<p>I'm looking for suggestions of universities that would be a good fit for me.</p>
<p>I'm male, from Illinois, ranked in the top 3% of my class, 33 ACT, very rigorous courseload, good ECs, solid essay, probably strong recs, etc., and I'm trying to find a school that offers good need-based aid to upper-middle class families (or large merit scholarships). EFC around 17k (federal methodology). This probably rules out a lot of state schools (UW-Seattle, for example) that I would otherwise be very interested in.</p>
<p>As for criteria, I'm pretty easygoing, which can be problematic. I don't care too much about location; the South is probably my least favorite region of the country. I'm looking for a fairly sizable LGBT scene (though this isn't a requirement, an accepting environment is), relatively liberal (not necessarily overly so) and activist campus, and a good deal of school spirit (if possible), if not in the form of athletic pride, at least in the sense that people really love their school. Don't need to be at a huge party school either; an intellectually focused environment is important.</p>
<p>I'm very undecided (multi-interested) at this point. I love Spanish (and languages in general), I'm good at English, and I don't hate any subject. So... I probably won't be majoring in anything pre-professional. I don't care about the size of the school either.</p>
<p>Very rarely does anyone suggest a school not in the Fiske Guide. You obviously are competitive for entry to any school. Get the Fiske Guide, read about the universities in locations you find acceptable. Fiske Guide does a good job describing the character of each school so you should find what you need there. They also list act/sat ranges for each school. Find schools where your scores are in the top 25% if you want decent merit aid.</p>
<p>Also note there are separate tables for universities versus LAC’s - select one and other filters as necessary.</p>
<p>I also recommend Fiske Guide as giving good info about what a school is like, the atmosphere, the types of students, etc. more of a focus on the intangibles rather than just stats.</p>
<p>I actually have the Fiske Guide and have found it to be a very good resource for determining what colleges I do NOT want to go to, but not as much for discerning between the dozens that sound appealing… I’m really just looking for people’s recommendations.</p>
<p>^ Maybe because your criteria are a little “soft”. I think BeanTownGirl hit it. Your stats are strong enough that many options are open. Yet you say you don’t care about size or location, and you don’t know what you want to major in. You want a school that is “relatively liberal (not necessarily overly so)”, which could cover many, many colleges. So how the heck are we supposed to work with that? :)</p>
<p>How about this: tell us which schools you kinda like, and what about them you don’t quite like enough to seal the deal yet. Then maybe somebody can suggest a better alternative … or give you a little lecture on the need to be realistic or whatever. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, just as a conversation starter, since you’re from Illinois why not Northwestern?</p>
<p>Does Northwestern not have a huge Greek scene? I truly don’t know.
I like USC a lot, NYU (if it was affordable! could I get merit aid there?), I sort of liked Tufts until I heard it had a lot of Ivy rejects who were bitter about not getting into Harvard, etc. (though I know this is no longer as true as it once was). I don’t think I’ll get into HYPS, so that’s not worth my time, really. Brown is cool, but the acceptance rate is like 8%. Cornell seems nice as well… I would also apply to Emory, but it seems like frats are kinda big there. I don’t know if that should matter though!</p>
<p>The UC schools will be full pay for the OP (from IL). You need awesome stats to have a chance at NYU merit aid, and their FA is pretty terrible. Among LACs with good merit aid are Denison and Earlham.</p>
<p>I’m a LAC lover. Especially for someone who has multiple interest and no clear path of study.</p>
<p>Why do you want a University instead of a LAC?<br>
Size?</p>
<p>Tufts is filled with Ivy rejects, but the ones I know are far from bitter. </p>
<p>An often overlooked school because it is not nationally ranked by US News is Trinty University in San Antonio. It is very small for a University and certainly has more of a LAC feel. It attracts a geographically diverse student body. San Antonio does not have the Texas fell of Dallas; more artsy than other parts of Texas to me.</p>
<p>Don’t discount Tufts. I’ve never met a bitter student there.</p>
<p>If you like Brown, then most of the colleges I’d suggest for you are larger LACs. The culture here is much more like a LAC due to the small number of graduate students. Some ones to consider would be Wesleyan (technically a university), Vassar, Swarthmore (and Haverford, but it’s pretty small), Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Oberlin, and Connecticut College.</p>
<p>and I’m trying to find a school that offers good need-based aid to upper-middle class families (or large merit scholarships). EFC around 17k (federal methodology). This probably rules out a lot of state schools (UW-Seattle, for example) that I would otherwise be very interested in.</p>
<p>Yes, that would rule out many OOS publics unless they give substantial merit for your stats.</p>
<p>Have you asked your parents if they’ll pay the $17k per year EFC? If not, please ask them. You don’t want to wait until Spring to find out that they can’t pay their EFC (or possibly more, since most schools don’t meet need or use CSS Profile which may have a higher calculation). </p>
<p>Well, I applied to Iowa State and got a scholarship that makes it affordable, though that’s my last choice. I also applied to Minnesota, and hopefully I’ll get some merit aid. Can you recommend some financial safeties?</p>
<p>SgtDonut, the schools that will give you the most money IF you get in are some of the Ivies, and perhaps a few others. </p>
<p>Being a laid back kind of guy, you are probably really not the type for HYP, or at least not HY, which tend to favor the larger than life personalities/egos, but you should apply anyway. Dartmouth has very generous FA, and is a school that is more likely to value the person who does not have an ego the size of Gibraltar. Other schools with excellent FA include Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, and Pomona.</p>
<p>Edited to add: Judging by your original post, you should also be considering Swarthmore. I’d be happier if you had an ACT more along the lines of 35, but it is worth a shot at all of the above, anyway. A person who needs substantial FA needs to cast a wide net. Also look at the honors college at Pitt and their $$ for OOS students.</p>
<p>Thanks for that pretty accurate assessment, haha. I did like Dartmouth (or at least the idea of it), but I worry about the frat life there… I considered applying to Pomona and Bowdoin, but I fear that I will be rejected. Swarthmore seems kind of overly intense, almost Reed-like…</p>