<p>I'm just a sophomore in HS, but I have trying to find the right college to aim for. I go to an arts school for vocal music, but I also love acting. And business. And political science. And psychology/philosophy. As you can see, I'm very decisive. :)</p>
<p>I would love to go to a college that has a strong arts/business/social science program, but that's just wishful thinking. I'm also looking for a good location and good reputation, but that's pretty shallow of me anyway... </p>
<p>First, I thought of how far I want to go for college, and made sure to go to a college fair. I think that’s the way to start, and then you can start finding the college for you. And don’t think it’s bad you don’t know what you want, I still debate what I want to do sometimes and I am almost done with the college application process lol</p>
<p>If you don’t have one yet, DON’T GO LOOKING FOR ONE. Having ONE dream college is just setting yourself up for a tougher college search. The colleges you like either will or won’t let you in based on your accomplishments, essays, test scores, etc. How much you love them won’t count for a bit most of the time, so don’t waste your time setting one on a pedestal. Plus, lots of people pick out “dream colleges” that they can’t afford. THAT really hurts. So instead…</p>
<ol>
<li> Get a copy of the Fiske Guide to Colleges book.</li>
<li> Go through and mark colleges that you are interested in based on the descriptions, locations, strength of majors, etc.</li>
<li> Did you take the PSAT this year? It is hard to get serious if you don’t know what your test scores will look like… You can visit a few schools to see if you like big vs. small, urban vs. rural, etc. But without the scores it is not a very useful exercise.</li>
<li> Understand your family’s financial situation. Do you need good need based aid? Is merit aid important? That is often the biggest factor in your final decision. If you are the oldest, honestly, your parents may not be tuned in to the cost of college these days. Work with them to go through some of the financial calculators on college websites of a few schools you are interested in. Keep the smelling salts on hand to revive them when they see what the colleges will expect them to come up with…</li>
<li> Based on scores, finances, and your review of Fiske, make a list of colleges to visit junior year and summer after that. Try to get your visiting done by end of summer so your fall is free for applications. Take good notes when you visit so you can tell 'em apart when writing the “Why X” essays in the fall.</li>
<li> Start testing midway through Junior year, try to get it all done Junior year if possible. Again, frees up fall of senior year for applications.</li>
<li> Make a final list late in the summer before senior year based on this process. Include only colleges you want to go to and think you can afford (depending on financial aid). Be sure you have an academic safety, financial safety, and one close to home school on the list. What you want or can do in August can change a lot by May (family circumstances change, etc.).</li>
</ol>
<p>This process should give you a list of colleges you could be happy at and will give you good choices in the spring of senior year. My second D is in the middle of this, and just pared her list down to her final 10 schools to apply to last night. She honestly does not have one “dream” school on the list – in fact, I anticipate her having a heck of a time picking in the spring because so many of them are a good fit for her, and I think it is a realistic list for her to expect admission to at least 7 of the 10. But I would MUCH rather have a hard time picking from good options than be crushed by rejection from the “one and only”. There are 10,000 colleges in the US… there is surely more than one great school for everyone.</p>
<p>I’m just going to help you get started looking at colleges. I’m a little biased, I applied ED to, and completely LOVE Northwestern. But NU has a great music school, one of THE best Theater schools, and is great at everything academic, also. It’s got a great reputation (Top 20 in rankings, which I don’t really care about, but it does tell you something) and it’s right next to Chicago.</p>
<p>I fell in love with my first college - Marymount Manhattan - which had everything I wanted. It took visiting other colleges and a second visit to realize it was my dream college! I follow MMC on facebook and twitter and can’t wait to be a part of the community. I was accepted in September for next fall. The only thing holding me back is the money! Hopefully I’ll get a decent FA package and can live out my dream in NYC!</p>
<p>You are doing well to start thinking about this Sophomore year
There are schools that will have strong offerings in the many things you are interested in, often your state flagship will have a good range of options, and many universities would also be good. You will learn more as you take courses and explore EC’s in high school.
A really good book is “10 best college majors for your personality type”, you might be able to get it from your library. If not it is pretty cheap.
There really is no such thing as a “dream school”. You will find schools that are a good match for your needs, personality, finances and ability to get in. Some schools will match you better than others, but nothing is perfect. So don’t get hung up on that concept.</p>
<p>I just started looking at Northwestern, and I am LOVING what I am seeing so far! Thank you Crimsonstained7!</p>
<p>Good luck with financial aid, McKinster. I’m glad you fell in love with your college.</p>
<p>And thank you BeanTownGirl. I’m looking for the book now. I don’t want to get hung up on one school, but I want to find a school I can reach for, to motivate me. That’s why I look at top tier schools and Ivies.</p>
<p>I ended up learning about my dream college from my best friend, and visited my jumior year. I loved it and felt comfortable walking around the campus and town. I never bought any books and only went to one college fair.</p>
<p>What isn’t there to love about Northwestern? I Just can’t wait for December 15th when we get admissions decisions back. Definitely have a few colleges that fit your criteria, though. I’ve got 3 colleges I really like, but NU tops the list by far.</p>
<p>I’ll try to remember to tell you. I’m not a prodigy, haha, I’ve got average stats compared to a lot of the people on this site. One of the main reasons I have a chance is both my grandparents on my dad’s side went there Go check out the Northwestern board on here and you can see stuff there, too.</p>
