Match Me! East Coast Senior - Major undecided

Chance Me / Match Me!
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1

Hi all, thanks ahead for your help!

Have been thinking about college choices for a long time but open for your feedback to find the most suitable school set.

While we “could” afford private schools, we are having a hard time getting over the sticker shock.

Prefer to stay on East coast. Prefer schools that are open for undecided major or easy transfer of major. Not convinced about ED yet as we are not sure about major.

Demographics

  • US domestic *(US citizen or permanent resident)
  • State/Location of residency: * New York
  • Type of high school * One of the top public high school on Long Island
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity *(optional)*F/Asian
  • Other special factors (first generation to college, legacy, athlete, etc.):

Intended Major(s)
Undecided. Have interest in art, digital design, and bio but would like to explore other majors once in college.

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 90.0
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 94.7 - 5% flat inflation
  • College GPA (for transfers): NA
  • Class Rank:
  • ACT/SAT Scores: ~1350-1420

Coursework
(AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores for high school; also include level of math and foreign language reached and any unusual academic electives; for transfers, describe your college courses and preparation for your intended major(s))
AP Psych, College Law
Senior year AP bio, AP gov, AP art, AP literature

Awards
small scale debate competitions

Extracurriculars
(Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)

  • 2 years of Summer internships at a government office for digital design work
  • heavily involved in school, community theater programs (Sound and Film tech and directing)
  • led school theater tech club; produced digital work for school
  • volunteered at community art organizations

Essays/LORs/Other
(Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.)

Cost Constraints / Budget
(High school students: please get a budget from your parents and use the Net Price Calculators on the web sites of colleges of interest.)
Can pay up to $80-90k if absolutely have to but really prefers to be in the $50-60k range. Will not qualify for any financial aids.

Schools
(List of colleges by your initial chance estimate; designate if applying ED/EA/RD; if a scholarship is necessary for affordability, indicate that you are aiming for a scholarship and use the scholarship chance to estimate it into the appropriate group below)

  • Safety (certain admission and affordability)
    SUNY Binghamton, Albany, Stoney Brook

  • Likely (would be possible, but very unlikely or surprising, for it not to admit or be affordable)

  • Match
    Emerson
    Penn State
    Rutgers
    Umass Amherst

  • Reach
    (EA/ED maybe?) CMU digital design, NYU Tish
    Northeastern
    BU

2

Does your son have a portfolio?

Emerson is great for arts but not so much if he wants to explore other majors.

Syracuse, DePaul, Drexel Westphal might be worth a look. NC State has a highly regarded Design school but it’s very competitive.

3

I don’t know if the Art Major and Digital Media Studies Minor are robust enough for what you are looking for, but you might consider Ursinus College.

It has programs covering all of your student’s areas of interest based on extracurricular activities, it is on the list of Colleges That Change Lives, it has multiple partnerships with graduate programs at other schools for those going on to get advanced degrees, and I know at least one family who got significant merit aid (didn’t qualify for need-based aid). That familt’s student went on to get a graduate degree at an Ivy.

4

I would add SUNY Buffalo to the safety list and change Binghamton to the match group (unless your school has Naviance and it looks like a sure thing).

Take a look at the University of Delaware and Pitt (not sure about majors).

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5

I think if you want small or private - it’s not an issue. You say interested in art - but want to explore other majors.

he SAT - I assume you expect that? If you can afford $90K but only want to spend $50K, then say $50K …or $60K.

There are lots of small LACs - from the Hobarts of the world to smaller regular schools like Bryant to down the coast into the Carolinas and Georgia - that you can be well under $50K…whether a Salisbury or Christopher Newport or Coastal Carolina and so many more. Three’s also a ton in Ohio and the Midwest.

So do you want large or small?

Northeast or just East?

Not sure Bing is a safety. It’s hard to tell because you’re not on a 4 point scale.

If you specifically want to target schools with a digital design program, CMU or NYU will not get you $50-60 or will BU/NEU - so I would replace - maybe a Drexel, RIT, U Cincy for lower cost and good co op if willing to go westward a bit, Delaware could work, Dayton (mid west), Hofstra, Quinnipiac, Montclair State, UMass Lowell, etc.

Good luck

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6

Maybe Clark?

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Hi all, thanks for your responses. Some interesting suggestions of schools I will definitely look into.

