Hello! I am a junior in high school who has been obsessed with the idea of going to college for a long time. However, as admissions season approaches, I’ve struggled to build a solid list of schools to apply for.
Here are some key points:
GPA: 3.7
SAT: Awaiting results from April exam, will also take in June w/ essay (my goal is to get ~1350, with 700+ R/W and 600+ M)
AP Classes: US Gov (10th, 4), US History (11th), English Lang (11th), Euro (12th), Lit (12th), Stat (12th), Enviro Sci (12th)
Planned Major: Currently, I am planning to go into Professional Writing, Public Relations, or Communications. I’m also considering minoring in Political Science, History, and/or Latin.
EC’s:
-Community Service Club
-Book Club
-Latin Honors Society (awards from Medusa Mythology Exam, Entomology Exam, and Connecticut Latin Exam)
-National Honors Society
-Synagogue Internship
-If all goes as planned, I will have a job by the start of this summer
I was also on my school’s swim team sophomore year, but I honestly had a terrible time and I’m not sure how it would look to have it only for a year on my application.
Finances: Unfortunately not great, I have an older brother who is currently in community college who will most likely be looking to transfer to a 4-year school and a twin sister who will be applying alongside me. The NPC’s I have run look promising, but I know not to put too much stock in them. Due to this, I am hoping to find schools with lower price tags, larger endowments, and/or decent merit scholarships.
Location: CT, I am looking to stay in New England or New York
Currently Considering:
-Eastern Connecticut State University
-UVM
-Simmons
-UConn
-Emerson
-Mt. Holyoke
Thank you for looking at this, any help would be extremely appreciated! ^^
Your list looks pretty good. Here it is with comments–
Eastern Connecticut State University–you can get in here and pay in-state prices = safety
-UVM–will be too expensive, I predict
-Simmons–you will be accepted and maybe with a little merit, but you’ll have to see the offer = financial reach but safe acceptance
-UConn–maybe get in here and pay in-state= financial safety and
-Emerson–expensive school if you get in
-Mt. Holyoke–meets full need and has a nexus program in your field. You may be able to afford this school and your stats may get you in if you raise your SAT score. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/nexus
You seem to have a pretty good list.
The alternate is to do what your sibling is doing. Go to community college and transfer in to Mt. Holyoke’s programs or Bryn Mawr or Smith or Vassar. They all meet full need and are similar in many ways. Vassar’s writing in general is good. Mt. Holyoke’s seems closer to what you want to do.
best of luck to you.
@Dustyfeathers
Thanks for your insight! Your thoughts pretty much match up with mine. Mt. Holyoke is my first choice, so I will work on raising my SAT score up to 1400+ for June.
I am considering the community college route, but if I get into the honors program at Eastern, I would get free tuition and discounted room and board. If merit/financial aid could cover the rest, I think the price difference between it (with the honors program) and community college wouldn’t be that much, but I may be completely delusional. However, if I’m correct, I would go to Eastern for two years and then transfer. I’m not sure if colleges would care if I attended community college or a four-year school, but personally, I would prefer the experience at the latter.
You can check with the admissions office of your target school. They can tell you their preference. Most adcoms are nice people and want to help the right person attend their school. The right person is the one that will be happy there and thrive, usually, through some combination of wanting to be there and having the means to do well. By starting this convo now with them, they also will have a track record that shows your genuine interest in target school.
Best of luck to you.