Hello! I am a rising senior in high school and I am trying to finalize my college list. I am looking for:
medium sized schools, preferably no smaller than 5,000 UGs
good business school (this is what I want to study)
a sizable party scene (I love the environment of "work hard play hard")
school spirit
happy and friendly students
I would prefer going to school in or close to a city, but somewhere that still has a campus. However, I prioritize having a campus.
No religious affiliation
Outside of California (trying to get away from home)
I have a 3.7 GPA and although I have not taken the SAT yet, I am estimating from my practice tests that my score will end up being around 1350-1400. I have a good amount of extracurriculars but have not really taken on many leadership roles or stuck with any one thing for very long.
My list so far consists of:
Tulane (my top choice)
Northeastern
Wake Forest
UW Madison
George Washington University
University of Washington (Seattle)
Syracuse University
James Madison University
University of Oregon
I would REALLY appreciate any suggestions. I am trying to add on a few more match schools, so acceptance rates between 35 and 55 percent are ideal. Thank you!
Your list does not make sense to me if seeking a “work hard / play hard” campus culture.
Eliminate the University of Washington at Seattle as it is a serious school with a toned down social life.
I question whether Northeastern & James Madison fit that mold as well. Plus, your projected stats are too low for Northeastern.
From your list, Tulane (super party school with bright ambitious students), Wake Forest University, & the University of Wisconsin at Madison match your criteria.
Although not large enough, Bucknell University & Colgate University (econ/finance) are work hard / play hard schools. (But your projected SAT score may be too low for Colgate.)
Penn State ? They certainly know how to party. And it has more than 5,000 undergraduates.
Hello. Sorry for the confusion, I have a 3.7 UNWEIGHTED GPA, and I will be taking AP AB Calc next year. I am registered to take the SAT.
I understand that not all of the schools I have listed fit my description, but there were other aspects of the schools that do no that appealed to me. Those criteria were more meant to guide suggestions.
I know that Northeastern is a big reach for me, but I visited it and loved it, so I am going to apply, keeping in mind that I have a low chance of being accepted
Schools like Bucknell and Colgate (along with schools like Lehigh or U Richmond) do not appeal to me very much, as I have heard that the size can make them very cliquey and have sort of a “high-school feel”.
I am very fortunate to be in a situation where budget is not a constraint.
I am interested in Business, but my focus is more on the management side rather than the finance/econ side. However, I am very open minded about exploring this more. I understand that most business degrees can be very math-heavy, and this is not at all a problem for me (my point is simply that if I had a choice, I would major/concentrate in management rather than finance/econ).
Thank you for the replies, please continue with suggestions or any questions that would help you understand me better as an applicant!!
Hi, I understand and appreciate the concern. As I said before, I have discussed with my parents and budget is not a constraint. I know that I am very very fortunate to be able to say this. Please suggest schools regardless of price.
University of Miami (in FL)
Miami of Ohio
Indiana
Boston University
University of South Carolina
Elon University
Arizona State University
University of Colorado
University of Denver
Clemson
Pitt
Virginia Tech
SMU
College of Charleston
U Mass Amherst
U Delaware
Also, make sure you are demonstrating interest at schools where that is important, including Tulane and GWU. Check the schools’ common data sets to see which ones consider demonstrated interest in the admissions process.
Hello, thank you so much for all the suggestions! I will look into these colleges.
I have researched Clemson, and I really liked the size and the school spirit (especially surrounding football). However, I am a little worried that I will feel uncomfortable there because I have heard that it is a quite conservative campus. I don’t mean to be closed minded, but I come from an extremely liberal area and am worried that I will have a hard time fitting in. Thoughts on this?
I also have a little of the same concern for SMU. Again, I want to reiterate that I would not judge or dislike anyone for their political beliefs. I am just worried about being judged by others for very liberal politics and not being able to find people I “vibe” with. Thanks for any input!
I’m also a junior and I’ve visited James Madison a lot because my dad went there (he was in the b school). I’ve heard it has a lot of school spirit and a decent party scene from friends that go there. It’s also like 2 hours from Washington DC and Richmond which can be good for internships. The campus is also really nice.