Need a sense of direction for 3.4 GPA student in East coast

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Right now I'm a Junior in HS doing a self-search but I don't even have a sense of direction. My parents are immigrants and they have no clue what to do. I live in Connecticut right now and I want to stay in the north east like NY, PA, MD, DL.</p>

<p>My grades are average
GPA- 3.4 UW
Class rank- N/A
SAT- 1920 (I'm going to study and hope for above 2000 next Sept)
3 AP tests taken so far (grades not out yet)
Small ECs: Tennis, Challenging symphony, Academic decathlon club, like 50 hrs community service</p>

<p>I plan to do a bunch of volunteer activities and summer camps this summer for a boost.</p>

<p>I'm thinking of some sort of engineering or biology major. Any random colleges I can look up? What's the pros/cons of staying local in a small school vs a large school? I need some suggestions instead of searching blindly.</p>

2

<p>Siena College-underrated LAC with a strong bio dept.</p>

3

<p>also gives a lot of financial aid (half the students get a Presidential Scholarship worth $8000 per year, you’d probably fit in that top half)</p>

4

<p>Well, you have a very strong state school (UConn, of course) where the price is right, and your grades and test scores seem to make it a good target school (strengthening both GPA and test scores would be good to make sure you can get in – with your GPA, depends on how strong your HS is, I believe). If a state school is ok, with your grades and scores, hard to imagine a much better combination of school quality and price than UConn. If you prefer a smaller school, or if price is not a major concern, then that opens up a lot of possibilities. </p>

<p>I am not an expert on the Northeast, so I am sure others will chime in with lots of other great input. Just thought I’d help get the ball rolling.</p>

5

<p>You need to think about cost–what can your family afford?</p>

<p>Large vs. small comes down to your preference re big time sports or small classes.</p>

<p>To get a sense of some options in your stats range, look at Susquehanna, Drexel, Muhlenberg, Alfred, Pitt, UConn and Binghamton</p>

6

<p>Wow! I never knew these could be possible target schools. I don’t think I can do Drexel or any expensive schools though…</p>

<p>Well, my family makes about $90,000 - $100,000 a year. So I’m definitely a mid-class.</p>

<p>Any more random schools plz?</p>

7

<p>A couple of things that might help. You can use [Free</a> College Search | Scholarships | College Admissions Requirements](<a href=“http://www.collegeboard.com%5DFree”>http://www.collegeboard.com) to see the stats of the mid 50% of accepted students. This will let you know how in or out of the ballpark you are. It also has accept rates etc. here are average SAT scores for Drexel:
[College</a> Search - Drexel University - SAT®, AP®, CLEP®](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)</p>

<p>If you apply to ‘expensive schools’, be aware that many (like Drexel) have merit aid for the students they want to attract, so if you are skewing toward the top of the class you have a shot at some generous, equalizing school grants. Also, some schools, like Drexel have paid co-op opportunities.</p>

<p>Personally I think it is a big plus to get away from home a bit and be on your own. It is a growth opportunity, and you can immerse yourself into your new community, but it really depends on your comfort level with that.</p>

8

<p>TCNJ - smaller public school in NJ
Has good biology program, also has engineering.</p>

9

<p>Look at schools whoa re need-aware or “need-blind” many LACS are. How about Hampshire, St. Michaels College, Hampden-Sydney College, Bennington College, Ursinus College , though I’m not sure how they are with financial aid.</p>