I’d drop replace KSU with U of Oklahoma…it’s fairly close to Ok City, & probably has a slightly more mild climate than KSU.
U of Richmond?
I’d drop replace KSU with U of Oklahoma…it’s fairly close to Ok City, & probably has a slightly more mild climate than KSU.
U of Richmond?
UT Austin is a reach for OOS, and psychology is an impacted major, meaning it is a special competitive admit. If you want merit aid, I would look at TCU or Trinity U.
I would add more safties. All you matches are not matches for an OOS student. Maybe BC is. Look at naviance if your school uses it over the last 3 years.
Emory keeps coming up and I like it for you. Checks your boxes also.
If you’re mainly focusing on academic psych/social sciences programs and would be satisfied, design-wise, with the ability to take some art electives and such, then you have many options - lots of good suggestions have been made.
If you think you would like to make design a focal point, in a studio-based program that is informed by a knowledge base including psychology and social sciences, then you’re looking for something rather more specialized, and programs will differ in focus and in the skill sets emphasized.
U of Utah has a particularly interesting multi-disciplinary design program that would blend well with psych and/or social sciences. There’s a great honors college (and honors-only tracks of psych and some social sciences)… and it’s quite affordable. (You can also earn residency in one year, after which it becomes very affordable). And it has great urban access for ease of car-free opportunities.
U of Oregon’s product design program might also be of interest. Women’s college wise, Smith has a graphic design minor that might be attractive. Lehigh could also be worth a look for its design programs, and you would get a URM-bump there in addition to being well-qualified, so maybe there would be merit potential.
You might also look at the Cognitive Science majors at your schools of interest, because that’s a field with crossover into design, particularly if you’re interested in UX design. For one example, look at the elective paths within CogSci at Vassar, which has the oldest freestanding CogSci department in the US: https://cogsci.vassar.edu/students/electives.html
CMU has a great design program but it’s very all-or-nothing (the advertised interdisciplinary majors and the possibility of minoring are mostly a mirage due to limited space in a highly competitive studio program). And CogSci there is very computation-heavy.
This is worth a look at Vanderbilt: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/immersion/dive/
Also, you might like the Design Studies track within the School of Environmental Design at CU Boulder.
And if you’re looking at Boston, check out the design programs at Northeastern, as well as Scout, the student-run design studio. NU gives good NMF merit, too, and its public transit access is fantastic.
If you are looking for another UC to add, I think UCSB might be a match for your stats, and Isla Vista is a very walkable college town that is fairly close to Santa Barbara proper and about 1.5-2 hours from LA. I do like the idea of adding Occidental and Scripps to your list.
Unfortunately, your stats will be a problem for Berkeley, especially because you are a non-resident. Your stats have to be better than the instate residents.
Having relatives in California won’t help your non-resident tuition. Your family will still be required to pay $65K per year minimum whether that’s UCSB or other UC’s.
The OP can report a perfect UW GPA and, by the most recent IPEDS data, her SAT result lands 50 points higher than Berkeley’s midpoint. Her ACT would place her a point above average. For comparison, these are Berkeley’s middle ranges, with the OP’s scores in parentheses:
SAT
1260-1480 (1420)
ACT
30-34 (33)
As I understand it, it is incrementally easier to get into the UC’s as an OOS student than in-state. At UCB, that margin is so small that it doesn’t really figure into the analysis, but it doesn’t tilt the other way.
For Cognitive Science with a strong design component, the go-to UC is San Diego.
http://www.cogsci.ucsd.edu/
http://www.cogsci.ucsd.edu/undergraduates/minor/design.html
For design that leans less toward STEM and more toward art, there is also the Speculative Design major
https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/new_uc_san_diego_visual_arts_major_emphasizes_designing_for_the_future
Also the ICAM major for more digitally-oriented art and design: https://visarts.ucsd.edu/undergrad/major-req/icam.html
No other UC has the level of blending of design with other academic disciplines that UCSD has. However, there is a computer science skew, especially in CogSci, because San Diego admits by campus rather than by major, so there are a lot of aspiring CompSci majors who got into the university but not the major, and who therefore spill over into CogSci and other CS-adjacent programs.
Walkability is not a strength of UCSD currently, but the San Diego light rail is being extended out to the campus which will make it much better. But not until at least the projected start date of 2021. https://onthego.ucsd.edu/projects/trolley-lrt.html
Keep in mind that all of the UC’s, while terrific public schools, are not for everyone. They are quite large with rigid general educational requirements, and can be challenging when you’re seeking advising.
Of the schools previously mentioned as fulfilling your request for more match and safe schools, I agree that a closer look at Mills College in Oakland is a good idea; partly because of its cross-registration with UC Berkeley and partly because of the strengths in both Design and Psych. Not to mention that the tuition starts appreciably lower than most, and you’d be in line for their merit aid.
Occidental will also fit the bill as a good match.
Have you explored Willamette or U Puget Sound?
Both have solid arts and social sciences, coupled with generous merit aid, representing safe/match options for you.
What about Trinity Univ in San Antonio?