Help me with my College Search?!?

<p>I am a senior. I thought I had a first choice school, but then I toured it for a second time, then a third time, and now I am not completely satisfied with the idea of going there. I want to expand my list of colleges, especially to ones not located within a 20 minute drive from my house (Dickinson, Gettysburg, F&M), which make up most of my list at this moment. I'll list my stats, and if anyone is willing to suggest colleges for me to look at, that would be fantastic. </p>

<p>Gender: Female
State: PA
GPA: 97.31/100 (only one my school provides so I'm not sure if it's weighted or not)
SAT: 2060 (CR: 730, M: 580, W: 750), I just retook it in November and Math should go up after weeks of studying. I am also considering taking Subject Tests in December.</p>

<p>I have taken 4 AP exams so far, scoring 4s and 5s on all of them. This year my schedule consists of 5 AP classes and 2 honors. I am involved in 10 extra curriculars, holding leadership positions in all of those that have the opportunity for leadership. I also volunteer at a local history museum.</p>

<p>I am pretty sure I want to go to a LAC, majoring in political science, history, or anthropology. I am willing to go to almost any state, just as long as it is no further south than North Carolina, and I want to avoid extremely rural areas. </p>

<p>Thank you in advanced for your help because my recent turn off to my first choice school has left me rather confused at where to go next in my college application process. </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Does your school grant a higher grade for an honors or AP class? That would help you tell if your GPA is weighted or not.</p>

<p>Can you tell us what your first choice school was and what you didn’t like about it? I would have recommended Gettysburg or Dickinson (although your math score would have to go up for it to be an option, but sounds like you are hopeful that it will) if you hadn’t given that geographic constraint.</p>

<p>Also, what is your financial situation? Have you run net price calculators for those colleges you listed? </p>

<p>Other colleges I would suggest with only the basic info you provided, and assuming you get at least something of a boost in your math scores. And you need to run net price calculators (on the college website financial aid page) for all;</p>

<p>Mount Holyoke (don’t be put off by single sex campus – apply and visit, it is a pretty great place).</p>

<p>American (with your current scores, would be more of a low match if you raise your math scores)</p>

<p>Oberlin? Read up on it and see what you think of the vibe. It isn’t for everyone, but it is a really strong school academically.</p>

<p>Haverford</p>

<p>There are a lot more, those are just some suggestions to start with.</p>

<p>Dickinson was my first choice. I still loved it a lot when I visited the second time. When I visited the third time, trying to decide whether or not I wanted to apply ED, I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t for me. I still liked the campus, the students, and the opportunities available there, but the building in which I sat in on classes was outdated and depressing to say the least. Tour guides kept telling me it would be where I would be spending most of my time with my prospective majors, and I didn’t like that at all. The proximity of campus to my house also detracted from my love of the college because it overlaps too much with my existing functional area. </p>

<p>I’ll look into all of the schools you have suggested, minus American because I toured it a few years ago and didn’t dig it. I’ll do more research into Oberlin also, because, it appears, from a quick google search, that I would fit in politically, but I’ll have to search a little more to understand the vibe you’re talking about better. </p>

<p>Without knowledge of what your family will be able to afford each year, it will be impossible to suggest schools to which you should apply. Have you run the net price calculator at any of the schools, and what was the EFC? can your family pay the EFC? Ask mom and dad how much they were planning to give you each year for four years. </p>

<p>You need to move on this. Deadlines are at hand.</p>

<p>My parents do not seems concerned with financial aid. At this point, every college we ran through the net price calculator is “doable” in their words. They have never stressed to me that finances will make or break an school for me, so the answer to your question is safely assumed to be a yes. </p>

<p>And I know that I need to get moving. I want this to be taken care of as soon as possible. I wasn’t expecting this sudden change of mind on my former first choice. </p>

<p>Also, I asked a friend, and the GPAs are weighted. I’m not sure how to obtain an unweighted GPA, but mine should still be in the A range. </p>

<p>Thank you. That’s helpful. </p>

<p>One of the reasons I suggest you hurry is that I’d advise you visit any school to which you intend to apply. Your confidence is shaken and you’ll feel better about a school if you put your feet on the campus and snoop around. You know what you don’t like, so go looking for it.</p>

