@taichiya what is your weighted GPA ?
@bieobl Around 3.9 but I hope to bring it up first semester of senior year to 4.0+
If you do not make your application list with cost and financial aid in mind, it is possible that you will get financially shut out in that none of your admissions are to colleges which are affordable. That may only be ok if you are willing to start at a community college and then transfer to a state university that you know you can afford as a safety plan.
@taichiya - You don’t have to wait that long to begin making useful plans. Most colleges, certainly the most prestigious ones, have Net Price Calculators (NPC) that permit you to predict, in rough terms, what your parents could be on the hook for. You may be pleasantly surprised when acceptance time comes around - or, you could be disappointed. But, there’s no reason to go into the process completely blindfolded.
@taichiya From your responses so far, you have ruled out small cities, rural locations. You may be hard pressed to find colleges which meet all of your ctiteria/selectivity range. If you are willing to consider larger schools, Northeastern and Tufts might be with a look, but you will not likely get any merit aid because there will be students applying with similar rigor and higher GPA.
Keep in mind that most colleges with a religious affiliation usually have plenty of students attending of different faiths, or who are not religious at all. Usually, any religion curriculum requirements can be met with a variety of courses, which can still be interesting even if you are not religious. BC, Villanova, and Providence College would be worth a look, as well.
If being in a major Northeastern city is high priority, you need to be more open minded or you may find you are limiting your search too much. George Washington U and American U might be worth a look.
Have you found out what amount you parents will actually pay each year? Don’t accept vague responses such as, “We’ll think that about that later after you are accepted.” Good applications take time, and you need to focus your energy on colleges you can actually afford. Living in VA, you have some great in state choices for your list.
Every year here on CC, there are heart breaking posts in the spring from students who have been accepted to expensive colleges, were encouraged to apply to them by their parents, and their parents inform them then that they cannot afford or are unwilling to pay for those schools. Some parents don’t fully understand the financial aid details, and mistakenly assume that surely their bright student will be awarded aid. These students are then stuck attending a safety they don’t really like, or have to take a gap year and reapply for colleges with merit aid, etc.
If you identify as a woman, then consider Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mt. Holyoke & Smith. All of them have very strong ties with neighboring institutions, which greatly expand the social and academic possibilities.