Help with picking a college?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi there, </p>

<p>I'm currently a high school junior who would love some suggestions for colleges around the US. I really need some help with figuring out a potential list of colleges to look at.</p>

<p>I live in Colorado, and while my parents have not given me a set amount on how much they will pay for my college, I can't see them putting in 50k+ unless it's a really reputable school. I have already applied for several scholarships and will continue to do so, however, so please suggest any school that comes to mind when you look at my info no matter the cost.</p>

<p>While I haven't completely narrowed down my intended major, I am mostly looking at Cell and Molecular Biology with either a double major or a minor in Business Administration, Management, or Marketing. This is subject to change, but I'll probably stick with either science or business.</p>

<p>Here are my stats:</p>

<ul>
<li>4.333 weighted GPA, 3.733 unweighted</li>
<li>International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidate</li>
<li>Several extracurricular activities (Including DECA, FBLA, Student Council, NHS, a political club, yearbook). </li>
<li>I am the President of one of those clubs, Vice President of the Student Body, and a Yearbook Editor. I've held several similar positions in the past (VP of Junior Class, VP of DECA, etc) and I have placed at state and international levels for DECA, FBLA.</li>
<li>I have held 3 jobs since I was a freshman, one over the summer, two during the summer and school year.</li>
<li>I don't know how impressive it is, but I hold a marketing internship (I'm a Brand Ambassador) for a company.</li>
<li>I have 180+ volunteer hours, both for IB CAS hours and NHS.</li>
</ul>

<p>As far as my college preferences go:
- I would actually prefer to go out-of-state rather than in-state.
- I don't want a complete party school, but I do want to have fun and be in a social environment.
- Size of school isn't really that important of a factor to me, but I'd prefer a small or middle-sized school over a large one. </p>

<p>Any recommendations for me? If you'd like any more details just ask. Thank you so much!</p>

2

<p>Forgot to mention: My December ACT score was a 29, but I took an eight-week prep course and just took the exam in April. Still waiting on the results but I’m hopeful it will be around a 30/31.</p>

3

<p>My son had similar ECs and a lower GPA (weighted and unweighted). His first ACT was 29, and he went up to 31 the second time around. He had a similar experience with SATs. He got into Tulane, but without any scholarship. They would probably be a great school for you, but only if you snag a large merit award. I believe that you could get in, but they cost more than $60k, and they did not meet our EFC. I don’t know how large a school you want. If you hope to get a generous merit scholarship, you will have to apply to more “low-match” and “safe” schools, or to honors programs within Colorado’s public university system. Your stats probably aren’t quite good enough for most of the richest, need-blind schools. You can try applying to one or two, especially if your test scores rise, but you should also open your mind and heart to some schools with a little less prestige - they’re the ones that are likely to offer you big merit awards. I think you and your parents will have to discuss finances sometime. They can do a dry-run with FAFSA, although the application for '15-‘16 won’t open until next January. It might be easier to look at the “Net Price Calculator” on specific college pages. Almost every family has a very different notion of what they can afford from what the colleges say they can afford. In our case, my son applied to colleges of his choice, regardless of price-tag. Once he had acceptances and scholarship awards, he could choose from colleges that ranged in cost from about $25k to almost $65k per year. He chose the least expensive option, to his parents’ great relief. Some small colleges, like New College of Florida, are very reasonably priced, and have excellent records for graduate and professional school admission. Do you have a good counselor at your school, or an IB supervisor? You might start with them. Some colleges are more generous than others in awarding IB credit, and that can factor into the economic equation. Unfortunately, you won’t be sure how much credit you’ll receive until you get your IB scores, months after you have to commit to a college. Perhaps you should nail down a few more criteria, in terms of geography and setting (ie. rural vs. urban vs. “college town”), and other interests. I always steer people to the “Colleges That Change Lives” consortium if they want an eclectic group of smaller colleges, but the “Super-Match” function here can help you, also. Lehigh, Villanova, Goucher, Rhodes, Fordham, Wake Forest, Reed, Occidental, Whitman, Tulane, Holy Cross, Clark, Bard, Middlebury, Davidson, William & Mary, and Kenyon might all fall on a spectrum for you to consider. If your test scores rise significantly, you could add Cornell, Vanderbilt, or University of Chicago as reaches. That’s just a random list, to start with. You should have plenty of safeties available, with your stats. I can tell you from experience that Willamette, Guilford, and Eckerd are very generous with merit scholarships.</p>

