<p>Yeah, USC looks like it would be a great fit for you, except for the population requirement. What is your reasoning behind the 3000-6000 number?</p>
<p>I want a reasonably sized campus and I don’t huge class sizes. USC is a pretty big schools, but the average class size is around 25. I’d prefer smaller classes, though, and I know I could get them by going to a liberal arts college, but I would feel way too claustrophobic after a year or two.</p>
<p>Menloparkmom, I am working on getting recruited at several schools, but since I’m not even a junior, most colleges aren’t even allowed to communicate with me with their feedback on my times and chances of getting recruited. I’ll more actively pursue this in the middle of next year. I will also hopefully be considered an URM, which increases anyone’s chances significantly regardless of what people say on here. Just look at the admissions results threads.</p>
<p>American is not even remotely preppy. </p>
<p>Try Fordham for a good safety</p>
<p>How would you describe the students at American and Fordham?</p>
<p>If you are interested in USC, you might look into the Thematic Option Honors program. It offers a very challenging LAC-like general education program with USC’s best teachers in the midst of a large research university. Classes have as few as 8 - 10 students. It is a very selective program (only 200 accepted each year), but USC + Thematic Option may be the perfect fit for you. [Thematic</a> Option > USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences](<a href=“http://college.usc.edu/thematic-option/]Thematic”>http://college.usc.edu/thematic-option/)</p>
<p>Could I apply to both the Thematic Option and LSA?</p>
<p>The student body at American is fairly diverse, there are a lot of international students. In general you’re not going to see a lot pearls and polos. I don’t think I saw either one at all during my two visits. Most of the students dressed either in that like faux hipster style or were really poorly dressed but still like really dressed up for class, like no one wears sweatpants to class there. </p>
<p>The student body at Fordham is fairly diverse, though predominantly Roman Catholic and Irish or Italian-American, most students come from NY/NJ/NE. The style is preppy but not overly so, its a city school so students tend to be more trendy. The social life is mostly bars. </p>
<p>Restricted to your areas Catholic schools are going to be some of your preppier options, Boston College is described in the Princeton Review book as a “J. Crew catalogue with a hangover.”</p>
<p>Hmmm… I am not sure what “LSA is,” so I cannot be 100% sure, but USC’s Thematic Option Honors is open to all majors, so I do not see why you wouldn’t be able to do both. It replaces the regular general education curriculum that you would have to do anyway - it isn’t an “extra” program at all. My daughter has a major plus two minors, is in Thematic Option, will study abroad for two semesters and is on-track to graduate on-time with all of that.</p>
<p>I’m very confused why Yale and Stanford (the former being in a city) are on your list and Princeton is not. It is suburban, preppier than most schools on your list, and has one of, if not the top, political science programs in the country. In addition, the Woodrow Wilson schools is a great place to study International Relations (they also have a huge endowment for speakers related to foreign policy), and it also fits in your size requirement.</p>
<p>USC is NOT known for the strength of it’s IR, Poly Sci or language programs[ they just eliminated German for example] . It is a more appropriate choice for those interested in the Sciences, Engineering, Business, Architecture, Cinematic Arts or Music programs[ in other words, USC has a strong pre-professional slant]. Although the physical size of the campus relatively compact, it does have a large, diverse UG population of 16,000 students. The Thematic Options Humanities Honors program [4 classes] is offered to approx 200 accepted freshman each year[ you apply to USC, there is no application to the program before you are accepted] - which is roughly the same # of NMFinalists who are awarded 1/2 tuition scholarships from USC. So if you want the best chance to be accepted into TO, then study for the PSAT this OCT. But, I really don’t see that USC would be a good fit for you, based on your interests and preferences. Tufts, on the other hand, is a GREAT fit. I would add that to your list of colleges to apply to.
As for how much of a “tip” being 1/16 NA would be considered in the context of your application, you are applying from a private prep school, and unless you are currently on a scholarship there, or your parents could not afford to send you to a private college without substantial FA, I wouldn’t count on being 1/16 NA to be a tip or hook. The URM’s that get the nod at Ivy’s are those that have persevered in the face of significant hardship- going to a crappy HS, poor parents, first in their family to go to college, work part time as well as get great grades in HS, etc. Someone who is 95% white and is going to a private prep school is going to be evaluated first in the context of the students at the HS, and then in comparison to students at other private schools. And a statement such as this -“regardless of what people say on here” is not going to get you help from people whose children HAVE been through the college admissions process already, and have seen over the course of many years just how competitive it has become.
