HELP! I need more schools!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi, so I'm planning on applying to a few schools, but I only applied to 2 early (Michigan, my top choice, and Binghamton, a safety). The general sentiment I'm getting is that I should consider applying to a few more schools in case I don't get into Michigan. Here are my stats, if it helps:</p>

<p>Ethnicity: White
State: NY
Gender: Male
School: Public
Class size: Approx. 500
GPA: 94 UW. So I think that's around 3.7-3.8 on a 4.0 scale?
Rank: School doesn't rank
APs: Spanish Lang (4), Euro (4), Bio (5) BC Calc TBD, Chem TBD
Intended major: Chemistry</p>

<p>SAT I: 2090 (680 CR, 740 M, 670 W)
SAT II: Math II-750, Chem-730
ACT: 28 composite. I didn't send this score to any schools, I thought my SAT was better.</p>

<p>EC's (I know it's not a lot):
-Summer camp counselor
-Varsity baseball since sophomore year; captain this year. All-County sophomore year, All-Conference junior year. Third team All-State.
-Marching band in freshman and sophomore years; quit junior year b/c of schoolwork
-I umpire 4th and 5th grade baseball games during the spring
-After school tutor for third graders
-NHS treasurer
-MUN officer for junior and senior years
-School paper; news page editor</p>

<p>Recs: I feel good about these. One is from my bio teacher and the other's from my precalc teacher from last year who I also had freshman year for geometry. My GC rec probably isn't anything special, though.</p>

<p>Essays: I worked really hard on them. I think they turned out better than I expected.</p>

<p>Besides UM and Bing, I also plan to apply to:</p>

<p>UMiami
Cornell
Duke
Vanderbilt
Albany
UMD-College Park
UT-Austin</p>

<p>I like bigger schools, and a good sports environment is something I'm also looking for. What other schools do you think would be a realistic shot for me getting into? I know Duke, Cornell, and Vanderbilt are probably long shots, so what are some other options I should consider?</p>

2

<p>Cost constraints? Financial aid situation? State of residency?</p>

<p>Unless you and your parents are able and willing to pay full list price or close to it everywhere, check whether each school is realistically affordable with the net price calculator (note that most public schools do not give much out-of-state need-based aid). If need-based aid is insufficient, then you need to see if the school has good enough merit scholarships to be within affordability reach.</p>

<p>If you are pre-med, then pay attention to cost in that you want to minimize debt and save money for expensive medical school. Also, chemistry is not the greatest major for job prospects, so it would be a good idea to avoid high debt in any case.</p>

<p>Among the SUNYs (assuming that you are in-state, or that you are willing to pay its relatively low out-of-state cost), Stony Brook is usually the one that STEM majors include on their application lists.</p>

3

<p>We probably won’t be getting need-based aid from anywhere, so places that generally are good with merit aid are preferable. I am a New York resident. I was hoping to avoid Stony Brook since so many kids from here attend, but I’ll probably end up applying. Of the SUNYs though, I’d most prefer to attend Albany or Bing.</p>

<p>I hear Tulane is good with merit aid, would this be the case for someone with stats like mine?</p>

4

<p>If you like larger schools with good sports environments, you might take a look at the following:</p>

<p>University of Wisconsin
University of Pittsburgh
Syracuse University
Ohio State</p>

<p>Tulane does offer excellent merit money and my suspicion is that you would get some, but not enough to make it less expensive than the SUNYs. I would certainly send in an application if you have any interest in the school.</p>

<p>Finally, a school to consider might be McGill. It obviously doesn’t have big-time American sports, but it’s located in a great city and it is much cheaper than comparable US private universities.</p>

5

<p>University of Minnesota has big time sports, a relatively low COA and you’d almost certainly get in. </p>

<p>Another school with HUGE sports is University of Georgia. You’d certainly get in, and I’ve often heard Athens, Ga and Ann Arbor mentioned as two places with excellent college towns. </p>

