I’ve been in three high schools. The first public school I left the end of freshman year, b/c overcrowding/bullying. The second was an “alternative” school, which was way too easy for me. I just left that one in December. My current public school I’m doing good. It’s one of the worse ones in NJ, though.
Extracurriculars: In ninth grade, I did knitting. Tenth grade, I did martial arts, cooking, & knitting. This year, I did martial arts & yearbook in my old school. Now, I’m only doing dance.
Grades: I had a 3.8 out of 4.0 GPA in my old school. It might be slightly lower now, b/c I’m being challenged more. I’m in standard classes.
Colleges: I want to get a Master’s in Social Work. I would love to go in Los Angeles, CA. I’m looking at USC LA or LAVC. But, my parent is worried about how far it is, & would prefer me to transfer after a year or two. (See my other post). I would really prefer to go in California, or at least somewhere warm. Please suggest some colleges for me.
I can’t begin to suggest schools. But some things I’m learning as we go through the process with my son:
Money matters. Keep an eye on the cost of attendance. I don't want him mortgaging his future, or our retirement, or the odds of his two younger sister's education.
Distance matters. Having a parent on the east coast and attending school in CA means you'll see your parent over the summer, and perhaps Christmas if you can afford air fare. Mono? Strep? Broken arm? You'll be on your own. If grandma dies or your cousin gets married, you may not be able to be there. We're on Long Island, and have set a loose 250 mile radius in our search. So we're going pretty much from Boston to Baltimore, and west further than Scranton. There are lots and lots and lots of wonderful schools in that radius!!!
Do you want large or small? (For what it's worth, my son had no idea until we had visited a small school and a larger school. As a result, we've set a loose cap of about 8,000 students, though I think he would be comfortable with a smaller school than that.)
-Urban, suburban, rural? How much of an off campus life are you looking for? For my son, it’s a non-issue. For his 15 year old sister, the availability of a mall would be important (at least now, that could change.)
If you want warm temps (very understandable, given the winter we’ve had!!!) take a look at the Baltimore/DC area. There are tons of wonderful schools that are still drive-able from your home. My niece went to Towson and loved it. She also worked, after graduation, for a consortium of schools that worked to draw kids to the Baltimore area.
The college search starts online. There are College Match type sites that will generate a list of schools that meet the requirements you list. From there you can take a look at the websites and decide which schools you want to see.
It’s not a quick process, but it’s a whole lot easier than it used to be. (Going to guidance, and going through volumes of books that listed colleges.)
All good advice above. Do you have any test scores yet? That’s a big factor. You said you want a masters in social work. What do you want your undergrad degree to be?
There are many schools in the south and in Texas that would be much warmer than NJ, but still closer to home!
We live in NJ, and my son attends New College of Florida. It costs us about the same as Rutgers would (full-pay), with his automatic scholarship. Are you taking a rigorous courseload, and have you received any ACT/SAT scores? Eckerd, in Saint Petersburg, FL, is pretty generous with merit aid. I suggested Whittier on another thread you started. These options might not work if your family will need almost full rides, but they are good places to start.
I got a 140 on the PSAT. (1400 on the SAT) I know that’s not good, but I’m going to get tutoring before. I’m also planning to take the ACT, I think i’ll do better on that.
I’m in mostly standard classes. My family isn’t wealthy. We wouldn’t need full-ride (but that would be lovely), but we would definitely need financial aid.
Thank you BKJMom. I would prefer medium-large size, in an urban area, not too pricey. I’ve been looking at Baltimore a little, my mom suggested it. I’ve been to DC before and enjoyed it.
How much can your mom afford to pay per year? You can borrow $5500 as a freshman and if you qualify for Pell you’ll have a little more (up to $5k). (Run the FAFSA4caster to get an idea what your EFC might be.) Unless you can qualify for merit or your mom can help out a lot, a CA college might be too expensive.
VCU in Richmond may meet much of your criteria. Social work program is ranked 11th by USNWR, test optional with your GPA and usually pretty generous with scholarship money. It is an urban campus and not too far from home.
@austinmshauri The FASFA calculator said about 8K. LAVC in CA is very cheap, cheaper then every college in NJ I’ve looked at (even communities).
@provence I don’t really want to go to Virginia, or even the east cost…maybe Florida, for a last choice.
You’re in NJ and there’s a college in CA that’s cheaper for you as an OOS student than the NJ colleges would be as an in-state student? @auntbea, I thought CA charged a premium to OOS students. Is that wrong?
You’ll need to decide whether you’d rather want a medium-large school OR be in California/the South. You won’t be able to have both.
Whittier is your best bet for LA.
You can also go to college anywhere, then move to LA after graduation.
Colleges in Florida: Flagler, Eckerd, Stetson, NovaSouthereastern.
In the South: Birmingham Southern (small but in a large city), Guilford, Maryville.
VCU is a great suggestion that is one of the few to meet all your criteria.
If you’re not against women’s colleges, look into Trinity Washington, Simmons, Chatham - all three are located in big cities.
@MYOS1634 I definitely don’t want to be in the south (except Florida). I only have that as a second choice b/c of the climate, & a few nice cities. My best friend is also interested in going there, so that would be nice. I know these aren’t the best reasons, but I don’t think I would enjoy any other areas, except NYC or LA. But, NYC is too expensive. @Erin’s Dad BCC isn’t really a good school. I know so many people who go there, b/c they didn’t do well in high school. I don’t really want to be seeing anyone I know during college. Also, Bergen County is VERY expensive to live, with high taxes. (I live in lower Bergen County, which isn’t nearly as expensive as upper Bergen County)
@austinmshauri Most of the better colleges in NJ (Montclair, Rutgers) are about 20K+ for on campus. The cheaper ones, like Bergen Community, aren’t very good schools…
Why aren’t you interested in the South “except Florida”?
NYC isn’t really comparable to LA (architecture, institutions, industry/power players, culture, layout…) - what are the common points you like about them?
Are you getting tutoring for standardized testing and what are your preliminary mock test results?
@MYOS1634 I like almost everything about NYC, I’ve been there countless times (I live a few miles away). Except, I hate the weather here, it gets so cold. Most people here are so rude & rushed. I don’t like NY state, though (I’ve been there). California looks beautiful, the weather is nice, & it’s not as rushed. There’s many different types of areas (beach, city, etc). I think I’ll enjoy the whole state, not just one city, as I do with NYC. Everyone I know who’s moved there, loves it.
I don’t want to go in the south because I could never live in a country area, I would be so bored. I know there are some nice cities in the south, like Savannah, but they aren’t comparable to LA or NYC. I don’t even think I would love Florida the way I think I’ll love California. But, I’ve been there, & I know I like at least a few areas.
For the SAT tutoring, I haven’t yet, but I’m planning on it. My PSAT score was a 140, which is a 1400 on the SAT. Not great, but not terrible. I know I’ll do better on the SAT, because I’ll have done tutoring, and I’m now in a school where I’m actually challenged.
