How's my list?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Well, here's my list as of right now grouped between safety, match, and reach (financially and academically):
Alabama
Florida
Florida State
Georgia</p>

<p>Michigan
Ohio State</p>

<p>Virginia
North Carolina
Duke
Vanderbilt
Southern California</p>

<p>I plan on visiting many of these already (and yeah, I like sports and school spirit). I want to major in some sort of combination of Econ/Applied math or Computer science or business, I don't know. It could always change.</p>

<p>Possibly Purdue, Northwestern, Georgia Tech (if I'm not too stressed as it is).</p>

<p>I'm a white male junior in Florida at a pretty competitive school, here are my stats:
7/537 class rank (probably will go even better at the end of this year)
4.0 GPA, 4.65 weighted
8 APs by the time I graduate</p>

<p>33 Composite ACT
Math 33
Reading 33
English 33
Science 31</p>

<p>2040 SAT (not gonna submit probably)
Math 670
Reading 670
Writing 700</p>

<p>My ECs are decent, not anything too special...:
National Honor Society
120-140 Community Service Hours between breast cancer events, my old middle school, and the local little league
Working 16-20 hours a week Junior and Senior years as concessions manager at the baseball fields
2 Varsity letters in baseball
co-founder of fantasy sports club (lol)
Mu Alpha Theta
Department awards in Government Honors and Physics Honors</p>

<p>I would appreciate some feedback, thanks in advance! </p>

<p>PS, I realize they are expensive, I ran some Net Price Calculators. We have money so I won't qualify for financial aid. I know I will probably need some out of state merit for many, which is why I tried to choose mainly schools which may provide me with that (besides Mich, UNC, and UVA).</p>

2

<p>Michigan costs over $50K/yr for OOS students. Maybe you should be looking at some private schools that would give you a better shot at merit aid (if not need-based financial aid)? Tulane, for example, should be a match. It apparently gives merit awards to over 1/3 of undergraduates with no determined need. UMiami is another private school that might fall in your “match” zone and offer you some merit money.
<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-private-colleges/index.php”>http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-private-colleges/index.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>@tk21769 thank you! Tulane may be an option but being in Florida, I know that I would not like to go to Miami. The area it’s in is awful /:</p>

4

<p>Bump</p>

5

<p>…</p>

6

<p>Since you put UNC in your reach category I’m hoping you know how difficult it is to get in as an out-of-state applicant. 83% of each freshman class they take is in-state. I too was looking at is as a possibility, and was very disappointed when I learned this because I am out of state as well! /:</p>

7

<p>@jaebird yes I do know, which is why I’m not expecting much. My friend who is about to graduate with a little higher gpa than me but a lower act got in with a full ride</p>

8

<p>I think I will add Tulane to my list just for more possibly affordable options.</p>

9

<p>If you need merit scholarships to be able to afford the out-of-state public schools, base your reach/match/safety assessment on getting the merit scholarships, not merely admission.</p>

10

<p>@ucbalumnus all that would do is move Michigan to a reach…</p>

11

<p>You know that Tulane is on New Orleans do you? :slight_smile: </p>

12

<p>Yes I do! It’s just a little smaller than I’d like to be honest @americanhopee</p>

13

<p>Bumpp</p>

14

<p>I would add G-Tech. I know you’re thinking about it, but honestly, it’s a solid match for you (academically. I have no idea what their FA is like). </p>

<p>If you don’t mind coming to the northeast, I’d recommend UMass-Amherst. It would be an academic safety, and OOS comes to about $37,000 a year. They do give out scholarships (check out their site for requirements) for all students, and it has an amazing Comp Sci department. </p>

<p>Overall, I think you have a very reasonable list (safeties, match and reaches are accurately placed, and you’ve noted the exceptions. You even have a healthy number of schools on your list). Good luck!</p>

15

<p>Hey! I think that’s a great starting list to go with. I remember when I started out, I had a huge list like yours but gradually narrowed it down based off what I was interested in. Visiting the schools definitely helps, as I found schools that were on the top of my list that I realized I didn’t like at all, and some surprising gems as well. </p>

<p>You may want to look into schools that offer to meet 100% of need or have significant merit scholarships if finances are a concern for you. In the end, it was one of the deciding factors for me, but it may be worth looking into now.</p>

<p>And another possible concern would be geographics. Do you plan on coming home during all the breaks or finding a friend to room with? Schools like USC, Michigan, and Ohio State seem to be a little farther out there and you may not be able to come home as often as you like.</p>

<p>But last but not least, after you visit there, choose based off community. Yes, strength of program is important, but I find that a smart, dedicated student will be able to succeed wherever you go. Go with the place you find most welcoming or has the type of student you’d connect with. Talk to your tour guides and keep in contact! You never know when they’d be able to give you some useful insight. Good luck!</p>

16

<p>@shawnspencer yeah I was planning on crossing some off the list after visiting (hopefully lol). And Alabama would give me automatic full tuition scholarship</p>

17

<p>And thanks so much guys! @shawnspencer @Violet1996</p>

18

<p>You should add CUNY Baruch to your list. It has a great business program and you would probably get Macaulay Honors, essentially giving you a full scholarship AND you would be in a big city. You might not get major school spirit, but you would have the thrill of NYC and you would have the perks of being in a location that would give you access to 2 basketball teams, 2 football teams, 2 baseball teams, 2 hockey teams, and a new MLS soccer team. It would be a great fit for someone who is into sports. Good luck! :)</p>

19

<p>Would Penn State be a better option than Virginia for me? I saw UVA only has the Jefferson scholarship</p>

20

<p>Penn State is super stingy with financial aid even for instate students and its costs are quite high. If you apply early (September 1st, basically) and get in with a science major (like college of minerals or college of science or engineering) you may get $4,000, then apply to Shreyer by November and keep your fingers crossed to be among the 10% admitted, the grand total will be $8,000 in scholarships, for a 46k pricetag. There’s also a random scholarship (Provost) but no one knows how it’s given, it truly looks random picks from the batch :slight_smile: On the forum, ask LucyTheLakie for an adult’s perspective and Etuck for an OOS student’s perspective.</p>