Looking for help choosing colleges

College Search & Selection
1

Hey everyone. I am from NYC and a high school junior.

My high school has a pretty bad rep and not many of my friends are headed to college. But my mom has always made me stay up on the books and wanted for me to go to college someday.

Now, I am a high school junior and I need help. My guidance counselor gave me some ideas but suggested I use the internet to research colleges. So, hear I am. Hoping to pick your brains and get some wisdom from y’all.

I want to study politics and make some positive change. I have a 88 avrage and I took the sat and got a 1050.

I want to go to college somewheres outside nyc to get away from the neighborhood problems here. I know my grades aren’t that great but I want to make a diffrence.

Off to class - looking for some recs on some schools that have good financial aid and open to a student like me.
Thanks

2

What about SUNY? Would you be eligible for the free tuition (income under $125k per year, I think). They are good schools and might be the best bet for good aid.

3

Getting out of NY wouldn’t be the worst thing.

A change of seenery might be nice.

4

Congrats on your hard work, and your mom’s! I admire your ambition.

First, you should definitely look at SUNY schools in addition to others. There are many, and you can find some in locations that would be more desirable and a better fit for you.

Some schools claim to meet full financial need. For lists, you can google “colleges that meet full financial need.” These colleges strive to provide enough aid that all accepted students can afford to attend. Note that these schools include many of the wealthiest, most competitive schools, so admission will be difficult (for everyone) at the vast majority. Also, they might be “need aware” and consider need in the admissions decision (basically they can only afford aid to a certain extent). Also, they might calculate that your family can pay more than your family can pay. Also, note that deadlines can be early. Run the net price calculator (NPC) for any schools that interest you. They are on the school’s admission/aid sites. They will give you an estimate of how much you would have to pay to attend.

I find Union College in Schenectady on one list. It’s an excellent liberal arts college (LAC). It’s going to be a reach based on your stats, but maybe you can visit and make a case for yourself. You are going to want to tell a good story that features your ambition and your desire to get ahead.

https://www.union.edu

Also, you might look at Berea College in Kentucky. It’s an excellent, small LAC. It’s a “work college” and students are required to work a number of hours per week. But it is FREE for all students. Note that you have to interview, and the application deadline is very early. So you’d want to get going on that by this summer.

https://www.berea.edu

Here is a website for a consortium of “work colleges.” Maybe you’ll find another one that looks interesting. Most are southern and several have religious orientations.

http://www.workcolleges.org

Run the NPC for UNC-Asheville. It will very probably be too expensive, and probably a reach. You would be paying OOS tuition unless you get aid. But, who knows, maybe you will qualify under some financial aid program. It’s a public LAC in a very cool mountain town with lots going on.

https://admissions.unca.edu

You can also google “college summer fly-in programs.” Sometimes these will pay airfare to visit a school. Here’s one example: I’m not really recommending the school (not not recommending it). Some deadlines for these will be past or coming up soon.

http://www.smumn.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit-campus/overnight-visit/fly-in-airfare-assist-program

Here’s a good example of how financial aid works. I like Worcester, where Assumption is located. It’s an old industrial city that’s revitalizing. It has about 200,000 residents and is the second largest city in New England. There are several colleges there, so a bit of a college town. I’d think the school a reasonable possibility for you. I just don’t know if they could come up with enough aid. You could run the NPC.

https://www.assumption.edu/admissions/financial-aid/applying-for-aid

Some unsolicited advice for college; go to class every time (many students don’t, but it’s a real key to success, overwhelmingly so); get tutors from Day 1 (this is great advice for everyone, it’s better to get some guidance from the beginning rather than waiting until one falls behind); go to office hours and meet professors early. They want to help. You are working hard. Take advantage of opportunities to learn one-on-one. Profs are generally very nice and root for students. Students are often intimidated and/or don’t want a prof to know what they don’t know (hint: the prof usually knows anyway).

Good luck with your search!

5

Thank you for all that knowledge.

Are any of these schools in a country setting? Away from the city. I seen some nice countryside in Pennsylvania when driving to visit my aunt in philly.

I bet they have some good schools there that are more country. Less city drama.

6

Berea is way in the country. Lexington, Kentucky is not too far away, but the school also borders Daniel Boone National Forest. Look into that one, and see what the admissions process entails.

I think all or most of the “work colleges” on that link I included in my first post are rural or small town. Assumption is really on the edges of Worcester, with several lakes right around it.

