<p>Hello, I've been a lurker on these forums for a couple of months now. I'm having difficulties finding colleges that are in my range and that I would like to attend. I'm currently finishing up my Junior year at a mostly hispanic private school in Chicago. My cummulative GPA right now is between 3.0-3.1 out of a 4.0 scale (am trying to raise it up). I;m leaning towards studying pre-med, business, or law. </p>
<p>My ACT scores are as follows: Enlgish 23, Math 23, Reading 22, Science 18 (ouch!), Writing 8, Compostie = 22). I'm not the greatest test taker and I didn't study much for this test, will retake/study though. </p>
<p>My ECs: 2 years School Ambassador, 1 year Faith & Justice Group, and by the end of senior year I should have about 100-150 hours of community service hours. I ran for Student Council this past year but didn't make it, thinking about running again but I see no use. I don't have many ECs because throughtout high school, afterschool I usually head home to take care of my smaller sibling while my mother attends school (will incorporate this in college apps). </p>
<p>I dont know if this would be consider an EC but my school has a work-study program. Freshman year I worked as an intern at Gardner, Carton, & Douglas law firm in downtown Chicago. Sophomore and Junior year I worked at Mesirow Financial in downtown Chicago as well. We work one day of the week for 8 hours throught the school year (once a month we work 2 days in a week). </p>
<p>The classes I've taken at school aren't the most rigorous (since everyone gets the same classes each year) and there is no "honors" or "AP" classes. Well, except our Spanish class, for which we did take the AP exam this past...April?</p>
<p>There are some things I'm leaving out but I can't remember at the time. I know my stats aren't as great as others I've seen in here but they are what they are. I guess it might help that I'm a URM ?</p>
<p>You should really look at U. of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign. Your grades and scores might be a little low, but your URM status might offset that, especially if you show improvement during the first semester of your senior year. It is a great school with a broad range of majors, and being instate, your investment would be much smaller than if you were to go out-of-state, or to a private college. If you are worried about size, you might think about one of the smaller state schools in Illinois (one of the SIU campuses, or U. of Illinois-Chicago).</p>
<p>What type of school are you looking for? Large, small, medium? Liberal arts college or university? Urban, rural, suburban or no preference? Any part of the country you prefer or wouldn't consider? How important is a diversified student body to you? Any idea of what you'd like to study?
Will you need financial aid? How would you describe yourself (i.e., preppy, artsy, nerdy, etc.) and do you want to mainly be with similar folks or a mixture (and any type you would hate to be around?). Does a school with frats/sororities appeal to you? And anything else you are looking for.</p>
<p>Also, are you a male or female? </p>
<p>There are plenty of good schools that would be interested in you --- but no one can really make recommendations without knowing what YOU are interested in in a college.</p>
<p>DePaul might not be out of reach, if you raise your ACT and GPA. Dominican U in River Forest could be a good choice, especially if you're male (it used to be all-female). A little farther out, look at Marquette and St. Louis U. </p>
<p>Yes, having URM status can be a help in admissions, but what about AFTER you get in? If you are on the low end academically, you should look for a school with a supportive atmosphere, not an oversized state school.</p>
<p>carolyn: Thanks for the reply. I would like to attend a small to medium sized school, preferably a university (wouldn't mind liberal arts), and it doesn't matter if it's in the middle of nowhere as long as the education is good. Diversity would be nice, but I don't mind it. As far as financial aid goes, I believe I will need some financial aid but I will be willing to pay if needed to do so. </p>
<p>I would describe myself as pretty nerdy but I didn't apply myself much at the beginning of high school. I'm a male and not all that interested in frats, but if I'm interested in a frat, I might consider joining. Let me know your suggestions and any other questions you might have. </p>
<p>Thanks for your input irishforever and midwesterner, I'll take into consideration the universities you guys suggested.</p>
<p>I like the suggestions given so far. I particularly second Dominican U. Nice, supportive school with excellent financial aid. Bradley U and the University of Evansville would also be good bets for something a little farther from home. If you want to get out of the mid west entirely, try Susquehanna U in PA, Marist in NY, or Qunnipiac in CT. You could also aim a little higher because of your hispanic background but I like to start with good bets and then work up from there. </p>
<p>Since you've already had several good suggestions for universities, I'll recommend a few liberal arts schools for you to check out. Take a spin out to Lake Forest College and see if it appeals. They have strong business programs, good internships in Chicago, and would be very interested in you. They also are very good with financial aid. Also take a look at Knox College in Galesburg. I think they would also be very interested in you. Nice school, very supportive faculty, excellent financial aid. If you'd like a more liberal atmosphere, take a look at Earlham College in Indiana or Beloit in Wisconsin. Outside of the midwest, Wagner College, just outside of NYC, would be a good bet, and I would say you have a shot at Goucher near Maryland as well, especially if you are male. </p>
<p>Hope this gets you started. If you'd like more suggestions, feel free to PM me. Good luck!</p>