<p>OKAY.
I have finally figured out (I think!!) what I want in my college.
1) Location: anywhere, preferably warm or near the midwest (I'm from IL)
2) Size: NOT TOO SMALL. nothing less than 2500 (figured this out from visiting)
3) Majors: BIOCHEM and Engineering must be good becuase I don't know which I want to do. Also I would like if they have a Neuroscience major or minor (may want to do that). DEFINATELY REALLY STRONG RESEARCH/SCIENCE IN GENERAL
4) Social: Definately would like social student body that likes to have fun "work hard play hard"
5) Atmosphere: definately intellectual, whether its super selective or not. Also, would like laid-back compared to type-A preprofessionals dominating. Also, big intramural participation/sporty would be a plus. And not super left-wing politcally.
6) Future Plans: Grad or Med School
**** I am especially looking for a school that might give me a really generous financial aid package. I will qualify for some need-based, but to extend my options past instate school, I would need A LOT of money, even if this means less selective.*****</p>
<p>STATS
35 ACT
4.81 GPA (W)
Rank 12/660ish
NMSF
NHS Secretary
German Club President
1490 SAT (retaking)
Graduating with 6 years science, 6 years foreign language, 9 APs</p>
<p>So far list...
Wash U
Rice (small but seems AWESOME)
Duke
UNC
UIUC (instate)
Case Western? Vanderbilt? U of Rochester? ??????? YOU TELL ME</p>
<p>Also, as a safety, you might consider the honors college at Baylor University.</p>
<p>Fantastic FA (Google Baylor University Financial Aid Calculator) for a 35 on the ACT
Leans conservative
Plenty of “Work hard, play hard” mentality
Great biology program
In the SW
Big student body</p>
<p>I would consider adding Michigan to your list. It meets your criteria but I can’t answer your questions concerning aid. Other than Illinois, the others on your list have similar cost issues. Bama and Kansas would cost less but I don’t know much about their science programs and they are much less selective than the ones you list.</p>
<p>Definitely (note how that word is spelled :)) apply EA to Case Western. You would have a good shot at merit money, and it seems to meet a lot of your other criteria.
While I think you are competitive at Wash U and, in fact, most colleges, I don’t know if you would be a winner in the competitive merit money pool. That’s why you’ll need to keep Rochester on your list and probably drop Duke and UNC. Vandy can be generous, and has a “no loans” policy, so it may work well for you.
DId you take SAT IIs? I’m wondering why you would retake SAT I’s with a 35 on the ACT.</p>
<p>hahah I DEFINITELY noticed how that’s spelled. I swear my third grade teacher taught me that wrong because I automatically spell it wrong all the time. </p>
<p>I know I’m not very competitive for merit money at those schools, which is why I’m trying to find less selective safeties/matches.
Does anyone know of someone with stats that got a really good deal at a school that matches most of my wants? Especially with a great science department and a good enough reputation to get me into a good grad school?
I have not taken SAT II yet. I will in November. I was retaking the SAT because I think I might do a lot better and it could add to my profile. My PSAT predicted a 1570, so hopefully I can get closer to that.</p>
<p>I actually forgot to mention that Baylor University gives full tuition scholarships to NM Finalists (which you will likely be) who list it as their top choices.</p>
<p>I know I sound like a salesman; after all, I’m applying there myself. Baylor’s not for everyone, but it’s a good school, and something you should consider.</p>
<p>Case, WUSTL, Duke and Vanderbilt have average Engineering programs, unless you wish to major in Biomedical Engineering, in which case, the first three are actually excellent.</p>
<p>Case and Rochester are not known for having great social scenes.</p>
<p>Rice is a great match for you and UIUC is your in-state safety. In addition to Rice and UIUC, and given your stats and interests, I would check out Cornell, Michigan, Northwestern and Wisconsin. </p>
<p>Finally, you might as well go for the holy grail and apply to MIT, Princeton and Stanford.</p>
<p>Those aren’t Engineering majors.UNC doesnot have a school of Engineering. They are merely concentrations, and as you can see, very limited at that.</p>
<p>Look into Pomona or Claremont McKenna. I know, they’re both smaller than 2500, but they’re part of the Claremont Consortium so there is actually about 5000 students. (And the schools are right next to each other. Literally).</p>
<p>About the SAT IIs: I would strongly advise you to take these as soon as possible as they will be required for most of your schools, and November will be too late for many EA or ED applications. Also, you want to be able to retake these if they are less than you expected. They are a key component in your application, while the SAT I is not, for you. Most schools take either the ACT or the SAT I and retaking the latter will not appreciably improve your profile.</p>
<p>thanks for the suggestion about baylor. i’ll look into it. </p>
<p>hmm well my thought was that I would have a lot better chance of prepping well for the Nov. SAT (because my september is really busy) so it would be better to take the SAT II’s then. And like I said, I don’t have the best ECs and rank but I <em>hopefully</em> can add another high test score and that’s why I’m taking the SAT in October (plus its too late to back out now ) I’m just really mad I didn’t take the Subject tests in June.
Which brings me to another question: I took AP Chem last year, and loved it, but I’m in Bio and Physics this year. I was planning on taking Chemistry and Math II, but it’s been a while now since I was doing Chemistry. I think if I study a little it would come back to me, but is it better to take Physics or Bio instead??? Any past experience/ advice would be appreciated!</p>
<p>And again, any schools where someone like me could get a really good scholarship (maybe even full ride)?</p>
Seems like a great list to me. I would keep all of them. I second kwu’s suggestion of Stanford. </p>
<p>USC, Tulane, U Miami and Emory are the other obvious suggestions. You’d be in the running for merit aid, I think.</p>
<p>I disagree with Alexandre and see little point in adding Michigan or Wisconsin to your list. Neither is in a warm climate, and considering that they’re not significantly stronger than UIUC in engineering or the sciences, I find it difficult to believe they’re worth the cost. You’d be better off adding possible merit $$$ schools.</p>
<p>I took the chemistry SAT II in June, but the test was several weeks after my last chemistry class, and nearly a month after we had covered the last relevant material that was covered on the test. Nevertheless, I felt pretty prepared after I flipped through my notes a couple of times and worked through a few practice problems (with Barron’s Guide). For what it’s worth, I made a 770.</p>
<p>Is there a reason you can’t take the SAT 2 in October? I think
you can ask for the SAT 2 booklets at the test. I’ve seen some engineering programs ask for SAT 2 in Math 2C and science other than Bio i.e Chemistry and/or Physics.</p>
<p>I think College Board does let you switch your payment from SatI to Sat II tests. You could check their site. If you’ve completed AP Chem, and are in AP Bio and AP Physics at this time, you should go with your strongest subject, although I’ve heard Bio is the tougher test.</p>
<p>Now that you have a great list of schools, be aware of deadlines - Wash U has an early one for scholarship money, as I recall. You need to calendar all those applications and their requirements. Good luck!</p>
) I’m just really mad I didn’t take the Subject tests in June.