Looking to narrow down college list

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi, everyone! So I'm a junior, and am trying to solidify my college list. So here goes.</p>

<p>**Tentative college list:*
Brown/MIT
U Rochester
Emory
Wellesley
Smith
Bryn Mawr
Mount Holyoke
Tufts
Macalester
Pitzer/Scripps
Vanderbilt
UPitt
Vassar
UCSD
Agnes Scott*</p>

<p>Possible safeties: UAB, UCSC, UCR, Sonoma State University.</p>

<p>I feel like all of these are too reachy though... Help?</p>

<p>Here's some extra information:
Intended major: neuroscience. I want to be able to do a lot of research. </p>

<p>Stats:
3.52 unweighted (3.42 Freshman year, 3.69 Sophomore Year, 1st semester junior year is 3.33 :()</p>

<p>3.79 weighted</p>

<p>2150 SAT (680 math, 670 CR, 800 Writing); will retake in March, and possibly take the ACT as well.
As a side note, when I took the SAT and ACT before high school, I got a 1800 on the SAT and a 30 on the ACT. I hope my ACT score has improved at least a bit; then perhaps I might feel a bit better. </p>

<p>EC: Mostly STEM activities. I do scientific research, write sci-fi using concepts I read in scientific articles (i.e. Nature), participate in my school's science competition teams (i.e. Science Olympiad, InvenTeams, TSA TEAMS, etc.). I am applying to summer research programs this year. </p>

<p>In addition, I write other types of fiction, play the cello, run (for fun, though hopefully I can do track this year - my times are in the d3 range), read European classics, and am starting up an Etsy shop right now. </p>

<p>Awards/Honors/that stuff:
2 or 3 leadership positions in different clubs next year
Siemens Semifinalist 2012! (I have been doing science fairs since 6th grade)
Presidential Award for Community Service, Silver Medal
NaNoWriMo finisher for 3 years
Had my photography shown in my city's youth art exhibit (selected by my teacher)</p>

<p>Special Circumstances: In the 2011-2012 school year (aka sophomore year) I was diagnosed with depression. That year, however, I had a bit of an upward trend going. I wasn't really negatively impacted that year, but for some reason, this year, first semester, I suddenly felt all the side effects of depression (i.e. extremely tired, couldn't wake up, etc.). As a result, my grades suffered. Thankfully, I have had a restful winter break, so I hope to do a lot better second semester. </p>

<p>Residence: I have always resided in California. I am a US citizen with dual citizenship. </p>

<p>Cost Restraints: My parents don't want to spend more than $10k a year. My mom doesn't hold a job, so my dad earns all the money. My sister is in college and still will be next year; hopefully this means a bit more financial aid?</p>

<p>Geographical Restraints: I'm okay with just about anywhere; just not too rural and isolated (not conservative). Basically that means West Coast, East Coast, Pennsylvania. The furthest west besides the west coast I am considering is Minnesota and the furthest south is probably Tennessee. </p>

<p>Did I miss any information? I tried to look at other similar posts to avoid needing to elaborate on what kinds of things I want for college...</p>

2

<p>UPitt is already a safety so you don’t need many more. You also don’t need to narrow down at all. I’ve already applied to 15 and i plan on doing 4 more.</p>

3

<p>Another Nanowrimo participant! -high five- But seriously, I think we’re twins. I’m also a junior and I have almost identical stats and I’m in California too. Plus I’ve been looking at some of those schools. I think you might want to remove Brown/MIT, as they’re your biggest reaches and will be very tough with your GPA. (I love love love Brown. From what I’ve heard, Wesleyan and Vassar are similar, if a bit smaller.) I think your other reaches are all more realistic, with good essays. What kind of atmosphere are you looking for? That could help you narrow down what schools to keep. There are a lot of small and large schools in California to visit, and you could figure out what size you prefer.</p>

4

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>@Emadera, that’s cool! Yeah, I might want to remove Brown and MIT, though those schools are really cool and I think I’ll love them. I’m looking for more of a small, liberal school. However, larger schools with “residential colleges” are also great (like UCSC and UCSD). </p>

<p>I have already seen how UC Berkeley is, and it’s a large-college type of feeling - which I didn’t like.</p>

5

<p>

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<p>Get the basic financial information from your parents and run it through the net price calculator on each schools web site to get a net price and financial aid estimate.</p>

