<p>Hello everyone. I am a rising senior in high school, and I am in search of some good Finance and Political Science schools because that is what I would like to major in. My stats are not great at all though I do feel that their are schools that can accomadate me. I am from Virginia and I WOULD LIKE to stay close to the state as much as possible. Stay in the Northeast VA and above unless its North Carolina. Location is key. My stats are: GPA is 2.8 with a really tough schedule I did not do well freshman and sophomore year so that is what is pulling me down. I have taken honors and AP's. SAT's are around 1700. Thanks a lot and I am excited to get some feed back. Thanks.</p>
<p>I don't know how close to Virginia you mean. Would New Jersey count?</p>
<p>Anyway, you also have to think about whether you want rural, suburban, or urban. Also, do you want small, medium, or large classes? What is your ideal social scene? These questions can't be answered quickly. Give it lots of time and thought, all the time and thought it takes to come up with your answer. This should probably be more important to you than your choice of college major. I get a little hesitant in recommending schools for people looking at certain majors, because students often decide that they know what they want to major in, and then they go to college, take a very interesting class in a different subject, and find that they are looking in majoring in that! So be careful, because by making the choice of major such an important factor, you might eliminate good schools that have less than stellar political science programs. So that's always something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Have you tried <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com?%5B/url%5D">www.collegeboard.com?</a> Look at their College MatchMaker. Even though it's not perfect, it's a great start. Also, look at general guidebooks for colleges that interest you, and then research those schools. This might work for you because you want to stay around northern Virginia. It seems like you haven't started your college search much. After you read the thread that I'll give you soon, make sure you start as soon as possible!</p>
<p>This was copied from one of my earlier posts:</p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/...d.php?t=377931%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/...d.php?t=377931</a> Read it!!!</p>
<p>Also, consider looking at a book like The Complete Idiot's Guide to College Planning by Dr. O'Neal Turner or Looking Beyond the Ivy League by Loren Pope. I made another post in this forum that is really helpful.</p>
<p>Do you want large classes or small class sizes? Do you need a sense of community, or do you want to be lost in the crowd? Do you prefer a school that politically leans left or right? If you don't know what you want to major in, ask the schools on your list when you have to choose a major and what would happen if you decide to change your major. Are there any programs that are important to you that you want to continue in college, like cultural clubs, or anything that interests you? Do you prefer lecture or discussion? </p>
<p>You've gotta be more specific in telling us what you're looking for. </p>
<p>You should take one free day and think seriously: Why do I want to go to college? What are my goals in college? What do I want to get out of college that I don't have yet? Do I want to go to college to get a degree, or do I want more, less tangible things? And what school environment will best suit what I want? These questions take time to answer. Make sure you're honest with yourself and you aren't distracted.</p>
<p>For example, my goals in college are to become well-educated, to learn the skills I need at work and for the rest of my life, to have great intellectual conversations with students and faculty before I graduate and go off to work, to have fun, and to learn more about what I want to do in my life. Ultimately my goal is to enhance the quality of my life. </p>
<p>From this, I thought, okay, what do I need to become well-educated in a broad range of subjects? I want a liberal arts education. I reasoned that a sense of community and an intellectually curious student body who want to stay up late talking about ethics over a cup of hot cocoa is vital to my happiness in college. To become well educated I want to have access to professors, tutors, and the library. I also want to study abroad for a term to learn more about the world. And so on. From these needs, I found a list of schools and I made a list of questions to ask students at these schools to find the schools that best match what I am looking for in a college experience. After I came up with my initial list of 10-30 colleges I had to think more about the specifics. All the schools in my initial list will help me fulfill my main goals. Now I have to think, When is the library open? How often do people party? What would happen if I decide to change my major? What specific extracurriculars do I want to continue or try in college? And so on. I group the colleges into schools I'm unlikely to get into, schools I have a good chance of getting into, and schools I am confident I will get into. I ask students from my colleges these questions, read guidebooks, look at school websites, look at viewbooks, I try to find out everything I can about all my colleges, and then I narrow down the colleges in each group so that I will have 2-3 schools in each group. I will apply to those schools, and I will have a great time at whatever final school I choose to go to, because it meets the major goals of my college education.</p>
<p>See how this is much more meaningful than saying, "I need to find a prestigious school with the best biology program?" as lots of people here seem to ask?</p>
<p>This will be your home for the next four years. You need to do a critical examination of you, who you are, what you want in life (you may not know yet, but it's good to think about it), what your idea of success is, and what you want out of college. Whom do you want to talk with for four years? Then figure out the qualities that will help meet your goals. </p>
<p>That is how people should go about their college searches. Too many people on CollegeConfidential and all over are doing their college application process incorrectly. And that's just too bad.</p>
<p>Happy Trails!</p>
<p>How about James Madison?</p>
<p>I appreciate all of the replies that I have recieved but a more appropriate responce that I am looking for is like the world changer post. He game me a school and I myself can scope it out. I will do the research of the school but if this helps then I will post this for you. I would like a large school but if it is small that is okay, I like suburban and City areas more, great diversity and not too expensive. Yes new jersey is okay. The furthest I can go is maybe New York, and North Carolina is about the furthest south I will travel. I just need colleges that I can get into with my stats, such as James Madison I Cannot get into but a great suggestion. I appreciate all of your time and effort but I would be very grateful if you may please continue to help me in my search. Thank You.</p>
<p>And yes I have tried collegeboard.com and studentsreview, and Princetonreview and every other place that you may be able to think of. Thanks.</p>
<p>But you have to understand, we can list lots of colleges and schools for you. To give you good suggestions, we need to know what you want. I don't want to suggest a small conservative school if you want a big liberal one.</p>
<p>I think I said this before, but try looking at a guidebook that sorts out colleges by location. That'll give you plenty to research.</p>
<p>Also, try to avoid using studentsreview.com, since you do not have to be a student to do a review! A lot of people make stuff up and lie on that site. </p>
<p>Look at all the schools in the guidebook based on location. That will give you more than we can recommend.</p>
<p>Well I have researched hundreds of schools from Va, all the way to Massachusetts. I have seen big liberal schools and small conservative schools as well. I am looking for schools that match my stats, I am somewhat leniant as to what kind of school I want to go to. I would like a very large school, sports and a great social scene. The must have my majors though that is a must and I can research that on my own as long as you can match something with my stats. The best schools that I have encountered are things like George Mason, Umass Amherst, Pace university, Temple, Drexel. I have few more here and there. If it is a small school with a good reputation then I will decide whether or not I want to go there but bigger schools are preffered. Thanks a lot. If I am too vague still then please ask me some more questions. Thanks.</p>