Safety/Match Suggestions

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi everyone, this is my first post on here.</p>

<p>I am a rising senior, and I think I am mostly set on reaches, and I have a couple potential matches/safeties, but I would like to see if anyone has suggestion matches/safeties. I will provide relevant information about myself, but it won't be 100% specific to protect confidentiality.</p>

<p>My Bio:
GPA: All A's through high school, mostly A+'s, taking by far the most rigorous course-load at my high school (good private school) including one dual enrollment course
SAT: 2300+ (took it once; might retake, but unlikely)
SAT Subject Tests: Math II/a science 800 on both (might take a third in the fall)
National Merit Scholar Commended, will be NMSF, and probably at least a Finalist</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Strongest by far is my science research; I spent 30+ hours a week on average last year on it, and won multiple awards including some top awards at international competitions, and I will be applying for STS/Siemens next year
Also in multiple science/math clubs/competition teams, where I have won individual awards as well as team awards (not on the national/international level though)
I am in some community service clubs; I do some individual service too (only like 100 hours)
I am in a couple other clubs, and I played a couple JV sports, and a varsity sport, but will not in my senior year; I also play an instrument, but not with school or anything</p>

<p>College info:
intended major: definitely in the sciences, most likely in biology/molecular biology, or possibly physics (not totally sure yet); I probably want to eventually get a PhD and be a researcher in a field related to the above majors</p>

<p>What I want in a college:
research opportunities: this is an absolute must have; research opportunities for undergraduates should be easily available, and should be very good</p>

<p>academics: of course, it needs to have pretty strong science programs, but most places that satisfy the above qualification probably will... I would like some focus on undergrads though, including fairly accessible professors/mostly smaller classes/few if any TAs teaching classes, etc.</p>

<p>size: I would prefer medium sized (1500-8000 or so undergraduates would be good, but that is not too important, I will probably be applying to one place with about 1000 undergrads, and one large state university with 25000+ undergrads)</p>

<p>cost: not critical; for example, I can afford a 60k/year top private university (if I can get in), and will almost definitely not qualify for need based aid; however, cost can be a factor, and potential merit scholarships could also be a factor</p>

<p>distance from home: not really important at all</p>

<p>climate: also not too important, I am fine with pretty cold climates (i.e. New England, not Siberia), as well as "season-less" places (i.e. Florida or southern California)</p>

<p>social scene: I don't like a ton of hard partying/alcohol; a small percentage of people in frats would be a plus, but it also depends on if the frats are about partying and getting drunk or are more of just social groups. I do however want there to be some partying/opportunities for hook-ups.</p>

<p>atmosphere: I would prefer a fairly open minded atmosphere, as well as at least a moderate liberal leaning; while, I don't want to be in a close minded conservative hot bed, I don't think too many colleges would fit that criterion anyways</p>

<p>sports: not a huge factor for me; not because I don't care, but because I can see advantages on both sides of the coin; I do not at all want a totally jock overrun school though.</p>

<p>Ok, so that's all the information I could quickly think of; if any other information would help, please ask. Thanks for reading, and for any suggestions!</p>

2

<p>rice and hendrix are fratless! more free thinkers and less followers!
both are very strong is the fields you like. also muhleneberg (it has some frats but not a large % on campus) also a strong place for undergrad work.
haverford and swathmore will also prepare you for graduate school minus the frats too!</p>

3

<p>Your best bet is to use CC’s college search tool or a similar tool on the web that you can get from Cappex dot com or College ******* dot com. If your guidance program at school has Naviance, you should use that as well to understand where your high school as success getting kids accepted to the highly selective schools.</p>

<p>Your stats are strong on paper, so many large universities with huge research will want you. At some of the big reaches (MIT, Dartmouth, Columbia, Standford, etc) you have the stats, but I can’t tell much about your leadership, and that can sometimes push you over the top in terms of acceptance. If money is not an issue, you may want to use this summer to get a detailed opinion from a 3rd party that can help you assess your overall application to see if those big names are reachable.</p>

<p>One thing to consider with cost is that while you may be able to afford 60K/year in undergrad, you should also consider what grad school costs. If you will be paying for your own grad school or your parents are only interested in paying for the first 4 years, then the not as highly selective but still very selective schools that offer merit may be appealing. For example, St. Lawrence is a small LAC in upstate NY that gives great merit to outstanding students like yourself. If you get a large scholarship, then you can use most of that 60K/year to cover grad school expenses.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that many schools have early dates (some as early as Oct. 1) for merit and scholarship consideration. Do your homework now to figure out how to take advantage of your great grades/SATS/science interest.</p>

