Hiya! I’m a 16 year old early college/high school student in NY in my junior/third year. I’m trying to put together a list of colleges for researching further/visiting, so that my mom can start planning trips & such. My twin brother already finished his, and it’s 9 or 10 colleges long, which I feel mine should at least be as well. I also need a lot more matches and safeties.
Without further ado:
UW GPA:
High school: 89 or so
Early college: 3.6-3.7
PSAT: 211
SATI: aiming for 2100-2250 range
SAT IIs: planning to take literature and math II or biology
EC’s:
violin (6+ years)
art/painting (3-4 years)
school art magazine (senior editor)
chamber orchestra
musical theater camp counselor
sci fi club (co-founder)
summer intensive illustration programs
yearbook
art history study
taught myself digital media production (2+ years)
i really like les miserables. this isn’t really an ec but oh well
you get the idea. they’re not overwhelming ec’s but i put a lot of effort and passion into them
Intended fields:
art history
literature
english
studio art
french
neuroscience (not looking to major but it is interesting to me)
What I’m looking for in a college:
not ridiculously large (i.e. not rutgers lol)
a nice campus that isn’t super urban (it can be near cities or even in one i just need some grass and trees you know)
not a women’s college
not super conservative, would prefer a liberal leaning (but there is such a thing as too liberal imo)
NOT a party school
no preference whether christian or not christian
lgbt friendly / diverse
good humanities programs!
midwest/northeast/east
preferably not a SUNY school but i’m open to other state schools!
Current list (based on my school’s naviance):
Reaches:
Brown (dream school, mega reach. will likely apply ED)
UChicago
Matches:
Oberlin
Macalester
Colgate (is this a reach? input please!)
Safeties:
Bard
Thank you all for your help if you offer it! Any input on my list so far or general discussion is welcome.
I would consider looking into more LACs because I think they would be really suitable to your diverse interests. I would consider Dickinson, Kenyon, and other schools similarly situated. For another safety school, I would consider Goucher in MD (probably receive merit-aid). But, in general, I think looking into more LACs would be worth some time. Good luck!
If Oberlin and Macalester are on your list, add Grinnell as a match. Likewise Colby and Bates in Maine. Look at Haverford too. Somewhat safer would be Beloit, Lawrence, and Goucher.
@Erin’s Dad : my parents make decent money (200k+) and haven’t given my any strict financial guidelines, so I assume we’re mostly fine on the money front. I think they’re also expected aid for my siblings because they’re partially disabled, and for having 3 kids in college at the same time.
I know you said not a woman’s college, but I’d sure take a look at Smith. Open curriculum like Brown; January term like Oberlin. Fabulous art museum like Oberlin, Gay friendly, Northampton is a great college town and you’ve got the consortium so you will have men in your classes. You might also consider Sarah Lawrence as a safety. It meets a lot of your needs too.
Ask your parents specifically about the finances. If they don’t want to share their numbers with you, ask them to run the Net Price Calculators at the websites of each of the places currently on your list so that any that cannot be made affordable can be eliminated.
@ happymom I asked my mother and she said she’s looked at schools on my list and is confident in our being able to pay (not sticker price obviously but you know). She has a counselor of college finances that she meets with and he says we’re fine.
@ all: thank you all for the input! I have brought up the idea of women’s colleges with my mom. Might I ask why you guys are raising that point in particular?
If your parents make 200K, you’ll probably be paying near-sticker prices. Her counselor must know something about their savings and assets we don’t.
Your varied interests LACs are very good with. That you’re a woman with varied interests suggests women’s colleges.
However, I don’t think you can go wrong with any size college as long as it’s not a tech school. Some large unis provide many more programs than any LAC if your interests extend beyond what they are now. My D for instance has many of your interests but is at a public uni, and she finds herself taking courses in subjects like South American anthropology that she’d not find at most LACs or mid-size unis. It is however a different college experience than she would have found at an LAC.
I’m trying to place the painting you’re using for your i.d., and my eyes are saying Gainsborough but my brain is saying I don’t know.
I’ve broached the topic of larger schools with my mother, but she feels strongly about me going to a smaller school since I’ve never been in a class larger than 150 kids in my life. I feel like I could handle it, but social size is less of a priority than access to a wide range of academic options, which is what you’re getting at. I’ll keep that in mind, thank you!
And sorry, it’s Hoppner! “Portrait of a Lady as Evelina.”
When you say because of my interests, do you mean artistic inclinations, etc.? Honestly, I went to an all-girls summer camp for 3 years and loved it, but I feel like college is a bit, well, different from that.
My uncle tried to prevent me from even thinking about it, but didn't really explain why, so you might be right! If that's true, it'll be on less reach to worry about.
I think nat97xo might be reffering to how UChicago and Brown have very different educational philosophies. Uchicago has an extensive “core” curriculum versus Brown that has an open currculum among other things
Skidmore and Union are worth looking at if they aren’t too close to home for you! Skidmore has the Tang Art Museum on campus, and a great arts program. Oberlin, Colgate and Macalester might actually be high matches. You’ll know better when you get your SAT score. Have a look at the Common Data Sets for each to see where you fall.
@ midwestdad; you might be right, though I based most of my divisions on my school’s naviance. It seems like we tend to send quite a few to Oberlin, Macalester, and Bard each year with lower grades than seems to be the average (we’ve got some serious grade deflation issues). Whether this would apply to me, though, I’m not sure; I’ll ask my counselor when she gets back from maternity leave.
Agree entirely @pontmercy that grade deflation is recognized by highly selective colleges. You are probably already aware that GCs send a school “profile” along with their GC letter, to the schools that you apply to. In this way, kids from grade deflating high schools aren’t discriminated against with regard to all other applicants. Generally the adcoms have a very good idea of where each h.s. falls on grading.
I think it’s a great idea to look at women’s colleges, too! My daughter was not sold on the idea (nor was I) until we visited several. Her observation was that, compared to the same-level co-ed schools we visited, a far greater majority of students seemed really engaged and invested in being there. Passionate, articulate, etc. My daughter wanted a small liberal arts school with a very intellectual AND artsy vibe. After more in depth visits (overnights and class visits) she was sold, and her top 3 pics were all-women’s schools. She’s at Mount Holyoke and really thriving. She says it’s a very supportive environment, too.
She’s a bio major, and a couple of her friends are neuorsci. The art museum on campus is AMAZING…
Keep in mind that an all-women’s college does not mean no men! There are some men on campus, because Mount Holyoke (like many all-womens schools) is part of a consortium with Amherst College, Hampshire, UMass, and Smith. Students take classes at other campuses, and participate in plays and orchestras and such. There’s a free bus that connects all the schools and my D and her friends often go to social events (parties) at the other schools as well as cultural and academic events. The whole area is a great college-y place with all those schools. Lots of places to meet men, but also you get to come home to your own, quieter, supportive campus and not worry about drunk freshman boys puking in the hall outside your dorm room
I also agree Skidmore is a good possibility for you. Maybe not Colgate so much… I ended up transferring from there because I did not think the art was strong enough and found it a tad too preppy/sporty. Maybe it’s changed, though!
Yeah, I’d agree with looking at the woman’s colleges too. I mean, i’m not going to try to give you too much advice because I’m only a senior in high school. But last year, I thought the same way–“Why would anyone go to a woman’s college?” etc. until I looked into them more and grudgingly decided to visit in August. I loved loved loved them, but a couple of girls in the tours HATED the woman’s college aspect. So I’d just visit a couple if you could! And more than just one–I didn’t like Barnard (the one I expected to like the most) and loved Mount Holyoke (one I almost decided to skip off the morning of the visit) ^-^
