match maker, match maker....

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm really interested in going to a LAC like St. John's, Williams, or Deep Springs, but I'm worried about the cost of most LACs. I want an enriching academic experience, but I can't afford more than $10,000 a year. I'm also willing to consider some of the UCs (UCD, UCB, UCSD) with a regents scholarship, and any other college which gives fin. aid prodigiously. I'm interested in majoring in math, biology, or english.</p>

<p>I don't have the greatest stats, but I think my ECs are pretty decent, and I know I'm going to get very, very good recs.</p>

<p>I'm a junior with:</p>

<p>-4.0 uw / 4.6 w GPA with most rigorous coursework
-1400 SAT I (first try w/o any prep. i have to take the new ones soon)
-Top 4% of class (I live in CA so that means ELC)
-20 units (4.0 GPA) community college credits between 7th and 9th grade
-8 units UC credits (4.0) for Calc 21D and Intro. Abstract Math (upper-devision course)</p>

<p>ECs:</p>

<p>9th grade class president
10th grade class president
ASB President (just elected!)</p>

<p>In 9th grade, I designed and installed a large garden for my Jr. High School.
In general, I'm extremely active in Student Goverment. I've established a comprehensive student's rights program, and I'm working towards improving tensions between racial groups on campus.</p>

<p>I am an original member of a youth-led group which does social justice research. We presented data to three legislative sessions, a few UC classes, and conferences around the country and world. We also published a few papers, and won many grants.</p>

<p>I'm a voting member on the city's human relations council.</p>

<p>Right now, I'm interning at a pathology lab on a UC campus, and I've been grading papers for two years.</p>

<p>Awards:
-A ton in 9th grade
-Many small ones like Rotary Student of the Month, etc.
-Annual Rotary Award
-Americon Legion Delegate to Boys State
-National Merit Semifinalist/Finalist (most likely with a 220 in CA)</p>

2

<p>Deep Springs college is a little "different". Have you read about it? </p>

<p>It might be hard to match the financial deal you will get from a UC school but they don't offer an LAC experience. The best bet for LACs in CA are the Claremont colleges. Have you looked at them? Maybe Occidental. Rice is a small private university near Houston that has low tuition. Are you interested in mid-west or eastern schools? You should not rule out any private LACs because of price. The colleges will offer you a financial aid package based on your family's financial need. The important calculation is the Expected family contribution or EFC. There are financial aid calculators on the web for calculating need-based aid.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>You can see how much your family will be expected to contribute. And then there is merit aid. Colleges have discretion about merit aid. You may not have to pay more than $10,000 wherever you go. Financial aid offices at prospectiv colleges can help you out with an estimate. The people on this board can provide lots more suggestions for midwest and eastern schools if you are interested. If you are interested in Deep Springs you might like Reed or Grinnell. There is Macalester in MN and Carleton. Also Colorado College.</p>

3

<p>Deep Springs requires incredibly high scores and ECs like Intel winner, RSI scholar, etc.</p>

<p>You should do well at UCs, but be aware the financial aid often means much bigger loans than private colleges would make you take. If your family has need, most with your stats will do better at private schools.</p>

<p>You need to decide what type of school you really want. Williams and Deep Springs could not be more different than UCs. Raise your SATs and give Amherst, Swat, and Carlton a try. At your current level look at Colby, Bowdoin and the others ranked just slightly below Williams, etc.</p>

4

<p>I'm impressed by your EC's, but a little confused by your choices in majors. You want math, biology OR English? The things you do outside of school don't seem to indicate this, except for the link between work in a pathology lab and biology major.</p>

<p>Think about your interests a little more deeply. There are many fields of study that involve social justice and politics. Have you thought about social work, ecology or politics? You might want to take a look at some professional organizations in these areas, and see what training the members have. Looking at job boards for a specific field can also give you ideas about what majors are needed for employment and success.</p>

<p>You are a top candidate for many schools, so many that narrowing them down may be the hardest part of your application process. One thing to consider, if your funds are limited, is transportation to and from school. A place like Williams is hours away from an airport. The cost of going home, in time and money, could be a big negative.</p>

5

<p>I know exactly what Deep Springs represents, and I want to take part in it. I know my SATs aren't comparatively high, but I took it without any prep at all, so they can probably increase. Most importantly though, Deep Springs’ educational mission revolves around the concept of service to community--I think I’d fit well because of my ECs.</p>

<p>I appreciate the fin. aid info.</p>

<p>I’ll take a look at some colleges in the east.</p>

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

6

<p>I know my major choices are a bit funky, but consider this:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>By the time I graduate high school, I'll have enough UC credits to minor in pure math.</p></li>
<li><p>Right now I'm interning at a pathology lab, and over the summer I'm going to intern at a genetics firm. At the same time, AP Bio and AP Chem were pretty easy for me, and I really grew to love both subjects.</p></li>
<li><p>English may be a stretch, but I think an English major might provide the best liberal arts education (by that I mean knowing how to think vs. what to think) and I’ve won a few (minor) writing awards.</p></li>
<li><p>I hate PoliSci and Sociology and Social Sciences in general. Don't ask why, but I just do.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Based on the above, do you have any suggestions?</p>

<p>I really appreciate your help; thank you so much!</p>

7

<p>Deep Springs accepts plenty of "normal" people as long as they are devoted to the college itself. You don't have to be the best student, you just have to be the best Deep Springs Student. I know this because I just came back from an interview there, and I can guarentee you it's not for everyone; you may like the sound of it, but wait until you get out there and experience it before you form a final opinion. I will say however that the lowest SAT score they accepted last year was a 1380, so you'll have to either raise the score a bit or make a VERY good impression when you go out to interview. Also, make sure you essays are well-written and insightful about yourself and the way your mind works to get past to first round and be invited to come out for the second round. You should definitely look into other schools, as I met some applicants who applied only to Deep Springs and some safety, and said they would apply again and again to DS if they didn't get in this year. You probably don't want to end up like that. </p>

<p>Since you probably want to find some LACs with good merit aid, let me suggest DePauw, Rhodes, Whitman, Furman, perhaps Truman State (a tiny state U in MO), Lewis and Clark, St. Olaf, Drew, or Hendrix. These are all very different in location and specialties, but I've heard of them mentioned for good merit aid.</p>

8

<p>Is there any chance you could tell me about the interview?</p>

9

<p>bumping it up</p>

10

<p>One school you might take a look at is Wabash College in Indiana. Like Deep Springs, it's all male, but it's an excellent 4 year school that seems to be very generous with merit money and financial aid. They look for and reward applicants who show strong leadership and community service skills. Excellent academics.</p>