My Unique Situation

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello everyone. I have a few questions about my college options. I'll try to keep this as short as possible. I'll probably fail. Thanks for reading.</p>

<p>I'm from a school where, at the most, only half of the graduating senior class end up at college. Those who do go to college often end up coming back here due to the stress.</p>

<p>So basically...my high school does not prepare people for college. And if they do, it's for our grand state school, WVU. The smartest people here end up at WVU. That's where our valedvictorian is going actually.</p>

<p>I'm from a town of 900 in West Virginia. Most people are either on disability or welfare (my family included). Most people live in single parent homes (myself included). Most people are below poverty level (myself included). Most people are crackheads.</p>

<p>So the school is a product of the town. 300 students, everyone on free lunch, no AP's offered at all, not many school clubs, not even enough money for computers.</p>

<p>So the fact that I want to leave is really going against the norm. The fact that I don't want to go to WVU is shocking most everybody.</p>

<p>All I want is to go to a good liberal art's school with a respected English program. Outside of West Virginia. That's it, that's my criteria.</p>

<p>I'm being completely realistic. I know that Harvard is just a place I will always hear about. I know that Chapel Hill is just a place I will always admire. I know that my circumstances and more importantly my choices have limited my future options. </p>

<p>But Dear God, all I want to do is leave this area. I hear people always talk about how our mountains are so beautiful. If only they knew they were really bars and this state is just a prison in my eyes. I have so many bad memories here.</p>

<p>So here's my information. I'm a junior by the way.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars-none. None at all. Maybe I'll get into some next year or this summer. All I have to put here is all my community service hours which are required by my school.</p>

<p>GPA-3.5. I'm sure it will go down this semester though. Thanks to geometry. I made a 4.0 last semester. I got this GPA by not studying at all. I wonder what I would have got if I had actually slept during my high school career.</p>

<p>Test Scores-I haven't took any official tests yet, I will this summer and early next year. But on my Plan ACT Test, I got a 22. My predicted ACT score from that was 24-28</p>

<p>I lost my PSAT results but I remember the percentiles. I scored a 93 in Critical Reading, 35 in Math, and an 87 in Writing Skills. Math is my weakness.</p>

<p>So any advice anyone could offer would help me tremendously. I have no idea what to do. I'd love to have just a little list of some colleges I should apply to.</p>

<p>Once again my criteria for a school: Outside of WV. I don't care what state but close to me would be good (slight preference to the Maryland area), and one with a strong English department. Because that's what I think I want to major in. I don't care about the whole conservative/liberal aspect of it. I'm a Christian Democrat who supports marijuana legalization. I don't believe I would fit in anywhere. </p>

<p>I don't care about racial diversity. It's great if they have it, fine if they don't.</p>

<p>Sooo...any suggestions? What's the best college this mediocre young woman could get into?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>potassium88-
You said you wanted a liberal arts school but then you mentioned Harvard and UNC. A liberal arts school is smaller and almost all undergrads. UNC is a university, which is larger and has graduate students in the mix. Did you really mean "liberal arts college" or would a larger university be ok?</p>

<p>You are not mediocre. You are exceptional.</p>

<p>Here are some LACs to explore:
Goucher
Hood
Centre
Allegheny
Dickinson
Franklin and Marshall
Gettysburg
Kenyon
KnoxRhodes
U of the South
Denison
Earlham
Emerson
Guilford
Hiram
John Carroll
Muhlenberg
Washington and Jefferson
Wittenberg</p>

3

<p>Berea College in Kentucky is a wonderful LAC specifically for low income students. It is practically free... all students are expected to work part-time to help offset costs.</p>

4

<p>You should read the book Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe. You sound like the main character. There are all kinds of schools in Ohio which is really close to WV.</p>

5

<p>I think the op was mention harvard and unc as dream schools, collegehelp. not that he actually plans on applying and attending.</p>

<p>if you come from a 1 parent home, on welfare/disability, and you're from west virginia, i think you'll actually have good shots at a lot of schools - and you'll most definately go for free. You should get a math review book (kaplan, barrons, princeton review - look on amazon, u can get used ones for like $5) and work on that like its your job. if you take the sats, do very well on the verbal sections (high 600s, even into the 700s) and can break 500 on the math sat, i think you'll be competitive at most schools.</p>

