Help narrowing down list and adding co-ed choices?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Here's my situation in a nutshell: I'm 20 years old right now, would be 21 by the time I start college again most likely. I went to UC Berkeley for about half a year back in 2010 and then withdrew. </p>

<p>Now I'm highly considering applying to a small range of colleges to transfer in as a freshman. </p>

<p>But this time, I'm pretty set on only going to a college that will give me the experience I crave, which is a small, tight-knit community of people, lots of traditions, small classes, interaction with engaged professors, etc. </p>

<p>I'm mainly considering women's colleges. My top two choices are Sweet Briar and Smith. I know for sure that I'm applying to those two. </p>

<p>But I need help narrowing down my other choices for women's colleges. The others I'm still considering: </p>

<p>Wellesley
Mount Holyoke
Bryn Mawr
Agnes Scott
Hollins
Barnard (Somewhat considering. I want to move to/live in NYC eventually so it'd be good to have those alumni connections and start my business there while in school but I also think I want to have a college experience somewhere else so I can have two different experiences...)</p>

<p>I want to narrow down this list a little and maybe add one or two co-ed schools just in case I end up deciding I don't want to go to a women's college. </p>

<p>My family is going through hard economic times right now so great financial aid (and preferably merit scholarships) would be necessary. </p>

<p>The most important criteria for me are a sense of community/school spirit, nice and friendly people, easy to make friends, traditions on campus, small and engaging classes, NOT a party school, NOT big on drinking or drugs. </p>

<p>I'm kind of a strange blend of things too...I guess I'm a "Southern belle" type...I love wearing dresses and pearls, I like elegant events and parties more than keggers and the like, I model part-time. I'm also eccentric, intellectual, kind of artsy...but definitely not a "hipster". And finally, I'm also kinda nerdy and love cosplaying and watching anime and things like that. </p>

<p>My stats: </p>

<p>High school:</p>

<p>3.85 UW GPA
4.5 W
2150 SAT (800 W, 740 CR, 610 M)
SAT II: Literature - 730, US History - 710
5 AP classes
Got 5's on all AP tests except for one which I got a 4 on</p>

<p>College:</p>

<p>3.8 cumulative GPA from UC Berkeley
2 or 3 upper division classes taken </p>

<p>Thanks for any advice and sorry for the length of the post!</p>

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<p>Your description or yourself made me think of Wellesley and it’s probably the best of the all girl schools, so you should try although your math score is a bit low for Wellesley. For non co-ed options, Grinnell is often mentioned for merit aid. You might want to consider Trinity College in Conn. or Hamilton. Maybe look at a few Pennsylvania schools? Muhlenberg, Ursinus might provide merit aid.</p>

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<p>Have you seen the Kiplinger tables showing merit aid statistics? (Two tables - private LAC, private Univ.)
[Best</a> Values in Private Colleges, 2012-13](<a href=“Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts”>Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts)=ALL&id=none</p>

<p>Looks like Wellesley doesn’t give merit aid though they are generous with FA. How do you apply as a freshman if you have 1.5 years of college, wouldn’t they consider you a transfer?
Would this effect eligibility for FA?</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the replies so far.</p>

<p>For Wellesley, it says that “only incoming sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply for transfer”. </p>

<p>So since I only completed half of my freshman year, does that mean I would be able to apply to Wellesley as a freshman? Or just not at all?</p>

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<p><em>bumps</em> :3</p>

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<p>HotCocoa,</p>

<p>You should contact the admissions office at Wellesley directly about which application to file. Many colleges and universities consider students with less than a full year of college credit to be freshman applicants. Wellesley may have that policy.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Okay, I’ll do that. Thanks! :)</p>

<p>Anyone have any other suggestions for narrowing down my list and adding co-ed choices?</p>

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<p>Most merit aid is for incoming freshmen (“first years” in women’s college speak!). Colleges will likely consider you a transfer, and that will limit eligibility for some of the best merit awards.</p>

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<p>So I’ve added two schools to my co-ed choices: Sewanee and Centre.</p>

<p>Wellesley said I’d have to complete another semester of college before applying to transfer and that I can’t apply as a freshman, so that’s off the list.</p>

<p>Any other recs for narrowing down my women’s colleges list or adding co-ed choices? Thanks!</p>

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<p>Sewanee can be very isolated. I think it is a great school, but you need to carefully think about how comfortable you will be with the lack of walking to stores, etc. </p>

<p>Bryn Mawr has cross registration with Haverford (co-ed). That will provide you with more of a co-ed mix in some classes while still maintaining a female only residence experience. I’m not as familiar with Bryn Mawr, but your interests align with Haverford.</p>

<p>Call Centre to see if you are eligible to apply to Browns Felllows. It is a merit scholarship with full ride +. </p>

<p>Since you have not completed a full year of college some schools will not view you as a transfer. This could work to your advantage in gaining scholarships.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice, Longhaul!</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Do you mean my particular interests align with Haverford? How so? :slight_smile: Or are you just saying that I could get the best of both worlds?

</p>

<p>I think I will do that! Thanks! Although I don’t think I’ll end up getting that scholarship because it says on their website that most people’s GPA was unweighted 3.99 (mine’s 3.86) and their SAT were 1360 (mine’s 1340). But it might still be worth a shot?</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>That’s another thing I’m not sure about. When I asked Wellesley about it, they said that all students who have ever matriculated at another college are considered transfers, but I wonder if other schools view that differently.</p>

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<p>Each college has its own policy about who must apply as a transfer student. It varies from one college credit earned after high school graduation, to one credit shy of a full year of college. There really is no way to predict. If the information isn’t clear in the website, contact them and ask. </p>

<p>Have you read through any of the information in the Transfer Forum? There is a useful thread near the top of that forum titled “Transfer Admissions 101”. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks, happymomof1! I’ll definitely check out the Transfer Forum. :)</p>