4

<p>You might get some merit aid at Dickinson in Pennsylvania if your score goes up to a 31 or higher. They have Econ or International Business as majors. However – that will still be around $45K/year even with a likely merit award.</p>

<p>You need to have a talk with your parents about what they can and are willing to pay. Run the net price calculators at some of the schools you are interested in if you are applying for need based aid.</p>

<p>If you are just counting on merit aid, then search for the Common Data Set for each college (Google '<college name=""> Common Data Set). I think it is section H that shows some statistics on merit based aid (# of students who get it and average amounts). If your test scores fall in the top 25% for the school, then you may have a shot at some of that aid. But it does give you an idea of the amount that is possible. Be sure you look at the full cost of attendance, too, and then you could figure out what you might end up paying if you get merit aid.</college></p>

<p>It is a larger school, but U of MN - Twin Cities has fairly low out of state tuition.</p>

5

<p>I would use CU Boulder as your safety. I’m at the school now, and wow is it impressive. Certainly one of the nicest publics I’ve ever been to and the college town is incredible.</p>

<p>The University of Miami might be a possibility as would Syracuse, University of Puget Sound (show a bit of interest and you’ll get heaps of merit), Go</p>

6

<p>I realize I sent the draft version of this and not the actual one.
Beyond CU Boulder, UPS, and UM, consider Gonzaga, and if you’re willing to go to a more culturally and politically Southern school, Furman.</p>

7

<p>get clarification from your parents as to how much they’ll pay each year. </p>

8

<p>I would look at Colorado College even though it is in-state. It is an excellent institution. I would love to recommend other schools to you but would you rather be in an urban, suburban, or rural environment?</p>

9

<p>Do a lot of studying for your SAT, and you have a great shot at getting into one of the ‘lesser’ ivy’s with a decent amount of financial aid.</p>

10

<p>@woogzmama : Funny, I’ve actually been looking a lot at Tulane recently! My dad isn’t too fond of it because of the price, but he said he’ll consider it. Thank you for all of the advice and suggestions though, that’s incredibly helpful. </p>

<p>@intparent : Definitely will look into Dickinson. Unfortunately I don’t think I will qualify for any need-based financial aid, but hopefully my test scores will be enough to give me a shot at merit aid.</p>

<p>@whenhen : CU Boulder would actually be my top choice for in-state schools. I’ll check out the other schools you suggested, too - I’ve looked a bit at Puget Sound and Gonzaga and I like the sound of them a lot.</p>

<p>@mom2collegekids : My dad won’t give me a firm number, he just keeps saying “It depends on the school”. I think he’s open to paying for a more expensive school if he thinks it’s reputable and a good investment, but it really just depends on what I can convince him of and what a visit to the school is like. I can’t see him dropping a ton of money on a small liberal arts school, though.</p>

<p>@tenstudent : Colorado College is pretty nice. I think I’d prefer a school in an urban or suburban environment over a rural area.</p>

<p>Thanks for all of your help so far!</p>

11

<p>Never create your list of possible colleges using the scores you hope to get on another seating. Identify the colleges that are reaches, matches, and safeties for you with the numbers you have at the end of your junior year. If you re-take tests, and your scores go up, you can tweak your list a bit - remove one safety from the bottom, and add a super-reach at the top, perhaps. With the numbers you posted, I would say that the Ivy League is just out of reach. A huge leap in your ACT score might bring Cornell into range, but I’d advise you to stick with a more realistic group. Can your family manage some college tours this summer? If you haven’t made any vacation plans yet, you should try to work in as many as possible. </p>

12

<p>lico15 - My son was accepted with similar stats. Although he received no scholarships or financial aid, I inferred from Tulane acceptance threads here on CC that some people got decent offers with stats that weren’t much higher. Tulane usually offers free applications, and - better yet - a non-binding early notification option. If they follow their protocols from the past few years, you will hear from them by Thanksgiving if you apply before 11/1. Unlike many colleges, they include merit scholarship announcements with the acceptance letter. This is why Tulane is such a popular college: they are a reach, match, or safety for a broad range of students, and there is no downside to applying.</p>

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<p>Hello lico15. Thank you for telling me your setting preference! I saw that you were looking at both UPS and Gonzaga. I live in Washington State so I know a bit about both. UPS is in Tacoma which to be honest is a pretty mediocre city which is about a 30 minute to an hour and a half drive to Seattle depending on traffic. UPS had a pretty bad reputation twenty years ago but it has turned around. I know people that go to both UPS and Gonzaga and love it! Please let me know if you have specific questions about either of those colleges.</p>

