<p>Hi new member to the board
I need some serious help with my college search. I have been looking at some schools for quite a long time now but, after getting my ACT scores back, I did way better than I expected. I recieved a 33 so now the schools that I had been eyeing are "under" what a 33 could presumably get me into.</p>
<p>I am a HS junior with a 3.7-3.8 unweighted GPA (4.3 weighted)
I took 3 honors courses freshman year, 3 sophomore year, and one this year with two AP courses.</p>
<p>I'm in NHS, Mathletes, the scholasitic organizations for math and social sciences, and am part of my district's Lacrosse club.</p>
<p>I'm looking to go into medicine eventually and need some suggestions regarding some of the better science/pre-med undergrad programs available in the mid-west that my academics fall under. As of right now all I have is U of I and the University of Michigan.</p>
<p>Some suggestions toward schools would be appreciated</p>
<p>Could I make a suggestion? Right now these boards are swamped with seniors who have gotten into the school of their dreams, but they cannot afford to go without taking on very large debt. Please put your potential list together while keeping in mind the likely final cost to you and your family.</p>
<p>Great colleges in the Midwest:
Carleton College
Grinnell College
Macalester College
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
University of Chicago
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Notre Dame
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Washington University-St Louis</p>
<p>Other colleges worth considering:
Beloit College
Denison University
earlham College
Illinois Wesleyan University
Indiana University-Bloomington
Kalamazoo College
Lawrence University
Michigan State University
Ohio State University
Pennsylvania State University-University Park
St. Olaf College
University of Iowa
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Wabash College</p>
<p>You cannot go wrong with any of those schools. They all have great campuses and excellent academic offerings.</p>
<p>It seems you are interested in larger universities. UIUC is definitely a safety unless you are applying to Engineering and then its a match.</p>
<p>Otherwise:</p>
<p>If you are top 10% of class (or near that):
WashU St. Louis (great premed, probably top 3 or 4 in country): Reach
Northwestern: Reach
Notre Dame: Reach to Big Reach depending on Class Rank and ECs
Wisconsin: Match</p>
<p>I think Alexandre hit it on the spot. Although I kinda like MN in that first tier. Just keep in mind that they are all great schools. I would take a full ride at MN over paying an extra 10K per year at Madison for example. So be open minded when the time comes.</p>
<p>Safety
Michigan State
I was looking into Marquette but idk</p>
<p>I just want to go to a school with a good rep but I understand getting into med school is moreso based on numbers than where your coming from so I dont want to go into a crazy hard program that will keep me from getting a decent GPA. From my understanding a degree at UIUC in premed gives you a great chance at UIC’s med school but I am not 100 percent positive on that.
I am highly qualified for financial aid. One salary coming in and two siblings younger than me by a 1-2 years. Middle Class. My parents have met with a specialist in the area who helps with scholarships and aid and we were told I should be able to get a good amount of money if I need it.</p>
<p>The 33 ACT is a home run, and your GPA is solid. Bottom line, your stats are excellent for any Midwestern school. I pretty much agree with Alexandre’s list but I’d add:</p>
<p>Kenyon College (OH)
Knox College (IL)
Case Western (good merit money)</p>
<p>But I think you should do some serious flirting with Grinnell, Chicago, and WUSTL, which have more money to invest in top students like you. See what they say, have some back-ups, and go from there/</p>
<p>bclintonk, I think that the OP prefers large universities or it may be that he has not taken the time to explore the concept of a LAC. I purposefully did not say any LACs for that reason.</p>
<p>Creighton (in Omaha, NE) is a wonderful school with great aid/scholarship opportunites. They also have med/dental/law schools on campus. As a Jesuit school, they focus on service to others not just self. Rare in today’s college settings.</p>
<p>I am not really interested in LAC simply because I really am looking for an urban environment centerd around my school. I want that college experience. But right now I am thinking UIUC simply because it is in state for me and hopefully I can take quite a bit out of the tuition with a scholarship.</p>
<p>Do I have a decent chance at a merit based scholarship at
UIUC? or enough to make Wisconsin or Michigan in a 10-20k price range?</p>
<p>I know I have 8 years of college ahead of me and probably will end up going where I can get my tution the cheapest</p>
<p>If you look on the UIUC website you’ll find you can get a full tuition scholarship if you are Nat’l Merit/Nat’l Achievement. Most of the remaining scholarships come in at $4K or less (more if you are also needy).</p>
<p>Does anyone know if my aunt and uncle live in another state, is it possible to declare residency with them to recieve in-state tuition at that school?</p>
<p>Residency in general is VERY fussy and specific, precisely because it is taxpayers paying to educate the students (not nieces and nephews) of that state. Don’t mess with residency or financial aid. We are all in this together. You have a really great list of suggestions here, so I hope you get to check them out.</p>