Help me discover colleges/chance me? I dont know where to apply

College Search & Selection
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<p>I am just so lost in the sea of 9812398 colleges out there and do not really know where to begin. It might seem like I would have a plan based on my stats, but truthfully I have no idea where to apply this fall.</p>

<p>I am a Junior at a high school that offers</p>

<p>Weighted GPA 4.467
ACT Comp 32
ACT Eng 32
ACT Math 31
ACT Reading 31
ACT Science 32
ACT writing 10 of 12
GPA without freshman year is 4.61, because freshman year I got a few Bs</p>

<p>Highest SAT was 1950, so I think Ill just submit my ACT since it is better</p>

<p>AP Eng Lang, expecting a 5
AP US History, expecting a 4
AP Spanish, expecting a 5
AP Psych (self study), expecting a 4
AP Human Geo (self study), expecting a 5
SAT Spanish 760
SAT USH Taking in two weeks, expecting 710
SAT Math II taking in two weeks, expecting 750</p>

<p>Next year I will be enrolled in
AP english lit
AP gov
AP micro/macro
AP Calc AB
Maybe also AP Comp Gov as a self study.</p>

<p>Started my own company, sold my product to many high schools. We have processed over $200,000 of revenue for the schools (they sell dance tickets completely electronically through my system) this year alone, will be larger next year. I wrote all the code for it. I sold it all on my own. Truly my own company.</p>

<p>Lots of volunteer hours (600+), lots of work experience, and an academic family.
Track/Cross Country for four years
My volunteering shows that I am passionate about technology and underprivileged children</p>

<p>Started the Spanish Language and Culture Club and have 200 members. Actually very involved in this.
ASB executive president
Student of the semester
very competitive HS, I should end up in the top 5%
Lots of church involvement and service hours there.
I can probably get a good letter of rec from one of my company's clients or even my principle</p>

<p>I am not a member of NHS or any of the standard clubs (except CSF if that means anything)</p>

<p>COLLEGES
I think I am looking for something california, oregon, washington, or surrounding states. I like seattle weather. Also considering east coast.</p>

<p>Ive considered/researched
Reed, but I think reed might be too liberal for me.
Berkely, also scared of the liberals... IDK
Pepperdine... is that a match or is it more of a safety for my stats?
Duke is my dream school but I feel like I cannot get in
Boston college?
University of British Columbia?</p>

<p>I just really dont want a southern school or basically anywhere that is hot and sticky. Fine with rain/snow. Hopefully a good business or comp sci school.</p>

<p>I am looking to get the best degree I can because I am not sure I will go on to graduate work, so it needs to mean something.
Afraid I cannot get into Duke, but it is sortof my dream school. Chances?</p>

<p>I am a dual canadian-US citizen if you have any suggestions for canadian schools.</p>

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<p>Why is Duke your dream school? Explain and maybe folks can point to a Duke-like match for you. :slight_smile: </p>

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<p>Also, Duke is in the South and has warm-hot weather through October and again starting in April. Also, do know that not all dorms are air-conditioned should you want to avoid the heat.</p>

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<p>Are Cornell and Dartmouth out of my league?</p>

<p>Not actually sure why I have always wanted to go to duke. I’ve tried to think of reasons but I guess I don’t actually have any reason to be attached to it. </p>

<p>Any thoughts on Boston college?</p>

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<p>Scared of liberals? lol. That would eliminate quite a few schools haha. Look into Claremont McKenna. </p>

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<p>Ivies (Cornell/Dartmouth) are most likely out of your league.</p>

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<p>Lots of high expectations from someone who got a 1950 out of 2400 from the College board sitting last taken. Wait till you get those numbers. Duke is still a high reach for you, as well as the ivies. But you can always add those onto your list. Who wouldn’t want to get into those schools? No work, now selection, no deep thought there. So don’t even thing about them. IT’ll take you all of five minutes to cherrypick those kind of schools. All lottery tickets.</p>

<p>So why don’t you start looking at some more realistic picks? Richmond, Elon, Wake, Sewanne, Rhodes if you like the south. James madison another nice choice, reminds me of Duke though a state school and everyone I know who went there loved it as did the parents of those kids. American, College of Charleston,USCarolina,. Tulane, Southern Methodist, Penn State, </p>

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<p>Thanks everyone, if you come up with any more suggestions, let me know!</p>

<p>Definitely going to look into the ones that cptofthehouse mentioned.</p>

<p>I dont want to go to McKenna because I live 15 minutes away! haha not a valid reason but still</p>

<p>What about any suggestions in the northwest? Oregon have any good schools that will be a match?</p>

<p>Why does parchment give me a 69% chance at USC? Seems higher than it should be. Should I try for USC?
Anyone have experience with parchment.com’s rating accuracy?</p>

