<p>My parents have little to no knowledge of the college application process. I'm homeschooled and take classes at a local college, but the counselors seem to have even less knowledge than my parents do! I'm looking for suggestions for colleges with good science and math programs. I know about elite schools that I love, but I really need to know matches and safeties for a pretty average student. I have a high GPA at the college I go to, but i'm not sure how strongly regarded that would be.</p>
<p>Thanks to anyone at all who can help me out!</p>
<p>There are many schools with excellent science and math programs. To work down to a reasonable list, think about the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do you prefer a large university, which will have large introductory courses, or a liberal arts college, which will have smaller courses?</p></li>
<li><p>Do you want to be involved in professors’ research labs/research projects? </p></li>
<li><p>Are there particular settings (large city, other urban, suburban, rural) and/or regions of the country you prefer?</p></li>
<li><p>How important is financial aid? Some schools will cover EFC (estimated family contribution) largely with grants, while others will offer a lot of loans. Some schools have strong possibilities of merit aid for high achieving high school students.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>There’s a lot to take into account and folks here can help you figure out the process.</p>
<p>There are a lot of great books that are the size of phone books. I bet your local library has some. My kids loved college <strong><em>'s book. It is very very easy to navigate (maybe a little too simplistic) but it is fun reading and gives a brief overview of various colleges. They also have a web site </em></strong>*****.com</p>
<p>I’ve been trying to figure that out by looking at a lot of school websites, but i’m not totally sure. My answers are subject to change. ;)</p>
<ol>
<li>Do you prefer a large university, which will have large introductory courses, or a liberal arts college, which will have smaller courses?
Something in the middle. However, there are larger schools that have looked nice to me, and significantly smaller schools that also looked good. Medium sized institutions seem the best to me though.</li>
<li>Do you want to be involved in professors’ research labs/research projects?
If research is available, yes.</li>
<li>Are there particular settings (large city, other urban, suburban, rural) and/or regions of the country you prefer?
No regional preference, but I don’t want something completely out in the middle of nowhere. In general, something in a city or a suburb close to a city is preferable. </li>
<li>How important is financial aid? Some schools will cover EFC (estimated family contribution) largely with grants, while others will offer a lot of loans. Some schools have strong possibilities of merit aid for high achieving high school students.
I don’t really think we qualify for financial aid, but merit aid is a plus if they offer it. I was told not to really worry about the financial aspect of it, but at the same time, I don’t want to put that much of a financial strain down unless it’s a truly amazing school that is a perfect fit for me.</li>
</ol>
<p>On financial aid, try to get parents to work through numbers in a financial aid calculator. While these are not going to give exact numbers, they should get a sense of what need-based aid they could get at a full need school. Also, make sure they know what sort of costs they would be looking at and discuss with them what they can afford each year. Every year some parents are real surprised at what schools expect them to pay.</p>
<p>If you want to get merit aid, make sure your list includes schools where you could get such aid and where you would be willing to go.</p>
<p>If you want to be real systematic, make yourself a chart with your criteria on the x axis and the possible schools on the y axis and try to fill those in. Or just write down your list of wants and a list of school and try to cross-check.</p>
<p>I’ll have them do that, thanks. I don’t think we really apply for FA though. My dad makes a good income, but they’ve invested a lot of it. My dad’s income also dropped drastically for about two years because he wasn’t able to work. He owns his company so he still received money, but it was a lot less than usual. Is that considered?</p>
<p>chinablue- My library definitely has those, and while i’m tempted to look through them, i’d love some personal opinions. I might browse through one this summer when i’m not quite as busy.</p>
<p>My S attends Kalamazoo but is not in a science related program. However, I know that Psychology is one of their biggest majors (as is biology) and is very well known for producing students ready for PhDs. </p>
<p>I found this: “On a recent comprehensive psychology exam, constructed by the Educational Testing Service, Kalamazoo College psychology majors averaged better than 95% of students from other insitutions across the nation. Over two-thirds of psychology graduates go on to graduate from professional schools within five years of graduation. Recently graduates have been accepted in psychology programs at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Notre Dame University, University of Minnesota, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, Yale University, University of Chicago, University of California-San Diego, Ohio State University and University of Cambridge, England.”</p>
