@gearmom For safeties I’m planning to apply to the University of Utah (in-state), Utah State, and Lewis and Clark College in Portland. I’ve also been considering ASU for its participation in the Western Undergraduate Exchange.
Right now, I’m thinking of majoring in either history or political science, though I’m also thinking of double majoring with some form of art/design.
UChicago, Brown and BU are definitely on my list at the moment.
@college_query I applied to Questbridge but didn’t make it to the finalist round.
If you like quarter system, Dartmouth. If my memory serves me correct, Dartmouth’s financial package does not have a loan component. Given your household income, so long as you do not have high household equity, you may get a complete free ride at Dartmouth. Good luck!
@prof2dad does the campus at Dartmouth fit his profile wish? I’ve never been there but he’s looking for urban, suburban or college town. If it does, I think it is a great academic/financial fit.
Dartmouth is a rural college town. It is liberal and lovely.
https://students.asu.edu/admission/wue says that “WUE programs are limited to select majors at the Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic and West campuses.” I.e. not the main Tempe campus.
@meeplesyrup It’s a lottery ticket but Brown with dual enrollment/classes at RISD would be perfect for you. You need to show interest in places that you cannot visit. Being from Utah could be a good thing for the NE schools. Geographic diversity.
@meeplesyrup - I didn’t realize that QuestBridge had already determined finalists, since the deadline to apply isn’t until September 27. Glad you gave it a shot, though.
@NEPatsGirl I am considering Dartmouth; a good family friend is an alumni who lives not far from the school which also adds a nice support system for me (so that I have at least 1 person I know I could talk to)
My daughter visited the Kelly Writers House at Penn yesterday and loved it, so I was perusing Penn’s offerings. I suggest you do the same, and I agree that Vassar and Wesleyan seem like good fits. (My daughter’s interests are largely similar to yours, and these are among her favorites.) Vassar has enough studio space so that anyone with a serious interest in art gets a personal space. Unfortunately, the colleges that give the best financial aid are generally the hardest to get into. Make sure to look at the list of colleges that meet full need. The wealthiest of them do it without loans or with minimal loans.
Doesn’t Dartmouth have a very “wet” reputation that may be a big contrast to much of Utah?
IMO, the entire New England is a big contrast to much of Utah.
Utah is an extremely dry place, indeed, and the difference is palpable when I go anywhere that actually has water. I’m looking for a place that climate (and culture) wise is different from my state, which tends to be super insular (nearly all my friends will go to the U of U or BYU.)
^Works in your favor. You could be one of the few from Utah who applies. Your test scores are high. You could try Bowdoin based on the extra edge of your home state if you don’t mind the cold. And you’re name IS @meeplesyrup Maine is an obvious choice. Bowdoin is a top elite LAC.
Here’s my current list of schools I’m applying to (West and East/Northeast):
Safety:
University of Utah (Honors College)
Utah State University
Lewis and Clark College
Match:
New York University
Boston University
Reed College
Reach:
University of Southern California
Dartmouth
Brown
University of Chicago
Harvard
Stanford (top choice)
Possibles (Unsure/Needs Research/Conditional):
Most of these schools have solid humanities/social studies programs, and good financial aid for my income bracket (except for possibly USC).
@meeplesyrup You should take NYU off your list. They do not give great aid and I have read that they have huge class fees that they unexpectedly charge students with. Good luck!
I second removing NYU. Too expensive. Bowdoin meets full need without loans so students can graduate debt free.
If you are dreaming of California in state status, it won’t be easy. You can’t just move with your family after graduation.
Run Net Price Calculators. They will give you a breakdown of how much aid to expect in grants and loans. I suspect a couple of schools on your list would leave you with more debt than you would expect or want. As long as you have a couple of affordable safeties, go for the expensive and wealthy private colleges that truly meet need. But you might want to remove a couple of the single-digit admissions schools in favor of others where your odds are more favorable. Also, and not Northeast but not West either: I think Carleton is on the quarter system. My daughter is insisting on applying there despite its location (far from the mid-Atlantic where we are). And I think the person who mentioned liquid in connection with Dartmouth was talking about its drinking culture, not the local terrain. Try to be mindful of social as well as academic concerns when making your final choices. Good luck!
Financial aid at California public universities is only good for California residents (or those with rare top-end merit scholarships). Future possible plans for your parents to move to California would not be reliable, and would still leave some years at out-of-state costs without financial aid.
Yes, run the net price calculator on each school’s web site. NYU and BU tend to have reputations for poor financial aid.
My problem right now is trying to find a good number of match schools that are out of state but have decent financial aid. Do any others come to mind?