reasonable colleges to aim for?

<p>i'm going to be a senior next school year, so i'm going to have to start looking at colleges. i've been thinking that i might major in something like sociology, psychology, journalism, english, or french. i have about a 2.9/3.0 GPA, and last school year, i competed in an academic tournament for computer applications. on the district level, i placed 3rd, and at the regional level, i placed 4th. i've also been taking french for 4 years; my senior year will be my 5th year in french. in addition to all of this, i have taken extensive AP courses and exams.</p>

<p>the college that i'm looking for doesn't have to be in the top 5 in the country. i'm looking for one that offers hands-on learning as well as a small classroom size. i don't want to be overlooked by 400 others people in an auditorium, and i don't need the oversized tuition for $40,000 to pay for it. if possible, i would prefer to attend somewhere that is in the south to stay close to family. however, i'm not arguing against going "up north" for some adventure. :-)</p>

<p>hmm look at liberal arts colleges (is your school’s GPA on a 3 point system?)</p>

<p>look at Davidson College, New College of Florida, Furman University. They are all small schools, Furman is very affordable, NCF is a public school and Davidson will meet 100% of your demonstrated need and no longer gives out loans as part of its financial aid package.</p>

<p>actually, my school weights on a 4.0 scale, and i’ve already been considering liberal arts colleges to tell you the true. my only criticism with that, though, is that i’ve heard a lot of liberal arts colleges don’t have as nice research facilities as larger universities, nor the number of projects and grants each professor has to offer that a state university might benefit from. is this true? are there exceptions?</p>

<p>also, are there any schools i could “aim” for in the next coming year as a senior? i haven’t taken my SAT yet, but on my PSAT, i made the following:</p>

<p>reading: 60
math: 60
writing: 53
combined score: 173</p>

<p>if my SAT scores are in this neighborhood or even go beyond this, what colleges/universities might i have a chance in, along with everything else?</p>

<p>if you have a 2.9-3.0 GPA, Davidson would definitely be hard to get into. Kids from my school who apply there usually apply to wake, vanderbilt, duke, and rice, and a lot who get in choose it over some of those schools. if you like it give it a try though.</p>

<p>ooh ouch in that case Davidson would not be right for you</p>

<p>take a look at:</p>

<p>UNC-Asheville
St. Mary’s College Of Maryland
College Of Charleston
New College of Florida</p>

<p>cheap public schools that are liberal arts colleges (small too)</p>

<p>OP, what is your home state?</p>

<p>^yeah. if you are from california, look into the UC system. a 3.0 GPA qualifies you. if you are OOS, UC may still be an option at UCSB, UCSC, etc.</p>

<p>I would 2nd New College of Florida. Though, the weighted GPA is a lot higher than the OP’s GPA. I would tell you to look at Hampshire College in Mass. It may be a perfect school for you, :)</p>

<p>i live in texas, and in my home state, there is a state law that says students in the top 10% are automatically admitted into any university of their choice. since i am not in the top 10%, this worries me. i want to get into a good school, not one that’s gonna give me easy grades with over half the classes taught by TAs. i honestly want a challenge i could legitimately meet given my grades and ECs.</p>

<p>I would look into College of Charleston.</p>