<p>I know on a visit before he was attending, they discussed their strong Psychology department.</p>
<p>Thanks, but i’m not interested in studying psychology in college. I’m more interested in biochem or biophysics, or double majoring in bio/chem/physics/math (obviously only choosing two of those).</p>
<p>The way he explained it made sense, and he seems to be really knowledgeable about the subject, but i’m still not sure?</p>
<p>If you’re at a LAC, there aren’t any grad students to work with professors on their research. So it falls to undergrads.</p>
<p>The advantage of going to an LAC for science is the same as the advantage for any other subject-- more contact with professors. The disadvantage is fewer specialized courses. A good friend of my son’s was admitted to Reed and UC Davis. She chose Davis because she thought she’d be able to take the specific, detailed biology courses she was interested in. If you have some very specific scientific interest, you’d want to make sure that any LAC you applied to offered courses for you.</p>
<p>Kalamazoo welcomes homeschoolers. My homeschooled son will be a freshman there next fall. If you have more questions about homeschoolers applying to colleges, PM me.</p>
<p>You should give your exact statistics so as to be able to give you more accurate recommendations for reaches, matches and safeties. Maybe just say your GPA and SAT/ACT. Also maybe what state you are in.</p>
<p>I’m really considering LAC’s now after reading up and thinking about it. I’m also really interested in sociology and anthropology, and while i’d never want to major/minor in them, i’d love to be able to take good classes in them.</p>
<p>Current GPA from the college I go to: 3.8
ACT scores: Last test I got a 27. I’m re-taking them in June, and if necessary, September.
I live in Michigan.</p>
<p>EDIT: Merit aid is now a plus, because my parents may not pay for my college education after all. I’m not eligible for federal aid or anything. I’m still trying to discuss this with them in hopes that they will contribute something.</p>
<p>I’m assuming your parents were the ones who informed you not to worry about finances? If you really have no concerns about money, then that’s excellent, but make sure your parents have at least LOOKED at the full-cost of some of the schools you’re thinking about. My parents are very involved in my college-search process, and they initially told me not to be worried about money either. I thus assumed we were set.</p>
<p>Turns out, my parents, as informed as they are, fell prey to sticker-shock. We don’t qualify for aid, but we can’t afford out-of state schools without merit aid. I don’t want to crush any dreams, but if you’re really just beginning the college search, make sure to establish some realistic boundaries early on. Of course, you can still apply to more out-there schools and cross your fingers. I’m just saying it’s best to know where you’re coming from.</p>
<p>Call your local high school and ask to speak to the guidance office. Explain your situaiton, ask if they have any college/finaid planning nights you and/or your parents can attend.</p>
<p>My parents did initially say not to worry about it, because they were willing to pay for me to go wherever. Now they just don’t want to pay for anything. I’m in the process of discussing this with them because as I said, I don’t qualify for financial aid. I’m not sure how seriously I should take them right now, because my dad isn’t exactly in the best state of mind.</p>
<p>And thanks for the advice kayf, but i’ve done that already and I wasn’t welcomed to go to any of them. I also visited the counseling office of the CC I take classes at, and they were of absolutely no help. I turn to you, internet. ;)</p>
<p>I sympathize. One of my best friends is struggling to get her parent’s on board with her college education, too. Give your parents time, and ease them into it. Get a book from your library or start looking on line. Pick out a few that might be good fits, especially ones that are in your area, and then ask for parents if you could spend a Saturday visiting a couple. Also, if you really believe your parents are going to make minimal contributions, you will probably want to look into schools that have average stats below yours. This will increase the chance of getting significant merit aid.</p>
<p>Do you live in Wisconsin? (Just guessing off previous posts.) I’m a WI resident and may be able to make a few suggestions if so. You could try looking at state schools for starters (actually, this is a good idea regarless of what state you live in). There are many good ones, and they are drastically cheaper than the private schools.</p>
One of my best friends is struggling to get her parent’s on board with her college education, too. Give your parents time, and ease them into it. Get a book from your library or start looking on line. Pick out a few that might be good fits, especially ones that are in your area, and then ask for parents if you could spend a Saturday visiting a couple. Also, if you really believe your parents are going to make minimal contributions, you will probably want to look into schools that have average stats below yours. This will increase the chance of getting significant merit aid.</p>