<p>OP, I suspect you don’t know what you want. You started out talking about a small school with a good rep, and now I hear your applied to UMD. Please sit down with a guidance counselor and discuss your options.</p>
<p>^I applied there because my parents wanted me to, not because I wanted to go there. I’ve always ideally wanted to go to a private liberal arts college, and I still want to.</p>
<p>Not to nitpick, but how do you have a 3.87 unweighted gpa with a D on your transcript? and you need to consider that a lot of schools recalcuate your gpa only factoring in the core academic classes (not counting electives). Which class was the D in? If there were extenuating circumstances that you could explain, this might help. Considering that you want “a private liberal arts college with strong academics”, they will all want an explanation for the D as well.</p>
<p>If your parents are willing to pay $20,000/year, you have lots of options out there. You haven’t stated yet what your intended major would be except that it isn’t math or science related. It is hard to make recommendations without more knowledge. There is a big difference between being a business major or an english major or an anthropology major. If you are seriously considering majors that are not likely to have high starting incomes right out of college, then you should be very careful about how much debt you take on. $40,000 is a heck of a lot of debt.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>^Well, I’m not lying about the 3.87 unweighted. That’s the official calculation by my school system. I’ve had all As besides that one D, and just 2 Bs. The D was in a math class, so yeah, colleges will probably calculate my GPA differently and come up with a way lower figure. </p>
<p>I don’t know if these are “extenuating circumstances” but I was absent a LOT due to illness, not serious illness or staying in a hospital, and I had to skip school a lot. I missed 25% of instruction time apparently. I was able to slide by with As in all my other classes but I ended up with a D in my math class because it was hard enough for me to handle WITHOUT being absent (I took a class that was far too challenging for me), and being sick on top of that, I just lost control in that class and was never able to catch up. I’m guessing this makes a very pathetic excuse though so I don’t really know how to explain this D to colleges. I’m hoping that mostly As otherwise makes up for it somewhat? I don’t know… =[</p>
<p>As far as majors, I’m thinking about International Relations, Linguistics, Sociology, Anthropology, English, something along those lines.</p>
<p>*Apparently UMD College Park doesn’t want me, so I can’t really use that as a safety school. I got a D this year, and representatives from there have told me that a single D is basis for rejection. *</p>
<p>Wait a minute…was that one D a quarter grade or a semester grade? If it’s only a quarter grade (and the semester grade is a C or better) then UMaryland isn’t likely going to ever see/know about that D - since transcripts usually only show semester and/or year end grades. I don’t know of any high school that sends quarter grades…but there may be some.</p>
<p>What are all the better publics in Maryland? Are there any publics in Maryland that are considered to be “public LACs”?</p>
<p>The D is a semester grade. =[
I think the best public in MD is UMD College Park. I like St. Mary’s College; I think that is a public LAC because it provides in-state tuition for Maryland residents.</p>
<p>Are you a senior? I thought you were a junior.</p>
<p>What schools have you applied to?</p>
<p>What did you mean by this if you’re already a senior?</p>
<p>*My Math score was 680, my CR score was 690. That was on the first try though; I’m hoping to bring it up next time. *</p>
<p>And, if you’re’ a junior, what did you mean by this?</p>
<p>I applied there because my parents wanted me to,</p>
<p>I’m a junior but I applied to UMD College Park for early admission because I wanted to see if I could start college a year early and my parents wanted me to see if I could get in. I didn’t apply to any other colleges though.</p>
<p>find out about your school’s grade forgiveness policy and see if you can retake the class you got a D in over the summer or online, it will help.</p>
<p>I can’t. =[ The D will remain a D.</p>
<p>You might try taking the class over the summer at community college. Your high school won’t replace the grade, but UMaryland might give you extra consideration for that… :)</p>
<p>However, you have to assume that UMaryland might be a “no go.”</p>
<p>That isn’t the end of the world. With an improved GPA and improved SAT, you’ll still have some good choices.</p>
<p>You may have to “cast your net” wider than you originally thought. You may need to include some “non-LAC” big schools that have honors colleges or other LAC-like programs that will give you big merit and still give you that “smaller college feel.”</p>
<p>I think that in your circumstance (assuming that you improve SAT to 1400+), that you need to apply to…</p>
<p>Some merit-generous midwest or western LACs that don’t get many Maryland applicants.</p>
<p>Some state flagships that give BIG merit to OOS students, and who have honors programs and/or LAC-like programs.</p>
<p>Some local instate publics that you like.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids, thank you very much! You’re very helpful. If you could name any specific colleges that fit the criteria you listed, that would be great.</p>
<p>Someone mentioned SUNY’s and there is one, Geneseo, that would fit your LAC criteria. They don’t give merit awards to freshmen, but OOS costs are around $25K and they have a “public ivy” reputation.</p>
<p>If your EFC is truly $30K, and your parents will provide $20K, the guarantees at the 100% need met schools should work to your advantage as you are not barred from taking student loans, it’s just not expected. This list will give you some schools that do not require loans, and generally use outside scholarships to reduce student contributions. Bowdoin, Haverford, Swarthmore, Amherst, and perhaps Hamilton would be worth looking at.</p>
<p>[Project</a> on Student Debt: Financial Aid Pledges](<a href=“http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php]Project”>http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php)</p>
<p>Do a search on threads by momfromtexas. She had two very different kiddos and found some fabulous financial “deals” for both of her kiddos…excellent financial aid and schools that really appealed to both kids.</p>