If you can get noticed by coaches and end up being on a coaches short list, then that could be a much bigger factor than your NA ancestry.</p>
<p>^USC’s Thematic Option Honors program is neither limited to nor guaranteed to National Merit Finalists. It is limited to 200 students. Trustee and Presidential scholars receive invitations, but any student who wants to challenge themselves may apply to the program.</p>
<p>“German” has not been eliminated from USC - here are the fall 2009 offerings: [GERM</a> | USC Schedule of Classes](<a href=“http://web-app.usc.edu/soc/20093/germ.html]GERM”>302 Found)</p>
<p>I’m a National Merit Finalist, USC Presidential Scholar, and I didn’t even find out about TO until a month after I got to school. Definitely ask about it if you want to do it, but be aware that it involves a lot of essay writing.</p>
<p>USC’s IR program has an edge over others because a lot of international students come to USC to study IR (as well as business) so there’s a lot of opportunity to make international relations right there in class.</p>
<p>German is going to be eliminated as of 2010. There was a big stink about this last year, because it’s elimination affected Music voice majors.
I know TO is not limited to NMF’s, but those students are usually the winners of Trustee and Presidential Scholarships, and are among the first ones offered the chance to take TO and Science Honors[ Son is a Trustee scholar and participated in both programs] Very few non scholarship students actually get into those programs, because the spots are filled first by accepted scholarship students that USC wants to snag.</p>
<p>menloparkmom, the URMs at my school who are average academically are regularly accepted into Ivy League schools. For example, this year, an African American student got into Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, and Dartmouth with a 2000 SAT and is not on FA. This would never happen with a white or Asian American applicant. URMs get an advantage regardless of their economic status. </p>
<p>Baelor, I have been considering Princeton, I just forgot to add it to the list I wrote here. Thanks for your input!</p>
<p>I would consider adding Vanderbilt as a possible safety/ match. It is smaller[ under 6000], preppy and a great U overall.</p>
<p>In my opinion, the Native American claim is a cynical way to game the system, but perhaps it cuts both ways. Some schools may be happy to boost their “diversity” numbers even if race/ethnicity has virtually no influence on the student’s identity. </p>
<p>An affluent African American is, in my opinion, a different matter. In that case, race would tend to affect one’s outlook in a way that having an Hispanic surname alone, or a little NA blood, would not.</p>
<p>Still, I would hope Menloparkmom is correct. If I were an adcom, the Native American ploy could backfire. The Ivies are looking for excellence and leadership. So especially if the stats are only average for that applicant pool, the ECs need to show more than just participation. Many applicants are regionally or nationally competitive in sports, science or the arts, or else have some life story that really makes them unique (refugee, orphaned circus performer, etc.) </p>
<p>My recommendation would be to go ahead and apply to any school that interests you if your stats are at least within its averages. What have you got to lose? But be honest and focus on your real strengths, such as trying to get recruited in a sport that you play well and in which the school has a need. Or find some less selective but still excellent schools.</p>
<p>I completely disagree with affirmative action but since it exists, why not take advantage of it? The schools will know I’m 1/16 and they can take that as they wish. I’m not lying about anything.</p>
<p>wait, since when is tufts considered remotely preppy? I found it to be quite the opposite every time i visited, which was partially why I liked it so much? </p>
<p>I would not recommend it to somebody who wants a preppy atmosphere.</p>
<p>“why not take advantage of it?”<br>
URM stands for unrepresented MINORITY. Since you are, as you state, 95% white, surely you can’t be serious in thinking you should be considered in the same context as Hispanics, Blacks and other races who are underrepresented in college populations relative to their numbers in the general population. Do what you want, but be aware that the most selective colleges receive so many applications from qualified students the ad mins are forced to look for reasons to deny an applicant. If you want to mention that you are 1/16 NA in an essay, go for it. But remember, if a college admissions officer questions your “minority status” with your HS, and is told that you look as white as George Washington, it may come back to bite you. You will have a strong enough application, with your grades, EC’s, sports, etc, without trying to come off as being representative of an unrepresented race.</p>
<p>“I completely disagree with affirmative action but since it exists, why not take advantage of it? The schools will know I’m 1/16 and they can take that as they wish. I’m not lying about anything.”</p>
<p>Well, since you won’t seem to notice how folks have been trying to ignore this, how about because that seems hypocritical and immoral? At the risk of turning this into yet another AA thread, it seems rare that someone brags about taking advantage of something they don’t believe in. In addition, contrary to what seems to be believed here on CC, it seems VERY rare in my experience, for most URM’s, at least those not in competitive schools, to even KNOW there is any potential advantage that goes with their status. I think the percentage of URM’s shooting for elite colleges is really, really tiny. My kids didn’t know and believe it or not, I didn’t know ( until my d got a commendation for national achievement as a rising senior and I came here). I think that’s that way it should be. But instead, you seem to be sort of counting on it. Almost seems like asking for trouble to me. Unfortunately, my son now knows, and I greatly regret it. But whatever. It won’t be enough to get him somewhere he doesn’t belong.</p>