HS student lost with college search

College Search & Selection
1

I’m currently a senior at a fairly average public & diverse high school in Illinois. I currently have a very random list of schools I’m interested in. As of right now, I think I want to study Journalism/Communications or English with some (or several) minor(s) because I love writing. But, I’m not 100% sure and therefore I’ve been looking at more medium to larger schools so I’d have greater flexibility if down the road I want to change my major. The schools I have on my list right now were selected based off of criteria like the strength of their journalism/communications program, size (again, ideally not too big or too small), and campus (preferably by a city, or nice college town).

In no particular order…

-UIUC (I would get in-state, but in-state tuition in IL is still not the best)

-University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Already applied & based off my ACT alone I would get in-state tuition, not sure how I feel about being in Nebraska but I’ve heard they have a nice Journalism program?)

-Syracuse University (Newhouse is the obvious draw here, but would they give me money?)

-University of Missouri-Columbia (once again, Journalism school is the draw. But, I visited & for some reason didn’t absolutely love it?)

-Miami of Ohio (smaller, but still seems like a nice size for me. I’ve heard it’s very preppy/conservative though, which deters me a bit)

-University of St. Thomas-MN (liked this school a lot when I visited, seemed to have a very friendly student body/faculty. Would it offer me enough opportunities though if I decided to change majors?)

-American University (I like the idea of being near D.C., but not so sure about how financially feasible this one is…)

-University of Vermont (This one may seem random, but I have a close family friend that goes here & loves it. Burlington seems like a cool little town, too. Only issue is they don’t even have Journalism as a major, so I’d probably go in as an English major)

-University of Wisconsin-Madison (great school overall, but IL students rarely get money from them. I’ve been debating whether I should even keep it on the list)

I like the idea of going to a school where it’s not just about sports, but also not too academically intense. A student body that is both social, but still cares about their academics. Also, money is a big factor as well! I come from a big family that already has 3 other kids in college currently so securing as much merit aid/scholarships as possible is crucial.

Here are some stats about myself to help:
White female
ACT: c: 30, superscore: 32 (I’ve taken it 3 times and gotten a 30 every time. My English & Reading scores ranged from 32-35 on the tests I took were unfortunately dragged down by my math score of 26. I don’t see myself taking it again as I’ve already done prep, etc. and received the same score every time :confused: )
GPA: 4.05 (weighted on 4.0 scale), 3.54 (non-weighted)

AP classes/scores: AP Human Geo-4, AP World History-5, AP Eng. Lang & Comp-5, AP US History-5, AP Physics (got a B both semesters, but only got a 2 on the test). This year, I’m also taking AP French, AP Eng. Literature, AP Enviro. Sci., & AP Psych.

Extracurriculars:
-4 years on my school newspaper, this year I’m Editor-in-Chief.
-4 years on Varsity tennis team, captain my junior/senior years (I plan on not playing in college)
-NHS (inducted junior year)
-4 years class council member
-I did publicity for the Spring Musical at my school two years in a row, this included being in charge of designing & distributing posters/advertisements around school & around town
-4 years as a member of a volunteer club
-Student Election Judge last year for the November 2016 Election
-I played soccer freshman year & was also involved a few other low-involvement clubs I don’t think are worth mentioning
-I’ve also worked a part-time job throughout the school year and several different jobs during the summer since my freshman year.

Ultimately, I am completely lost right now. Please tell me what your general thoughts are on my schools so far, or if you know of some colleges I don’t have listed that might be a good match! Thanks!

2

Did you apply to St. Thomas? My son applied, he has a similar ACT and a little better GPA. He received a $30,000 a year merit scholarship.

3

It looks like you’ve done your research, which is great. I spent six years in Columbia, MO, so you can ask me questions about Mizzou, though I am not an expert about its journalism program, just the university in general.

