Naively trying to escape the south? Help dwindling down my college list - I'm a mess!

College Search & Selection
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So although my test scores are good (32-33 ACT) my uw GPA is quite low due to poor freshman grades ( 3.7-ish ) and poor SAT subject test scores, making me a solid candidate for strong (think top-30) schools but making the truly elite schools ( T10/20 ) out of reach. You can find more detailed stats in my other threads.

After visiting Emory, I was so confident that I would apply here ED that I decided to quit wasting time touring other schools (HUGE MISTAKE) and to finish my application and essays ASAP. I am a very strong student for Emory ED and there is a very very good shot that I would get in. I am pretty sure that my parent’s would be willing to pay for it as we should qualify for very solid FA.

…However, recently after doing a lot more research about schools, I’m starting to get more and more hesitant about applying to Emory ED. I’ve lived in the deep south ( texas ) my entire life and the idea of escaping the south sounds awesome. To be honest, I’ve never left the southern part of the U.S my entire life and the Northeast ( or even the midwest/chicago ) just sounds like an amazing place. Snow doesn’t come often here in Texas but I’ve always loved whenever it came. I’ve always craved being near a bustling city with good public transportation. I’m liberal and asian too.

…So my list that pretty much consisted of UT, Emory, and A&M, transformed into literally a matter of one week:

  1. UT - Austin ( 1st Choice McCombs, Liberal Arts 2nd Choice. In-state )
  2. Northwestern
  3. Emory
  4. Boston College ( Carroll - Business/Finance )
  5. USC ( 1st Choice - Marshall Business 2nd Choice -CAS )
  6. NYU ( Stern )
  7. UNC ( OOS )
  8. UVa ( OOS )
  9. Texas A&M/SMU - Safeties

…My college process just became a lot more complex…

I know this sounds bad, but I’ve really been craving that “elite” feel recently, I honestly don’t know why. The more I look at Emory’s architecture and atmosphere and compare it to the awesome gothic architecture of BC or Northwestern I become more and more indecisive. I LOVE the look of BC’s campus. I added UNC and UVa OOS mostly just to escape Texas and I love the vibe. My problem is - I’m making these assumptions without ever visiting them.

Is it still worth applying Early Decision to Emory? If I don’t I would switch it to Northwestern ED because I basically have 0% of getting into NU RD ( I probably won’t get in ED either ). The problem is, I still LOVE EMORY, if I don’t apply ED there ( like 80% chance of acceptance ED ) I would be DEVASTATED if I got rejected RD. My biggest fear is having to go to UT or A&M - while the schools are both very very good, I don’t think they would be the best fit for me.

Keep in mind, literally Emory and UT is the only campuses I have EVER visited. I won’t be able to visit another school until around March and I know where I got accepted…

So basically should I apply early to Emory? The Idea of being finished by December and already being committed to a school I love… is incredibly… INCREDIBLY tempting. But BC and Northwestern are really pulling at my heartstrings…

Should I take out UVa and UNC?

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I’ve lived in the deep south ( texas )


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? How is Texas the “Deep South”??

take out UVA and UNC…not likely getting in to either.

You seem to have all reaches and a couple of safeties. Where are your match schools?

NYU is very expensive…what are your parents saying about paying? BC isn’t great with aid either, but better than NYU.

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Emory doesn’t feel very southern. A LOT of transplanted students from the northeast.

Be careful what you wish for with snow. A few inches a few times of year seems fun but the reality in places like Boston is that you could have feet upon feet of snow on the ground from November through April, like this past winter, combined with temps that rarely move above 30 degrees.

4

What kind of price limit are you looking at? Don’t be “pretty sure” about what your parents will pay; have the money talk now and run some net price calculators on Emory and other schools you are considering.

http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/ indicates that 3.7 HS GPA and 33 ACT should get a big scholarships at Howard (DC), NC Central (NC), I-P FW (IN). If your GPA were 3.8 or higher, you would get the big scholarship at Temple ¶, though there are smaller ones with your 3.7.

http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/ lists a lot of competitive full tuition or better scholarships.

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I think they meant Deep South in the sense that it is far from more liberal regions of the U.S. and that Texas is a very conservative state.

In general, colleges tend to lean more liberal regardless of geographic location, so really most high-tier schools outside of your own state universities should probably me more diverse.

And snow is probably the most dreaded thing in the state of Michigan other than the potholes created by it and the 4th quarter of any Lions game.

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OP: echoing what a few others have said. While ATL is most certainly still Southern, you may find that living there/attending Emory is still a significant shift from Texas in terms of escaping conservatism. Atlanta is a pretty metropolitan place, and Emory is a pretty liberal school, to boot. That said, I 100% sympathize with wanting to escape the South–I fled Atlanta for Boston, myself–Atlanta, while not that bad, all things considered, is still absolutely the South and will share cultural aspects with Texas.