Here’s a great list of terrific schools–Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL)–where students can get a great education.

https://ctcl.org

All of the below schools are on the CTCL list:

I can’t really speak to financial aid at any of them; I imagine most will be too expensive. You can look through them and see if any jump out at you. Then run the NPC. Many are rural or small town. I was just by Southwestern University, which is just outside Georgetown, TX, a neat little town, and about 30-40 minutes from Austin. I think the College of Wooster offers very good aid. It’s an excellent school in a small town in Ohio.

Ursinus College is in Collegeville, PA, which might be just what you are looking for. I’ll use it as an example too. According to Forbes College Ranking, it accepts 83% of applicants; 99% receive financial aid; first-time students receive an average of almost $30,000 in aid. However, the “sticker price” is over $60,000. So you would need to be awarded considerably more than the average. Can you? I don’t know. So understand how it might work out. (And you’ll have to do well to keep any scholarships.)

https://www.ursinus.edu

Hampshire College has a hippy vibe. It’s in Western Massachusetts, so not too far from you. It’s also part of the Five College Consortium with Smith College (all female), Mount Holyoke (all female), Amherst, and University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Students can take some classes and take advantage of other opportunities at the other schools.

If you want to be way in the cornfields, Cornell College (not Cornell University, an Ivy League school) is in Iowa. It is very different in that students only take one intensive class at a time. Does that appeal to you?

Again, all of these schools have very, very expensive sticker prices. From what you say, you’ll need aid. If accepted, you’d probably get some aid at most. But it is very possible it will not be enough. So keep that in mind. Keep your expectations in check. Run the NPC to get some idea–I can’t really say at all.

If some schools look interesting, and possible, both in terms of admissions and price (NPC). Then you might want to show interest. At any of these small schools, feel free to email the admissions rep for NYC (you can usually find the reps contact info and their regions on the schools admissions webpage). Keep your message pretty short and concise. Tell them about your interest in the school, try to find out if they have any admissions events in NYC that you might attend. Strike up a relationship. That can be important at schools like this. Be positive and forward looking and enthusiastic, just like you were in your post. The schools are really trying to build great communities. Show them that you would make a real contribution to the school’s community. Proofread all messages carefully and/or have someone do the same. Writing skills are clearly important to academic success, so that counts.

Starting in May or June is a good time for the admissions reps. They are done reviewing applications and working with accepted students to make up the incoming class. Then they will spend the summer months promoting the school for the next year.

7

Look into SUNY Oneonta, New Paltz and Oswego.

8

I have a couple of schools that might be good for you to consider. A couple things I have leaned over the past few years , hopefully to save you some anxiety.

Work with you gc to complete the common application, referred to as the common app, in the summer or fall. It takes time .

Fill out the FAFSA form early. Carefully. And fully. This gets you the financial aid you will need and schools need this form.

Carefully write your essays and have them read through by you gc or English teacher. And proofread them carefully. A well written personal statement and essays are really important.

Be organized. Know when the deadline is for materials are due for each school. Know when admissions say yes or no. I would keep a writen journal.

Don’t procrastinate to the very last minute. The professionals reading these ca team. Trust me

More rural or smaller towns in nice areas. Good schools and school where to have at least a 50/50 shot st getting in

Plymouth st (nh)
Westfield State (ma)
Roger Williams (RI)
Washington and Jefferson (PA)
University of Alabama
Auburn. Clemson
Pitt
Hampshire college (Mass)
U Montana

9

^ none of the above colleges meet need and only Hampshire has decent aid, but it’s a very unique college (hippie, must be self directed, etc) and OP has not indicated he wants an alternative vibe
The others are Oos publics so they’re unlikely to be affordable.

@therealtyquan:
First thing: consider that SAT score your baseline. Register for the June SAT and use Khan academy to study. Head to the “testing” forum and look for the “xiggi and silverturtle method”. Study systematically, every day. You can also borrow books like ‘princeton review’ to help you study. You can also try a test called the act, you should quality for fee waivers, ask your GC.

What are your academic strong points?
What classes are you taking this year? What classes will you be taking next year?
What do you do when you’re not in class? Clubs, sports, job, family obligations…?

