Please Help Me Shorten College List

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Profile</p>

<p>GPA: 3.9 unweighted
4.51 weighted</p>

<p>Class Rank: Top 5% (15/345) </p>

<p>AP Courses- I will graduate with 5 AP courses.
- Cal., Chem., Eng Comp. and Lit. , U.S History
(School offer only 6 AP courses) </p>

<p>ACT: 26 (27 super score) Writing-8
- Score Breakdown E-28 M-27 R-24 S-24 Composite- 26
- Super Score - E-29 M-27 R-24 S-27 Composite -27</p>

<p>State: Mississippi</p>

<p>Major: Economic</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Asian</p>

<p>Gender: Male</p>

<p>Income Bracket: Below Middle class</p>

<p>*EC:
*
National Honor Society -2 years</p>

<p>Mu Alpha Theta – 2 years- Vice President</p>

<p>Big Brother Big Sister – 3 years</p>

<p>Summer:</p>

<p>In the summer of 2011, I took 4 community college classes and came out with four A.</p>

<p>(Speech, College Alg, Eng Comp. 1 and Comp. 2)</p>

<p>*Misc. *</p>

<p>First Generation College Student</p>

<p>Born in Japan, raise by Vietnamese's parent, moved to the U.S at 3rd grade.</p>

<p>Want to major in economics, then later MBA.</p>

<p>Schools</p>

<p>Bates (Super Score /Test Optional)</p>

<p>Bowdoin (Super Score /Test Optional)</p>

<p>Brandeis (Super Score /Test Optional)</p>

<p>Univ. of Chicago (Super score)</p>

<p>Colby College (Super score)</p>

<p>Connecticut College (Super Score /Test Optional)</p>

<p>Hamilton (Super score)</p>

<p>College of the Holy Cross (Super score)</p>

<p>Kenyon College (Super score)</p>

<p>Lafayette College</p>

<p>Macalester</p>

<p>Univ. of Minnesota Twin Cities</p>

<p>New York Univ. (Super score)</p>

<p>Occidental College </p>

<p>Univ. of Texas at Austin</p>

<p>Wake Forest (Test Optional)</p>

<p>Univ. of Wisconsin- Madison</p>

<p>Univ. of North Carolina- Chapel Hill</p>

<p>Univ. of California at San Diego</p>

<p>Univ. of California at Los Angeles</p>

2

<p>bumpppppppppppppp</p>

3

<p>I think your ACT definitely rules out UCLA and UChicago.</p>

<p>It makes UNC Chapel Hill and NYU both pretty high reaches; also, UT Austin and U Minnesota Twin Cities may also be somewhat reachy. (Since you’re out of state for these schools.)</p>

<p>Are you sure Brandeis is test-optional by the way? I’d never heard this before.</p>

4

<p>Your ACT and being out-of-state rules out many of the state schools.</p>

<p>How’d you come up with this list btw?</p>

5

<p>I don’t know how much we can help you unless you tell us more about what you’re looking for in a school so that we can help take schools off your list. It would also be helpful if you write a quick note about why you’re interested for each school- the more we understand your mindset, the more helpful we can be.</p>

<p>Here’s the thread I created:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1200346-help-narrowing-down-my-list.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1200346-help-narrowing-down-my-list.html&lt;/a&gt;
It was kind of extensive but it seemed to help people realize what I was thinking and work with me on what I should do. </p>

<p>Just try to help us understand what you want to get out of college so that we can help you figure out which of these schools can give you what you’re looking for.</p>

6

<p>Don’t remove U Wisc for sure.</p>

<p>Did you take SAT/TOEFL?</p>

7

<p>You should consider taking the SAT to compare that to your ACT results. Your grades are terrific, but not sure why your ACT isn’t stronger. You’re smart to include the schools that are test optional, but post #5 is right on … without knowing more about your interest, location preferences and financial situation it’s hard to help you narrow down further. Are you a Senior? If you’re a Junior, then this list is fine for now, if you’re a senior you need to assess for yourself what you’re looking for in a college.</p>

8

<p>You’ll want to take a hard look at those schools- check the course catalogs (online) to see if they offer the depth you want in econ, what the profs’ backgrounds and research interests are. And, whether there are opps for internships or other practical experience. Also, learn what the flavor is on each campus. Some LACs on your list are considered more granola, some more preppy or Greek. Some are in remote locations, some in small struggling cities and some close enough to major action. Big diff. Your ECs are also weak for some of the LACs. Have you omitted anything here, thinking it’s not important? Music, competitions, tutoring, job, clubs, cultural activities, etc? Sports?</p>

9

<p>I am a senior and have no more ECs. Did not had that much of a opportunity single mom who works all the time. Also, I will not take the SAT or the TOEFL. I do not mind about taking out loans as long as the school is good enough to find a job later. Living in a big city would be nice.</p>

<p>Also, my ACT is in the middle 50 percent for some of the schools and my GPA is perhaps going to be in the top 25% of some schools. </p>