<p>I’m going to recommend some LACs and small unis that aren’t so far away that you cannot visit them. After you get those apps in, you can look at some further away schools that you might want to visit and apply to. This is based on a 2060.</p>

<p>Reaches: Penn, Swarthmore, Haverford, CMU, Johns Hopkins
Matches: Lafayette, Bryn Mawr, Villanova, Barnard, URochester, Oberlin
Academic Safeties: Muhlenberg, Ursinus, Drexel, College of NJ, St. Mary’s of Maryland (rural?), Skidmore, Union, College of Wooster</p>

<p>Muhlenberg, Ursinus, and Lafayette all might be worth looking at. I know that Muhlenberg has a strong Political Science department and sends a very high percentage of its graduates into graduate schools and law schools. Best of luck to you! </p>

<p>Bucknell (rural?), Davidson, Washington & Lee (rural?), Richmond.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t bother with St. Mary’s of Md. It’s a good hour’s drive at least from Annapolis, basically there is nothing there but the college on the river. REALLY rural.</p>

<p>Penn is no LAC, it’s a major research university.</p>

<p>You appear to have the same statistics as NotSteveBuscemi on the thread “Last Minute College Search Selections??”</p>

<p>Is there a reason that you’re posting two threads under different user names?</p>

<p>Yeah, I have two accounts because of password issues. I post on both with some questions so I can receive notifications on my computer and phone.</p>

<p>Don’t Muhlenberg and Layfayette have religious affiliations? I’m not looking for a school with any religious affiliation. Do you know how much of an influence religion has there?</p>

<p>Muhlenberg is Evangelical Lutheran, but there’s nothing in your face about it. They might still have a required theology course. Lafayette “has a historic association with the Presbyterian Church (USA), while welcoming people of all faiths and spiritual traditions.” I never realized that about Lafayette in all the times I was on campus. It just doesn’t feel religious to me, and I’m pretty sensitive to a religious vibe.</p>

<p>I think I’ll avoid Muhlenberg and Villanova, but I’ll go tour Lafayette if the religious vibe is basically undetectable. </p>

<p>Just to add to what I said, neither of my children picked up on it either and they would. They both picked up on the frat/party scene at Lafayette. The school is trying to eliminate the frats, according to our tour guides, and the athletic teams have picked up the slack. However, they’re more exclusive than the frats, and so a number of students have complained to us about the dreadful party scene if you’re not a pretty girl or a member of a sports team. Second trip we didn’t see as many frat jerseys as we expected, but lots of Lafayette sports gear, which could be a sign of school spirit. We thought it looked too much like the kids’ wealthy, white high school. Frankly, I’ve never liked Muhlenberg, Lafayette, or Villanova because of their party scenes. Too much alcohol, too much testosterone, too provincial. Might be just what you want, however.</p>

<p>Schools similar to Dickinson in New England, PA, NY, OH:</p>

<p>Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Oberlin, Conn College, Colgate, Lafeyette, Skidmore, Wheaton, St. Lawrence, Kenyon,
Hobart and William Smith.</p>

<p>Thank you for the personal experience with Lafayette’s social scene. I might not fit in socially there if that is the general atmosphere of the campus. </p>

<p>And thank you Sue for the list of colleges similar to Dickinson a little farther away from me. I’ve looked at Wheaton (MA), and I like it a lot on paper and in pictures. I have seen less of the other colleges, and I will research them further. </p>

<p>rural colleges in the northeast (lafayette is not rural, nor is muhlenberg) are going to tend to have problems with alcoholism and/or drug use. If the school administration is not spending money on and actively engaged in giving students something to do with their weekends besides partake there are going to be problems. The AO is going to offer bromides; you want to hear specifics.</p>

<p>I am not sure if I am going to be able to get out of state to tour colleges until after the first of the year. Should I still apply to colleges if I like how they look on paper? I really like how Mount Holyoke and U of R look. Do either of these schools track interest and will interest expressed in them make or break an application?</p>

<p>I plan on soon taking a weekend to tour the colleges in the Philly area. </p>

<p>if you can afford the applications and you’re up against their deadlines, yes.</p>

<p>MHC says level of applicant interest is “considered.” UR says it is “not considered.”</p>

<p>Super scoring, my new SAT score is now 2140, with my new math score being 660.</p>