I am very confused. Need quick help on choosing schools!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Im a senior and I want to study Political Science. Need advice on where to apply.</p>

<p>-I am a dual citizen including US Citizenship but I never lived in US.</p>

<p>-My SAT score is going to be available on Jan 1, which Im waiting for a 1500 considering the previous one and my preparation exams. But as I am not familiar with the US system I think they will understand this (?)***</p>

<p>-I am about to graduate from a French High School in Turkey. It is a strict and well-disciplined school. American Universities are aware of the strictness of French schools as well, they say they consider our grades higher than it is when converting to the US System. But they dont declare the exact point. </p>

<p>-We get grades over 100. And my GPA average is 60% which is not bad for our school. But I assume the average GPA of the school is a bit higher. I had 60,99%, 51,44%, 63,94 and 65% respectively for years 1, 2, 3 and 4. And I am increasing my grades this year, I got grades above 70 for at least 5 courses.</p>

<p>-My father studied in CalState Sacramento, University of Louisiana at Lafayette and University of Missouri, Columbia and worked as a professor in UL and Mizzou. (I dont know if that changes anything based on the admissions for other schools)(?)***</p>

<p>-I attended Boston University's English as a Second Language Programme this summer. (Is it good for BU admissions)(?)***</p>

<p>-For extracurricular activities, I have 3 years of MUN (as VP, press member and delegate for respectively grades 11,10 and 9.) I attended another conference (governmental/politics based again) in grade 10, and we wrote a resolution on the problem between Turkey and Greece, which is the continental shelf. The resolution has been passed and sended to a governmental organisation.
I was a member of the volleyball team for 3 years as well. I was the class president for grades 9 and 10. I was the president of the Entrepreneurship club(11th grade), which we organised an end-of-the year festival for fundraising for charity. In all grades, I volunteered at an animal shelter and fundraised at school to help build dog houses at the animal shelter. In grades 11 and 12 I assisted the elderly at an hospital on a regular basis. I interned at a radio station during a summer and assisted with the daily tasks. This year, I leaded the organisation on creating the design of the sweatshirts for senior year students. And just participated the Contrarwise International Contest by Columbia University with my poem.
Here is my school list: (By the way I need help on choosing 20 schools for commonapp and BU is going to be on list no matter what.)</p>

<p>The schools that only accepts commonapp:
Bentley University
Boston College
Boston University
Bucknell University
Chapman University
Colby-Sawyer College
Denison University
DePauw University
Franklin & Marshall
Fordham
John Carroll University
Plymouth State University
Santa Clara University
Stonehill College
The College of New Jersey
The George Washington University
Union College
University of Cincinnati
University of Connecticut
University of Delaware
University of Illinois- Chicago
University of Miami
University of New Hampshire
University of Rhode Island
University of Vermont
Wheaton College, MA</p>

<p>Others:
American University
Babson College( No political science obviously but its OK)
Drew University
Emory & Henry College
McDaniel College
Menlo College
Ohio State University
Philadelphia University
Southern Connecticut State University
Southern Methodist University
Suffolk University
University of Dayton
University of Hartford
University of Louisiana-LaFayette
University of Maine
University of Massachusetts, Boston
University of New England
University of New Haven
University of Rochester
University of Southern Maine
Wagner College
Washington College
Washington & Jefferson College
Western Connecticut State University
Wheelock College
Wittenberg University
Bridgewater State University
Clemson University
Eastern Illinois University
Johnson and Wales
James Madison University
Illinois State University
Iowa State University
Ohio Dominican University
Ohio Northern University
Ohio University
Pennsylvania State University
University of Iowa
University of Maryland-College Park
University of Missouri, Columbia
University of Pittsburgh
University of Washington
Westfield State University</p>

2

<p>What can you afford? Neither your test scores nor your GPA seem impressive.</p>

3

<p>How much will your parents pay each year? That will largely determine where you should apply. You have a lot of out of state publics on your list. You also have some privates that don’t give great aid, including BU.</p>

<p>You also have some schools that are hard to get into, but your stats don’t sound like they’re nearly high eough.</p>

<p>When you say that you expect a 1500 on your SAT, do you mean a total for all three sections? </p>

4

<p>Thanks for replies @mom2collegekids and @intparent !!</p>

<p>Yes, 1500 for all three sections.</p>

<p>I dont have a specific state citizenship for the moment. For instance, I will get Massachusetts citizenship if I stay there for a year. So I will be considered as out-of state for the first year.</p>

