I’m still in the middle of high school but I wanted to start looking for my colleges so I can prepare for my freshmen year in a few years. I’m stuck between Drexel and Penn State main campus for a major in business and minors in Photography and interior design which both colleges offer. Can you give me a list of Pros and Cons?
Why not apply to both? You are several years out from having to decide.
Before you build your list, discuss college costs and finances with your parents, particularly if you are the first child in the family to attend college. College costs are climbing and there are significant differences with how colleges determine a student’s financial need, whether or not they offer merit scholarships, what stats are required for admission/ merit aid, etc.
If they give you a vague answers, like " don’t worry about cost, or we will figure out how to pay if you get accepted", try to press them for more info, encourage them to run a few net price calculators, and fill out the FAFSA4caster, if they have not already done so. https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm
Applying to colleges takes a lot of time, effort, and $$, and since college costs can vary a lot, you need to know how much your family can afford to pay for your education. Keeping your grades up, doing your very best on the SAT/ACT, and focusing on some ECs which you enjoy will set the stage for your college search.
If possible, visit some local colleges to see what type of environment you prefer, large vs small, urban vs suburban or rural, etc.
Drexel University is awesome, but costs can be very high, the annual cost of attendance is $70k+! My youngest D applied and it ended up being the most expensive college on her list, even with $20k/year in scholarships.
I would suggest you not target specific colleges until your junior year. Get at least 2 years of a GPA down, get an idea of where your standardized tests are, have a talk with your parents about money or any other constraints, speak with your guidance counselor etc. When you are a junior I would try to read some good college guide books such as Fiske, Insiders Guide, Princeton Review to learn more about these schools and to come up with other options.
Also think carefully about what you want in a college. Visit schools when you can. Penn State and Drexel are very different schools – a huge public in a fairly remote area with a big sports culture etc. versus a mid-sized urban private university with a focus on co-op programs.
I’d recommend you stay off of CC until junior year. Until then IMO the way to plan ahead is by doing the best you can in the more rigorous curriculum you can manage, getting involved in things you enjoy, spending time with friends and family, and making the most of your HS experience.
Are you a Pennsylvania resident?
What are your stats so far?
The primary criterion for most families is cost.
What’s your parents ’ budget for college ?
if you don’t know their possibilities, run the Net Price Calculator on Penn State University park, Temple, Lehigh, Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Elizabethtown, UScranton, Ohio State, Ohio University, SUNY Geneseo.
If you’re interested in Co-ops add running the NPC on Drexel, Northeastern, UCincinnati - the top schools for co -ops.
Print out the results and bring them to your parents and start talking. Be ready for them to be in shock : when we went to college, Harvard tuition was 15k, and just 15 years ago Penn state tuition was 7k…
And a little over 30 years ago the total cost for a top private was well under $10k including room and bird.
Don’t worry about a laundry list of potential minors either. As advised you have plenty of time…