Recommendations for a completely lost junior?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Frankly, I really don't know what I want to do. For a time I was considering marine biology as my major, but now I'm thinking psychology, or something in the genetics/genetic engineering/biology area. I don't know exactly what I want to do when I grow up. I'll probably double major in psych & something bio-related if at all possible, to keep my options open.</p>

<p>Money's a big problem - I'm currently limited to $200 in application fees (about 4 schools) by my parents, therefore I don't have any room for reaches. I'm already going to apply to UMich, my state school, as a safety (gotta love alumni status). I'm looking for matches that will give me EXCELLENT merit scholarships or financial aid.</p>

<p>Other schools already on my might-apply-to list:
- UMiami
- Carnegie Mellon
- Tufts
- Clark
- University of Pittsburgh
- UPenn
- UConn
- Harvey Mudd
- Boston University</p>

<p>I'd like to go somewhere in the New England-ish area (esp. MA, RI, CT, & PA). Definitely NOT the Midwest or South. I'm open to the Washington, D.C. area, FL, and CA as well.</p>

<p>I'd prefer a non-rural environment; suburban/small town with easy access to a large city is ideal but unlikely, I know. Schools with more than 2,000 students & less than 15,000 would be nice. I am NOT a partier, but I'm not a workaholic, either. I'd also like someplace that'll let me continue in music (flute), even though I don't want to major in it.</p>

<p>MY STATS
GPA: 3.99 weighted (+1 point for each Acc./AP) - am expecting it to slightly rise
SAT: 2200 (770 CR, 690 M, 740 W) - will retake in winter/spring
SAT IIs
- US History: 780
- Will take Math IIc & Bio-M in May or June
APs
- US History: 4 (as a sophomore)
- Bio, Calc BC, CompSci AB, US Govt. as a junior
- Chem, Physics C (M), English, possibly Psych as a senior
ECs
- varsity swimming (9th-12th; will be captain)
- ELVs <a href="9th-12th">tutoring 1st graders</a>
- Solo & Ensemble (9th-11th?)
- pit orchestra (11th-12th; 3-4 musicals over the 2 years)
- flute choir (9th-10th; it disbanded because the conductor left)
- Environmental Club (10th-12th; am hoping for an officer position senior year)
- club swimming takes up a lot of my time, as does my lifeguarding job
- NHS (11th-12th; am hoping for officer position senior year)
Awards
- Freshman of the Year (swimming)
- 4x varsity swimming letter
- Wind Ensemble activity letter
- Academic letter (3.5+ for 4 semesters)
- State Solo & Ensemble x3 as a sophomore (and got a 1 in one event there)
- Finalist? in Michigan Math Competition as a sophomore (pure luck, I tell you ;))
- MISCA qualifier as a junior; will likely do so again (and qualify for states) as a senior
- Likely to be a National Merit Finalist</p>

<p>I'm in a gifted program that only accepts 30 kids a year, and I'll have taken 8? AP courses & 4 accelerated courses by the end of senior year.</p>

<p>Any suggestions (or reasons why colleges already on my list are inappropriate) would be extremely lovely! :)</p>

2

<p>Penn awards financial aid but no merit money. Some folks on CC contact a school to find out about the fee for application, if you are really short on money and would not otherwise apply you might inquire for yourself.</p>

3

<p>Don't get me wrong. I think Harvey Mudd is a great school. But, when you say that you haven't decided what you want to major in, that music is important, that you want at least 2000 students, and you don't want to work THAT hard, I can't see Harvey Mudd.</p>

<p>It is a pure tech/science school with just 800 students and it is brutally hard. They don't have a Psych department. They have a combined Humanities and Social Sciences department with fewer than 20 professors total. One Psych professor who teaches two Psych courses this fall -- Intro Psych and one elective. I don't think they offer any majors outside of math, science, and engineering.</p>

<p>Based on what you've outlined, an all-purpose college or university probably makes more sense -- something that has solid sciences, humanities, and social sciences. If you are interested in the Claremont Colleges, Pomona would probably be the more appropriate choice.</p>

