Please help with suggestions for colleges! :)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm coming over here from the chances forum because I realized that I don't really know what schools would suit me the most... Some help please? I'd like some reaches, matches, and safeties. </p>

<p>I live in Florida, and would like to go out of state but stay on the East Coast, preferably. Admittedly, I prefer at least relatively big name schools because Florida pays tuition and if I can't go to a big name school I might as well stay in state and not pay. I'm trying to avoid a large school (like, over 10,000), but anything under 2,000 sounds a bit too small. I'm thinking Chem major to go on to medicine, but I'm not sure yet and am probably going to apply undecided, so I'd like a school that has a good pre-med program but is diverse as far as its strengths go. I want to be near a large city where there's lots to do, but not necessarily in the middle of it (though I wouldn't be opposed provided it was in a nice area); a rural school is pretty much out of the question. I'm quite liberal, so while I wouldn't mind a non-political student body, I don't really want a conservative school. I want a school that has a culture and school spirit, not just a generic student body. I want to attend with people that are intellectual and work hard but are laid back and aren't opposed to having fun on the weekends - I don't want to spend four years being miserable. I'd like a pretty campus (that may be big, but isn't scattered all over a big city), with nice dorms and architecture and such. I hope I'm not being too specific. </p>

<p>And my stats:</p>

<p>General
Year: Junior
Age: 15 (skipped 1st grade)
Gender: Female
Race/Ethnicity: 50% Hispanic (Puerto Rican), 50% Middle Eastern (Syrian)
School: Public; one of the top schools in the country (think top 10)
Class rank: N/A. I'm at least in the top quarter, but my school is so competitive class rank is very misleading.
Intended major: Undecided
Financial aid: Not applying
Academics
GPA: 3.83 UW, 4.52 W
Course load
Junior year - Anatomy/Physiology Hon, Precalc Hon, American History Hon, AP Psych, AP Lang, AP Chem
Senior year - American Gov Hon, Chem II (organic chem), AP Macroecon, AP Physics B, AP Lit, AP Calc BC, and Externship - I plan on spending one semester interning at the local hospital; I have yet to decide what I'll be doing second semester, but this will add up to about 150-250 hours of work, depending.
Test scores
PSAT: 216
SAT I: 790 CR 720 M 800 W (1510/2310)
SAT II: Taking these next month; signed up for Chem, Math II, and Lit; expecting 700+
ACT: 35
Community service
~30 hours at the public library working with kids
~130 hours at the local hospital; may return in the summer or fall
I am planning on volunteering for at least an additional 50 hours before apps go out.
Extracurriculars
- Piano for 11 years, and in the five years I have performed at the Music Federation's festival, I have received Superior rating (the highest rank)
- Flute for 5/6 years
- Honors: NJHS (9-10), NHS (11), Spanish Honors Society (10-11), Mu Alpha Theta (11)
- Clubs: Health Care Careers Club (9-11) - is active in our area, meets once a month for 2 hours at the hospital and there's a lecture and demonstrations by different physicians.
Other
Recommendations: Will be strong.
Essays: I'm already starting to brainstorm, so I'll have plenty of time to get these in order and they'll be good.
Work experience: None, though I may get a job early next year.</p>

2

<p>Georgetown, UPenn, Columbia. Georgetown is what I’d recommend you, though – campus in a big city (and in a nice area with lots of shops & restaurants), nice size, and political activism (I mean, it’s DC).</p>

<p>Your stats are really good; the only thing I’d be a little concerned with is rank. Otherwise, you’re definitely in the running for top schools & ivies. I would say that, from what you described, Georgetown is your school.</p>

3

<p>Johns Hopkins sounds like a good fit.</p>

4

<p>Brown and Harvard</p>

5

<p>I was already looking at Columbia and Brown (how do attendees feel about PLME?), but I’ll definitely do more research on the others, thanks!</p>

<p>Anyone have any more? Some matches/safeties would be incredibly helpful, since Ivies are basically reaches for everyone since it’s pretty much a crapshoot, and I’m especially worried about my lack of leadership positions, so…</p>

6

<p>With your personal preferences and academic interests, definitely check out Penn.</p>

7

<p>Will do. I actually have family in PN and was born there, so it’s appealing.</p>

<p>Anyone else?? Please? I’m horribly nervous and desperate for info.</p>

8

<p>All the schools mentioned above sound good, with the possible exception of Georgetown. A tad conservative; relatively weak in the sciences.</p>

<p>Those are reach schools. For anybody.
NYU might be a good match. Not exactly a pretty campus, but then, it has Greenwich Village.</p>

9

<p>Boston College would be a great match for you (right outside of Boston, lovely campus, great sciences etc)</p>

10

<p>I’d second Johns Hopkins, BC and Columbia</p>

<p>Georgetown is great, it’s got most of the characteristics you mentioned (despite popular belief, students are fairly liberal) but they aren’t known for the sciences. To be fair, they are investing quite a bit of money in their programs, and the new science and medical buildings are planned to be completed by 2011, but until then, the science facilities are a bit on the older side.</p>

11

<p>I second Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Columbia, and Penn as reaches (almost no one knows they will get in for sure). BC, as mcvcm92 said would be a good one you’d be pretty much guaranteed to get in, imho. W&M would be an easy in, it has the size, pretty campus, and good pre-med you’re looking for, but it doesn’t quite have the city-life.</p>

12

<p>These are all great suggestions, thanks again. I’ve heard JHU is miserable, is that just a rumor? And I’m thinking NYU might me a bit too big for me, how is the atmosphere there?</p>

13

<p>NYU and BC would be safety schools on your list. John Hopkins, Brown, Dartmouth sound like good fits for you.</p>

14

<p>College of William and Mary</p>

15

<p>I’d add Duke to the mix, and possibly Emory. Both have a bit over 10,000 students, though. If I were you, I’d put together a list of all the east coast schools that are good enough that you could see yourself there, including a safety and a few matches. Then, cross of the schools that do not fit within your general size range. After that, eliminate the schools that aren’t very renowned in the sciences. If there are still more than 12 or so schools (unless you don’t mind applying to tons of places) on your list by late fall, do some serious research and try to eliminate any more schools that you feel wouldn’t be a good fit for you. </p>

<p>I don’t think the above method should be too hard. I did the same method, except I didn’t care much about location so I pretty much applied to every corner of the country. My college counselor recommended 60 schools, then I cut it down to 45 because she recommended some bad schools that I didn’t like. I then cut it down to 20 by eliminating the schools (most LACs) that didn’t have good engineering programs. After that, I looked through each school and cut it down to 12 based off the engineering, business, overall education, and location (I prefer warm weather). By December, I eliminated it down to 10 after doing some research on the other 2 and seeing that I wouldn’t like it there. The only thing I regret about my list is not applying to Harvey Mudd (neither I nor my CC knew about it), but I really don’t care about that anymore. But I really think my list was one of the better ones among my peers. I had ample matches, a couple safeties, and diversified my risk at some reaches, all while assembling a very diverse list of schools that I could all see myself attending.</p>

16

<p>I second JHU, Harvard, Columbia, BC, and Penn. NYU is way too big for her description.
For some less reachy reaches, Vassar, Smith, Barnard, Vanderbilt, Emory, Mt. Holyoke, etc. Really consider Barnard, though, you can take classes at Columbia, and your degree will be a Columbia degree.</p>

17

<p>Senior0991, that sounds like a reasonable method, and I’m going to pull out my book of colleges and start now. It’s just a bit overwhelming to work with such a huge list. </p>

<p>Thanks for the list of possible (high) matches, vinnyli!</p>