<p>If a college is not affordable on need-based aid, find out if it has large enough merit scholarships that are in reach for you (but then reach/match needs to be based on the merit scholarships, not merely admission). If it is not affordable on need-based aid, and does not have sufficient merit scholarships that are in reach for you, you may as well remove it from your application list.</p>

<p>Note that most out-of-state publics will come up quite short on need-based financial aid, though some (e.g. UAB) have large merit scholarships.</p>

6

<p>I’m also applying to UCSC as a safety, as I liked the vibe after visiting (although felt the academics were a bit lacking). I live right across the bay from UC Berkeley and decided to tour it. It felt huge after the tour and scared me off from applying. I’m also looking for a small liberal school on the west or east coast (although not for neuroscience) and my top 3 choices are Reed, Wesleyan and Vassar (they’re all reaches, though…) Just googling, Hamilton, Bowdoin, Amherst, Bates are all small liberal arts schools in the northeast that seem to be quite strong in neuroscience. Oberlin is in Ohio, but is very liberal and strong in neuroscience. Many of the UCs are also great for undergrad research, if you do end up in a larger school.</p>

7

<p>Thanks!
My list looks like this now:
Brown (ugghh idk about it though. It’s SUPER reachy but the neuroscience programs T_T)
U Rochester
Emory
Wellesley
Smith
Bryn Mawr
Mount Holyoke
Tufts
Pitzer/Scripps
Vanderbilt
UCSD/UCSC/UC Merced
Agnes Scott
UAB
Case Western Reserve</p>

8

<p>Keep it really broad for now you have plenty of time</p>

9

<p>The suggestions in post #5 are on the mark. You need to do this FIRST before going any further with your list. If you can’t afford them, don’t spend a lot of time thinking about them. I disagree about “keeping it broad” if you have schools you will not be able to afford. Better to figure this out now, and spend time looking for more affordable options.</p>

10

<p>Personally, I wouldn’t bother with Brown, Vanderbilt, and maybe even Emory. Not to be discouraging. Like ucb said, make sure your schools are within your price range. Check how much you would get in financial aid before getting too set on a school.</p>

11

<p>Thanks for the replies!
I don’t think I’ll apply to Brown anymore. Probably not Emory either (besides, Agnes Scott is practically in the same location). From the financial aid page I won’t get enough to satisfy my parents. </p>

<p>In my particular school, however, there is no data on anyone on who got in to Vanderbilt.</p>

<p>What are everyone’s opinion on UAB? They offer generous financial/merit aid but what really doesn’t sit well with me is it’s in the deep-ish south.</p>

12

<p>I would remove MIT but keep Brown. It has the small open liberal-arts feel you seem to be going for.</p>

<p>You have a lot of women’s colleges on the list - Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Agnes Scott, Scripps. I think you should definitely keep Agnes Scott, as it’s a low match for you and may give you good financial aid. Bryn Mawr and Smith are matches for you too and are known for good financial aid. I hesitate to tell you to wean your list down any - because Wellesley, Mount Hoyoke and Scripps are all awesome - but maybe that’s where you want to trim?</p>

<p>If you are in-state for CA, you have some good safeties from CA so I would eliminate Pitt unless you’re eligible for significant scholarship support there.</p>

<p>Emory, Rochester, Pitt and Vanderbilt puzzle me because they seem so different from the other schools on your list (small liberal arts schools).</p>

<p>Birmingham is about 2 hours from Agnes Scott & Emory driving, so it’s no more Deep South than those schools, although I do agree that Atlanta has a different feel (more urban and cosmopolitan) than Birmingham. That’s up to you. Personally I think UA-Tuscaloosa is better than UAB for undergrad.</p>

13

<p>Thanks. Well, at first I was looking at schools that offered good neuroscience programs. But now, as I research, UPitt is much too big for me.
University of Rochester, as I’ve heard, is like a science liberal arts school but a little larger. What appeals for me there is the use of “clusters” that don’t limit your interests to one major.
Atlanta is nice, so that’s why I put Emory. Vanderbilt keeps sending me a bunch of stuff and it seems like a cool place.</p>

14

<p>Rochester’s clusters are basically the breadth requirements. In each of three divisions (humanities, social studies, science / engineering), a student has to have a major, minor, or cluster. A cluster is like a mini-minor in a subject in that division.</p>