<p>Schools such as Univ. of Minnesota twin city has a pretty high acceptance rate.</p>

10

<p>Since you are looking at Bates, Bowdoin, Hamilton…how about Union? </p>

<p>Test optional and a your grades are on target. </p>

<p>Think you are good for Minnesota. Good school.</p>

11

<p>@orangemom12 I consider Union but I later took it off my list.</p>

<p>@EliKresses How is NYU a high reach? My 27 on the ACT is around the mid 50% and my class rank/GPA is above the norm.</p>

<p>Brandeis is not a test optional my bad. </p>

<p>@WhoFriend I looked at college search books. </p>

<p>@SnowflakeVT I am a senior and my ACT is mainly low because I am a slow reader. I honestly believe that the test is not an accurate measurement of college success. </p>

<p>The only thing I really care about each school is that if it is good for economic and that it will help me get a job and later a MBA. I do prefer living in a big city.</p>

<p>Since my mom have to work all the time, I have to stay at home and watch over my brother and I been tutoring him every day for approximately 6 years. (Reason for weak ECs)</p>

<p>About 100+ hours in Big Brother Big Sister</p>

<p>I want to narrow the list to 8 or 9 schools</p>

12

<p>Sorry, I was thinking about NYU Stern, not regular NYU… I’ve been sick, and as a result have taken some Max Strength Adult Robitussin Nighttime, sorry ahah, my thought process wasn’t and isn’t the best. </p>

<p>Butttttt:
You may as well cut UChicago, UCLA, UNC-CH, and Brandeis. If you were in-state, you might have a shot at UNC-CH, but unfortunately, you aren’t. Your ACT keeps you out of these schools. </p>

<p>Now you need to start ruling schools out based on personal preference. I’d look at location, job preference, and campus culture, if I were you. Check out collegeprøwler, and reviews on CC from students and parents who’ve visited. </p>

<p>Also, look at the financial aspect of this too… I’m assuming money’s tight, if both you and your mother work a lot. NYU is crazily expensive, and stingy with aid; with your ACT, you can expect no merit aid, and they’re awful with need-based. Wake Forest is outrageously expensive, also. Out-of-state publics are notoriously terrible with aid, so take that into consideration… Put some privates on there where you’d have a good chance of receiving merit money.</p>

13

<p>^ I do not work just my mom. Someone have to watch over my younger brother at home. I probably will take Brandeis off the list.</p>

14

<p>Ahh, I keep misreading crud! Like I said, I’m a tad out of it at the moment, sorry to be a nuisance! Everything I said there’s true, though some of it may not apply to you as I misread that last bit.</p>

15

<p>Do not, when you discuss your ECs, fail to indicate that you have major child-care and other household responsibilities as a result of a single working parent. This is an EC and an important one for your family’s well-being.</p>

16

<p>Thanks for the tip. I forgot to say so in my latest application.</p>

17

<ol>
<li>You will need your GC to backup the fact that you worked hard, overcame slow reading (but got nabbed on the ACT- but are a great student with excellent skills) and your home responsibilities. 2. Figure out which colleges will work for your econ interests and offer the environment you want. See which actually guarantee to “meet full need” or even offer good aid in the first place. 3. DO NOT overestimate the fin aid you might get and do NOT underestimate how bad it can be to graduate with huge loan debt. Read along in the financial aid forum and see the advice. Read finaid.org for good background. Your loans may be capped at, eg, $5500 for freshman year and your mom might be stuck needing to take Parent Plus loans. Online, you can see how much various loan totals would cost you in repayment, monthly, after graduation-- that would mean your new salary (if you get a good job- there are no guarantees) went to loans- not helping mom and brother, buying a car to get to work or any extras. Good luck.</li>
</ol>

18

<p>^Thank You for writing such a great comment.</p>

19

<p>You do not have a single safety on that list. You need to find at least one place that meets these four criteria:
You can pay for it with no aid other than federally determined (FAFSA) aid, guaranteed aid from your own state (for a school in your own state), and/or guaranteed merit-based aid.
You are guarantee admission there based on your grades and test scores (a lot of public schools post this on their websites).
Your major is offered.
You know you will be happy there if all else fails in the admissions process.</p>

<p>Take a good long look at your home state public universities, and even at the community colleges. They may be your best options given your financial limitations. For more ideas, spend some time reading through the threads in the Financial Aid Forum.</p>

<p>Good luck with everything!</p>

20

<p>May I ask why Lafayette is on your list? Easton isn’t that interesting of a place if you want a city experience. Some of the other options are certainly better. Lafayette is also much smaller than most of the bigger universities you had on your list…do you prefer a small LAC or a larger school? There will be significant differences in the culture/feel of the campus depending on size and location, so consider that when making your choices. Not everyone is cut out for a large campus environment. But not everyone enjoys a small campus, either.</p>

<p>EDIT: I want to add that I’m not trying to deter you from LC - it is a great school if you do prefer a smaller campus and would like to live in the PA area. However, they are also pricey and I don’t know much about their financial aid opportunities since they are quite selective.</p>