Help in my college search?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So, unlike a lot of my (more organized?) peers, I have to work on building UP my college list instead of whittling it down. Would you be so kind as to help me? I'm very picky from the start so I don't just add places arbitrarily. </p>

<p>I'm looking for a medium-sized college/university, but it can be a little to either extreme as far as size goes. I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere but I don't necessarily have to be in the middle of a huge city. I'm in Texas, and I'd prefer to be somewhere north and/or east from here, but not in New England or that area--the northernmost states are pretty much out of question. </p>

<p>I'm thinking of majoring in theology, philosophy, or something like psychology, and I'm pretty much only looking at Catholic or Jesuit universities. It is important that the school also has musical opportunities. I want someplace where I can be challenged, but I don't want the academic atmosphere to be hostile and competitive. It is very important to me that the school stands out--I want the sense of community/family to be strong. I want faith/religious opportunities to at least be present. </p>

<p>As for my stats, I go to a private (Catholic) school that's strong academically.
GPA - UW 4.0, W 4.22
Taken as many advanced classes as allowed except in sophomore year, when I took one less.
SAT 1460/2240, thinking of taking another in Oct.
(No ACT, maybe Sept?)
ECs:
Band 9-12
Section leader/principal clarinet/concertmaster 10-12 (Of course 12 is yet uncertain)
Drum major 12
All-State Band 9-12
Frassati Society (religious group) 9-12
Frassati President 12
Pro-Life Club 10-12
Social Justice Club 11 (only existed one year)
Education for Theological Consciousness 11 (^)
National Honor Society 10-12
Freshman Retreat 10-12 (grounds crew, then group leader, now co-chair)
(Freshman Retreat requires at least 50 hours of preparation, the latest starting in August for a November retreat--a major commitment.)
Outside volunteering: ~170 hours as a 1-on-1 counselor at a muscular dystrophy camp</p>

<p>Currently my college list, in order of interest, includes:
University of Notre Dame
Franciscan University of Steubenville
St. Louis University
Loyola University Chicago
Considering but no research: Villanova, Boston College, Fordham</p>

<p>Can you suggest some other universities that you think might fit my interests? Please also note whether they'd be reaches, matches, or safeties. Also, if you feel so inclined, feel free to post your thoughts on what I've got so far. (Really, say anything relevant to this thread.) Thank you so much for taking the time to read all my boring information! :]</p>

<p>EDIT: Just fyi, I posted this here instead of in the Christian Colleges subforum because (1) this gets more attention and (2) that forum seems more for Protestant colleges & universities, which of course is outside my area of interest.</p>

2

<p>Notre Dame and Boston College might be reaches for you. Lots of my daughters’ friends (who also attended Catholic high schools) got into Holy Cross and Fairfield, which should be targets for you. Also consider Loyola Maryland.</p>

3

<p>Fordham, Siena, Wheaton if you’re male, Marquette.</p>

<p>Why not Georgetown?</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the input so far! To address a few of your suggestions: Loyola Maryland and Georgetown are a little bit outside my range. Madre has opened up enough to be OK with ND’s distance, but not exactly on board for D.C./Maryland. I know it’s one of the more southern of those states, but to a truly Southern (yes, capital S) mother anything relatively near New England is “way up there”. (The farthest any of my other siblings went was the next state over–where we have lots of family. You can see why this is a bit of a stretch.)</p>

<p>@danceclass: What about my stats makes Notre Dame a reach? From what I’ve been able to collect my SAT score is near the top of their average range and I’ve certainly got the interest. (I don’t mean to be hostile, I just want to know.) Also, and I know people hate this, I want to mention that an uncommonly large number of students at my high school were accepted/will attend Notre Dame this year, and I think my stats, at least in academics, were more competitive than most of theirs. Does that change anything? :&lt;/p>

5

<p>Schools to consider</p>

<p>Stonehill College- Match
St. Olaf- Match
DePauw- Match
Pepperdine- Low Reach
College of Holy Cross- Reach</p>

6

<p>If considering Loyola then you should look at DePaul in Chicago. Also Creighton in Omaha, NE.</p>

7

<p>Don’t even consider Georgetown if you care about religion at all, it’s only nominally Catholic. Everything about the university is left-leaning, just to give you a heads up. I’m sure you could find some sort of religious presence there, but you’re not going to find much. If you must go to a Catholic school within your travel distance, shoot for Notre Dame, it’s the best school for your criteria, and I think you’ve got a decent enough shot there. Another Catholic school in your area is University of Dallas, but it’s really small though.</p>

8

<p>Notre Dame and Boston College are reaches for most everybody, but I will defer to bronovan’s opinion. My information is mostly on northeastern colleges, which it appear to be outside of your range geographically.</p>

9

<p>Thanks so much to all of you for your input! Bump, and if anyone else is reading, feel free to add whatever’s on your mind about this, if you’d like. :]</p>

10

<p>Have you ruled out Loyola New Orleans?</p>

11

<p>I have, I think. A couple of my friends go to LoyNO and I’ve visited the campus. From what I can tell, the music and business programs are the strongest departments–and, to be nitpicky, they don’t technically even offer a theology major. Also, it doesn’t seem to have any special sort of religious or community life. It’s definitely a great school for some people, just not for my tastes. Thank you though! :]</p>