Looking for Target Schools in New England and MidAtlantic Area

[WriteOfPassage]

I am a black and queer female at the top school (magnet) in my county. I live in Maryland, but would prefer to go out of state though I’m open to in-state recommendations as well. I’m a first-generation student (1 parent attended college but never obtained a degree).

I’m a citizen looking for Private Schools with Creative Writing, Editing, Publishing, Entrepreneurship, Marketing/Digital Marketing, and/or English/Literature Majors and I am very open to schools with innovative programs and distinct majors.

GPA is 3.77
SAT 1410 (640 Math; 770 Writing)
QPA: 5.19

AP CompSci Principles: 4
AP Gov: 5
APES: 4
AP World: 4
AP Seminar: 4
AP Lang: 5
AP Spanish Lang: 3
HIghest Math: Honors Calc
Current Math: Honors Stat

Currently taking: AP Research, AP Psych, AP Lit
Admitted to Indep Research Seminar Class (Senior Thesis/Passion Project) 13 students admitted.

CollegeBoard: National African American Recoginition Program Scholar

Book-editing Business: 10+ hrs/wk developmentally editing Scifi/Fantasy Manuscripts OR working on Marketing + other Administrative Tasks (website, taxes, contracts, etc.)
Creative Writing Club: Editor for 4 years (highest position for 3)
In-School Internship with acclaimed Credit Union
School Book Club Founder and President
Social Media Chair for Queer Club
FBLA: Regional Leadership Conference Workshop Host and 2nd Place Regional Winner
Drama Club Cast: Roles have included Rizzo in Grease, Narrator in Into the Woods, and Dimaggio in Lead Rings on the Merry-Go-Round.
NEHS
NHS
School Lit Magazine Editor (1 round) and Writer (2 rounds)
Teenage Republican Society
Volunteer at Church at least 2/mth for 3hrs each time

I took US History at community college the summer before Junior Year and Health and Econ for standard credit at school this past summer if that helps.
This summer I also assisted in the planning and execution of a church VBS (about 80 hrs total)

Will apply EA or RD, no ED.

Chances are according to CollegeVine
Reach School: Hamilton, Amherst
Target?: Wesleyan University
Safety/Likely: Sarah Lawerance, Mt Holyoke, U of Rochestor
*Have/Will complete interviews where applicable
*Will apply for Honors College/Scholarships where offered

Considering: Emerson, Emmanuel (MA), McDaniel
Not considering: Bennington, New School

Parents will support up to 5,000/yr after grants/scholarships (I plan to/am applying to many). We make just over 100K currently. I am allowed to take up to 20,000 in loans if I want. I plan to work through college (business, work study, part-time, whatever I can get really) and would prefer not to go over 10,000.

Please let me know if you find any schools I might be interested in! I’m looking to finish my applications by mid-November the latest (RD) and Nov 1st for EA.

[tsbna44]

So the first thing is you are listing colleges that meet need but offer no merit. So have your families run the net price calculator for Vassar, Wesleyan, Hamilton , Amherst etc because you have $10k a year - $5k plus $5k per you can borrow. At $100k, you may not get close. Even at UMD or St Mary’s of MD you won’t be close.

So you may have to go to a CC but see what the NPCs say.

For literature look at U of Iowa and Oberlin. Both have a strong campus pride index grade.

You need to find a school with a diversity scholarship. Or a full tuition based on your grades/test score. They’re out there but in conservative states.

Good luck.

Many schools niw have index tables sorted to income (but they look at assets too).

But my fear is, short of a diversity scholarship or program like the Douglas at American or Johnson at W&L, you’ll be priced out. Good luck.

[AustenNut]

Congratulations on all of your accomplishments. You have done well in high school and I have little doubt about your continued success.

The first thing you need to do is ask your family to run the Net Price Calculator (NPC) at Amherst and Hamilton and/or Wesleyan. See what those schools calculate as your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). If that number is not about $12k, then you know that schools that do not offer merit aid are not in the running for you.

As @tsbna mentioned, YOU are only able to get about $5500 in federal loans for your first year. Undergrads can only take out about $28k TOTAL for their 4 years of college. It starts about $5500 and then goes to up a bit each year. So when combined with the $5k from your family, you’re looking at a $10k-ish budget. Attending a community college for your first two years will run you under budget, and then you might be able to attend U. of Maryland or similar for your last two years.

Before I go too much further in thinking of suggestions, it’s important for us (and you) to know whether any of the more generous institutions (like Amherst) are going to calculate whether your family will qualify for financial aid.

[circuitrider]

Yes, $100K a year for a family of four is right around where some of the extremely wealthy colleges begin to heavily discount their stiff sticker prices. The Wesleyan calculator takes about 10 minutes to complete (you may have to guesstimate things like your parents’ savings accounts, if they are anything like mine were - but try to tease as much info as you can from them):
Wesleyan University - Net Price Calculator (studentaidcalculator.com)

[Motherprof]

Kenyon is great for writing and publishing (students can apply for an apprenticeship with the Kenyon Review). Very LGBTQ+ friendly and keen on becoming more diverse racially. Not sure how finances would play out, but they’re pretty generous with need-based aid and have some merit scholarships as well. I know it’s not quite the geographic area you’re looking for, but it has lots of students from both coasts, as well as from Maryland.

[gardenstategal]

Second the idea to look at Kenyon for the academic fit. Fwiw, a relatively recent grad - black, LGBTQ friend of my kid found it to be a very tough place for their demographic. With that said, they worked really hard at making change on that front and had tons of support from the school in their efforts. The administration was supportive but the student body less so.

Many of these schools have special fly in programs for students just like you, so explore those. They provide a great inside look which can be helpful as you’re considering factors beyond academics.

[Tana98]

While Kenyon may have the right programs I would evaluate whether a Black Queer woman would feel safe in a state that has legislative priorities targeted at denying her the full spectrum of her human rights.

I see Mt Holyoke on your list and wonder if you have considered Smith? Smith has an open curriculum and recently went loan-free in its financial aid awards. Additionally, my daughter received a place in their STRIDE program which provides a substantial merit scholarship in addition to a work study grant and the ability to conduct undergraduate research in collaboration with a faculty member. My child’s net cost at Smith ended up being less than it would have been at our state flagship university.

You may also consider adding Bard College to your list. Their array of innovative programming is impressive.

[gardenstategal]

Yes!! Bard is a great choice for a writer and for LGBTQ students. . I don’t believe they are particularly generous, but it’s worth running the NPC. It sounds like a school the OP would like.

[Mwfan1921]

I love your username!

Congrats on your achievements.

Wesleyan is a reach, Mt Holyoke and Rochester targets.

Is U Maryland affordable for you? If so, make sure to apply EA.

Like the other posters, I am concerned that some of your schools and the new suggestions won’t be affordable, so do run some of the net price calculators with your parents and let us know their results. Then, posters can better help you.