Help me on my QuestBridge rank list!

Paying for College Access Programs (Questbridge, Posse)
1

this is not a chance me; i am looking for fit, not chances of admission

here are my preferences / circumstances:

  • I am planning to major in political science or international relations (i will probably apply to a majority of them as poli sci). for northwestern i would like to double major in journalism and poli sci.
  • i like larger schools (my hs is 2k) but the more important thing is location in or near a large city. i like east coast and norcal, I’m looking to move out of socal. I’m from a suburb of LA – i feel like i would be incomplete in an isolated town or rural place. i also want journalistic and maybe even political opportunities available. i also want things to do, like i don’t want to be bored. because of my preference for larger schools, most of my list is composed of universities rather than LACs. if there are larger LACs or LACs that fit me however, please suggest them.
  • diversity is important to me, i’m from a place where probably 90% of people are POC. i am also LGBTQ so i’d love inclusivity and support for those who are part of marginalized groups, although I realize that most QB schools have programs that adequately provide that (but not all).
  • two dealbreakers for me are religious institutions and heavy greek life / heavy party culture. i’m fine if they’re based on, for example, quaker ideals (swarthmore, yes, which is on my list) but jesuit colleges are a no from me. and greek life and party culture aren’t for me.
  • i like schools with loose requirements or cores over open curriculums.
  • i don’t like USC, Dartmouth, and Grinnell.

my list, so far, is as follows:

i plan to rank schools in this order:

  1. stanford
  2. Columbia
  3. swarthmore
  4. upenn
  5. uchicago

i am considering ranking the following schools, roughly in order of interest:

  1. northwestern
  2. yale
  3. Princeton
  4. tufts
  5. rice
  6. boston u

i may be planning to apply to these schools through QB RD:

  • Barnard
  • Wesleyan
  • Haverford (?)
  • Pomona / CMC
  • Brown

any and all thoughts and suggestions are appreciated, including notes on the schools i already have ranked or are on the verge of ranking. thank you in advance!

2

I’ve already posted on other threads. You’ve chosen a dozen of the most popular colleges in the world, so you’re chances of being wrong are pretty nonexistent. My only question is why Brown is at the bottom of your list?

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3

i like providence as a city and I really like what I’ve heard about it but i’m not sure about the open curriculum

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4

You likely already know this, but Brown has First Year Seminars to help first-years have a common experience, and the majors (concentrations) also have requirements, if you are looking for ways to ensure structure and also to meet others in a similar situation.

5

yeah majors obviously have requirements but i just feel scared (?) that I won’t know what to do with the rest of my required credits.

actually, the more I think about it, the more i’m open to an open curriculum because i REALLY don’t like science lol. i’m not terrible at it but it doesn’t interest me at all. maybe open curriculum schools will be better for that.

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6

“I like larger schools” - so why is your #3 school smaller than your HS?

No idea what your stats are so if these are even doable. Dennison might be one to look at - they just came onto QB.

7

swarthmore is the exception rather than the rule – i just really like the idea of swarthmore and its location is really ideal for me.

i did say that this isn’t a chance-me, i’m purely looking for fit.

just in case, my weighted GPA is 4.19 (4 AP honors courses so far, which gives me 1 extra pt per course), UW is 3.97, and SAT is 1470 (750 EBRW 720 M, retaking in august)

and about denison – im not sure about ohio ?? but i’ll definitely be looking into it.

8

Why is it the exception? Name and prestige or otherwise ?

Good luck.

9

it’s not the prestige – before applying for QB CPS i had never heard of liberal arts colleges. i just got promo mail from it and I kinda fell in love with it LOL.

10

Then either their marketing worked or perhaps you should visit one or two. You might find you like them better.

11

i think their marketing did work :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: and i’m planning to apply to a few fly ins. for qb LAC partners, i’m planning to apply for most of the fly ins, even if i’m not extremely interested in the school. most of the LACs are on the east coast and i don’t really have the time or money to go and visit them because school starts august 11th for me.