Hey!! Maybe you guys could suggest some schools that hit my criteria below. Thanks for taking a look at this!!!
Background on me:
-Currently a high school junior in Southern California
-4.0 UW, 4.13 W
-will be taking 4 AP classes next year (calc AB, gov, physics 1, lit) which will boost the W GPA a bit
-Currently my only AP classes are AP Bio and AP Lang.
-Class rank: 39/592 = top 6.6%
-As of now, I plan to be a bio major.
-Have taken the ACT once, my score is low at a 28, plan to take it 1-3 more times.
Things I am looking for in a school:
-“Work hard, play hard” atmosphere.
-Greek system.
-A concentrated campus that is not like dispersed / spread out.
-Close proximity to a city or a good college town.
-5,000+ students (no max)
-Lots of clubs and student activities with involved students.
-A school with a lot of school spirit when it comes to athletics
-No ultra-conservative schools. Preferably more of a liberal atmosphere.
-Location: Anywhere in the US except the deep south.
-High freshman retention rate.
-Good job placement program
-Small class sizes (sometimes tough with bigger schools…)
-Study abroad opportunities
-Preferably no strong religious affiliation, I’m atheist.
-Non-commuter school
I know this is a lot of criteria, sorry I am picky! Anyways, thank you for taking a look at this !!!
@intparent Money is not too much of an issue, we are middle to upper-middle class. Right now my focus is finding colleges that are a good fit for me. Also, my PSAT score was a 1260. I was planning on taking the ACT only because I just like its format more and I have studied quite a bit for it. I’m just not good at standardized testing, oh well!
Okay, as long as your parents are ready to spend a quarter of a million dollars on your undergrad education. You family may be in that zone where they make too much to get need based aid, and not enough to pay that kind of cost. You should discuss with them ASAP to see what they can and are willing to pay. You are lucky to have solid in-state options, too.
Hey! I would check out Syracuse University. Very strong academics, but also a huge social atmosphere and nice college town. It seems to fit all of your criteria and align with your stats.
Other schools:
-Penn State
-University of Wisconsin- Madison
-University of Michigan
-Tulane University
-University of South Carolina
-Clemson University
-University of Maryland, College Park
-Indiana University
Let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck with everything!
@intparent Thank you for the info! Yea I do not think we will be getting any need- based aid. And yes I am fortunate to have all the public CA schools, though I am not sure I want to stay here. I will definitely consider some of the UC’s more though. Thanks again
Out of state students? Scores are typically higher from OOS students. average ACT overall is 31, and that includes in state. I went to Michigan, so do know something about it.
Colorado College. It’s definitely work hard play hard. Higher income students who like to have fun especially outdoors. Greek system that I believe is significant. Lots of intramural sports participation. Considered somewhat of a “urban” liberal arts college. Has great academics. Unique learning system, Block Plan, that has one subject at a time…benefitting in different ways including a long weekend at end of each subject.
