Looking for schools.

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello, CC! I'm having trouble trying to decide what schools I should look into. I feel like my grades, stats, and ECs are weak compared to many other applicants; a lot of colleges that appeal to me are what one user described as "moon shots." Could anyone help me find selective colleges that I still have a good chance of getting into? I'm only a junior, so of course these stats are likely to change...but I'd still like to start seriously looking.</p>

<p>I'd like to attend a small liberal arts school. This past summer I toured Amherst, Smith, Bowdoin, Brandeis, and Emory. I would prefer to go to a school in a small town or suburb of the northeast, but I'm open to urban areas or other parts of the country as well. :) </p>

<p>Here are my stats:</p>

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<ul>
<li>White female :P</li>
<li>GPA: 3.8 UW, 4.4 W</li>
<li>SAT: Haven't taken the official test yet; 203 PSAT, so I'm predicting between a 2000 and 2100 SAT</li>
<li>Class Rank: Top 5%</li>
<li>Current location: Arizona</li>
</ul>

<p>I (will) have taken almost all of the honors and AP classes at my school, including the most rigorous science (honors chemistry) and English classes (English III honors). </p>

<p>However, I might also mention that I will only have two years of a language under my belt. I took French freshman and sophomore years, and the program was awful. Junior year I was not able to continue with French due to scheduling conflicts - I wanted to take APUSH instead, as history is one of my passions and the French class was terrible. </p>

<p>Here are the list of honors and AP classes I will have taken by the end of senior year:
- Freshman - English I, World History, Biology
- Sophomore - English II, Algebra II, Chemistry
- Junior - English III, Physics, Human Anatomy and Physiology, AP United States History. (No honors math due to a scheduling conflict)
- Senior (requested schedule) - AP Literature, Humanities, Economics/AP Government, AP Statistics, AP Psychology</p>

<p>ECs (some years projected):
- Varsity track and field (4 years)
- Varsity cross country (3 years)
- Independent study of Japanese (7 years, including Japanese Language Proficiency, or "JLPT" test)
- Sunday school teacher's assistant (4 years, kindergarten class all four years, paid)
- Volunteer at the local hospital in the summer through a selective program for teens (2 years, 200+ hours)
- Girls State delegate 2011
- Physics club president (1 year; at my school, you can only be in the physics club at the time you are enrolled in physics)
- NHS member and secretary (2 years)
- Link Crew member (1 year, may not include this on my application since I wasn't very involved in it)</p>

<p>Honors and Awards:
- Outstanding History Freshman - 2009
- Qualified for AZ Cross Country State meet as an individual (as well as a team) - 2011 season</p>

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<p>I would like to major in Asian studies, Japanese, history, or American literature. </p>

<p>I know it's a little hard to pick out colleges without definitive SAT/ACT scores, SAT II scores, or AP test scores. But assuming I get good letters of recommendation and write good essays, what schools might fit for me?</p>

2

<p>Did you like Smith? My younger D is there and is very happy.</p>

<p>Did you get a chance to tour Mount Holyoke?</p>

3

<p>I don’t think you look weak at all. I think you have CC-Fever :slight_smile: . </p>

<p>It sounds like you’d be a great fit at lots of schools - please check out Colleges That Change Lives. The College Board website, this website, and several others have college finder pages - check them out.</p>

<p>Also, your Japanese may not be on your transcript, but it is real - mention it somewhere on the application. I agree about leaving out the Link Crew member - you have enough substantive information that you don’t need to use filler. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>[Ohio</a> Six College Tour - College of Wooster](<a href=“http://www.wooster.edu/Admissions-and-Financial-Aid/Visiting-the-Campus/Open-Houses/Ohio-Six-College-Tour/]Ohio”>http://www.wooster.edu/Admissions-and-Financial-Aid/Visiting-the-Campus/Open-Houses/Ohio-Six-College-Tour/)</p>

<p>You may want to look at Ohio colleges. Last August we toured small liberal arts colleges in Ohio as part of the Ohio Six College Tour. We really liked the schools and my S applied to several. We are from Texas so S and dad are in Ohio right now visiting some of the colleges again where S was accepted to make sure S will like the snow.</p>

5

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<p>I loved Smith! It’s a beautiful campus, and I really like Northampton. I’ve also heard that it has an excellent Asian Studies program, which is one of the biggest draws for me. It’s actually my #2 school right now, after Amherst. Do you know if a lot of students take advantage of the Five College Consortium? I think being able to take classes at all five colleges seems like a wonderful opportunity, and I’d love to do so if I wind up going to one of those schools.</p>

<p>I didn’t get a chance to tour Mount Holyoke, unfortunately. :frowning: What can you tell me about MHC?</p>

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<p>Thank you, GeekMom63. :slight_smile: I’ve looked at CollegeBoard, this website, and CollegeData before; I’ll definitely look into Colleges That Change Lives. Thanks for the suggestion! </p>

<p>I’m definitely going to mention the Japanese studies. I just got the JLPT result back today, and I passed! Yay! </p>

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<p>Funny that you mention Ohio, I’ve been thinking about Oberlin and Kenyon for a while! I’ll research further into what they have to offer. The snow is one draw for me - I’m sick of the desert heat! ;D Thank you!</p>

6

<p>Check this out regarding Earlham College. Earlham - in addition to being one of the most distinctive and outstanding LACs in America - has a unique relationship with Japan that no other school in America can match:</p>

<p>[Japan</a> at Earlham | Earlham College](<a href=“http://www.earlham.edu/japan-earlham]Japan”>http://www.earlham.edu/japan-earlham)</p>

<p>Earlham is also a good match for you admissions-wise. It may or may not be what you’re looking for, but to ignore Earlham with a passion for Japanese language, culture, business or politics, would be like ignoring Georgetown if your goal was Foreign Service.</p>

7

<p>Might look at Holy Cross and Bates.</p>