That said, the biggest worry with your school list is that it’s reach heavy and also populated with almost exclusively expensive schools that won’t give much aid. What can your parents afford? You actually have decent stats (a 3.7 is hardly a bad GPA), and would be attractive to a number of schools in the Northeast, you’ll just need to widen your net to look at “lower tier” schools where your stats are above average and they might throw some merit money at you. Northeastern schools do recruit from the South to fulfill regional quotas, so that may give you a slight edge at some places. Some other CC-ers can likely help you come up with a robust match list.

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A once in a decade fine dusting of flurries in TX can hardly be regarded as “snow”.

Be careful of what u wish for…

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“Despite all I have seen and experienced, I still get the same simple thrill out of glimpsing a tiny patch of snow in a high mountain gully, and feel the same urge to climb toward it.”

– Edmund Hillary

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TX =/= the deep south. Talk to your parents about how much they can pay. Loans to you as a student are limited to $5500 as a freshman, rising to $7500 as a junior and senior. They will have to pay everything else not covered by college aid (need based or merit). Have them run the Net Price Calculators on the web sites of your schools of interest.

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Anyone insisting that Texas isn’t in the deep south has clearly never been to East Texas. It has more in common with Alabama than the rest of Texas. A good friend of mine is from that area, OP you have my sympathy.

It seems strange you aren’t accounting for ED2. Northwestern seems like your first choice, you can apply ED there and then apply ED2 to Emory or BC if you don’t get in. Make your parents fill out their financial aid calculators, though. They may be unwilling to give you a $ amount but may be more comfortable saying “Yes, this is affordable” or “No, this isn’t affordable” if you aren’t looking directly at their finances.

Snow is fun if you’re a college student. You don’t have to shovel. I went from the DC area -> Chicago and I loved it. People from very snowy areas just like to complain about how god-awful it is to increase their “I survived rough weather” street cred or something. Just get a thick jacket and a good pair of boots.

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“People from very snowy areas just like to complain about how god-awful it is to increase their “I survived rough weather” street cred or something.”

Nah, @YogSothoth. A lot of our comments come from having to listen to transplanted southerners, who start donning their down jackets in September while the rest of us are wearing shorts and t-shirts, b*tch about our weather because they didn’t realize what its really like. :wink:

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I don’t know about A&M, but Austin is probably the most liberal city in Texas. The place is very vibrant and modern compared to places like San Antonio and Houston. I forget I am in Texas when I visit UT Austin. Try ED Emory if it truly is your undeniable first choice. Northwestern is not THAT much more prestigious than Emory. Both are top 30 schools.

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Kind of funny - we are in the northeast and my D wants to go south. After last winter she doesn’t want to be anywhere that gets much snow. Why do you want to come north? I guess the grass is always greener… You do know that the Boston snow pile finally melted in July this year, right?

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@YogSothoth been there, done that. GA and AL are very different from East TX. But back to the question at hand.

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I think you’ll encounter much stiffer competition in the northern schools. If you really want to attend a school in the snow belt, try adding some matches and safeties to your list.

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TAMU is one of the most conservative universities in the country, so if you’re looking for “liberal”, scratch it.
Remove UNC-CH and UVA (too hard to get into as non legacy OOS) and NYU (unlikely to give you sufficient financial aid).
Emory is going to "feel’ very, very different from Texas. It’s a liberal campus in Atlanta (which has not-so-great transportation with MARTA but also has a cool heritage, a booming music&film industry, and many major companies).
Check with your parents - it sounds like you’re lower income. RUN THE NET PRICE CALCULATORS.
Only 60-85 colleges “meet need” for lower income students. Other colleges don’t care that you’re lower income, they’ll ask for 20, 25 or 35,000 a year anyway. (Kid with$24,000 family income was asked $18,500 a year by NYU.)
Apply ED1 to Northwestern if you like it better than Emory. Apply ED2 to Emory. BUT if you apply ED2 to Emory, you MUST apply by November 15 for Emory Scholars (or lose your best shot at a big scholarship).
If you want to escape the South, focus on private colleges, especially LACs, located in the Midwest, where you’ll be considered URM. If you want liberal, you have Macalester, or (less liberal but quirky) Carleton or (less selective and less liberal, but probably very liberal compared to a small town in Texas,and the campus architecture you crave) St Olaf. If you want snow, cold, and blue skies, these are perfect for you as it’ll be your environment for half the year. :slight_smile:
If you like BC, you could consider Holy Cross - it meets 100% need. If you like NYU, why not Fordham? Dickinson’s international management major would combine several of your criteria and be a good match, both academically and financially .

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Not to distract from the thread, but if Texas isn’t “deep South”, then what is it?!? It sure looks like deep South on the map.

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Agree that this list is too reach heavy. What else besides ACT and decent grades do you have going for you? And agree-- run the NPCs . Many schools do not meet 100% need and you will be gapped.

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Lived in Texas 3 years!
I sure miss it!

Don’t be so eager to leave the state for a lesser one!

UT Austin would be awesome - I wish we had a great flagship option like that.

However, if you really feel you must, then go for it.

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Also remember Emory has two schools you can apply to and one is easier to get into.