<p>Hi. I'm currently a senior this year. I have a 4.03 unweighted gpa. I rank 7 out of 345. I Took two ap classes last year (us history and lit and comp) taking W131, AP CALC, and AP Psychology this year. I'm in Nat. Honors Society, Student Leadership Academy, Spanish Honors Society, and Student Council. I took the SATS in october and got this math: 600 reading: 610 writing: 590Anyway, I'm looking at colleges right now, and having a really difficult time. I really don't want to stay in Indiana. But my parents own their own auto business and we only bring in about $29,000 after taxes combined. So money is a major issue. I have a list of colleges I'd like to see made, but visiting all of them definately isn't an option, maybe 2 or 3. I want to be a psychian's assistant or major in pre-med- possibly psychology too. I really want to be a GP, but b/c of time and all the malpractice stuff I think I'm going to go for a PA.</p>
<p>I'm really interesting in the UC schools, I love cali. But between them, whic would be the best to apply for. Any schools in cali actually. I'm set on Ball State if I stay here in indiana.</p>
<p>Anyway, what are all your suggestions?
So far I have:
Boston University
Boston College
Northeastern
Ohio State Univ
Miami of Ohio
Duke (a reach)
UNC- chapel hill
UVA
Ball State or IU (just safties)
UC-santa barbara
UC- san francisco great psy dep.
UC- santa cruz
maybe more ucs?</p>
<p>I'm open to more possibilities, mostly I want a pretty broad range of majors and in a college town or urban area. </p>
<p>Also, if one college offers me, say 1/2 tutition, can i go to another college and "haggle" that? For instance, tell them that i have this other offer and see if they'll match it?</p>
<p>umm... get rid of miami(OH) and add ohio university-athens.. also add u of dayton b/c its great and they will give you a bunch of money for cali u can add university of the pacific</p>
<p>UC San Francisco is NOT an undergraduate school. It's only a graduate
school. Are you perhaps thinking of San Francisco State University? It's a totally different school, and not a UC but a California State U. If you're interested in any of the UC schools, you should carefully read the information at <a href="http://www.ucop.edu/pathways%5B/url%5D">www.ucop.edu/pathways</a>. You will need to apply before November 30. The UC's are quite difficult to get into as an out of state applicant --- you also must have taken two SAT II tests in order to apply. One other thing to keep in mind about the UC's is that they are quite expensive if you're an out of state student and financial aid is somewhat limited for out of state applicants as well. </p>
<p>In short, you'd probably be better off turning your attention to private colleges in California with strong science/pre-med programs if California is your dream. In addition to the University of the Pacific, I'd recommend you check out: the University of San Diego, Occidental, Scripps College, Pitzer College, Mills College, the University of Redlands, Chapman University, Santa Clara University, St. Mary's College of California, Pepperdine and possibly Azuza Pacific University. Other schools on the west coast (although not in California) with strong pre-med/psych. programs and good financial aid include
Willamette, Lewis & Clark, Reed, and the University of Portland in Oregon and Whitman and the University of Puget Sound in Washington state. You could also check out a few of the california state university schools, which are much less expensive than the UC's, and easier to get into as well. Specifically look into California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo, Sonoma State University, San Diego State University, and Humboldt State University if you want to go that route. (See <a href="http://www.csumentor.edu%5B/url%5D">www.csumentor.edu</a> for complete details on the 23 california state schools and application information) Good luck!</p>
<p>Just wanted to add two other suggestions. In Indiana, check out Earlham College. They have an excellent pre-med/science program and are also strong in psychology and sociology. The majority of students at Earlham are from out of state, so you'll still get a bit of the sense of going out of state, yet be able to use any Indiana state specific financial aid/grants such as the Indiana Freedom of Choice Grant
you may qualify for. You may also want to look into DePauw, which is very generous with merit money.</p>
<p>Could you possibly elaborate on some of those calorfornia colleges and even the others? I went to the website and I saw that they all had pre-med majors but which are the best in your opinon?</p>
<p>I'd like a personal college, but I want it in a larger town and it to not be small if possible.</p>
<p>In terms of larger schools, I'd suggest the University of San Diego, University of Southern California, and Santa Clara University for pre-med privates. All are in good sized cities. In terms of their cultures, USC is the largest and most diverse. It is also in Los Angeles in an area that make some uncomfortable, although the campus itself is pretty and relatively safe. They are very good with both merit scholarships and financial aid, and the sciences are strong. University of San Diego is a beautiful campus on a hillside overlooking San Diego, a fun college city. USD has a wonderful science program, with a newer science lab building. It is a Catholic school but not overly religious. Students are friendly but tend to be on the conservative side. Santa Clara U is located in San Jose, in northern California near San Francisco. It is also Catholic, and has a pretty campus. Santa Clara has a very strong psychology department.</p>
<p>Moving down a bit in terms of size, Occidental and the Claremont Colleges are excellent. They are within shouting distance of Los Angeles. I particularly like the Claremont schools because they are five smaller schools located side by side. You can cross-register for classes at the other schools, thus you get the personalized advantages of a small school and the educational opportunities and social life of a mid-sized university all rolled into one. The two schools on the list that are part of the Claremont Consortium are Pitzer and Scripps. Pitzer is the newest of the schools and tends to attract a liberal student body. They are strong in the social sciences, especially psychology, but hard sciences. Scripps is the all female school in the Claremonts --- but, unlike other all female schools, it's not as much as an issue because you have males around and in classes from the other four schools. The Claremont Consortium shares a science program that is very good.</p>
<p>Occidental is smaller (1600 students I believe) but an excellent school with a strong science program and good med. professional school placement rate. </p>
<p>You might want to go to princetonreview.com and read the reviews of all of the schools I mentioned, then look at their individual websites. Good luck!</p>
<p>You listed UC Santa Cruz and UC Santa Barbara as possibilities. UCSC is in a beautiful setting among redwoods in a kind of funky small city about an hour or so south of San Francisco. Students tend to be liberal. I like UCSC for its college system --- gives you a bit more personalized attention. UCSB is right on the ocean, in a slightly larger city. UCSB tends to have a rep as a bit of a party school, but it's large enough that most people find their niche. For biological/chemical sciences, UCSB is probably a better bet. Both schools have good psychology programs. Again, you must get your application in to both schools by November 30. The site I gave above has tons of important information on out of state eligibility requirements - I think you'd have a shot at both schools.</p>
<p>For the california state schools, if you want it to be in a larger city, San Diego State U might be a good fit. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a larger school located in a small city. It is probably the best of the california state u's in terms of academics, but difficult to get into.</p>