Need Help Narrowing Down/Categorizing College List

Hey all, I really need help looking for some schools to apply to, I’m applying in the fall and have no idea where to actually apply.

Intended Major: Business/Econ (with business course offerings

STATS: SAT; 1380 700M 680CRW, No subject tests, GPA: 3.7 UW (one of the top public school in the country, known for rigor, taken hardest classes offered at school)

EC’s: Interned at Fortune 500 Company, Interned at High-end PR Firm, Interned at Nationally Recognized Museum, President of Best Buddies Chapter, Started a Social Media Marketing Agency and amassed 700K social media followers for companies. Then some minor EC’s like swim team and school store etc

Financials are somewhat of a concern but am not going to not apply somewhere because of financials. From New York.

Colleges I’m considering (a ton i know)
American University
Babson College
Bucknell University
Boston University
Northeastern University
Penn State University
Clark University
George Washington University
Skidmore College
Colgate University
St. Andrews (International)
Syracuse University
St. Lawrence
Union College
Connecticut College
Macalester College
Reed College
University of Maryland
Lehigh University
Lafayette College
Franklin and Marshall
Plus SUNY/CUNY schools, but don’t count them
(willing to take any recs of schools to swap out etc. just need help building a list, thanks so much)

I know it’s a lot, just have no idea how to narrow my list down. I see myself in an urban environment studying business at a bigger university, but also believe that socially, being at a small liberal arts school would make me much happier.

And honestly, am so lost. Very confused about what I want in a school etc

bump really need help with this. anything would be amazing

You have quite a mix. Can you visit some colleges to see what you like? Big vs small colleges, urban vs rural, etc. After that narrow it down.

If you feel that you would be happier at a smaller school then look at those first but visit a large school to be sure.

Two that would have a very different feel from the rest (beyond big v small, urban v rural) are Babson and Northeastern. Babson essentially is all business. You don’t go there unless you want to focus on business. They are a leader in entrepreneurship so think about that. Is that you? If not, take it off. Northeastern is a co-op heavy school. You don’t go there unless you plan on doing one or two co-ops. It’s who they are. Co-ops are great but they create a transient student body. Students are in school then at work then in school, etc. Not your typical college feel.

Both are great schools but if you’re looking for the classic college experience with kids studying across a wide spectrum and being together for four years, neither fits the bill.

@chmcnm i don’t have a preference on big v small etc, which makes it even harder. I can see the plus sides to both, making me want to apply to both

Bucknell is in a pretty rural area.
Personally, I think finances should be taken into consideration first. Why bother applying (cost, time, effort) if you can’t afford it? That right there will probably knock a bunch off your list. Can you afford $40k/year? $50k? plus flights to/from Scotland? This seems to be the easiest way to knock some off the list right off the bat.

@NJWrestlingmom Thanks for your input, however, financials aren’t that much of a concern. Can afford 40ish per year without aid, but am a good candidate for aid at most schools (twin sibling, single parent household with no assets).

Many of the schools on your list are above $60k and don’t meet need.

Agree with this. You have to run the NPCs…for the schools that don’t meet need you can easily still have $30K or more to pay per year. Many of these schools require CSS Profile which will also require the non-custodial parent’s financial information. Also, complete FAFSA4caster to estimate your EFC: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/estimate

If your parents are divorced, some colleges will require both parents’ financial information for financial aid.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/2083835-faq-divorced-parents-financial-aid-and-net-price-calculators.html

This resource can be convenient for estimating costs for several of your potential choices: https://myintuition.org/.