<p>i know you probably havn't taken sat review courses - but you can get a 500 on the math sats by simply answering the easy questions in every section and leaving the rest blank.</p>

6

<p>also check your school and public library for SAT review books. You can't write in them, but they are free.</p>

7

<p>Hmm...let's see...small liberal arts...somewhat near WV...</p>

<p>St. Mary's College in Maryland, Muhlenberg, Ursinus, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Lafayette, College of New Jersey, Miami U-Oxford (it's big, I know, but could be a good fit for you).</p>

8

<p>Look at College of Wooster in Ohio. : ) They are very good with financial aid and have scholarships you can apply for as well. With your financial situation you should look at schools that offer the highest amount of aid that is not tied to loans. Also research some of the quite large private scholarships you may qualify for. Good Luck!</p>

9

<p>It's wonderful that you want so much more than is available to you, and that you want to break all the barriers. I am really moved by your post.</p>

<p>First of all, you sound like a smart kid. I would like to repeat what others have said. You really need to take a lot of practice tests in Math, and pull up your scores. Is there a public library nearby that you can borrow an SAT book from? Speak with the librarian, and see if they can do an interlibrary loan if necessary. Spend at least 1 hour everyday working on practice tests. Would your school Math teacher be of any additional help? I do know how deplorable conditions are in the Appalachians.</p>

<p>A score of 35 can only go UP with some determination and independent work on your part. </p>

<p>When will you be taking the SAT? You should think about taking them in June, and then maybe in October again.</p>

10

<p>First off, your post is amazing; it's great that you want to expand your horizons. collegehelp has an excellent list; Goucher is definitely the first schol that comes to mind. Hollins in Virginia is absolutely superb for creative writing and English, and it has a great fun, supportive atmosphere that I think would fit you quite well. Oberlin, UNC-Asheville, and Randolph-Macon are also worth looking into.</p>

11

<p>I'd second Denison. If you are partial to Maryland, look at Loyola in Baltimore. There are so many others too. Check the individual college's data sets (or a good college guide book) to see if your test scores and GPA are in the approximate range for the school. Here is a list of some of the "common data sets":</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=76444&highlight=data+reports%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=76444&highlight=data+reports&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Is your parent willing/able to fill out the financial aid forms (called FAFSA)? If he or she is then you will probably qualify for good financial aid. </p>

<p>Some schools (both Denison and Loyola Baltimore and MANY others) will use your regular application (with no further effort on your part) to see if you qualify for merit scholarships. (Those are scholarships not based on income, but based on grades, etc.) You should be able to write a great essay.</p>

<p>Also, if you have had a job or have had to help your family out put that on your resume. (You should have some sort of resume to send in with your applications.)</p>

<p>You may not have any extra-curriculars, but you can now! Use your time to research this college thing to death. You are seeking the best financial aid and the best college fit for you. </p>

<p>Good luck and stay on college confidential for help.</p>

12

<p>I thought of Berea too. Do check it out, it could be perfect. Hendrix in Ak could be a fit too.</p>

<p>If you are female, you should add Smith, Mt Holyoke, & Bryn Mawr to your list. These schools have good financial aid and offer incredible educational opportunities, plus really strong career networking afterwards.</p>

<p>Wells is another tiny former women's college in NY, now coed, with excellent financial aid. It is right near Cornell & Ithaca... so though Wells is small, there are many students in the area.</p>

<p>I agree with other posters about bringing the math up. Is it possible for you to get some tutoring for the SAT from an algebra teacher at your HS? Maybe you can swap babysitting or other kind of work in exchange? </p>

<p>My D also struggled with math and finally nailed it as a senior by taking 2 periods of the same math class in HS. She needed that extra reinforcement to really get the harder concepts. If you have a free period maybe you could take math 2x per day? If there is a community college, maybe you could do something over the summer for review/reinforcement.</p>

<p>Your determination shines through your post; you will have a lot of help on this forum. Good Luck!</p>

