<p>Junior Year:
Honors Chem: A/A
Honors Modern Us History (graduation requirement) A/A
AP english lang & comp A/A
Honors College Math (Pre-Calc) A/A
Gym III: A/A
Advanced Choir II: A/A
Art I: A/A
Online course: AP US gov & politcs 1 sem: A </p>
<p>Senior Year Classes:
AP Calc AB
double period
AP Physics B
AP World History
Lit IV
Honors Choir III
Gym IV</p>
<p>EC's</p>
<p>President of Key Club Over 300 Community Service Hours
(marked on transcript)</p>
<p>Highly Ranked member of Poetry Club</p>
<p>National Honor Society Officer</p>
<p>Member of other clubs: Chess, Asian culture club</p>
<p>Besides a strong public policy major and a lot of financial aid, what else do you want in a school? Size? Geographic preferences (distance from home, part of the country, weather, urban/suburban/small town)? Must Haves/Deal Breakers? Culture? (artsy, rah-rah, intellectual, quirky, granola, jock, frats, single sex, religious, etc…)</p>
<p>Do you have a few in mind that appeal to you already? Your public U is generally your best bet for a safety.</p>
<p>Also, don’t bother taking the ACT 3 more times - it looks desperate. If you want to, practice for and try the SAT. Some kids do much better on one than the other.</p>
<p>Take a look at Macalester in Minneapolis. Also look at Georgetown, George Washington and American in Washington DC: They give you easy access to ‘the internship capital of the world.’ You can’t open a car door in DC in the summer without hitting an intern. (Can’t comment on the financial aid, however - you’d have to check that yourself.) </p>
<p>Just a note that Macalester, while urban and intellectual, large it is not.</p>
<p>Also, I’m curious what a “public policy” program consists of. Is that a discipline unto itself, or is it an interdisciplinary program (I can imagine econ, poli sci, history, etc.).</p>
<p>At some colleges (such as American U.), public policy is its own program with its own school. At most other colleges (such as Dickinson College), public policy functions more like an interdisciplinary program that brings together courses and majors from various majors. </p>
<p>You need to seriously consider the availability of financial aid. I would definitely include some in-state public universities, in addition to some well-endowed private colleges. Most flagship public universities do not provide much need based aid to out of state students, and the tuition out of state for a top flagship (such as U. of Michigan) can be close to the most expensive private universities. UVa is one of the few exceptions that meets need of out of state students, but out of state admissions are extremely selective. </p>
<p>Look for colleges that meet 100% of financial need. (You still will need some loans and a work study job from even the most generous colleges, with a few exceptions). </p>
<p>If you want to continue to live in the Chicago area, you may be best off studying in that region of the country to make contacts for future employment. Many people are hired after a successful internship.</p>
<p>Also, keep travel costs in mind. You might look for colleges that you can reach by Amtrak from Chicago (there are many). I personally am a big fan of Amtrak, vs. airline prices can be very unpredictable, and routes can be unexpectedly eliminated.</p>
<p>Georgetown U. is much more selective than the data may appear - they make it hard to go through the applications process, which screens out applicants who are not highly qualified. American U. has much more predictable and moderately selective admissions.</p>
<p>Two other points that are important for anyone who cannot afford a high priced college:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>check for your eligibility for college grants from your state. In many states, larger grants are available if you attend an in-state college than an out of state college. In some cases, a state will not offer any grants if you go to a different state.</p></li>
<li><p>Look into less selective public and private colleges that may offer automatic merit scholarships for students with high scores. Many colleges now make this information available on their “tuition calculator” or other part of their website labeled merit scholarships or honors programs. Many less selective private colleges will offer an automatic $10,000 or more merit scholarship to any student with a ACT or SAT score over a certain number, or a class rank over a certain amount.</p></li>
</ol>