need suggestions more in my reach

College Search & Selection
1

I have been looking at colleges but am having trouble figuring out if I have any chance of getting in to them due to my lack of AP Classes. In my high school only juniors and seniors can do AP classes and currently I am a junior but am not taking any.I have a 4.0 gpa and I got a 28 on the ACT.I will be full pay so I can afford any college I get into but the only problem is my lack of AP classes. I have compiled a list of colleges I would love to get into but I feel like I cant because of my not taking AP classes…I am going to do 3 AP classes next year if that will make up for anything. I am open to any school with a maximum of 18,000 people and want to either study business or finance.My ultimate goal is to live in a city in the Northeast like Philadelphia,Boston or D.C. doing something in business or finance,but I am open to living in other parts of the country because my mind could drastically change.My dad ended up moving across the country for college and ended up staying here so I am open.I currently live in the Northeast and am open to staying here because I love it here and can have my car but I feel lke it could be good to go to college in a different part of the country because I love traveling. I am kind of unsure about the size of college I want but I don’t want a huge football culture,I have never actually seen a football game before but who knows if I could end up liking it.I wrote my thoughts on some colleges to help you get a feel of what I like.
American-love DC, good business, like the city, might be too liberal
Babson-really good business, nice size, not too far from home
Bentley-heard that the campus is not nice, my uncle transferred from here but it has a okay business program
Boston College-love the location,legacy,amazing business,national reputation
Brandeis-like the large Jewish presence,really good academics,national reputation
Bryant-too close to home,really good for business,in a questionable town
Bucknell-don’t like the location,but good business would make up for it
Case Western-good business,nice size,new atmosphere I have never been to the Midwest
Colgate-like how it is in the north east,really good academics
College of the Holy Cross-really nice size,like how it is in the suburbs,like the atmosphere here
Drexel-good internship possibilities,like the northeast,might be too big
Elon-family in NC,new culture,good business,unsure how I feel about the college town feeling

Emory-good business program,nice size,different atmosphere,in the city,good national reputation
Fairfield-not a fan of the preppy culture of this school but I think I could get in here
Furman-college town could be cool,pretty good academics,new culture here
GWU-love DC,love the city,good business program
Georgetown-really love this school but definitely would never get in here
Ithica-havent really done too much research,unsure of how good business program is
Lehigh-love how it is in PA,really good academics,unsure of the location but the academics would make up for it
LMU-love LA,have family here,decent business program,only a regional reputation,my dad doesn’t like this location
Miami U-don’t like the huge football feel,but could be interesting and could grow to love it,might be hard to get internships
Middlebury-like the vibe here,really great reputation,like to ski
Northeastern-love all the internships,good business program
SMU-Texas seems like a really nice state,new culture,good business program
Syracuse-might be a little too sports oriented but nice school
Tufts-might be too liberal,legacy,good academics
Tulane-love the city,love the emphasis on community service,nice size,good business program,legacy
U Miami-florida might be too humid but really good business program,like the vibe here
UNC-Chapel Hill:like the traditional college feel with really strong academics,amazing business program
Upitt-love PA,good business,like how it is in a city,good business
URichmond-new culture,strong academics,not sure how I feel about big greek life
USC-family here,love LA,great business,good internships,might be too big size
UVM-nice size,too liberal(Bernie Sanders :frowning:),not too big on the outdoors but survived many years of sleepaway camp
Villanova-could really see myself here,good business
Washington and Lee-love this school,love the really small size,really good business,new culture

Please suggest some colleges that I could actually get into and would combine all of my interests.

2

Some of your choices do not offer business or finance as concentrations. What would be your preferred course of study at these schools?

3

I would major in economics if there wasn’t a business program,even if I go to a college with business I might major in economics instead I am currently unsure.

4

For econ, these analyses can be useful: “Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges”; “US Economics Departments” / IDEAS (available online).

5

lafayette college
university of pittsburgh

6

“In my high school only juniors and seniors can do AP classes and currently I am a junior but am not taking any.”

If your school doesn’t allow freshman and sophomores to take AP classes, it will be noted in the school profile submitted by the guidance counselor and it won’t be held against you. The GC evaluates the rigor of your transcript, so it would be his/her call on whether taking APs in Junior year or not is essential to getting the ‘most rigorous’ evaluation. And even then, only the most selective colleges requires that you have the most rigorous transcript possible. So don’t lose sleep on this account.

The 4.0 is good, but the 28 is low for your GPA. Do you plan to retake? You might want to try the SAT. Some people do much better on it.

Middlebury, Tufts and Emory aren’t going to happen with a 28, by the way. Check the Common Data Set, Section C for each school on this list to chance yourself. (Google it.)

As for the other schools, why not just do some reading in the Fiske or other college guide books to see which ones feel like a fit. Once you’ve narrowed it down a bit (or raised your test score), come back again.

7

St. Lawrence or Colby might suit you, particularly if you decide you would like an academics-cum-ski-lodge environment. The University of Rochester is a university option that compares favorably to some of your current choices. Your ACT, taken as an early junior, might not be a great indicator of your score next year. As you progress in your testing and post again, further refinements in your list will be possible. Your AP classes will be an important factor in your application, but will not be determinative for many schools.

