Help me with my search?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm a junior in high school so I've done a decent amount of research but I have a feeling that many people on here are much more researched than I, so any insight/suggestions you might have would be incredible. Thank you!</p>

<p>GPA: Weighted: 4.5 (should go up to about a 4.55/4.6 by the end of the year), UW: 3.88</p>

<p>Class rank: No official rankings, top 10% is a 4.31 weighted, so probably at least top 5%, out of about 500 kids</p>

<p>** AP Courses **
Took 1 class/test last year - Psych, 5
This year: AP Spanish (test tomorrow, wish me luck!), AP English, AP Calc AB, AP US History
Next year: AP Euro, AP Stats, AP Bio, AP English</p>

<p>SAT/ACT: No SAT yet, 35 on only ACT, 227 on PSAT - National Merit Qualifier in IL is usually ~ 220</p>

<p>Finances: Parents really want me to get scholarships, could pay large amount if necessary but definitely interested in any financial aid possible</p>

<p>State: Illinois</p>

<p>Prospective major: International relations, gender studies, Spanish (not as a major)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Horseback Riding (5 years)
Model UN (4 years, president next year, won 1st at various competitions)
Young Democrats (started it with another student this year, president this year and next)
Philosophy Club (president next year)
TABU (Towards a Better Understanding) Participant - 6 students from my school were chosen to go on a Rotary Club Scholarship to Northern Ireland for 2 weeks to learn about conflict resolution
USY (Jewish youth group) member
Spanish Honors Society/National Spanish Exam winner (past 3 years)
Publicity/Communications Student Head for community-wide arts event
Theater (not much, 3 productions throughout high school) </p>

<p>What I'm looking for in a school
Looking to preferably go out East but I would stay in the Midwest if I really fall in love with a school here. I would love a medium-sized school (5k-14k) but I would be willing to go a little bigger, but not much smaller. Looking for suburban/urban but not crazy urban, I want some sort of campus. I want a school with good academics (obviously) but also with a good social/party scene. Not sure if I want to join a sorority but it's not a deal breaker either way. I don't know if this makes sense, but intellectual environments are a plus (probably doesn't make sense). Also, I prefer liberal atmospheres over conservative. I'm Jewish, but I wouldn't rule out a school associated with another denomination/faith, as long as it's not overwhelmingly present in the school. </p>

<p>Schools I like
Tufts, Yale (lol), Dartmouth, Duke, UVA, Northwestern (maybe too close)</p>

<p>Super small list, I know, especially in terms of safety schools, which is why I'm reaching out to you!</p>

<p>If I missed anything/you need to know more, please tell me! Thank you so much in advance.</p>

2

<p>What about Georgetown? Not sure about the kind of financial aid they give, or how you’d feel at a Jesuit school, but the SFS is excellent.</p>

<p>Maybe American too, for an easier school to get into considering your stats.</p>

3

<p>Yeah, my main concern with Georgetown (and why I didn’t put it on my list) is cost, but I suppose that applies to a ton of schools. I’ll keep it in mind, and if anyone has any more info on it that would be lovely. Thanks!</p>

4

<p>Also just a reminder that suggestions for safety schools would be much appreciated</p>

5

<p>We have similar taste in schools! If you liked Tufts, Yale, Northwestern, etc., you might like Brown, Johns Hopkins, Northeastern, Carnegie Mellon (although I’m not sure how much of a campus it has), maybe UPenn.</p>

6

<p>Wash U in St. Louis seems like it could be a good fit for you–even though it’s in the Midwest, the campus is absolutely beautiful and the curriculum is pretty rigorous.
John Hopkins is very reputable when it comes to international relations as well, and it’s very similar to the schools you like.
Swarthmore College (pretty close to Philadelphia) has a great IR program, too, and it’s not a huge school, although I’m not too sure about how much of a party school it is.</p>

7

<p>Penn
USC (I know it’s on the west coast but it ticks many of your boxes and with a NMF you have a good chance at a 50% or more merit aid scholarship)</p>

8

<p>Brandeis, U. Rochester</p>

9

<p>vanderbilt university </p>

<p>a smaller school otherwise a nice fit would be muhlenberg college</p>