If finances are a concern (it sounds like you will be depending on FA because your parents simply have a limit on how much they can spend), do realize that private schools can sometimes be the same cost (or even lower) than a public flagship. Why? Private schools have one set tuition rate; there is no difference between in-state and out-of-state students. Also, many private schools have to compete not only with other private colleges but also public schools. If not, they could not fill their seats. The top 1% don’t have enough college-aged children to take those seats. Thus, most private colleges (outside the elite ones) will throw merit money at high achieving students.

Obviously, some publics do offer merit money (scholarships not based on need), and they do try their best to also meet demonstrated financial need. Do your reading, both here on CC and online. Learn about the FA process. Learn how schools give out aid. Study the websites of the schools you have listed. For instance, if you have a question about Syracuse and money, their admissions/financial aid section should explain very clearly what their costs are. All schools must include a net price calculator, and if a public school has the calculator set to take into account OOS costs (not all do), that might give you an idea. Mostly, though, do your research on the financial side of things. You’ve clearly done your homework on the academic side.

4

It actually sounds like you are not nearly as lost as you claim. You have some very good schools on your list.

One issue: With any degree, and especially with a degree that does not obviously result in an immediate high paying job (ie, almost anything other than CS, Engineering, or MD or nursing), you should try to avoid debt if you possibly can. You have a list of very good schools and my guess is that the cost is going to vary quite a bit when offers come in.

From what I have heard UIUC is quite good.

I have more experience with UVM. It is a very good school in a very attractive location. It might not be the cheapest – I don’t know if an unweighted 3.54 will bring in a presidential merit scholarship and if not then it is not cheap for a state school.

I have only visited UW Madison a couple of times. From what I have heard it is also quite a good school.

I can’t comment on English or Journalism at any of these since my entire family ended up somewhere in the STEM areas.

Definitely run the NPC on each of the schools where you have applied.

5

I have a friend whose son just graduated Duquesne and got a TV journalism job right out the door. He had great financial aid and he loved it there.

6

How much are your parents able and willing to spend per year?
Have you (or they) run the online net price calculators on schools that interest you?
If so, can your parents cover the Expected Family Contribution?
If they can, you’re probably on the right track with the schools you’re considering.

However, if your class rank is in the top 10%, then with your stats and ECs you may have a shot at some more selective private schools, which may (depending on your family circumstances) offer lower net costs. Smaller schools won’t necessarily be less flexible for changing majors (as long as the smaller school has the majors you want.)

7

UW-Madison has a great journalism school, but the university gives very little financial aid to out of state residents (and not much to in state, either).

8

@Beachtime18 I did and I received about $30,000 as well in scholarships! It doesn’t seem like there are that many more scholarships to apply for to stack more on top of what I’ve received, but I’m pretty happy with how much they gave me.

@Hapworth Thanks for the tips! At this point in my college application process, I’ve heard back from all of my schools and now have a pretty accurate idea of how much money the school will give me. What you said definitely rings true, I received more scholarship money from the one private university I ended up applying to, University of St. Thomas, than the public schools, but it ended up evening out in the end. It will cost about the same, give or take a few thousand, at all of my schools (which is now narrowed down to just UNL, UIUC, Mizzou and UST). I guess I will end up in the Midwest after all!

@DadTwoGirls That’s the plan! What things have you specifically heard about UIUC? And I loved the idea of going to Vermont and Burlington seemed like such a great town, but I’d have to go in as an English major instead of a Journalism major, so I obviously ended up taking this one off my list :confused:

@ninakatarina Thanks for sharing, I always love to hear Journalism success stories! Not sure if I wanna tack on another school to my list now though, I’m already overwhelmed with my choices as it is!

@tk21769 While my EFC is $34,000, it’s not at all realistic for what my parents would be able to pay in a year. However, one thing I did forget to mention is my father passed away when I was little, so I do have some social security benefits saved away for my college fund. Granted, not all of that money went into my college fund since a large portion was used for just “living” and supporting my siblings and I. And it is still important I receive FA and apply for outside scholarships, but I am not starting from zero.

@rosered55 I actually visited UW-Madison a few years ago when I tagged along on an older sibling’s college tour and really liked the school/campus a lot. But, as you said, I ruled it out due to cost and on the assumption that they were going to give me little FA.