Potential colleges to check out?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm a high school senior still trying to look for colleges that might fit me. I made a similar post last year, but now I've got more specific information that might help in finding the best college options for me. I'm already set on going to a community college for the first year because of some medical/anxiety issues I'm struggling with. I think the smaller atmosphere would be easier for me to deal with, and then I can sort of ease myself into college. But I'd like to have a solid idea of where I plan to go afterward. I've tried some of the college match searches (College Board, Princeton Review, etc.) but kind of feel like I'll come across some better options by searching someplace else, so I thought I'd try here.</p>

<p>Here are a few things about me:
- 3.89 GPA
- Top 10% of my class
- 1880 SAT
- Have taken a couple of honors courses, a couple of courses at the community college, and an AP course. I'm academically suited for more AP courses, but due to some medical issues I haven't been able to take as heavy of a course load as I should be.
- National German Examination winner - 98th percentile </p>

<p>It says my mom's EFC is roughly $7,000 after filling out a quick form, but she just got married in July so I'm not sure how that will change things. She and my step-father will file taxes separately and he doesn't pay for anything for my mother or me, but I think his income is still included when filling out FAFSA forms...? Doesn't make much sense to me, but eh. Not sure if my father is able to contribute anything, but I doubt it. That's roughly where my family stands with financial things at the moment.</p>

<p>Things I'm looking for in a school/other info:
- I'm pretty sure I want to major in psychology, but if that doesn't work out, I'll probably explore something else in the liberal arts category. So a school with a good psychology and/or liberal arts program in general would probably be best. Not sure what my thoughts are on liberal arts colleges at the time, so I'm hoping to get a mix of both LAC and traditional colleges to visit and then go from there.
- Less than 4 or 5 hours (maybe a couple more, if there's one that would be perfect) away from Reno, NV. I have horrible anxiety/medical issues and would prefer not to totally throw myself outside of my comfort zone.
- For that same reason, I'd like to not be in a huge city. I've spent my whole life living in rural towns, but I've always liked the city better, so I'd like to live in a small city for college. Something about the size of Reno or a bit bigger/smaller would be nice.
- I'd like to be surrounded by at least semi-intelligent people. I don't necessarily want everyone to be super-smart and competitive, but it would be nice to not have to re-live high school all over again where people are just there because it's convenient and don't care as much as I do about their studies. I could really care less about going to a top name school, but I'm not too sure that settling for the awful education here in Nevada is the smartest idea either.
- As little partying/drug use/drinking as possible. Just not my scene. It's kind of what I've grown up around and I'm a bit disgusted by it. This kind of goes with the focusing on studies thing.
- Relatively small-medium student body/student to teacher ratio. I prefer smaller, more discussion-oriented kinds of things where you can interact with the teacher, instead of being one of hundreds of people in a lecture hall. I don't really want it to be so small that everyone knows everyone else's business, but I don't want to be a tiny fish in a huge sea, either.</p>

<p>I guess basically, somewhere with a good sense of community, not a ton of excessive partying/drinking/drugs, and where most students are there because they want to learn but it's still somewhat of a relaxed environment. Somewhere that I won't get lost or feel totally overwhelmed, but still has a good variety of diversity and things going on.</p>

<p>I'm mostly just trying to compile a list of places I'd like to visit so that I can get a better feel for them.. I've been to UNR and liked it somewhat from what I remember (this was 3 years ago), but I don't want to feel like I'm settling for a college because it's the most convenient. They've also had a lot of budget cuts lately, including any degree programs in German, which I'd like to minor in. It's not absolutely necessary that I minor in German, but it'd be a nice option to have that I now know I wouldn't have at UNR.</p>

<p>I've also thought about UNLV; I really like the area of Vegas that it's in and that it's in-state, but I think the school/city as a whole would be too big and the college itself doesn't seem like it fits my needs well. I'm trying to expand my options because those are the only two I'm really familiar with, and while I do like certain aspects of each of them, I think there might be something better out there for me. The more I look at it, the more I think I would just be settling if I picked either of those and would potentially be happier elsewhere, even if it's a bit uncomfortable for me to get used to at first. I love the idea of in-state tuition, but I'm definitely willing to go elsewhere if I'll be happier overall.</p>

<p>Just for a bit of additional info, I have a friend in Michigan who attends Grand Valley State University. It seems pretty close to what I'm looking for, but I'm incredibly hesitant about moving to Michigan for college. I'm not sure I could handle such a huge climate difference, and I know that I wouldn't be comfortable going that far away if not for the fact that I already have a friend there and therefore some level of comfort already established.</p>

<p>Sorry that this post is so long and rambling, but hopefully some of you will have some suggestions. Since I've only visited UNR, I'd like to check out some other potential schools but would like to have an idea of where to go instead of just visiting random places. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>You need to sit down with your mom and stepdad. His income will count whether he helps or not. You need to calculate the new EFC to see if you can afford it. This could limit OOS options.</p>

3

<p>You sound like a good fit for Sonoma State. It offers Psychology and German. It’s located in a small city (near Santa Rosa). It’s a small school where you won’t be overwhelmed. Class sizes will be small. It’s only about 4 hours from Reno. The cost will be around $33,000 per year for out-of-state.</p>