13

<p>When it comes time to take tests and actually apply, I would suggest looking into fee waivers - they can really help offset the costs. Also, collegeboard.com has one free SAT Practice test, and I think sparknotes.com might have some as well. Wherever you decide to apply, you have already accomplished a lot. Good luck!</p>

14

<p>"Most people are below poverty level (myself included)."</p>

<p>Many top schools provide free tuition for students whose families are below the poverty line. Harvard is one of them. Bring up your math score and try to do something. Do you know what your rank is? If you have a high rank, I can see you getting into some really good schools. Try to get more involved in your community and maybe create some sort of community project that can help the citizens. Something like that will go a long ways in college admissions because it will show that even with limited opportunities you were able to contribute positively to society.</p>

15

<p>First of all, I must congratulate you in being so strong all along. If I were in your situation, I would probably have given up trying. </p>

<p>Anyway, you probably know that your math score is quite low compared to others. The only suggestion I can give you is to practise. There's nothing you can do for math. Is there anyway someone (friend, teacher, siblings) that is willing to help you w/ math? Sometimes, a little help from others can really motivate you to study just a little harder.</p>

<p>Now, back to your question. I think you will have good chances at wherever you apply b/c of your situation (BTW, write an awesome essay using your situation!). </p>

<p>Some colleges you may want to look into:</p>

<p>Emerson
Guilford
Union<br>
Whitman<br>
Bard
Franklin and Marshall<br>
Centre<br>
Occidental<br>
Skidmore<br>
Dickinson<br>
Hiram
Washington and Jefferson
Wittenberg</p>

<p>Best of luck.</p>

16

<p>If you get an ACT of 28...you could get into a great school because college admissions officers know how hard it is to do well in an environment that pervades in most of West Virginia.</p>

<p>So that being said, might I suggest:
Oberlin, Washington and Lee, Hamilton, Bard, Carleton, Colby, Connecticut College, Franklin and Marshall, Emerson.</p>

<p>This is dependant upon you getting around a 26-29 on your ACTs.</p>

17

<p>Thank you all, so much, for all the replies. Each post has given me a lot to think about. My head is full of ideas now.</p>

<p>About the school being considered a liberal's arts college...I should have made that more clear. I would love to go to any school that is considered "good" and would let me through the door. But I've heard that liberal art's colleges focus more on indivualized teaching. Also the fact that they tend to be a smaller is a plus in my eyes. </p>

<p>Let's just say if I had it all to do over again and I could have actually got into UNC-Chapel Hill, I would not be thinking about any of that stuff. I'd just be celebrating. Same goes with any other large state school I may end up finding appealing.</p>

<p>I know math is my weakness. I hate math. I despise it. But I will do all I can to bring my scores up and try to learn as much as I can in the time I have left. Giving up now is not an option for me.</p>

<p>Being a writer is what I've always wanted to do. It will probably never end up happening, but I will never go through life saying I didn't try. </p>

<p>Thanks once more.</p>

<p>Of all the colleges listed I'm extremely interested in Bard, Goucher, Dickinson, Berea, and Gettysburg. I just hope I really do have a chance.</p>

18

<p>Okay, you have computer access, so find any thing with regards to math sites you can, math is easy to bring up because you can find out exactly what areas you need to work on and with practice practice practice that score will rise</p>

<p>Why no ECs? If the school doesn't have them, go into the community- the library, the local paper, get a parttime job, tutor, work with animals, start a club, but starting NOW, find something you love and do it</p>

<p>If you love to write, go online and find every scholarship essay competition you can and enter- many are history essays, essays on freedom of speech, your hero, whatever...if you love writing, then enter, it can't hurt, you will get some good practice and maybe even win something, getting prize in something truely competitive is great</p>

<p>as well, exercise, it will help the frustration you are feeling at your school</p>

<p>does your school have newspaper, if not try and start one, if that fails, at least it was something and you can write about it</p>

<p>so, TODAY, make a list of what you like to do, what is available, what you would like to be available and start working</p>

<p>and enter those scholarship essay contests- there are some really interesting ones and if you are a good writer, should be kind of fun, and you have nothing to lose by trying and a whole lot to gain</p>