<p>Try Humboldt State University in Northern California (humboldt.edu). Hawaii is also part of the Western University Exchange program, which allows residents of your state and a few others to attend the school at reduced tuition rates.</p>
<p>Goucher as a low match, perhaps.</p>
<p>wbwa, selective colleges are always reaches, true, but I still think for this kid (where did he go, anyway?) even the super selectives are in his personal ballpark. I don’t see that anyone suggested that he was a shoe-in.</p>
<p>I guess a half white, half filipino wouldn’t be considered a URM in some areas, but in New England it is definitely an under-represented demographic. Low to middle income, military family, Hawaii – just adds to his profile.</p>
<p>Clarinet is not necessarily an esoteric EC but it’s solid and desirable. Most colleges have bands and they need fill the ranks.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the ideas for colleges guys. This has given me a good place to start my college research. And about my income bracket: my family makes upwards of 200k+ a year (120 from dad, 40 from mom’s retirement and another 80 from her full time job). Unfortunately we’re also paying off a million dollar house in San Diego and living in Hawaii so we’re kinda in debt up to our eyeballs. I don’t know if colleges would even care about that seeing that I’m in the 200k+ a year bracket. Hopefully I can get some good scholarships or something.</p>
<p>And about the SAT/ACT - I’m definitely planning on retaking both. I’m taking the SAT again in May (SAT2’s in June), and then again the fall of my senior year if necessary. I’ll be taking the ACT one more time in the fall of my senior year as well. I’m thinking I can get my scores up to around 2200 and 33+. If I did get them up to that level, do you think my chances at these schools that have been mentioned would greatly increase, or stay the same?</p>
<p>hk, Your first stop before you pass go is to get a grip on your financial options. “Some good scholarships or something” are not so easy to come by. </p>
<p>Let’s assume that you will not qualify for need based aid. Most of the super-selective colleges do not offer merit aid, scholarships. Will your family be able to pay $40 to 50 grand a year to send you to college? </p>
<p>If not, your list is going to look a whole lot different. There are many really good colleges that do offer merit aid, but they take some ferreting out. Read the thread at the top of the Parents board called “colleges known for good merit aid.”</p>
<p>I think my family could pay 40-50 if necessary. They’d have to make some sacrifices but I’m the only kid of the family.</p>
<p>I’m gonna be second generation attending college as well. My dad went to undergrad at McDaniel in Maryland and then attended Duke for his mba. My mom went to the Univeristy of San Diego for her undergrad.</p>
<p>hk, Do sit down with your parents and talk about finance. If they can and will pay, then you can put together an open-ended list of reaches/matches/safeties without regard to money. </p>
<p>In my opinion, kids on these boards focus too much on scores. If yours improve, good. Taking the SAT or ACT more than once is really commonplace and I’d encourage it. However, that’s not what’s going to get you into a superselective school. And it’s not the only element that is “significantly modifiable.”</p>
<p>You should be concentrating on presenting yourself as an energetic, involved person who will contribute a lot to the campus community. You do this through your essays, interviews, recommendations, resumes, supplemental materials. It sounds like you’ve had an interesting life so far. Get it out there!</p>
<p>Test scores are not a factor that will help you get into a school. They tend to be the first cut as to if you will be considered. Top schools like Stanford will probably look at your test scores (as of right now, they are a bit low, but if you took them cold, I’m sure they will go up) and put you into a pile where test scores don’t matter anymore. Once you make it into that pile, your essays, extra currics, and letters of recommendation are HUGE! Something has to stand out to the admissions officers. Anything really! You need something that sets you apart from the thousands of other smart people who applied to that school. Good luck with everything!</p>