<p>Bottom line, you have the stats, so congrats, now you need a strategy, but fortunately you have time to work it before your college apps are due.</p>

4

<p>You are a strong candidate for almost any school, but as you know there is no guarantee given the competition at the top schools. Look into Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, URochester, WashU (St. Louis) as places you would have an excellent chance to get into particularly if you are not looking for financial aid.</p>

5

<p>Thank you for all of your comments so far. I’ve considered some of the places you’ve suggested like Rice, WUSTL, CMU, and JHU, but I would be surprised if any could be considered a solid “Match”, I’d think at best a “High Match” though I do have much higher stats than the average people from my school who have gone to all (except JHU, for which I am slightly above average) according to Naviance.</p>

<p>@Snowflake - Cost is certainly a factor, and I am considering grad school costs. However, if necessary, I could afford a 60k/year school as well as very expensive grad school (like med school); I do not plan to go to med school though, I plan to get a PhD in something related to molecular biology or physics, which from what I have read can be very inexpensive cost-wise due to scholarships/teaching responsibilities, etc. at least compared to undergrad.</p>

6

<p>Depending on the strength of your flagship U, that could be a match (UCB, UT, UMich, UIUC).</p>

7

<p>USC can be considered a match for you, given your stats and NMSF status[ if accepted you would receive a 1/2 tuition scholarship] . Complete your application before Dec 1 and you could be considered for a full tuition scholarship and may also receive an early[ Feb] acceptance from USC. Remember, there are 40,000+ students who apply to USC, and they do look for students that show genuine interest in the U through their essays and contact with admissions officers. They will blow off top students who they sense are not really interested in coming to USC, but are merely interested in having a safety school.</p>

<p>"lI plan to get a PhD in something related to molecular biology or physics, which from what I have read can be very inexpensive cost-wise due to scholarships/teaching responsibilities, etc. at least compared to undergrad. "
Most reputable PhD programs cost you nothing and you can also expect to receive a stipend for living expenses’</p>

<p>DS was awarded a full tuition scholarship from USC, and is now at Caltech doing his PhD. His close friend and roommate at USC was awarded a Churchill fellowship and is now at Princeton for his PhD in Physics. A second friend is now at MIT for his PhD. All 3 were awarded merit scholarships from USC, met in the Freshman Honors Science program, and took advantage of all of the incredible research opportunities and support from professors that USC offers. There is no PhD program that a smart, focused USC student cant get into.</p>

8

<p>@Erin’s I will be applying to the flagship state U, and it is a pretty decent option.</p>

<p>@menloparkmom I am considering USC, especially because of the potential for merit aid. I have visited; I liked the campus, and it seemed pretty good overall. However, it is a bit large and seems like somewhat of a “jock school” (though I know many people there do not fit this stereotype). I hope that wherever I go, I am as fortunate as your son and his friends when applying for PhD programs though :D</p>

9

<p>You should also consider applying to the U of Chicago. It has more of the strong intellectual focus you seem to want, no “jocks”, few frats, small class sizes in all subjects, welcomes smart, multitalented students, especially those who also play music, and provides an outstanding Liberal Arts education for those interested in pursuing higher learning.</p>

10

<p>bump…</p>

11

<p>bump…</p>

12

<p>My daughter does not have your stats, but wants to do grad school in sciences, too, specifically neuroscience. She wants a school in the same size range, and does not want it to be too Greek. She is looking at Tulane, Rochester, Oberlin, Bucknell, Colorado College, and Wesleyan, among others.</p>

13

<p>BerneseMtn</p>

<p>I suggest you start a new thread re your D</p>

14

<p>^^, I think BerneseMtn meant to suggest those schools as safeties for the OP.</p>

15

<p>dear BerneseMtn
bucknell and tulane as non greek?
I think maybe st olaf could be added to rice and hendrix but not tulane and bucknell.
rochester does look to have a low frat %</p>

16

<p>Hi, I was not looking for input, just trying to provide safety, matches to OP. D’s list was created with Neuroscience as priority 1, Music and Neuroscience as priority 2, and all the other stuff as priority 4,5,6, etc.</p>

17

<p>Holy Cross(don’t have to be religious)-strong science program, nice campus 1 hour from Boston and school has no frats.</p>

18

<p>bump…</p>