hi im a rising senior and have absolutely no idea where im going to college. most likely majoring in psychology with a minor in criminology or criminal justice. i live in connecticut but truthfully id go to college in alaska if it was decent
other things i look for in a school:
- no religious affilliation
- relatively big (10,000+ at least)
- big on school pride
- division 1 sports teams (id like to have the traditional college experience of going to sporting events)
- suburban or urban area (i dont want to be in the middle of nowhere but as long as the surrounding area is nicely populated (i.e. a college town) im fine)
- on campus housing (at least for the first year)
demographic:
- white
- female
- upper-middle class
stats:
- gpa: uw - 3.5, w - 4.0
- SAT: 1290 (taking again in august and hoping to do better but probably not anything major)
- class rank: they don’t officially do them at my school but i would guess top 25%
- AP: took psych, haven’t gotten the scores yet
senior schedule:
- ap gov
- ap stats
- uconn honors individual/family development (essentially developmental psych class)
- ap physics 1
- pop lit
- honors world lit
- honors spanish v
- honors economics
ec’s:
- secretary of forensics club (soon to be president this year)
- secretary of spanish club (soon to be vp)
- member of national honor society
- used to be in an after school choir for 2 years
- member of mock trial (captain of the prosecution)
- member of my school’s welcoming committee for freshman
employment:
- volunteer as a camp counselor every summer
- part time job
hopefully i didn’t forget anything but truthfully any suggestions would be helpful. i have a few schools in mind but thought i would reach out for more, especially safety schools. thank you !!
Do you have a budget in mind? “Upper middle class” probably means you won’t qualify for much if any need-based aid; what out-of-pocket would be acceptable?
Michigan State seems like a good match - a large, suburban D1 school with lots of spirit and also serious academics. The Psychology and Criminal Justice programs are both under the umbrella of the School of Social Sciences, and there are dual/double major options and significant research opportunities in both fields.
my parents refuse to talk about budget. the closest thing i get to a conversation is “we’ll pay for you no matter where you go”
How about UMass (Amherst)? They have a good Psychology program and your SAT score is right in line with their averages. Added bonuses of beautiful libraries and awesome dining hall.
@ProfessorPlum168 thats actually one of the colleges on my list!! toured there a couple months ago but was a bit put off by how “middle of nowhere” the college seemed. i didn’t have a chance to look around town so can’t say for sure
@Dreamsn2goals , marketing your business directly to teenagers on this platform is tacky, in addition to violating the terms of service.
@pricelesshats , make sure you give your parents a few example budgets before you apply. Maybe they’re fully informed about contemporary college costs and genuinely prepared to give you a blank check. But quite a few otherwise-informed adults haven’t kept up with what’s happened to the cost of college, and they can end up backpedaling when the realization hits.
Running down the “Big 10” list, Ohio State and Penn State could both be good fits too. Also U of Minnesota. At all of these schools, Criminology and Criminal Justice are in a joint department with Sociology. (And it could be worth thinking about soci vs. psych, because its true that more criminal justice related research falls under the purview of sociology than psych.)
All of these schools have information on their websites about the different research areas that different faculty members focus on. The topics and vibe vary from school to school, which is particularly important when you’re interested in an area like criminality where so many value systems can collide.
Temple might be a good low match/safety for you. Right in the middle of Philly, very easy to get around. My kid has a friend who is taking psychology there, really loves it.
Kansas State, has Sociology with Criminology program, big 12 sports, good social life, happy students and faculty, great little college town. Lots of kids from east coast come there surprisingly. You would qualify for
$48,000 renewable four-year scholarship. Awarded to out-of-state graduating seniors with a minimum 3.5 high school GPA and 24 ACT OR 1160 SAT. Eligible students receive $12,000 per year. Renewable for up to 3 additional years with a 3.5 K-State GPA.
This is a good deal. Scholarships in each department can add to this. Makes the tuition quite reasonable. My son from a big city absolutely loves it there!
Look at Kansas too, Lawrence is also a great college town. (Oh an neither school is flat in the middle of corn fields as you may think in your mind about Kansas).
It is such a disservice to students when parents state that they will pay where ever you are accepted unless they have run the NPC on each school and agree to pay COA. Every year there are stories of students whose parents say this and then realize that they don’t want to pay $50,000 per year + for OOS schools when instate flagship costs $30,000. Please give your parents the tuition costs of all schools that you are considering in writing. Ask to schedule a sit down with them to discuss why you are considering those schools, costs, possible merit or financial aid and tell them that you need to know exactly what they are able to contribute.
@aquapt i actually just visited penn state last week, really liked it
@ECmotherx2 exactly! while im not opposed to going to college in state, most of the ones im looking into are unfortunately out of state which obviously brings the price up. we probably won’t qualify for any need based merit due to our status and my grades are too average to qualify for anything merit based
We have no way to know whether your parents clearly understand college costs when they say they’ll pay no matter where you go. So it may be up to you to help identify realistic limits.
Even if your parents are able and willing to pay $70K/year for a private school, many of them won’t fit all your personal preferences (criminal justice minor, 10K+, D1 sports, big on school pride). You may be more likely to find a good fit, for a relatively reasonable price, among state schools.
Many state universities have OOS sticker prices under $50K. Here’s a list you can check:
https://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-public-colleges/index.php?table=public&state_code=ALL&id=none&sortby=out_state_cost&sortorder=DESC#colleges
Still, at some point before finalizing your list, you better verify that $50K (or whatever limit you set) is ok with them.
University of Pittsburgh is top 10 in Psychology. Nice city. Division 1 sports, etc.
@ClassicRockerDad thx ill be sure to check the school out
I’m in the same position as you lol and am looking into schools with similar characteristics. I’m looking into schools mostly on the West Coast, including University of Washington, University of Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona State, University of Arizona, and University of Georgia (not on the West Coast I know). Not really sure of how their psychology programs stack up, but all these schools are large and big on sports/school spirit, so I’d look into them if any interest you.
@brinda1108 we should look together haha, if you have reddit, my username is the same on there
Most flagships in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Northeast will work academically. Look into conditions for the honors college on order to make a difference.
Run the NPC on a dozen you selected (all those listed above are good) and bring the results to your parents. Ask if they can afford the costs from income and savings (without loans).