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<p>Parchment is neither ‘accurate’ or ‘not accurate’. It is just an estimation based on data. It is not like an evaluation from an admissions officer which takes into account the entire pool of applicants in a given year including those at your HS. It doesn’t know if your essay touches the reader or not. Scared of liberals? Better go to a conservative religious school like Pepperdine. You have a real lack of insight.</p>

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<p>@dster77‌ </p>

<p>That’s a completely valid reason! When, I applied to college, I lived near a few places that I really loved, but I had to cross them off the list because I didn’t want to live an hour from my parents.</p>

<p>If you’re looking for East Coast schools, might I suggest the ‘preppy LACs’? This is a wonderful group of schools that doesn’t seem to be too liberal (Since that bothers you), and that would probably really appreciate your business extra-curriculars! Here are a few of them:</p>

<p>Bowdoin
Bates
Colby
Colgate
Hamilton
Franklin and Marshall
Trinity</p>

<p>They’re all fairly selective, but you definitely have a shot at all of them with your stellar ECs and gpa. </p>

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<p>My evaluation is very different: I see APs, ACT 32, A+ GPA = makes the basic cut for most top 25 universities/LACs. Next, ECs: created code for professional product and sold it to institutional entities, processed large amounts of money (indicating adult-level skill and professional-level trust). Quick evaluation indicates candidate viable for all schools.
So, Duke is a high reach as it is for everyone but not impossible, as would Cornell; all the top 25 colleges are “reachable reaches”. Also Penn’s dual engineering/business program as a real reach.
<a href=“http://www.seas.upenn.edu/undergraduate/degrees/dual-degrees.php”>Majors;
What’s in-state for you?
You must first find two schools where you’re 100% you can get in (typically,into the honors program), like, and can afford based on the Net Price Calculators. One of those is likely to be your public flagship or a public university that is known in your state that is well-regarded for what you want to major in.
A good safety would be UAlabama since based on your current stats you’d get into Honors College, Honors Dorm, can compete for the Computer Honors Program, and would receive full tuition scholarship and $2,500 for CS plus, as an Honors Student, would get the opportunity to add a double major in quantitative economics (if that were of interest) or anything else too.
Then you’d need to find 3-5 schools with selectivity above 30% and where your stats place you near or in the top 25% and which you’ve determined are affordable based on the NPCs.
ONLY then would you add Duke, Penn, Cornell, and any other “reach” school.
For matches or safeties, check out UPuget Sound, UPortland, Whitman, Willamette, USeattle, plus UWA or UO if one of those isn’t already your in-state public.
UCI would likely be the most conservative UC.
Pepperdine (match) is good if you want a conservative, evangelical Christian school that will nurture your faith. If you’re not too religious, the mandatory bible study/chapel attendance may be a problem.
If you want religious and conservative, look into Wheaton (IL), Calvin (MI), Gordon (MA), Hope (MI).
If you want conservative but not religious, ClaremontMcKenna is a good choice and a high match/match for your profile. Tulane and UMiami would also be “not liberal” but both would be in “hot, sticky” weather.
Other relatively conservative colleges that offer good management/economics <em>and</em> CS majors, and are in not “muggy weather” locations would include St Olaf (MN) and Dickinson ¶; Davidson and Centre would also qualify but may be too southern. However these schools are relatively socially liberal compared to evangelical colleges so it all depends if you’re talking Oberlin liberal vs. the rest of colleges, or if you’re talking Pepperdine as the center of the spectrum. </p>

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<p>Sorry guys that’s a typo in the first post. I shouldn’t say ‘scared of liberals’. Or maybe just it is just being interpreted wrong. I’m just scared of a majority of my peers being hardcore “hippies”. Nothing against them, I just don’t think id fit in at reed very well (or at least stereotypical reed). That type of thing. </p>

<p>I can definitely handle all types of people and am completely fine with people who do not share the same beliefs/values as me. I can integrate fine. I’m just from a conservative middle class suburb, so I wouldn’t be used to much else. </p>

<p>And of course, I get to choose who to spend time with. </p>

<p>As for religious schools, I’m Christian (Nazarene) but not something I need in a college. I feel like point Loma would be too strict of a school (lol). I’m just looking for something in between point Loma and Berkeley. A lot of my family members have gone to APU and the rules there seem pretty annoying. </p>

<p>I live in California if that helps with in state options. </p>

<p>I’ll look into McKenna more, but I do live 15 min away which would suck. But the school seems like it could be worth having my parents and family so close. </p>

<p>Thanks everyone for these suggestions. Some i haven’t even heard of before, but they’re great schools. </p>

<p>I’ve talked to a puget sound admin counselor before and it sounds like a great school. </p>

<p>I’m going to a college fair on Wednesday of next week and there are 500 colleges there so if you have any other suggestions for who I should talk to, post them. </p>