The ACT range at Middlebury, referenced above, does extend below 28, but other factors would be necessary to offset scores in this vicinity. (28 ACT, by concordance, is equivalent to 1260 SAT; recent Middlebury SAT range reported by USNWR: 1260-1470.)

8

Take a look at Denison, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, & St. Lawrence.

9

There is a huge difference between going to a b-school and being an economics major. In short economics is a liberal arts course of study and can get very theoretical at the upper levels. If you attend a b-school you will take a core curriculum in business with introductory class in subjects like accounting, finance, marketing, management, IT etc. and you will major in one of those disciplines. Before you go further in your college search I would look at the curriculum for business major and economics majors and see which one seems more appealing to you than the other. This could help you narrow down your college search.

10

“There is a huge difference between going to a b-school and being an economics major.” (8)

Agreed. This should be a critical consideration in your selection process.

11

You’ve got plenty of options, and the ones without a business major are almost all out of reach, so to keep your academic options open, I would eliminate those without a business program.
Then, you should start to visit as many as possible. You will be amazed how many will be off your list once you visit them, and take an immediate dislike to the students, architecture, adjacent neighborhood, etc.
Also, UNC is supposed to be very tough to get into for out of staters.

12

And…if you are looking for business I’d consider Fordham. As a safety perhaps UScranton or Marist . If you like all-business schools you can consider Bentley and Babson as well.

13

Reaches:
-Barnard College
-CUNY Brooklyn

Matches:
-CUNY Queens
-Fordham University
-Loyola University Maryland
-Simmons College (Female only)

Safeties:
-Canisius College
-Drexel University
-Duquesne University
-La Salle University
-Pace University
-Yeshiva University (A Jewish school)

14 
     I tried narrowing down my list but it just got bigger lol but the colleges are more realistic.The problem is I am such a indecisive person and don't really know what I want.I will try to explain my thoughts so you can try to understand what I am thinking.I am torn between staying close to home with what I am familiar with or with moving across the country.My sister went across the country for college and is so happy there and my dad moved across the country for college and never left!I just feel like I will regret it if I don't explore.I know I definitely don't want a rural college campus and would like either a city campus or a campus near the city.I decided business would be a better option for me because I am currently taking Economics and it isn't my favorite class,I think I like real life business better.There is basically three regions of the country I have been thinking about for college;the northeast,California,and the south.


      My father grew up in California and I have lots of family there and really love it and could see myself living there.The colleges there that I have accumulated are Chapman,LMU,Santa Clara,UC-San Fran,UC-San Diego,UC-Santa Barbara and USC.My dad grew up there and hasn't even heard of Chapman,doesn't like LMU and I haven't asked him about Santa Clara.Over the past 5 years around 30 people have applied to the UC colleges listed above but only 5 have gotten in so I might completely eliminate them and my dad thinks USC is dangerous and has suggested UCLA but that is nearly impossible. 


         I have some family in the South and have never actually been there but lots of people from my school go to those states so I thought it could be interesting to try something new because college is about "discovering".The semi- "realistic" ones are Elon,SMU,Tulane(reach),UGA(reach?),U Miami,U Richmond(big reach) and Wake Forest(big reach). The only thing that I am unsure about is the big emphasis on football because I don't really understand the rules of football so I never watch it,but I guess football is big at most schools.


      The other areas I focused on were Mass,DC,PA,and NY.In Massachusetts there is Babson(reach),Bentley,BC(huge reach),BU(reach),Brandeis(reach),COHC(reach),Northeastern(reach),UMass-Amherst(unsure about this one).In DC there is American(reach),GWU(reach) and close to DC is UMaryland-CP.In PA there is Drexel,Lehigh(might be too rural),Temple,UPitt,and Villanova(reach).In NY I would prefer to be in the city but could handle being upstate;Fordham,Marist,Syracuse and NYU(reach). So know that I found possible colleges I really don't know how to further it down because I am literally so indecisive it is a problem.I guess because I have a while but need to start narrowing down because I will try to tour as many as possible.Any suggestions on what to do or which ones to get rid of?
15

^^Hint! Paragraphs are your friend. Most people, myself included, will not read a wall of words.

16

Maybe it’s just me but have you checked with your parents and have they said they will pay up to $60K/year? We are full pay and I would not do that for my Ds.

17

I haven’t straight forwardly asked my parents about the cost but they are fully aware that they do not qualify for financial aid I and won’t get merit aid yet they keep suggesting expensive colleges.My family doesn’t really talk about money but I know that they have plenty of money and want me to go to a good college like them.Obviously if I get merit scholarship to a college that is awesome but it isn’t a must.

18

@2017to2021 You need to talk to them about what they’ll pay. It sounds like they have a large budget, but I would make sure.

19

Just a note: UC San Francisco is a medical school for graduate students. That helps pare your a list down a tiny bit.

20

Ask them for a dollar amount. College costs have gone up a lot since our generation went to school. Your parents may not be aware that some colleges cost $60k/year. Better to know up front what their cap is.

Another good question to ask is if they’ll allow all choices to remain on the table if one comes in with a significantly lower cost. Some students start the app season thinking they can attend any school they’re accepted to only to have their parents have second thoughts in April when aid packages come in. All of a sudden, the $40k/year school starts to look pretty good to them and maybe the discussion about being able to attend any school wasn’t so much a promise to allow it but more an agreement to consider it. Find out where they stand.