Hi! See below for my whole “thing.” I need help developing a list of reach/match/safety schools. Be honest with me.
GOAL: I’m looking to transfer to the best possible undergraduate philosophy program I can get into that will meet my financial need. My current school is a legitimate online university, and I will be starting my senior year next fall. I do not want to get my degree from this university; it is neither rigorous enough nor prestigious enough. The goal is to set myself up for a career in academia, which ultimately requires I attend some of the best schools I can get into. I like to idea of a LAC because I can somewhat develop my own path. I prefer social philosophy (ethics, law, politics), but I want a solid grounding in metaphysics and epistemology too, obviously.
WHO: Non-traditional, 25 year old, white male. I will be 25 when applying, and 26 when enrolling. I will qualify for plenty of need-based aid.
ACADEMICS: I graduated HS with an AA, and about a 3.67 GPA. Overall, my HS career was average. I don’t remember if I took the SAT? My ACT scores were whatever. I didn’t care much back then because I was going into music. I was accepted at the one and only music conservatory I applied to, but I decided to decline admission. I took about five years off to do music on my own before enrolling in online university. The reason for online is due to my travels. I take my classes all over the world. My current GPA is 4.0, but that’s because they “wiped” the GPA from my previous classes. My total UGPA as of right now is 3.79. Assume it will be 3.8+ by the time of applying due to further classes. I will be able to get some good reference letters, and I believe I can supply a fairly solid philosophic writing sample.
HOOK: First generation, non-traditional student with a successful career in the music industry. I have been in a successful band, which has allowed me to travel the world extensively. We were on one of the biggest tours in history, and have played stadiums to crowds in excess of 40k+ people. We have had TV appearances, recorded albums and music videos, and have had songs in shows. I have been a personal assistant to musicians, one of the youngest supervisors at a major, nationwide staging corporation, and a roadie for bands. My most notable position as a roadie is stage manager for an internationally-renowned band. My resume for the music industry is truly exceptional for my age.
SCHOOLS:
Amherst
Pomona
Reed
NYU
UMichigan
EXTRA: I understand that I likely will have to spend 2-3 years at any of these schools to finish my degree. Many will not accept the online classes, and some might even fuss about my HS college credits. If my tuition is mostly covered (minus MY personal contribution), then I am okay with that. 4 years might be pushing it, though. I’d love to hear some feedback about chances, more schools to add to the list, and my best route to getting there! I will probably take some CC classes over the next year to get potential LAC prerequisites out of the way.
Thanks for the help!