I linked the school COA, but did not check if they offer your major of interest. You have plenty of time to formulate a list and continue to research options. Considering the amount in your 529 plan, I am surprised your parents put the $25K/year limitation on your college choices. Having a cushion for an advanced degree is great but they should be a little more flexible. I have some 529 plan money left over after paying for my 2 son’s undergrad which is available for them if they want to pursue graduate school. It is a minimal amount and it was always understood that they will likely have to fund any advanced degree. As stated by several CC posters, your current budget limits your options greatly and anything more expensive would require a good amount of merit which is very GPA dependent. Just a thought.
@Gumbymom you’re right that $25k is stingy, given the 529 balance. I think they were just hedging. BTW: if I did go to grad school, it’s a MA I’d be pursuing, not a doctorate.
An MA in what?
@thumper1 Sociology most likely
If he’s been maxing it out, it should be more than $500,000, that money needs to be used for education. Do you have siblings?
@Mjkacmom I’m an only child.
I was just plowing through the UNM catalog. 9 departments had at least 1 class of interest. But only a few were plentiful.
Africana: 8
Arabic 4 (language classes)
Chicano: 4
Latin American: 1
Native American: 3
Religion: 3
Sign Language: 4 (the language)
Spanish: 4 (2 upper level language)
Women’s Studies: 6
That’s enough for a double major probably. Could I add any as minors? Would I have room for every class?
This is where you need to stop and breathe. Colleges are being hit hard by the pandemic and class offerings change every semester.
You have a few colleges you have interest in. Follow them on social media. But until it comes time to make decisions your senior year I wouldn’t be digging into individual courses right now.
@2plustrio you’re OBVIOUSLY correct! 
I guess I’m an eager beaver. I get going and have to finish what I started.
@EconPop thanks for the reaction. Any thoughts on my list? As has mentioned, I need to SLOW DOWN, but I’m still curious.
Minors with those options would be easy. But with budget cuts, some of those options may be obsolete in 2 years. I’d hate for you to set yourself up and be very disappointed.
Look for colleges that have 2-3 majors you have potential interest in. Nobody says you can’t take continuing ed classes after college too. You don’t have to fit every interest in 8 semesters of college.
No comments on specific schools yet. Mostly I’m just happy that you’re looking at many schools and have widened your scope beyond most students. Also that you’re starting so early.
Most kids get stuck on the usual prospects (either name rec, or nearby schools) and ignore the glorious variety of options. I think even with your financial restrictions, that if you go through this process open minded, you will end up with several great options for yourself based on what your want from college.
I think it’s okay to look at majors and classes. I also think your intended major could change in a few months, and again a year from now, and again later. Even so, the more you learn and narrow your options, the better for you. You’re young and you have a lot to learn about what colleges can offer you. While searching for classes in your major/minor de jour, you may just stumble across your next favorite major … and the one after that.
Being in NC, I’m partial to your inclusion of ECU. I also like UNM as it was one of the schools my son applied to that he found appealing enough to keep on his list for a long time. They offered a great net price, a regional change for him, and a scenic area. But again, I think you’ll find something to like a lot about many of the schools mentioned.
I think it’s been mentioned, but start a spreadsheet. Keep track of things like price, NPC, realistic scholarships/grants, majors and interesting classes, pros and cons of location, FAFSA or CSS, application deadlines for EA and RD, essay requirements, and whatever you find interesting in your decision making process. As time goes by, you’ll add a few columns and maybe not use others. You’ll add schools, and maybe drop some. By the time it comes to your application season, you should be good and ready to make this an easy process.
Just keep up the research!
@EconPop is ECU mostly residential or commuter? I’d MUCH prefer the former. I assume it’s a large minority enrollment?
ECU has a healthy residential enrollment, but a good amount of students move off campus by their Jr/Sr years. However, so many apartments/houses are literally right across the street from campus that many off campus students are basically on campus.
ECU is very diverse. Over 27% of the student body is comprised of URMs. UNC Greensboro is over 45%. UNC Charlotte has over 35%, including nearly 9% Asian. UNCG is a little unbalanced f/m, UNCC is about even, and ECU lies between them. Each has a sprawling inviting campus. UNCC has a train that stops on campus and take students to downtown Charlotte. UNCG is in downtown Greensboro. ECU has a nice college strip off to one side, and is about an hour from the beach.
Charlotte and Greensboro each have HBCUs, which offer more cultural options for students seeking it. For instance, attending the homecoming week events at NC A&T might be the memory of a lifetime for someone from the west coast. And attending the CIAA basketball tournament in Charlotte won’t ever be something you’d forget - the CIAA tourney is one of the most successful long running tournaments in the country.
Thank @EconPop that’s great to know! Should definitely put both on my radar. And homecoming there would be great memories for someone from “flyover country”. ;). I assume UNCCH is out of reach academically for me?
UNC CH is almost impossible for OOS students to get in. A lot of OOS 4.0GPA/34ACT get denied yearly. It won’t hurt to apply, but realize you probably have lottery-like odds.
I know a lot of in-state graduates and students at UNCCH. I know a lot of people who work on and around campus. I’ve spent an incredible amount of time on campus for someone who never attended UNCCH. It’s nice but doesn’t drive me wild. I think I’m immune to its charms and feel the other UNC schools are just as charming.
What I figured @EconPop
Quick question: in post #66 I mentioned the class breakdown at UNM. Is that a pretty typical spread of classes (African-American Studies and Gender Studies have a big departments, the others much smaller)
BTW: Given I’m in my school’s ASL Club, would it be possible to test out intro classes, and/or use it as my FL?
I’m going to say that’s a no.
Definitely love the UNM pick - with WUE Plus (which your grades qualify you for) the COA is $24.5. And it seems to be a great fit.
Agree that the U of U seems to be a great fit, and as others have mentioned, it is possible to establish UT reseidency after your first year. That would make it around $115k over 4 years.
A possible dark horse option: Ole Miss. Ole Miss may be too rural for you, and appears to have more Greek life and a larger sports scene than you want, but is a great school - and are large but not overwhelmingly so which appears to be right up your alley. If you were to maintain a GPA above 3.0 and could get a 1300+ SAT score or a 28 or 29 on your ACT, I think merit scholarships could get those two to around the $25k range. https://finaid.olemiss.edu/scholarships/#8
The reason I mention Ole Miss is that they are FANTASTIC for foreign languages. You may be interested in their Chinese Language Flagship Program.
I agree with others that search engines are not that reliable.
Could you please clarify again what your majors are?