Searching/debating over colleges, LACs versus State flagship(s)

College Search & Selection
1

I really have been looking at colleges recently(junior) and I’m leaning toward a LAC in the northeast.
I think I am going to apply to Bates(#1), Bowdoin, and Colby.

However, my goals are to work in finance(consulting or wall street) or to go to grad school for an economics PhD.
This leaves me with a hard debate, because I love the fact that Bates has small class sizes, a liberal/hipster/artsy population, amazing academics, and the beautiful outdoors of Maine. But UT - Austin has an amazing business program and would be a lot cheaper due to instate tuition.

My wants: a program that will set me up for a lucrative finance job or set me up for grad school. I NEED a liberalish area as I am a gay guy. Hopefully the population of my school would be mostly liberal and also I would hope there would be a dating pool for me…

I also would like an area with nature around it that is academically focused with low class sizes.

HERE are my stats.

4.0 UW GPA , 4.49 W GPA - 18/418 (top 4.3% of class)
SAT: 2200 (740M - 760CR - 700W - 10essay)
ACT: 33 , 34 Superscore
i. 33: (35E 34R 29M 32S) - 35 Essay
ii. 33: (34E 34R 34M 28S) - 33 Essay

Subject Tests: (will take) Math II , Chem

ECs

  1. Co-President and Co-Founder of Computer Science Club, helped work on projects in our school district and formed a Dev Team
    2)Consistent Chemistry Tutoring
    3)UIL Calculator , SkillsUSA Photography
  2. Attended a Biotechnology camp in the summer (BioForce) at the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (Texas A&M).(2yrs)
  3. NJHS Vice President , NHS member
  4. Freelance Tech Support for Friends and Family
  5. Interned at JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund)
    8)Silver Medal in National Latin Exam, Honors in the National Spanish Exam, Cum Laude in NLE level 2
    9)Varsity Tennis Freshman Year
    10)Job at local pet care place
  6. Summer volunteering at Hospital
  7. Academic Achievement award for Pre-AP Precalculus 2016
  8. Academic Achievement award for English III Honors 2016

Leadership

  1. Co-founded and am Co-president of the Computer Science Club at my school
  2. President/social media director of the GSA(Gay Straight Alliance at my School)
  3. NJHS Vice President
  4. NHS VP of Tutoring

State: TX (at public high school)
Year: Junior
Demographics: white, male, >200,000 income bracket

2

These analyses can be helpful in terms of your interest in economics: “Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges” and “US Economics Departments,” IDEAS.

3

You really really really will not lack for liberal artistic hipsters and/or gay men in Austin. The dating pool will be larger than any of your LACs due to both the enormous size of UT and the fact that the Austin metro alone has more people than the entire state of Maine.