<p>Hey guys! Before I post my list, I just want to let you know that I'll be a junior in the fall and I'm going to take the ACT for the first time on June 11th. I have a 3.9ish GPA. I'm in the 10 percent of my class and my main extracurricular activities are: Marching/Concert Band, Contest Debate and 4-H. I plan to major in international relations with a specialty in middle eastern studies. I go to a very small public high school in rural Missouri.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago, I decided I should start thinking about colleges. I know that my list has a lot of very high reaches, but if I don't end up applying to them, I'll always wonder "what if". Another thing that I noticed was that a lot of the less-selective colleges don't meet 100% of a student's demonstrated financial need. My parents have already told me that unless I can get my education mostly paid for, I'm going to be stuck at my state school. </p>
<p>Here's my list:</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna College
Brown University
University of Chicago
Johns Hopkins University
University of Missouri (safety)
University of Arkansas (safety)
Middlebury College
University of Virginia
Georgetown University
Stanford University
University of Notre Dame
Tufts University
Barnard College</p>
<p>Your list will be easier to review after you have ACT scores.</p>
<p>If the ACT scores are solid enough to apply to the reaches you have listed, then you should also consider a catergory down in rank for chances at merit schools.</p>
<p>Sit down with your parents and run an EFC. Some families find the EFC to be more than the current cash flow. In that case, even the schools that meet full need may not work for you. Keep in mind the private schools all determine need differently.<br>
Claremont is well known for keeping EFCs lower than most schools, so I recommend keeping that school on the list assuming ACT scores are in-line.<br>
Notre Dame - I haven’t heard good things regarding their FA.</p>
<p>I recommend looking into American in DC and Goucher near Baltimore MD. American seems very hit or miss with the FA/merit. This year they were very generous to an extended family member of mine. Goucher has nice merit and is a solid school for your interests. It is profiled in the book Colleges That Change Lives - You may want to check the book out of your local library.</p>
<p>I’d recommend combing through your list after you receive your ACT scores. You should focus on limiting the high reach schools to those that both meet full need and do not include loans or limit loans. You should ditch the high reach that doesn’t meet this criteria and replace it with schools like Goucher that offer high merit.</p>
<p>This is a good list of schools, but it’s a hard call until you get your ACT score’s back. Do you have any preference as to a smaller school vs. a larger university? This is a big mix and the personalities of the schools are somewhat different (Brown, Tufts, Middlebury are a diff. student body then CM, UVa, UC). Just trying to get an idea of where you fit in, but you will know more about that after you are able to visit some of these schools. I like the book the Best 373 Colleges because it gives more information on what kinds of students are there, whether frats are big or non-existant, academically challenging vs. more laid back, etc. Also, if you look in the lower right hand corner of the page of the school, there’s all the percentages on need-based aid given and non-need based aid (it sounds like this will be an important decision factor). Get an estimated EFC too -it will help you cross off schools that are certain not to give you enough aid. You will find that over the next year, some of your schools will remain, some will be eliminated, and you will definitely add some new schools. Last step for us was really researching each school’s programs of study and whether intended major (or double major) was what son was looking hoping for (strength of dept., reputation of major, etc). But again, you will have a much better sense of where you see yourself after the visits. You are wise to start your list now!</p>
<p>Longhaul: Thank you! Your post was very helpful! :)</p>
<p>I’m expecting that my ACT score will be in the high twenties. I would prefer a 30 or above, but I’m not really sure what to expect, so I’ll just do the best that I can. </p>
<p>I know that Brown has a no-loan policy. I’ll have to check on the others. I would hope that Stanford and UChicago would, though. </p>
<p>I’ll definitely check the book out. I would love to read it. </p>
<p>Are there any schools on my list that don’t have strong International Relations programs? </p>
<p>Thank you for recommending Goucher (I hadn’t heard of it until now) and American. Just from checking out their websites, I like them both.</p>
<p>^agree witht the other poster! I personally love Goucher (formerly JHU women’s college) and actually my daughter will be applying there. The Colleges that Change Lives book by Lauren Pope (that poster mentioned) does include lots of schools that offer the non-need based aid and need based aid, so check it out at library. The other favorites for me in that book are Denison, Ohio Wesleyan, College of Wooster, Earlham, Knox (which is right near you in IL). Good luck!</p>