4

<ol>
<li><p>You should try to save or find another way to apply to a few more colleges including reaches.</p></li>
<li><p>You're still a junior, so you can improve on your gpa which is the most important factor in getting in.</p></li>
</ol>

5

<p>Aphotic, You’re lucky you have UMich in state (my alma mater, btw :)). Plan to apply early in your senior year. Because they have rolling admissions they’ll let you know within weeks of receiving your application. You can then adjust your remaining list accordingly. </p>

<p>If you can use UMich as your safety, then you can rachet up the selectivity of your other choices. Unless you really don’t want big (which doesn’t seem to be the case from your list) I see no reason why you would want to add more safeties/matches. It seems to me that you would want to consider more selective schools. Nothing is guaranteed, but you certainly have the potential to get in.</p>

<p>Many schools will waive the application fee if you plead financial hardship.</p>

<p>Not knowing what you want to be when you grow up is very common at this stage. Go for the school with the environment and learning style that best fits you and worry about the major later.</p>

<p>You need to have a heart to heart financial talk with your parents and find out whether you will qualify for financial aid. If yes, you can expand your list. If no meaning that you will have to concentrate on schools that offer merit aid, you will have to go about your search somewhat differently.</p>

<p>If you intend to swim competitively in college, you should begin to formulate your strategy for contacting coaches.</p>

<p>I’d suggest that you take a look at Williams. True, it’s rural and on the small side of your wish list, however it fills many of your other requirements: rigorous academics, athletics (good for swimming), music (plenty of performance opportunities even for non-majors) AND they have a maritime studies program that includes a term in Mystic CT. <a href="http://www.williams.edu/admin/registrar/catalog/depts/ams/ams.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.williams.edu/admin/registrar/catalog/depts/ams/ams.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Psychology and biology are two strong departments. They are generous with financial aid if your family qualifies, but don’t give merit money.</p>

6

<p>Some schools are free app if you apply on line (Carleton?)</p>

<p>Look on the Merit Aid thread in Parents Forum for many ideas.</p>

<p>You are SO ahead of the game to be thinking about all this as a Junior! :)</p>

7

<p>Several schools on your list don't seem to fit your credentials. I would drop the following from your list as too odd or not selective enough:
U Miami
Harvey Mudd
Clark
U Conn</p>

<p>Applying to these is probably a waste of money, too, especially with Michigan as a safety. With Michigan as a safety and an interest in genetics/bioengineering/psych, I would suggest some of the following:
Johns Hopkins
Cornell
U of Rochester
Northwestern
Washington U St Louis
Brown
Columbia
Rice</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
I'm currently limited to $200 in application fees (about 4 schools) by my parents, therefore I don't have any room for reaches.

[/quote]
A few immediate thoughts pop to mind. First of all, as you grow into adulthood you have to learn to figure out what are real limits and what aren't. You're always going to be surrounded by naysayers who will be happy to tell you that you can't do something, that your efforts won't succeed, etc. You can simply accept what people tell you, or you can fight to be your own person and keep your own counsel.</p>

<p>So lets take this $200 limit. Maybe it IS all your parents will give. But is there a law in Michigan limiting students to $200 in app fees? I think not. So here's a novel thought -- why don't YOU come up with the money? Given a year's notice that you need to earn some money, it really comes down to how important having a choice among colleges is to you.</p>

<p>Second, financial aid is something that can be figured out now, and ought to be. Your parents can run any of the calculators on the web and see what they'll be expected to pay, the EFC. If they can pay that amount, fine, schools will pick up the rest. There is, to be sure, differences among schools and you'll want to research which tend to give more in grants and which more in loans. But if you're parents say "no" to their expected amount, then you're better off finding out about it now so you can adjust your search strategy accordingly.</p>

<p>Which leads into merit aid. Top schools don't give merit aid. They don't have to. They get all the great applicants they want with parents who will pay the EFC. If you want merit aid, you're going to have to start looking down. You'll have to find schools at which students like you are rare, schools that are willing to cut their price in order to attract a student they don't get too often. Out of your list, I can tell you right now that CMU, Tufts, Harvey Mudd, and Upenn are not those kind of schools. So before you go any farther you need to get a firm handle on where the college finances are for your family.</p>