I would love some ideas

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi!
I'm a sophomore, and I'm just now realizing that maybe it's time to start planning for college. I may not be well-prepared to start searching in depth - my GPA isn't what it could be at the moment, and as you'll see, I haven't taken the SAT or ACT - but input or advice would be very much appreciated. Let me know if you need any more information!</p>

<p>Grades:
4.2w, 3.65uw
all available honors classes
6 AP classes by the end of senior year</p>

<p>Scores:
I haven't yet taken the ACT/SAT, although I am scheduled for the ACT this summer. For what it's worth, I have taken the [url=<a href="http://www.act.org/planstudent/index.html%5DPLAN%5B/url"&gt;http://www.act.org/planstudent/index.html]PLAN[/url&lt;/a&gt;], and my results correlated to a composite 31-34 on the ACT proper.</p>

<p>ECs:
volunteer at a domestic abuse shelter (3-4 hours, 1-3 days a week)
Creative Writing Club
Scholar's Bowl (probable leadership position senior year, maybe even junior if I play my cards right; the politics of high school quiz bowls are a delicate matter indeed, friends)
part-time job (average demand and difficulty)</p>

<p>Major:
I want to be an English teacher, which in most schools means an English major with a specialty. I would also double-major or minor in a Secondary Education program, if one were available.
I'd like to avoid schools that don't offer teacher accreditation to undergraduates (e.g. Wisconsin).</p>

<p>Preferences:
Our limit is $30,000 OOS. I'll try all academic scholarships I qualify for, but financial aid probably won't be an issue (thank god).
I'm more focused on finding a college that fits than on getting into a reach. Academics are a high priority, but student satisfaction is more important to me than prestige. A west or midwest location, mid-size, a good college town, or a pretty area would all be big bonuses, but I'm flexible about these. :)</p>

<p>Right now I'm interested in UM Morris (well-regarded but not cutthroat, low tuition, great faculty, the students seem to enjoy it) but hoping for something a little larger and less isolated. I like Montana as a safety.</p>

<p>A point or two in the right direction would be great. Any suggestions?</p>

2

<p>I frankly cannot recommend too many colleges for you, but I can tell you what you need to do to be competitive for college. </p>

<p>For your ACT, shoot for a 32 or 33. Both of those scores would out you into competition for some of the very competitive schools. Try and get your unweighted GPA to around a 3.75, if it is possible. A 3.63 is good, but getting it as high as you can looks even better. As for E.C.'s, the volunteering looks great. Try and get as many leadership positions in clubs as you can, and maybe join one more, and try to get leadership in that as well. </p>

<p>I know you asked for colleges, and I’m in the position that you are for that. Just get scores as high as possible, as with GPA, and have good leadership with E.C.'s, and you will be competitive for a lot of places.</p>

3

<p>Are you saying that your family cannot pay more than an annual total of $30,000, but that you will not be eligible for need-based aid? Have you tried any of the Net Price Calculators for schools that interest you?</p>

4

<p>Debater1996 - All good advice, thanks! I really need to buckle down junior year.</p>

<p>siliconvalleymom - Ah, sorry for not clarifying. My family is able to pay up to an annual total of about $30,000. I don’t want to get wrapped up in seeking financial aid; I’ve heard horror stories about it. I’m aiming for schools with out-of-state tuitions at or below $30k in the hopes that, with a possible partial scholarship, my college could be very affordable for my family.
As for the net price calculators, I have not! I probably should, but I’m so early in the searching stage that it hasn’t occurred to me so far.</p>

5

<p>Don’t ignore costs early in the process. With an Expected Family Contribution of $30K, you may not get much (if any) aid from OOS public universities (which can cost nearly as much as some selective private schools, which tend to have better aid). If you don’t think about this issue early, you risk investing a lot of time in schools you won’t be able to attend.</p>

<p>[Kiplinger’s</a> Best Values in Public Colleges-Kiplinger](<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-public-colleges/index.php]Kiplinger’s”>Best College Values, 2019 | Kiplinger)</p>

<p>Keep in mind that if a college offers teacher accreditation, it will be for schools in its own state. So ideally, that will be a state you’ll want to live in for years.</p>

6

<p>Western Washington University used to be the Western Washington College of Education, founded originally as a teachers’ college. It is a beautiful area (Bellingham, on the Puget Sound and close to Mount Baker) and has a reputation for happy students.</p>

<p>About $33k full price, $25k if you live in a WUE state; You may get some merit money from them.</p>

7

<p>I don’t think you should ignore the financial aid issue. </p>

<p>OOS tuitions can be $20k-30k+…just for tuition. The room, board, books, fees, etc, can be another $15k-18k per year. And, that’s right now. By the time YOU go to college, the costs will be higher. And, then each year you go to college, the costs will rise further. So, a school that costs about $30k total today will likely cost about $35k by the time you’re a freshman and will cost about $40k per year when you’re a senior. </p>

<p>Don’t get too set on any particular school yet. And, get firm clarity from your parents as to how much they’ll pay. Also, be prepared in case something happens within the next couple of years, such as a parent job loss, etc. Certain events can be major game-changers as to what parents can afford.</p>

<p>Right now, it’s too hard to know which schools/scholarships might work for you be</p>

8

<p>Magnetron - Western Washington University looks promising! I’ll check it out. Thanks for the recommendation.</p>

<p>mom2collegekids - You make some really good points. I’m probably being naive about the subject of financial aid, honestly. According to my parents, my “fund” is pretty secure - they plan on pulling a lot of my college money from my dad’s 401k, and my grandma set up a small trust for me a few years ago - but aside from the $30k-or-under rule, we haven’t had a clear discussion about exactly how much my family is expecting to (or willing to) pay.
When the time comes (certainly after I get my SAT/ACT scores in order :)), I’ll investigate financial aid options and find out what could be right for me. Your advice has been really helpful, thank you.</p>