<p>I don’t really have a preference, but I don’t want to go to a school that has more than 20,000 students. I don’t want to be just a number. I have to look at that book, too.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don’t think that my parents will let me visit very many of the schools on my list. I’ll be able to visit the University of Missouri, the University of Arkansas (because they’re close) and maybe Notre Dame and UChicago. My parents don’t think it’s smart to spend 1,000 bucks visiting colleges that I might not get into. </p>
<p>As of now, Brown is my first choice, so I want to visit the campus. I wanted to go to Summer@Brown, but my parents wouldn’t let me because of the cost, even though I possibly could have gotten a scholarship. </p>
<p>Thanks. My mom, especially, wants me to go to the university in my hometown and become a dental hygienist. It’s not going to happen… :)</p>
<p>Another thing that I forgot to mention is that I would prefer to go to a college that is on either the West or the East Coast. I like Chicago, so it’s the exception. It and Notre Dame. The Midwest is okay, but I’ve grown up there. It’s too familiar and I hate living in tornado alley. This year has been especially bad.</p>
<p>Might look at Holy Cross very good LAC located 1 hour from Boston. Holy Cross is need blind for admissions-meets 100% of demonstrated need. HC is similar to Gtown and Notre Dame.</p>
<p>I really recommend you run that EFC calculation with your family and have a serious talk about money and how much your parents are willing to pay. Your parents sound very unwilling to spend $$$ to travel & visit colleges, which to me signals cash flow problems. </p>
<p>If their EFC turns out to be much higher than they expect (it usually does) then some of these over $50,000+ per year schools may not be financially feasible. It is best to start thinking about the finances early on, rather than looking at a bunch of acceptances with unaffordable options next March-April.</p>
<p>My first bit of advice is to spend the summer prepping for the PSAT. Many schools offer generous financial aid to National Merit Semi-Finalists and Finalists (USC and Alabama come to mind). That studying will also help you with your SAT/ACT test taking. You’re projecting a high twenties ACT, frankly that’s going to make a chunk of your list highly unlikely (At Stanford, Chicago, Brown and Notre Dame for example, a 29 is at or below the 25th%-tile for admitted students).</p>
<p>The second bit of advice I have is to cut down on the huge reaches. Many of those schools have $65-$90 (Stanford) application fees. Playing the “If I don’t apply I’ll never know” game is alluring but also very expensive. Chicago, Brown, Claremont & Georgetown have <20% admit rates so even very strong candidates are getting rejections from those schools. Stanford has a <7% admittance rate, that’s not an application fee it’s a lottery ticket.</p>
<p>App fees, especially at the elite schools are a pet peeve of mine. Schools want you to play the “what if” game, it’s in their best interest not yours. The bigger the candidate pool the choosier they get to be; just remember you’re paying for the right to be in the game. In 2010 Stanford had 32,022 applicants at $90 each, guessing that 10% of applicants got a fee waiver that’s leaves nearly $2.6 million in fees with only 2,250 candidates being offered admission. That’s a lot of profit.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you will need to score at least 32 on the ACT to even be competitive at most of these schools (privates) especially with how difficult admissions were this past year. Schools like Georgetown, ND, Brown, UVA (OOS) and Stanford are very numbers driven, and a 32 is on the low end. Is your gpa weighted or unweighted? Are you a URM? That would make a difference.</p>
<p>I would say your list is ambitious to unrealistic unless you can test out to 2100 - 32 on SAT/ACT.</p>
<p>Is 3.90 weighted or unweighted? Aside from your safeties , most of the schools on your list reject or waitlist sub 4.20 weighted GPA.</p>
<p>Assuming you can pull a 1900/28 , these are more realistic options : Brandeis , NYU , George Washington University, Michigan,Fordham , Ohio St , Rutgers , Syracuse.</p>
<p>Good luck on your tests , and good luck with your search and applications.</p>
<p>Brave Ulysses: My UW GPA is a 3.95 and my W GPA is a 4.4. I’m hoping for a 32 on the ACT. I don’t want to expect too much from myself, so I set my standards lower. No one from my school has ever scored above a 32 on the ACT. In fact, only one person scored that high. Only one person in the history of my school (that I’m aware of) has taken the SAT. </p>
<p>I expect that I’ll get a 35 on both the English and the Reading sections. I haven’t taken Trig yet, so I think I’ll get a 26 on the Math. On the Science section, I’m hoping for a 32.</p>
<p>vinceh: Thanks for all of the advice. As I stated in another post, only one person has taken the SAT from my school. I guess I can try to prep for the PSAT, but it’s practically unheard of at my school.</p>
<p>One person got into Baylor University. That’s the best my school has, basically. One of my friends was brave and applied to Columbia, Brown, Washington University and Yale. She got rejected to all of them except for Washington University. She was wait-listed. The rest of the graduates this year are either going to community college or Mizzou.</p>
<p>SLUMOM: It’s not that there are problems. It’s just that my parents think that I should save the money to actually pay for college. I’ll figure something out.</p>
The Midwest is okay, but I’ve grown up there. It’s too familiar and I hate living in tornado alley. This year has been especially bad.</p>