4

<p>Thanks ricegal, I’ll definitely look more into Sonoma State. I did a bit of looking around on their website last night and I think it’ll be a good one to add to my list of colleges to visit.</p>

5

<p>Maybe Hendrix? It looks like a really neat school, I really hope that they offer me a big scholarship to convince my parents to let me attend, despite the low ranking haha</p>

6

<p>It is too bad that you can’t expand your geography since I think St. Olaf would be a great fit for you based on your interests. It is a dry campus and has a great sense of community. They have a strong Psychology and German program. It is really a unique environment with strong academics. You might want to look at their web site. Good luck with your search!</p>

7

<p>For private schools you could consider University of the Pacific. You might get some merit aid there with the right grades in community college. My friend’s daughter just started there this fall and she doesn’t drink. She has fit right in. Said she went to a toga party two weekends ago and had more fun making the toga with her friends than going to the party. Stockton is a medium sized town and even closer to Reno than Santa Rosa.</p>

8

<p>I’m going to throw one out that you probably haven’t thought of - Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. It is larger than you indicated, and farther away, but has many of the qualities you’re looking for. It is less than 4 hours from Las Vegas, so it’s in the neighborhood, so to speak. You likely qualify for the Honors program (1290 M + CR?) and that can make a larger school feel smaller.
They have good Psych and Modern Languages depts, so you’re covered academically - along with extensive additional choices should you change your mind.
They participate in the WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange program) that gives you discounted tuition as a resident of Nevada, and they guarantee tuition pricing for all 4 years, and Room/Board pricing for 2 years.</p>

<p>I have never known anyone who went there who didn’t like it. It seems to be a real gem.</p>

9

<p>I’m a current GVSU freshman, and I can tell you that I love it.</p>

<p>Yes, the climate is very different here. It was 45° this morning, and it got up to about 72°, and now it’s about 61°. Looks like it’ll get down to about 41° tonight. No telling when it’ll rain next. But that’s Michigan for you – be prepared for anything.</p>

<p>The campus is gorgeous – we’re about a half hour west of Grand Rapids, MI. Almost all of the buildings are very modern. One downside is that the campus is large enough that it can take a while to walk between classes - especially if you’re on the northern edge of Freshman Village - but it’s all very safe and well-lit. The campus is very bike-friendly; I use mine every day to go everywhere and only occasionally have trouble finding a place to lock it up. Computer lab use and printing are FREE. That’s pretty cool if you ask me.</p>

<p>If you were to ask me where the party was, I could not tell you. Strictly from rumors, I’ve heard that the partying is kept in the off-campus apartments, which are for returning students. I haven’t noticed any drinking at all, but smoking is strangely popular – especially considering the no-smoking bill passed in Michigan as of last May. Overall, the party scene, if there is one, is very easy to ignore if you don’t wish to be a part of it.</p>

<p>Being a music education major, I cannot speak for the majority of general education classes. However, from what I hear from my non-music major friends, classes in other majors are usually from 30 to 50 students, with the occasional and rare lecture class that’s less than 200. It seems like big lecture hall classes are hard to find here.</p>

<p>I think you should give GVSU a chance, even if it is pretty far away. I have friends here from Maryland, California, Florida, even Japan and South Africa. I wish you the best of luck in your search for the school you want, and hope that my post helped at least a little bit.</p>

<p>If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
~tmad40blue</p>

10

<p>I second the nomination of Northern Arizona. I’ve heard good things about it.</p>

11

<p>It says my mom’s EFC is roughly $7,000 after filling out a quick form, but she just got married in July so I’m not sure how that will change things. She and my step-father will file taxes separately and he doesn’t pay for anything for my mother or me, but I think his income is still included when filling out FAFSA forms…? Doesn’t make much sense to me, but eh. Not sure if my father is able to contribute anything, but I doubt it. That’s roughly where my family stands with financial things at the moment.</p>

<p>You need to include your stepdad’s info even though he won’t be contributing. That’s just the way it is. There is an assumption that your mom has more access to money now that she’s not solely paying for all household costs.</p>

<p>You need to speak to your mom and stepdad because both incomes will count. Also, you need to speak to your dad. You need to find out how much your family will contribute.</p>

<p>If you find that you’ll have an unaffordable EFC, then that will limit your options considerably.</p>

<p>Are you testing again? You should to see if you can qualify for merit scholarships.</p>

<p>do NOT expect financial aid from OOS publics to help you with their high OOS costs. They charge OOS costs for a reason…not to just cover them up with aid.</p>

<p>If your family won’t pay for college, take off the OOS publics unless you’re sure you’ll get a lot of merit scholarships from them.</p>

<p>However, some will give merit scholarships…that is a different situation. </p>

<p>Am I overlooking what your home state is?</p>

<p>Until you know how much money your family will contribute, there’s no point in compiling a list. You might just end up with a bunch of unaffordable schools.</p>

<p>Also…find out what your likely EFC is…</p>

<p>Quick EFC
[FinAid</a> | Calculators | QuickEFC](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Quick EFC - Finaid)</p>

<p>(keep in mind that this number is NOT the most you have to pay. Most schools do not meet need and they don’t have to do anything with that number except to see if you qualify for any federal aid…which is small.</p>