Most SUNY colleges are in college towns. Some are in/near cities. A good environment would be SUNY Geneseo, to which you should apply EOP. Suny Albany is a good bet, too (apply to Honors, there, if you can bring that score up).
Ask your guidance counselor about EOP AND HEOP. Those are programs for strong students who couldn’t achieve to potential due to external factors like their neighborhood or family’s income, but have a good work ethics and a strong will to go to college. Also, they include a free summer out of the city, enjoying college early. (You’re not the only one who needs to escape the ‘drama’.)
HEOP + colleges such as St Lawrence or Hobart/William Smith would be good, too.
Next, out of state: the best possibilities will be colleges that “meet need” or CAN for students they’re interested in. For them, you’re going to bring that SAT score up. Each 100 points you add is worth thousands of dollars. But in the meanwhile, “express interest”: it means finding the “request info form” (type that + name of college) and completing it. Use an email address just for colleges like therealtyquan@gmail.com. Check it out every day and click on the links in the email (they track that). Colleges for which you should do that: Wheaton Massachusetts, Goucher, Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Denison, St Olaf, Luther, Augustana Illinois, Concordia Moorhead, Allegheny, Wooster, Kalamazoo.
The best one for political science is Dickinson. You’d need a solid senior year in terms of grades and rigor, and a 1200 SAT or apply test optional (no penalty for applying without test scores but you need solid everything else). It’s going to be a reach so you’d have to apply ED. They offer full rides if your EFC is zero.
However I don’t know if it’s even possible, because I don’t know if you took the classes they require:
4 years of English (honors, AP, or CollegeNow), Global History Honors (or AP World), us history honors or APUSH + 1 more (economics, government / honors or AP or CollegeNow), math through precalculus, foreign language through level 4 (3 minimum), 3 years of science. Do you have that?

10

Hi, and welcome.

My daughter, from LI, will be attending Plymouth State in NH in the fall. It’s about 5 hours from us, so maybe 4.5 from you. Take a look at them… they’re in the base of the White Mountains, a billion years away from NYC.

Also consider some of those SUNY campuses. Look at Buffalo State, Morrisville, Delhi, Alfred… you shouldn’t have any problem getting into any of them.

Out of state, but still reasonably nearby-- take a look at Neumann near Philly-- though take a look at the pricetag first. Also consider Holy Family near Philly,

11

Yes, I do want to emphasize that while looking for real possibilities outside NY, it will be important to find a few SUNYs that are a good fit and are affordable. I don’t know the in’s and out’s of NY higher education, and only know much about a few of the SUNYs, they will offer your best opportunity to find some affordable schools. And as noted above, some will be in the type of communities you are looking for. I agree that SUNYs Oneonta, New Paltz and Oswego look good. Then you can also look at some of the out-of-state options.

12

Look very carefully at SUNYs. For example, U Buffalo’s North Campus (where you would be) is very suburban and doesn’t have city drama. If you want more city activity though, it’s easy enough to get to. So maybe a nice balance. Another SUNY I haven’t seen mentioned yet is Brockport. I don’t think anyone would describe it as being in a city!
There are some nice community colleges with articulation into 4 year SUNYs as well. For example, FLCC, which has dorms, could be a great safety option. It’s probably the closest to being in a rural area that I can think of.
If you are fine with Catholic universities, run the NPC for St. Bonaventure. It’s a small, really friendly university in a very rural area. Basketball games are lots of fun there too!

13

Thank you for all the advice.

I will def look at some SUNY but no buffalo or brockport. That’s way to cold for me. My guidance counselor suggested new paltz.

I really want to get south. Maybe Georgia or the Carolinas. Maybe someplace smaller - I just don’t know where to go. Although I might like a big state school too but I feel like they don’t treat folks right from out of their own states when it come to doling out the financial aid.

Keep them ideas coming.

14

Fill out the request information form on the colleges websites (all colleges listed here).
Your ability to go Oos will rest on your test scores so work every day on this.

15

Hmm. Maybe SUNY Cortland?
I don’t think the temperatures vary widely between SUNYs, but snow totals sure do. Buffalo, Brockport and Oswego gets lots of snow. I’m not sure about Albany.

16

The problem is this: SUNY is your cheapest option. And from NYC, all of SUNY is north.

But keep in mind: you won’t be shoveling that snow-- you’ll be walking on shoveled paths from one place to another. So don’t let that be the deciding factor.

17

Good point bjkmom. And some of them, I know U Buffalo in particular but maybe some/most of the others, have their academic buildings connected so that you don’t have to go outside as often to get from building to building.

18

Right.

Also, keep in mind: not all “north” is equal in terms of weather.

Buffalo enjoys(??) what’s called “lake effect snow”-- storms that blow and blow and worsen as they cross the Great Lakes and land on Buffalo. Other SUNY campuses as far north, or futher, will have radically different weather.

So right now, keep them all on the table… and go visit some. Even a summer visit will let you see the campus and get a feel for how you would like it.

19

Right.

Also, keep in mind: not all “north” is equal in terms of weather.

Buffalo enjoys(??) what’s called “lake effect snow”-- storms that blow and blow and worsen as they cross the Great Lakes and land on Buffalo. Other SUNY campuses as far north, or futher, will have radically different weather.

So right now, keep them all on the table… and go visit some. Even a summer visit will let you see the campus and get a feel for how you would like it.

20

SUNY & CUNY.