<p>We can afford $40,000 a year. Maybe a $2.000 more but no more than this.</p>

5

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<p>?</p>

<p>Who told you that? I don’t think that’s true. One of your parents would have to move to Mass for you to get residency there. That is true for all states. You can’t just come and go to school for a year and claim residency. It doesn’t work that way. Your residency is based on where your parents LIVE.</p>

<p>Your dad may be remembering how things were 20 years ago, but states have tightened up a LOT.</p>

<p>If you come here to go to school, then your primary reason is for education…states don’t give residency for that. And, your parents don’t live here…they don’t pay taxes in Mass.</p>

<p>Your SAT score will be too low for many schools, but some will still accept you.</p>

<p>You attend a French school and have Catholic schools on your list. Are you Catholic and do your parents want you to attend a Catholic univ?</p>

<p>If you want poly sci to later attend law school, you should apply to Alabama…very good poly sci and a highly ranked law school. Your stats are modest, but Alabama would accept you and it’s better than a number of schools on your list…plus it has better regional diversity than many schools on your list.</p>

6

<p>Well I am a US Citizen already. So most of the states give state citizenship in a year as I heard. But thats not very important actually, because private schools dont charge in-state and out-of-state students differently. And public schools dont ask for more than $40,000 usually.
@mom2collegekids</p>

7

<p>Oh I know that you’re a US citizen, that’s not the issue.</p>

<p>I just wanted you to know that if you do go to a public univ, you will not be given state RESIDENCY (it’s not called citizenship) after one year. For that to happen, one of your parents would need to move here with you…and THEN after one year you would be given residency…but with no parents here, no residency.</p>

<p>But, you’re right…publics don’t usually cost more than $40k…so that’s fine. I just wanted you and your parents to know that you won’t get instate rates after one year. </p>

<p>@internationalInt‌ </p>

8

<p>Thank you! @mom2collegekids‌</p>

<p>I am not Catholic but theres no problem for me and for my family to apply to Jesuit Universities.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice, UAlabama is great but not really where I want to be. </p>

<p>I would like to be in New England (Especially Boston is my dream place), Iowa or Ohio. Can you predict which schools on my list probably wont accept me?</p>

<p>Would schools like Emmanuel or Suffolk in Boston give scolarship to me? Theyre nearly $60.000.</p>

9

<p>OP, Heidelberg, Marietta and Muskingum are some Ohio universities that you can get in to with a 1500 SAT score. Total cost of attendence at Muskingum is $37,000 but I think you might get some merit there as well. Earlham, in Indiana but only minutes from the Ohio border, has a large percentage of international students so if your grades are good by international standards they would realize that. International students must submit either the SAT or the TOEFL so if your TOEFL score is good you won’t need to submit your SAT score. Their total cost of attendance is about $50,000 but they do offer merit. </p>

10

<p>I am worried about where you are in the college search/selection process with most deadlines less than two weeks away. You do not want to waste money sending applications and scores to schools that aren’t right for you, and you do not have enough time to produce supplemental essays for 20 schools, in my opinion. Have you applied anywhere yet? Are you satisfied with your Common App essay?</p>

11

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<p>Do they typically give merit for average stats? Maybe a small token award, but certainly not $20k per year to get costs down to $40k. </p>

<p>Also, you will have to buy health insurance here, so add in another $2500 to your costs. Plus, you’ll have international travel costs, which easily could be another $2000 per year. Ask your parents if the $40k budget INCLUDES int’l travel costs AND health insurance costs. </p>

<p>I only suggested Alabama because it would accept you AND you listed Stonehill (which is in Alabama) and University of Louisiana-LaFayette (which is a MUCH LOWER ranked school). </p>

12

<p>Your list is still way too long. Take off Johnson & Wales – it’s more for cooking and hospitality, not political science. Illinois State is best for education, so I’d take that off too. And I doubt UMCP will be possible, with your stats. </p>

13

<p>@siliconvalleymom
Im done with the commonapp essay. there were only 2 Supplementals, theyre ok also.
What is your opinion about my school list? I picked out The George Wash, Boston College as theyre very far reach and Colby-Sawyer, Johnson & Wales as well as theyre bad ranked schools.</p>

<p>@applemath thanks!</p>