Need help creating a list!

College Search & Selection
1

I’m a first time poster, and will be a junior this next year. I need your help to start creating a list of college options.

I’m most interested in pre-Physician Assistant, but this could change to pre-med or something else similar.

I go to a smallish school in MN. ~1/100 class rank, 4.0 unweighted GPA. My school only offers 1 AP class, statistics, which I will be taking junior year. School does, however, offer several CIS classes through MN colleges. By end of senior year I will have taken the following college courses: business, Human bio, speech, calculus, chemistry, English, Psychology, and Spanish. 35 ACT, haven’t taken the PSAT yet.

Several ECs: extremely involved in music (jazz band, pit orchestra, auditioned choir, marching band, solos, etc.). Also math league captain, robotics, speech, cross country, golf, NHS, and student council exec. Heavily involved in 4H, volunteer at local hospital and my church.

I’m very lost on colleges. Interested in some “better” schools, including some known for medicine (Hopkins, Duke) and some not (Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame, UChicago, others?). One concern is that it doesn’t make sense to go to one of these, when I could just get a decent PA degree at a private MN college (or similar) for much cheaper. That being said, money isn’t a huge issue, FAFSA was kind to my older brother and probably will be for me, between that, scholarships, and small parent contribution it’s not a great concern.

Yes, I KNOW that visiting colleges is the best way to see if they’re a good fit, but my family doesn’t have the finances to traipse around the country visiting every school that is mildly appealing. I need to narrow down a list of potential schools that I can then go visit.

Thanks in advance for the help!

2

Music + health sciences = St Olaf
(Best choice for that combination, lucky you, you just happen to live in the same state so you can visit)

Grinnell, Bowdoin, Bates, Vassar, Colby, UPuget Sound

ALWAYS run the NPC on EACH college - not all colleges “meet need” so your brother may have had the good luck of getting into one, or may have received need+ merit. Or the college may have changed its formula or scholarships (happens every year).

That 35 is very precious, in that it can unlock a lot of money.
Check our UTD McDermott for instance.

Start reading Essay hell, a website

3

U Rochester also great for medicine and has the Eastman Music School.

4

Thanks! I am definitely visiting St. Olaf later this summer/fall, so that suggestion was great!

I should clarify one thing - I’m super into music on high school, but will definitely NOT be getting a music degree. I’d like to go somewhere that I can sing in a choir, maybe a few other things, and the music part is important to me, but I’m not ruling out schools that aren’t known for music. That being said, if I do end up going to a safety school I would probably pick one with a good music program.

5

^the “into music but no music degree” is why I spoke of St Olaf not Eastman - St Olaf has super dedicated musicians who major in math, bio, CS, economics, etc, etc. Eastman (or even Lawrence or Oberlin) is for music majors at conservatory.
Good schools for music that are also safety schools include Concordia Moorhead, Luther, Pacific Lutheran, UPuget Sound (if you need merit aid).

6

Yes! Top 3 safety schools are St. Olaf, Luther, and Concordia Moorhead. I just need to figure out some reach schools…

7

Any ideas on reach schools?

8

Note that St Olaf is a low match due to selectivity but close to safety if you manifest interest (fill out request info form, go in an official tour, etc.)
For reaches, Vassar and Yale come to mind - both have very strong music groups/clubs.
Grinnell, Colby, Bowdoin, Bates would be other appropriate reaches.