<p>Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum (I basically set up an account just to ask this question). Sorry if it's long, hope you take the time to look it over.</p>
<p>I'm not in a traditional position with respect to most of the members of this forum (I assume). I am 20.9 years old, and am searching and applying for colleges now for Fall '13 undergraduate admission. When I was in 9th grade, I was diagnosed with ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - if you haven't heard of it, it's sort of like having mono, but permanently). I had to drop out of school and didn't return fully until my senior year, though it really was difficult and I had no time for anything but school, sleeping, eating, and studying. I took a year after senior year to finish up my grad. requirements, and made up about 70% of the credits required to graduate by testing out of classes - because of that, my transcript shows credit gained rather than a grade for many classes. My GPA was an unweighted 3.78. I took some fairly challenging classes: 2 APs, and I got a 5 and a 4 on the AP exams. Most of the classes I tested out of were requirements that I would've gotten an easy A in I had taken them for a grade, so my GPA results from only a few classes, many of them honors or AP, and I think it would be higher if I didn't have to accept test-out credit (in other words, I think it's not totally representative of my academic commitment and intelligence). Because of this disruption in my education, I also don't have 2 years of a language.</p>
<p>After graduating, I've taken a year off to focus on my health, think harder about what I want out of life, mature a bit, and travel. I took a noncredit course at Harvard Extension School for a semester and have engaged in a lot of personal reflection. My health has improved a lot - I am now in the process of walking across Michigan to raise awareness of and money for research into ME/CFS (wamcfs.org) - but it's sort of unpredictable. Nonetheless, I'm looking for schools. I've learned a lot about myself in my time off, and I recognize that I really want to continue my education, not just as a default decision. I am leaning towards Sociology, Semiotics, and/or Journalism. I have realized the following criteria are important to me:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>A strong academic climate, exposing me to new, interesting, and above all challenging ideas.</p></li>
<li><p>An interdisciplinary approach with a wide range of things to study.</p></li>
<li><p>Strong liberal arts rather than pre-professional/vocational approach (i.e. "learning for learning's sake.")</p></li>
<li><p>A stimulating urban environment - a place that has a lot of interesting, diverse, and provocative cultural events and opportunities.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I'm having trouble with the search, as it's hard to find a place that has a good liberal arts focus in an urban environment. I don't think I'd do well at a school with less than 2,500 people. I'm setting my sights on bigger schools - I've been thinking mostly about NYU, U of M (I'm a native), and UC Berkeley. I hope to find a niche in one of the smaller colleges at these schools (I'm especially interested in NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study). I have a 29 on the ACT, 610 Math, 740 Reading, and 640 Writing SAT, and have participated in some self-initiated volunteer activities. I think that I make a pretty good applicant considering I've scored pretty well and gotten decent grades despite the adversity I've faced. I think I'd add a lot of diversity to any University given my age, background, and intellect. However, I fear that - despite virtually omnipresent talk of "holistic admissions" - I might not be able to fully communicate myself to a larger school like UM or NYU. </p>
<p>So I'm wondering:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Given my criteria above, does anybody have any suggestions for other schools I might apply to? Do you know of any liberal arts schools in urban environments/college towns (Boston, Ann Arbor, NYC, San Francisco, Austin) that fit these criteria but have more than 2,500 students?</p></li>
<li><p>How can I best communicate the complexities of my situation to a big school that might not have THAT much individual consideration for the students? (a part of me is assuming that large universities are mostly paying lip service to holistic admissions, and that only smaller schools really have the time, faculty, and individual student commitment to look at the whole of an applicant - is this a false presumption?)</p></li>
<li><p>Does it make sense to you that I'm interested in these schools? Do they fit with the rest of what I'm saying?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Here are my "Stats" (I don't put any stock in "chancing," but I think they might make answering the above questions easier).</p>
<p>Top 10% of my graduating class at a high school ranked #695 in the country.
29 on the ACT, 610 Math, 740 Reading, and 640 Writing SAT
3.78 UW GPA
Self-initiated volunteer trip to Waveland, MS, 3 months after Hurricane Katrina.
2009 New Orleans volunteering, one week demolishing homes
2009 one week volunteering at Guatemalan orphanage
Volunteered on State Rep.'s '08 election campaign
Walk Across Michigan for CFS (WAMCFS) - I'm finishing up a very slow, solo walk across my home state to raise awareness of ME/CFS (look at Walk</a> Across Michigan for CFS - Home)
AP Lit. & Comp 5
AP Environmental Science 4
Got a 24 on the ACT in 6th Grade as part of Northwestern University's Midwest Academic Talent Search</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your responses, sorry if it's too long! Hope to hear your distinguished advice, internet.</p>