_Hello, this is my senior year and that means that next year I will being going to college, or that is what I plan on doing at least. However, choosing a college is such a big deal and it is so overwhelming trying to find the one. Which has brought me to request any assist to help steer me in the right direction.
_Ok before I start here’s a little back ground information. I’m African American and live in Mississippi. I attend one of Madison County School District’s schools. I have 3.93 GPA, I’m number 3 in my class, and I have a 25 on my ACT from the test in march. I retook it past September which is most likely going to be a higher score. I taking it, for the last time, again in october to aim for a 30, if I don’t make it this round. I have made advanced in all of my SATP 2 test or state tests. For two, I had the highest score in my whole school. Sorry if I sound like I’m bragging, but I’m a little nervous of how other states and colleges would see me since I’m from Mississippi and Mississippi has a bad reputation for it’s school system.So I’m trying to make myself look as appealing as possible. I’m also taking an AP class and two dual enrollment classes, english comp. and college algebra. I have 4 math class’s credits. (My college algebra doesn’t count because I couldn’t fit it on my schedule.) 2 credits for foreign language classes. 4 natural science’s credits once this year is complete. 4 social science’s credits once this year is complete. 4 english credits once I through with this year.
_My interests are ,well, I know for sure, is Japanese Language and Literature. (I’m going to call it JL&L, for short.) So I want to go to a school that will not only teach it well, but also will be let me be able to get experience through using it and while learning it. (Liking having a native speaker teach the language and being able to practice with or meet one of the native speakers–that kinda of experience). Also being able to get familiar with the language culture is a must. I know there are schools in Japan for that, but I’m a little apprehensive about attending a school abroad just yet. I have just begun learning Japanese this year. That is why I have been looking at some schools in California since I heard that the state has a high percentage of Japanese immigrants or visitations (besides Hawaii). Hawaii is also a consideration as well. So since these two states have such a high percentage then I’m more likely to see Japanese influences like a stores, restaurants, and other places. I have had a lot of trouble looking up the top rank colleges for this specific major as oppose to the top colleges for foreign language and literature. So I would really appreciate recommendations of colleges from people with a _JL&L degree, esp. recent graduates. Because the college my have changed.
Next, I’m also thinking about International business (trade and commerce).With this I will still be able to major in JL&L and it will back up my hire edibility, hopefully too.
___So in short I’m looking for a college with a good International business program and Japanese program with specific requirements for Japanese program–wholesome experience with the culture and native speakers.
Now for colleges, I’ve been looking at Soka University in America for one. I would love any tips from previous attendees and recommendations on how to apply. I know that many don’t know about it, but from the reviews I’ve read, It looks promising.
I’m going to just list the other ones down to keep it short. Hawaii University in Manoa, Indiana State University in Bloomington, San Francisco University,and The University of Southern California. These are some of my top choices.
Thank you for reading and sorry for making it so long. Also, sorry for any typos. I dearly appreciate you helping me out.
I have taken cost in consideration. Like with Soka university, I can apply for the need based scholarship, since my family’s income is below $60,000. But in honesty, I haven’t really been looking up scholarships as much as I need too. But I definitely will start applying for more now. Any recommendations? Sorry if i’m being vague.
You don’t understand how college is funded. For instance IUB is a public University funded by the state of Indiana. They will not give much (if any) $ to an out of state student. Having a low family income only helps at schools which meet need. You need to also consider schools with good merit aid based on your stats. A higher ACT will help there. Go to the Financial Aid forum and read the sticky notes at the top.
The best aid comes from the colleges and is based on GPA and SAT scores. There’s a thread in the financial aid forum with guaranteed merit aid awards.
You may qualify for a small federal Pell grant (up to ~$5k/year) if your income is low enough. You have to fill out the FAFSA to be eligible. If you run the FAFSA4caster you can get an estimate of how much Pell you may get. It will tell you your EFC (estimated family contribution), but that’s only used to judge whether or not you qualify for Pell. Colleges don’t use it to determine how much you’ll pay. Find out the deadline for submitting the FAFSA and try to complete it as early as possible.
All US students who file the FAFSA can take out the federal student loans ($5500 as a freshman, $6500 as a soph, and $7500/year as a jr and senior). The total for all 4 years is $27k, and that’s probably as much as most students should borrow.
See if your state offers any grants to state residents. If it does, it probably has a separate application. Our state grants are only good for in state schools, so if your state offers grants make sure to check their guidelines.
How much can your parents pay/year? Make sure to find an affordable safety first (a school you have a good chance of being accepted to, that’s affordable, and that you’d be happy to attend). Good luck.
Have you taken practice ACTs recently? Do you think it’s realistic to jump from a 25 to a 30?
Pick a few schools, and be sure to include a few local Mississippi schools. Run the net price calculators that are on every college website (you can google or just find them under the financial aid sections of the college websites). Bottom line is that if you can’t afford the school, it won’t matter whether or not they have Japanese.
