association”>http://www.ajcunet.edu/)</p>

<p>Some, like Georgetown are a bit harder to get into, but others like Gonzaga are easier. You would be a good match for Santa Clara and Boston College. Another good Catholic business school that’s not Jesuit is Villanova. If you choose a school like Seattle U or Gonzaga you might get a scholarship.</p>