I will be graduated HS this year and am looking to find a college that fits me well. I’m a Caucasian male from Louisiana and have a couple instate schools on my list as backup, but I’m really looking to go out of state. I will list my preferences and thoughts and hope you all can give me advice and options based off of that.
For starters I’m really leaning towards getting out of the South. I want to explore new places and experience new cultures, preferably ones more diverse. Studying abroad in Europe is also a priority. I come from a Catholic high school of 1,200 and am now looking for something with a more diverse and open minded population. I’m looking for an undergrad population of at least 3,000+ and would prefer a medium sized college but could do large. I also do not drink or do drugs and am against any school known for their partying or Greek life. Distance from home and cost isn’t too much of an issue. I am unsure of the very expensive schools though because of the stereotype that they would lack diversity and hold more superficial/egotistical/snobby students. I do understand, though, that there will be things i dislike (parting, snobby students, etc) and students that agree with me regardless of where i apply, but I would prefer a school that has less of what I don’t like. The dream concept in my head would be in a small/medium sized town with nice weather (similar to California) with outdoor activities available as well as not being far from a bigger city with plenty of things to do.
I currently hold a 3.95 unweighted GPA with a 27 ACT and am taking it again hoping to bump it up somewhere around a 29-30. While i do consider academics very important, I’m not the extremely motivated student who works rigorously and places it above everything else so I’m leaning away from the extremely prestigious and competitive colleges (I would consider those the top 20ish?). Unfortunately, I am unsure of what career I will chose. To narrow it down a bit, I will most likely avoid any career with advanced math such as engineering, anything to do with law/government, and most things inside of the medical field such as a doctor, surgeon, etc. I’m thinking something in the field of business and i also enjoy psychology. Other things I enjoy and considering would relate to fitness/nutrition or gaming.
Also, I don’t know much about liberal arts colleges but if my description screams liberal arts college, please explain.
Currently I’m leaning towards the west coast, especially California. My out of state list consists of UC Davis, Pepperdine, Texas A&M, and maybe Uni San Diego.
If there is anything I could include that would help narrow down the options more, let me know. Thank you:)