Also – I don’t believe any of your schools are test optional. You may want to consider looking at a test optional school as your class rank and GPA are not helped by your ACT score.
Also #2 – if a school doesn’t have the precise program you’re looking for they may be affiliated with one that does (you can take a shuttle to another school for a class). Don’t rule out schools yet just because you’re looking for a specialized program.
Hi. Much success with the ACT on Saturday. Once that is over, do you have a GC or adult who can help you pull together a solid list of colleges to apply. You are 3rd in your class, so someone should be willing to help. Given your GPA and if you could pull a 27-29 on you ACT, realistic doors for colleges that will give you good financial aid including merit scholarships and nurture your interest in Japanese language. There are many small colleges (LAC) that have excellent programs in your field of study. Most also have merit for students with your stats and URM status. I’d use the College board website to search with the help of a trusted adult for schools. Run the NET PRICE Calculator to see how much the college would cost you. Two colleges you may want to consider, are Spelman, which is a HBCU in Atlanta and University of Mount Union in Ohio. If you can generate a realistic list, there are a number of knowledgeable people on here who can help you. I also recommend you post in the parent forum as I believe you may get more responses.
I can’t help too much with Japanese programs, sorry. I think it will be better to post when you get your retake results, that should be out soon, yes? Instead of taking the ACT 3x I wish you tried the SAT as some students do better on it and there may be only for far you can go up for ACT.
There is no uni in SF called that. There is USF a catholic private university. And there is SFSU the Calif State U. SFSU will not give you any money you will be a full payer at 33k for OOS students except any federal aid. Forget that. USF may or may need meet need but it is possible in your case. You would have to apply to see.
USC would meet need but it is hard to get admission. You would have a student loan and have to pay your EFC as shown on the USC Net Price Calculator. Soka is an odd school, small LAC, I don’t live that far but I don’t know anyone who has gone. I don’t know what they do aid-wise. But for them you 'd have to check if you can stay on campus during breaks because I don’t see how you could afford to fly home often.
You could look for programs that have good study abroad options that they will apply their aid toward. My dd was able to get her study abroad paid by her aid and also she applied for a Gilman Grant for Study Abroad from the US govt and that paid airfare plus some. Also at her college she took Chinese one year and there were like 5 different instructors, one for 1/2 hour sessions with just one other student for pronunciation, one for writing etc
Thank you so much for your responses!!! It has helped me ton!!! I’m glad I got knocked back to my senses, as well!! I’ve been pretty naive when it comes to college preparation, I see. I been looking into the matter more, and there is so much more to just picking a college! I probably won’t be able responding back as much as because I’ve been very busy, but please continue to offer any aid. I will check this forum every time I am free. Also I went up two points on my ACT score. I’m will being taking it this saturday, so I’m hoping for at least a 28 now. Wish me luck. Once again, thank you for all your tips. I’ve been updating my college preferences for more realistic ones too. Oh but one more thing, I also found out that for one of my colleges in state, that I’ve already accepted to, has a pretty good program for my major, so I might just give up on out of state colleges. But I will see if I can update on all of that later. :-bd
Thanks for the update. 27 ACT 3rd in class with your GPA should open many doors for merit aid. For your new list of schools and the college where you are accepted a run the Net Price Calculator so you know exactly how much each school is going to cost and how much will be in merit aid and grants ( money you will not have to pay back) and how much in loans ( money you have to pay back. I’m looking forward to your new update. Much success.
If your family makes less than $60,000, I wouldn’t recommend CA or HI. They both are VERY expensive, especially compared to Mississippi! Scholarships wouldn’t cover airfare. OOS publics won’t give much aid.
It seems that the best Japanese programs are:
-In California
-At VERY selective schools
-At state schools
FYI: Indiana State University in Bloomington??? Indiana State University is actually in Terre Haute, Indiana. Indiana University is located in Bloomington.
Look at Boston University. They have a Japanese program with many Japanese lecturers and study abroad options. If you’re challenging yourself academically with your GPA/rank (other than 1 AP, are you in honors classes? Are they offered at your school?), you’d have a shot of getting in (test scores matter at BU, but less so than at some selective schools). Aid at BU is kind of a crap-shoot–they either want you and offer you lots of it or they don’t and you get nothing. But being URM from MS could give you a boost.
Otherwise, agree with other posters: focus on schools likely to admit you and give you aid before you look at Japanese programs. That said, I’m fairly certain any Japanese program worth their salt would have at least one professor who is actually Japanese (if not more), but also there are many more areas than CA and HI where you’ll find a concentration of Japanese speakers. Key demographic areas for Japanese in the US: San Francisco, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, Boston, Portland, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Atlanta. All of these cities have at least 3K+ Japanese speaking households (I work in international TV and have the Census data XD). So that is to say: you’ll find resources in a LOT of places, and there are actually many additional places that would surprise you (Birmingham, AL has several Japanese community organizations!).