Help me narrow down my college list?!?

College Search & Selection
1

Reaches:
Cornell
Matches:
McGill
Purdue
Penn State
U of Illinois
U Wisconsin
U of Minnesota
Safeties:
UNH
U Maine
Oregon State University
Washington State University
Colorado State University

I want to major in Animal Science, but that may change to Agriculture or even Food Science, so I’m not sure.

I live in NH, have a 4.0 GPA and 33 ACT. I have been on varsity swim (captain sr yr), NHS (2 yrs, secretary), student senate (4 yrs, vp), tons of volunteer hours and two jobs, taken community college courses and a vigorous schedule. I’m ranked 4 of about 500.

I’m looking for a big school (obviously) that has a strong agriculture college. Ideally I apply to 6-8 colleges. I am leaning more to a rural college, but am not picky.

I have yet to visit any of these colleges (shame on me) but because they are all over the place my family has decided to visit once I am admitted and have compared financial packages. My family can afford all of these colleges, but obviously less is more. I’m applying this year so I am in dire need of assistance.

2

I think you have a good list. However, I think the organization of the list is a little off…here’s what I think it should be :slight_smile:

High Reaches:
-Cornell
-McGill (lower reach than Cornell, but you are international)

Matches
-Purdue
-U Wisconsin
-UMinnesota

Safeties
-Penn State
-U Illinois
-UNH
-U Maine
-Oregon State
-Washington State University
-Colorado State University

I think you’re one of the few people who actually might have too many safeties if you aren’t searching for financial aid! I’d also recommend Ohio State as their pre-vet//animal program is good.

If you want to cross of a school, I’d suggest UW Madison simply because it is an urban campus, and you said you preferred rural. Purdue is also considered an urban campus. Penn State is technically suburban, but has an isolated feel and a top-notch food science. UW Madison’s food science and agricultural programs are amazing, but the environment might not be for you.

Good luck!

3

I would keep McGill as a match, especially as OP’s potential majors put him in the faculty of agricultural and environmental sciences. McGill publishes required minimum stats per faculty, and the stats that OP provides are clearly above the minimum.

https://www.mcgill.ca/applying/how-we-make-decisions/minimum-grades-used-admission-previous-years/unitedstates

Good luck, OP. McGill’s MacDonald campus is charming. :slight_smile:

4

Lushlillies, Purdue is in West Lafayette, which is barely a city at all, unless you consider a few strip malls and a couple small clusters of stores a city. Lafayette (across the river from W. Lafayette) is a smallish city. But even if Purdue was smack in the middle of Lafayette (which it isn’t) it would’t be very urban.

5

It is a match-heavy list, which is sort of a breath of fresh air.

Question: State schools tend to not give very good financial aid to out-of-state students. Have you run the NPC to make sure you and your family could likely afford to attend? (it’s actually a good idea to run NPC for all schools in which you’re interested, not just the OOS public schools…)

6

State schools which give good merit aid to out of staters: Mississippi, Ok. State, Oklahoma, West Va., Texas Tech, Fla. State, Nebraska, Kentucky.

I’d substitute some of these for some of your matches & safeties which give no out-of-state students aid.

7

U of Minnesota is NOT rural, the opposite. It is right in the middle of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

UW Madison is also not rural, but Madison is much smaller than the Twin Cities.

Iowa State would seem a excellent match for you, and Ames is a great college town but rural.

Good luck!

8

Are you a full pay?

Are there any schools with your target major where you have a good shot at a solid merit aid offer?

9

@ClarinetDad16 For most colleges on my list I’m full pay. Cornell would not be full pay, Unfortunately merit is low for the schools with my major because they are public universities.