Help! Which college is suitable for me?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi all,
I have only two more days to submit my four choice colleges to College Board. If it's still possible, I would like to apply for Fall 2009. However, if it's really not possible, I don't mind applying for Fall 2010. I don't want to rush in entering a college, and then realize later on that it's unsuitable for me. </p>

<p>It would be great if you could help me out =)</p>

<p>Perhaps these would be useful:</p>

<p>Education
- top 3% in high school
- best student in various years for music, english and maths
- received the Best Student award in 2008</p>

<p>Science Competitions
- Distinction, National Chemistry Quiz
- Won a trip to an exhibition to present a science project
- Winner of school chemistry quiz</p>

<p>Music
- composed a song which won first at state level
- composed a number of songs for the school which are still sung today =)
- arranged a piece for my school musical
- performed on the piano in Trinity High Achievers Award Night
- arranged a piece for my school's recorder ensemble, which won first
- Instruments: piano, violin, cello, recorder, electone</p>

<p>Film
- directed a short film (about drug addiction) which won first at state level
- directed a few other short films
- participated in a film camp and directed a documentary on my hometown</p>

<p>Misc.
- Awarded second prize in my school's website designing competition
- a member of the editorial board (school magazine)</p>

<p>I would like to pursue a career in medicine later on, so a college with a strong science program would be great. At the same time, it would be wonderful if I could do music or film (film scoring?) on the sidelines. </p>

<p>P.S. I have just taken my SATs on Jan 24th. I don't really have high hopes for it, especially for the CR and writing sections. </p>

<p>Thanks so much for reading, and any input would be more than welcome!! =)</p>

2

<p>We need more information to help you: What kind of college experience are you looking for?</p>

<p>1) part of the country (how close to home, weather), urban/rural/suburban
2) size of student body-lac/private university/large state
3) does cost matter? merit aid?
4) culture: do you care about single gender/religious affiliation/frat presence/GBLT/sports scene/arts scene/environmentally focused, etc… Any usual extra curriculars you want to pursue that impact location (skiing, outdooring, mountain-biking, etc…)</p>

<p>With more information about what you want, we can give you better suggestions. Know thyself.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for posting those guidelines M’s Mom =)</p>

<p>I’m an int’l student, so the area doesn’t really matter. However, I prefer a college with a decent community (low crime rates, safe, a more helpful and friendly crowd) in an area with not too harsh weather, and preferably a college with a low student to teacher ratio: professors who are open and eager to help students. </p>

<p>I also have interests in film, film scoring, music composition and music performance. Are there any colleges which acknowledge these interests and allow students majoring in sciences to pursue these interests on the sideline? </p>

<p>It would be great if the college could prepare students fully/thoroughly for med school (MCATs, shadowing doctors, research and helping out in a local hospital, etc.). </p>

<p>As for now, finances matter quite a lot =). Perhaps, there are colleges which recognize their applicants’ achievements in music, and award scholarships to these students, even if they don’t major in music?</p>

<p>Thanks so much for reading! If there is still any information lacking, let me know =)</p>

4

<p>Northwestern and U Rochester would both be great for the science/music combination. I don’t know much about good film programs/school, so I can’t help there, but I think both of them are worth looking into. If you can stand the cold, that is :slight_smile:
Also, Rochester would probably give you excellent merit aid.</p>

5

<p>Are you in need of a lot of financial aid or a little? This makes a tremendous difference for internationals. What country are you from–for internationals the fewer applicants your country sends, the better. Do you have a guess on SAT scores?</p>

6

<p>Carnegie Mellon also has the science/music combination. As for film programs you can take classes at UPitt and Pittsburgh Filmmakers.</p>

7

<p>hmom5:
I’m from Malaysia, and i think I need quite a lot of financial aid, preferably in the form of a scholarship. As for my SAT scores, I really don’t know, but i have a feeling I did better in the maths section than the CR and writing sections. </p>

<p>Thanks bosssr and sabster for all those suggestions, i’ll check them out now =) </p>

<p>If it’s possible, are there colleges which sort of ‘integrate’ music into medicine?</p>

8

<p>With your stats and EC’s, I think that you have a very good chance of getting into any of the Ivy League schools with a good-terrific essay… They probably have a wide range of science and arts course.</p>

9

<p>You should take a look at the top LACs (liberal arts colleges). They have small class sizes and very accessible faculty, prepare students well for any graduate work including medicine, and because they are small, students’ talents are tapped into extensively as a means of enhancing the community (so you don’t have to be a music major/pre-professional musician to perform in the school’s musical functions). They have no graduate students on campus competing for faculty attention or the research opportunities-the LACs are all about undergraduate teaching and research. Foreign students often don’t know about them because they only know of schools with large graduate school programs-yet they are exceedingly welcoming of foreign undergraduates in most cases. Many have excellent financial aid for foreign students because they want to increase the diversity of their student populations. The downside is that many of these school are in remote (rural) locations and very cold in the winter.</p>

<p>Look into the following:</p>

<p>Grinnell (my personal favorite, S is attending)
Macalester
Carleton
Amherst
Williams
Middlebury
Pomona (warm weather!)
Bowdoin
Colby
Bates
Hamilton
Davidson (warm weather)
Swarthmore
Bryn Mawr (all women)
Smith (all women)
Haverford</p>

<p>I know you have only a day or say to decide who gets the scores, but remember you can send them after the fact for a fee.</p>

10

<p>Thanks M’s Mom! I’ll check them out! =)</p>

<p>Well, since I was so late, I sent the SAT scores to some less-known colleges:
Elmira College
Northwestern College
Colby-Sawyer
College of Idaho</p>

<p>Heard of any of these? Are any of these colleges strong in sciences?</p>

<p>I don’t have much hopes of even getting into any of these though, but I’ll try applying next Fall =) I’ll be researching all those colleges everyone’s so kindly suggested =) </p>

<p>Okay, I know I’ve asked so much, but are there any specific colleges which have extracurricular programs like music, but are strong in sciences, especially in preparing students for a career in medicine? Perhaps, a high acceptance into reputable med schools? They should be generous in their scholarships too =) I don’t think my parents can pay much =)</p>

<p>Thanks again for reading=) All of you are just awesome!</p>

11

<p>Sarahcsm, ALL the top liberal arts school are strong in sciences and send students on to medical school (which is why they are top schools) and they ALL have extensive extra-curricular music opportunities-some more than others. S likes Grinnell because they have the best science facilities of all the schools mentioned above, the smallest class sizes, and the most money/student for research etc…and they are very generous with financial aid to foriegn students. He is also interested in music, so they have good facilities and numerous performance opportunities. But they are also located in a very rural area and the weather is VERY cold in the winter. I suggest you check it out. Fit is very important at the small liberal arts colleges because you can’t easily avoid the culture.</p>

12

<p>Thanks again M’s mom. After what you’ve said, I think Grinnell might be quite suitable for me, except for the weather. I’ll be checking out more on that college. =)</p>