<p>When it comes to a list, here is what I have come up with based on your preferences and high school standings.</p>

<p>-Seattle University (In the heart of Seattle. I know people who go there and love it!) Level: Safety School</p>

<p>-Lewis & Clark (In Portland, Oregon. It has an absolutely beautiful campus!) Level: Low Match School</p>

<p>-University of Portland (Location in Name) Level: Safety School</p>

<p>-Reed College (In Portland, Oregon. Very liberal but fantastic institution!) Level: Match School</p>

<p>-Macalester College (In St. Paul, Minnesota) Level: Reach School </p>

<p>-Occidental College (In LA, California) Level: High Match School</p>

<p>-Boston College (In Boston, MA) Level: Reach School</p>

14

<p>^Reed - Not a good fit, does not offer business AND almost impossible to double major due to the senior thesis requirement in each major.</p>

15

<p>^ I agree with @intparent‌ about Reed (and it’s a reach)

Huh? CC is in Colorado Springs…</p>

16

<p>I think M2CK is right, you need to know what your parents will pay. I’d run the Net Price Calculators for different schools (you can google net price calculator + name of school) and use the info. you get there to get a better idea of what your parents might pay. Run a few in state schools (public & private) that have your selected majors and some OOS and compare the results.</p>

17

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<p>Ok…so ask him…</p>

<p>(many parents have NO IDEA how much colleges cost these days…and they have no idea that even if tuition is about $40k, you also have to pay about 15-17k in room, board, fees, books, etc…or more!)</p>

<p>Your dad may think a top school would only cost about 40k</p>

<p>how much would you pay for an Ivy League? would you pay $65k per year? No? then how much?</p>

<p>how much would you pay for UCLA or Umich? would you pay $55k per year? No, then how much?</p>

<p>How much would you pay for a very good private (like Tufts, Rice, Georgetown, Notre dame? would you pay $60k per year? no? then how much?</p>

<p>How much would you pay for a very good private rated around 50-70 in USNews? would you pay $60k per year? no? then how much?</p>

<p>How much would you pay for a PrIvate safety (ranked around 75+)? 40k? more? less? </p>

<p>How much would you pay for a safety IS or OOS public school (like UArizona, UAlabama, UColorado)? $40k? $30k? less? how much?</p>

<p>since your dad is open to paying for a more expensive school, then that suggests that you would NOT qualify for any need-based aid. to get a good amount of merit to have a much lower net price, you would need to raise your scores.</p>

18

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<p>Dont know what your dad is expecting, but to be competitive for a top school (ivy, washu, rice, etc), you would need to have an ACT 33+…probably more like a 34+.</p>

<p>to get substantial merit at mid-tier schools, you really need an ACT 30-33+. With your act 29, Bama would give you a half tuition scholarship. with a 30, you’d get a 2/3 tuition scholarship. With a 32, youd get free tuition. However, bama is unusually generous. </p>

19

<p>If you are really intent on a double major, that may be more do-able at a small private which can offer more flexibility and perhaps individually designed courses for upper division (I double majored, finished in 8 semesters with honors; psychology worked around nursing). However do not let your ambitions rule out schools that can offer you great cost-effective education, and perhaps saving $$ for higher prestige graduate school.</p>

<p>Your dad may be surprised at college costs, and maybe not. Without higher stats, you do need to at least pay room and board everywhere. If you can get him very involved with your process, you can have another set of eyes and ears - and can mull over various opportunities and costs.</p>

<p>Higher standardized test (ACT or SAT) will open options. Look at June test dates and preparation. Then see how you can incorporate improving test scores for fall dates. </p>

<p>UA honors college is a great option for you if you can get ACT up to 32 (full academic scholarship for 4 years). If you study engineering, ACT of 30 with your GPA is full academic scholarship plus $2500/year additional engineer scholarship.</p>

<p>If you have not visited any colleges, you need to see what ‘fit’ is good for you - small, med size, lg, and various private schools…</p>

20

<p>Do check out U of Portland. It’s a private school with a lovely residential campus, good sciences and a great business program. With your stats, you can probably qualify for enough aid to make it comparable in cost to UC-Boulder (another great school, btw), should you be looking for a school with a smaller student population.</p>

<p>Colorado College is a private school, so your tuition COA would be dependent on your stats to qualify for a portion of their limited merit-based aid, since you aren’t sure if your family qualifies for need-based aid. </p>