looking for colleges, help?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi!
I’m a junior and I recently had my counselors appointment where we go over college stuff…and I realized looking for colleges was a thing ^.^’ (unprepared much?)
Anyways it would be extremely helpful if you give me any suggestions!!

What I look for in a college:

  • either full financial aid or full ride merit scholarship aid (there’s no way I can afford college but I might qualify for national merit and I (so far) have As in all the hardest classes offered in my school and I got a 34 on the ACT last year and I’m retaking next week (so hopefully my scores would improve))
  • near a large body of water (this may sound weird but basically I would prefer the college be either on the east or west coast or by the great lakes)
  • lots of course opportunities/can take classes outside of major (preferably open curriculum)
  • decent post graduation chances (as in I can get a job or get into graduate school upon graduation)
  • lots of study abroad/internship opportunities
  • A good business program (or a pre business program that can get me into a decent graduate business school)
  • Libraries/books
  • Strong orchestra/music program with multiple orchestras that let non majors participate as well

What I have in mind so far:
Brown, WashU, UPenn (i know they’re super selective so please give me some advice on these or less selective schools similar to these?)

Thanks so much for reading this and giving me your opinions!!

2

California public schools will not provide financial aid to an OOS student. So cross off any UC’s and CSU’s.

USC gives ½ tuition for NM. But that does not include room and board which is expensive.

You take the PSAT for NM.

You need to use the NPC’s for each school you hope to attend and check your estimated costs.
Most schools don’t give full rides anymore. Most aid is need-based.

3

Have you spoken with your parents about how much they can/will pay for your college? Sit down with a parent and run the Net Price Calculators (NPCs) for the schools you mentioned to see what your predicted cost will be. You are well positioned to get accepted to colleges and universities that meet full need but you need to be very very aware that it’s the colleges who decide what “full need” means, not you or your families. That’s why it’s important that you run the NPCs on all of them to see what they will be.

You are also well positioned to get full ride merit scholarships and/or guaranteed admission at a number of good schools. Try to identify some of these and/or some affordable in-state campuses that would work as safety schools.

I’m sure you’ve notice that WashU is pretty far from any major bodies of water (although the Mississippi River is pretty awesome), so maybe you should not limit yourself in that way when considering more schools for your initial list.

4

URochester’s setting places it near Lake Ontario in the only state that borders both the Atlantic and the Great Lakes (two). UR would be excellent for music.

The East Coast’s Amherst and Hamilton offer flexible curricula, would be exceptional for pre-MBA studies, and offer an undergraduate business certificate through Harvard:

https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/infographics/top-feeders-mba-programs

http://blogs.wgbh.org/on-campus/2015/5/5/harvard-business-school-expands-online-initiative-liberal-arts-colleges/

http://www.hudson.edu/custom_users/explorer/index.php?id=1551

These schools offer excellent financial aid:

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2016-09-19/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need