<p>Another school with big sports and a great town is University of Colorado Boulder. It’s a much easier admit than Michigan, and about ten thousand dollars a year cheaper.</p>

6

<p>You will be full pay for UMich and UT. Are your parents going to pay $50K+/year for either one?</p>

7

<p>Thanks for all the opinions, everyone!!</p>

<p>Midatl: I’ll look into those. I’ve also heard Pitt is good with merit money, is this correct?</p>

<p>Whenhen: I’m definitely considering Georgia. Definitely seems like it’s a southern UM. </p>

<p>Erin’s Dad: My parents know UM is my first choice, so they said if I’m accepted EA I can go, but if I’m deferred and then accepted RD it probably won’t happen (I’m starting to think deferral is what will happen). So I need other options.</p>

<p>I think I’ll apply to Tulane and UGA. I know a bunch of people with worse stats than mine who have gotten into Tulane with money, so I’m hoping that I will see similar results. Other suggestions are welcome!</p>

8

<p>Why does being accepted early versus regular matter in whether your parents will let you go to Michigan? Either they and you can afford it or not based on what they offer you scholarship and financial aid wise (don’t expect much).</p>

9

<p>UCB: I don’t know why. That’s what they told me. It doesn’t make much sense, I’m aware. That’s why I’m trying to look into other schools.</p>

10

<p>Penn State, Wisconsin & Ohio State. Maybe Iowa & Indiana.</p>

11

<p>Look into the ACC if you are into the east coast, or the Big Ten if you want to live in the midwest. Most of the schools in those conferences are good academic schools with good big-time sports programs.</p>

12

<p>Axelrod: Penn State is probably a safety for me, I’m thinking. I’d rather not go to the midwest, I’d prefer to either stay on the east coast or go south.</p>

<p>informative: I’m planning to apply to Duke (very high reach) and UMD (even though it’s soon to be Big Ten!). What other ACC schools should I look into?</p>

13

<p>If you want big-time sports, then there are just a few conferences. If you limit your search to the East Coast, then it’s either ACC or SEC as the Big East may not survive.
Before dismissing large universities which you consider safeties, consider their honors colleges or honors programs (Michigan’s, for example, is the top rated in the country).</p>

14

<p>I think UMich is a target for me, personally. I doubt I’d be considered for their honors program. Does anyone have any knowledge of Penn State’s honors program? </p>

<p>I’m thinking about applying to Tulane, even though it’s not in a big 6 conference, but I feel like the academics and the potential to get really generous merit money outweigh the athletic aspect. Plus, its location in New Orleans really can’t be beat, I feel.</p>

15

<p>The Shreyers Honors College is one of the best honors colleges in the nation. I have no idea how competitive the honors college is to get into, but here are their posted stats for the middle 50% of applicants: GPA W range: 4.0-4.4, SATs: 1980-2180. Unfortunately the priority deadline already passed, which means it’s now much much tougher to get in.</p>

16

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<p>A friend went to Tulane medical school and carried a .45 in her purse. YMMV.</p>

17

<p>The Top 5 Honors College:</p>

<p>1) Michigan
2) Virginia
3) UTexas-Austin
4) UNC-Chapel Hill
5) Arizona State University</p>

<p>The University of South Carolina & the University of Georgia also both ranked highly in a “trimmed down” list that focused on fewer factors than the “overall” list.</p>

<p>Probably, the University of Alabama’s Honors College is the most generous with scholarship money.</p>

18

<p>Axelrod, where did you get that ranking of honors colleges?</p>

19

<p>You will be paying full price to go to Wisconsin. My daughter has great stats but the net price calculator has us paying full price. Needless to say, we are passing and will opt for merit aid elsewhere.</p>

20

<p>Have you considered Boston College? It’s a great school with a thriving sports program.</p>

<p>Magnetron, you obviously know nothing about New Orleans. Shabang, TU med school and the undergrad uptown campus are in two entirely different parts of the city. It’s safe, I promise. If the school interests you, send an application.</p>