<p>In my schoolwork, I am probably an "ivy-caliber" (don't like the word but don't know how else to describe it) person, my rank is about 6/351 with a 97.7 unweighted average. However, my ECs are good but not AMAZING other than being a Siemens Semifinalist and I have a 1410/2070 (2080 superscored) on my SATs. I'm going to try to bring those up, but from my PSAT to Dec to Jan it's gone up like 30 pts in total. I want a school that's reputable, but I can still get into easily. I also don't really want a small LAC. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>state school</p>
<p>Is strong financial aid a must? The answer to this question will really help me answer your question. Also, could you name some of your top choices, as they’d help us gauge the type of school you’re interested in?</p>
<p>my rank is about 6/351 with a 97.7 unweighted average. However, my ECs are good but not AMAZING other than being a Siemens Semifinalist and I have a 1410/2070 (2080 superscored) on my SATs. I’m going to try to bring those up,</p>
<p>Hi…we need more info…</p>
<p>Likely major? Likely career?</p>
<p>How much will your parents contribute towards your education? If they can’t pay a lot, then your best safeties will be ones that will give you lots of merit scholarship $$.</p>
<p>What will you like in a campus?</p>
<p>big
small
quiet
rah rah big sports to watch
honors college on campus?
greek systems as an option
Catholic schools ok?
single sex
co-ed 50/50 split
rural setting
big city setting
collegetown setting
nice dorms
recreation availability
warm weather
cold/snowy weather
regional preference
is regional preference a requirement?</p>
<p>Okay. Biochemistry major most likely with possibly some sort of Euro History or Classics or Philosophy minor. Definitely a science major, the minor depends on the core of the school and how much I like the minors I suggested once I try them for real.
I’d prefer it be in a big city, but if it’s a really big school and there’s a lot to do on campus I don’t really care. Just NO small LACs that aren’t in a large city.
I really can’t decide on what my top choice(s) would be at this time since I haven’t visited schools yet.</p>
<p>By the way, I live in NY and all of the SUNYs are pretty much in the middle of nowhere other than Stony Brook which is still on Long Island. The CUNYs aren’t great schools.</p>
<p>Honors college would be nice if I can get in but I don’t think I can with my SAT scores even though my rank is really high with a rigorous course load.</p>
<p>I’m Jewish so I would prefer not a Catholic school, but if the religious influence isn’t big then I don’t really care either way.</p>
<p>Northeast isn’t a requirement but a large preference.</p>
<p>I don’t want an all-girls school, except I’m looking at Barnard since it’s pretty much part of Columbia so the guy:girl ratio is a bit better.</p>
<p>Okay, clicked through some of your past threads and it looks like your top choices are/were Barnard and NYU. The inclusion of the latter tells me that financial aid is not a primary concern. So, you’re into urban schools, not adverse to single sex, but you don’t really want the “we have a 3:1 student to faculty ratio” liberal arts college environment. In this case, I’d suggest:
Strong Matches–
Boston University
George Washington University
Fordham University (they also have a campus in Manhattan @ Lincoln Center and, despite having a slightly more “blue collar” stigma than NYU, is very prestigious)
Pepperdine University
Chapman University (these two CA schools seem to be popular with the type that is attracted to NYU; both are suburban LA metro, both full of the outgoing type of kids you see at NYU, both relatively strong academically though I will caution that Pepperdine is very values-centric)</p>
<p>True Safeties–
CUNY-Baruch, Hunter (if Manhattan is that big of a factor, these are both fine schools; I’d also note the Honors Program, but getting in there is getting very competitive, as it comes with a full COA scholarship + perks and is attracting HYP level applicants)
University of Delaware (this might seem a bit off, but UD seems to attract a lot of kids I know–mostly girls, interestingly enough–who are typically attracted to NYU, Columbia, etc)
UMass Boston</p>
<p>I’d also like to give honorable mentions to Scripps College in California (which would be a match, maybe almost a low reach for your stats) and Bryn Mawr College in suburban Philadelphia (a pretty solid match). Both are all female, but are part of a consortium with other schools. In Scripps’ case, it is in the Claremont Consortium which consists of five colleges about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. All are extremely prestigious, most notably Pomona and Claremont McKenna. Bryn Mawr is affiliated with Haverford College, a coed school a few blocks away, and also is part of a Consortium with Swarthmore and Penn, both within a few miles of Bryn Mawr. You’d be taking classes with guys and there is plenty of opportunities to socialize with guys, so the dynamic at these two schools is very similar to that of Barnard. That said, while they’re plenty big, especially when combined with their sibling schools, I’m afraid they’d still have too intimate of a feel for someone who expressed aversion to a “small LAC”. That said, I really think you should check them out, along with their sibling schools (I visited Haverford and hated it, although my sister now wants to apply to Bryn Mawr in a few years, and fell in love with Claremont McKenna despite not visiting).</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>EDIT: Just a warning, don’t apply to Barnard simply because you think it’s “pretty much part of Columbia”. I’m not going to get into this, but Barnard can do plenty well standing on its own merits and its relationship with Columbia should only be a small part of its appeal to you if you seriously plan on going there.</p>
<p>You didn’t mention whether finances are an issue. If you’ll need financial aid and you qualify, then that can influence choices.</p>
<p>How about Boston U, Northeastern, UDel, Lehigh, Brandeis, Bentley, </p>
<p>Not in the NE…USC, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Emory, Duke, Johns Hopkins</p>
<p>OP asked for safeties. Hopkins, Duke, Emory, Vandy, and even USC seem like pretty high reaches.</p>
<p>The University of Rochester is a school you should definitely consider. It is strong in both the humanities and the sciences, is associated with a topnotch conservatory (Eastman), is in that hard-to-find middle size (about 4000-5000 undergrads), gives some nice 4-year merit scholarships, and is located in a city surrounded by a lot of very scenic countryside and state parks. Rochester attracts a lot of very bright students, and is often a safety for kids applying to Ivies and the like. I’d say that it is at least a solid match for you.</p>
<p>You might also want to look at Brandeis and BU.</p>
<p>@malan89 I meant pretty much part of Columbia to fix the girl:guy ratio. However, I know Barnard is a smaller school with a different core curriculum (9 Ways of Knowing), better advising, and a tighter knit community seeing as there are so few students compared to Columbia. I didn’t pick Barnard simply because it’s easier to get into. If out of SOME MIRACLE I got accepted into both, I would still probably pick Barnard.</p>
<p>ooops…that’s right…I forgot about the safeties aspect.</p>
<p>Given your diverse interests, grades, scores, and location, U of Rochester is definitely a solid match for you. You will probably love the Rochester curriculum. The only set gen ed is a freshman writing course. Instead of other specific gen eds, all students are required to major in one area (natural science, social science, humanities) and at least cluster in the other two. Check out their website for a full explanation. Also U of R is 15-20% Jewish (if that is important to you).</p>