Just to clarify based on the questions.
SAT just came back at 1450 (hooray!)
Location: entire east coast is fine (prefer driving than having to fly…)
Thinking mid-> larger schools for diversity and choices of majors/classes
GPA on 4 point scale will be 3.6
Portfolio - yes, a relative smaller one of about 6-8 pieces so far. We plan to submit as supplemental even if not required.

I guess I will cough up $ if for super competitive schools such as CMU. Otherwise $50-60K seems reasonable for a good education.

What do you think about University of Maryland, Lehigh, Babson (business, yes), University of FL, Cooper Union or Benard? Are any of these reachable for us?

Thank you so much!!

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8

First…your kid is applying to college. There is no “we” or “us” in this application process.

I’m guessing you don’t mean Benard, but mean Barnard, is that correct?

My opinion…Barnard would be a reach. But you never know. University of Maryland…apply early action or it’s very much a reach. Babson, a match in my opinion. Same with Union. Lehigh…hmmm. Not sure.

Why Cooper Union?

Your first list posted here looked very balanced to me. Some reaches, some matches, some sure things.

University of Delaware is worth a look see.

9

Hard to understand what type of school you are looking for. With a 3.6 and 1450, you can go for $20K at U of Alabama. How East is East.

Or you can spend - more than $50K on the schools you just listed.

UMD - it’s a reach. It’s also $59,686 COA.

Lehigh - possible. But unlikely at your budget.

Babson - I’d say tough - but Bentley would happen and it’s got some similarities. Whether it hits budget, I don’t know.

UF - would not happen - but you can try. But then why not an Alabama (safety - and has nearly 800 New Yorkers - because they buy them in. It’s not the rank of Florida…but similar type school, far more geographically diverse, and less than half the price based on auto merit with the GPA and Test…vs a rejection at UF. U of SC is another one worth trying - but more match level.

Barnard - unlikely - and know little about CU - but it’s a very different school.

If you are looking low cost, did you look at URI or U Maine - both safeties.

If you’re willing to spend $50K, then Delaware (likely) and UGA (reach). FSU too - high match.

Good luck.

10

If you are considering Babson, you might also want to look at Bryant.

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11

As soon as I read your description of your daughter, I immediately thought of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). It’s strong in technology but also in the arts. The other day @zozoty wrote this about it, which I thought was a really great description:

96% of students without financial need received merit aid with an average award of $17,264 (source). Being female would be a plus here and might get some extra money. When merit is considered, this school would be highly likely to fall within your preferred budget.

If you’re willing to go a bit further west, I agree with @tsbna44’s suggestion of U. of Cincinnati. It has a lot of co-ops built in, some strong design programming, and tuition is frozen for four years for each entering class.

Will think about some other suggestions, too.

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12

I think your daughter has a shot at Lehigh, but I doubt it will get into your preferred price range. If your daughter applies EA to UMD, then I think she has a shot there, too. U. of Florida and Cooper Union would probably be low probability of acceptance, and Barnard would probably be amongst the hardest on that list for admission.

I like the suggestion of Drexel from earlier, and maybe Syracuse, too. She may also want to check out:

  • North Carolina State: About 26k undergrads and out-of-state costs run about $44k/year.
  • Ohio U.: About 18k undergrads and out-of-state costs run about $37k/year and she would almost certainly receive merit aid, too. Again, Ohio publics freeze their tuition for four years. Has a well-reputed honors college, if she can get in.
  • Virginia Commonwealth: About 21k undergrads and out-of-state costs run about $50k/year

Also, I would take a look at some of the mid-sized SUNYs, too, particularly New Paltz (about 6100 undergrads), Oswego (about 6k undergrads), and Oneonta (about 4900 undergrads). And just reiterating that RIT could be a great school for your D.

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13

Is the gpa weighted or unweighted? A 90 would be a 3.0 unweighted, I believe.

14

Umass would prob award 16k in merit, bringing cost to about 40k a yr without health ins. But honestly, stony brook and binghamton are relatively equivalent to umass, and cheaper for you. Umass campus is very nice, great food, good dorms, and 5 college consortium options.

15

Your list is a little confusing. If she’s interested in digital media or art a school like Babson seems odd. It’s a business focused school. Cooper is known for engineering.

You really need to review her interests. It seems like she falls on the artsy side.

S20 applied to business schools. S21 applied to film schools. Different mindsets. Schools that are strong in both aren’t common. Syracuse and Drexel came to mind as having strong arts programs while offering many other degrees. Penn State’s Bellisario school was a nice safety for S21.

Of course, CMU or NYU fall into that category but both are reaches. Good luck.

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