I’m about to start my senior year of high school and therefore getting ready to apply to four-year colleges. To give a little background: I have an unweighted GPA of 3.81 that is 4.0 when weighted. I took AP Biology and AP English Language and Composition last year and achieved 4’s on both exams. I will be taking AP Calculus AB, AP English Literature and Composition, and AP Government during my senior year. My ACT score is 30 and my SAT is 1290. I’m planning on majoring in Political Science and I will be applying for financial aid. I am also applying from California.
So far, I have four schools that I adore:
University of Washington
Lewis & Clark College
UC Santa Cruz
University of Oregon
I have toured the first three, but not UO
I have also been looking into Western Washington University, Gettysburg College, Reed College and Syracuse University but I don’t feel nearly as strongly about them as I do about the other 4 schools above (I have also toured Reed and Western, but they didn’t feel right for me). It is getting near to application time and I’d like to have more than four options, but the hours of research I have been doing has been useless since I’m horribly picky and don’t seem to like anything lol. I’d love other opinions… any colleges similar to any of my 4 that I might like?
You would probably get better answers if you could explain why the four schools that you “adore” appeal to you.
People who are considering Lewis & Clark or Reed often apply to Whitman College (which is slightly more selective) or the University of Puget Sound (which is slightly less selective). They are both LACs in Washington state. UPS has an urban location (like L&C) in Tacoma; Whitman is located in the more isolated but friendly town of Walla Walla.
UW and UO are in great, fun locations, LC too. What about Santa Clara University? If you like Lewis and Clark, you might think about Denison University in Ohio. It’s a terrific LAC and generous with merit aid. It’s in a small town but close to Columbus, which is a good-size city. Macalester in Minneapolis is also an urban LAC, with terrific international connections, studies. (Cold alert though!)
Do you want a crazy, out-of-the-box idea for a Californian? James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. It’s in a mid-size town in the Shenandoah Valley, surrounded by mountains. The school has 15-20k undergrads. Weather is generally nice, though it gets cold weather and snow in winter. It has a terrific reputation in the DC area (I know it’s not well-known in CA). Admissions is very competitive for Northern Virginia high school students, and as a result it has lots of outstanding students. I literally have never met a JMU student who didn’t love their college experience. It is strong in business and political science. Your stats/record are very compatible with those of the students who attend. It’s a public university, and you’d probably be paying full OOS tuition. Good luck!
Yes, I have made sure with my parents that non WUE schools are okay although my dad doesn’t really understand the process and what it means to pay out of state tuition since he is from England.
If your think dad doesn’t understand, you need to have the money talk again. Make a spreadsheet of college sticker prices and links to the net price calculators where your dad can find your family’s actual price.
At all these four schools, there are multiple majors that I’m interested in just incase I decide to change my major. Also know I will be challenged academically, which I need.
I tend to be quite introverted, not far from a hermit. I am the kind of girl who likes to stay in her room and read or binge watch TV shows so I have made sure that each school I consider is in a location that will encourage me to get out and have fun. Seattle has many fun activities and good restaurants, Portland and the area around LC have hikes and nature walks (one of my favorite ways to exercise), Santa Cruz is, well, Santa Cruz. Eugene, though, I have not visited to see how I like it, but from research I’ve done it seems like there’s lots of fun things to do that I would enjoy such as the Air and Space Museum and many bike trails.
Another thing I like about LC is that you do no have to be a dance major or theater major to be in any of the productions. I have been dancing for 13 years and choreographing for 3 so I like the idea of being able to express myself creatively without having to major in dance.
Yes, have a good, open discussion with your parents about cost. You don’t want to end up accepted to wonderful schools that you love but your family cannot afford. Many OOS public universities will cost around $40k per year, some higher, and aid is generally limited for OOS students. Many privates have a sticker price of $60-70k, though students can often (routinely at some schools) receive large financial awards that bring the cost down to the $30-40k range, which is still expensive. Make sure that in the end you have some choices that you love, can afford, and can be confident of acceptance.
That said, two others I would throw out that are not typically considered on the West Coast and where you would be a competitive applicant: UNC-Asheville and Kenyon. UNC-A is in a great, great small city, lots of restaurants, coffee shops, bars in a nice mountain setting. Campus has an outdoorsy Pacific Northwest feel (very similar to LC, I’ve visited both). Hiking, outdoor opportunities are similar to Eugene. It is a public liberal arts college with something like 4000 students. Cost is approximately $33k (plus travel) for OOS students, a relative bargain for that category. Kenyon is in small town Ohio with a beautiful campus and stellar academics. It gives generous merit aid as well. Alums include John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, etc.), Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine’s), Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit, Unbroken), Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), and many others. I always think it’s an impressive list for a small LAC. I don’t know about dance at any of these schools.
At our local high school, your very strong high school record would make you a solid match for JMU, but it would not be a safety. It’s that competitive for Northern Virginia students. It’s probably an advantage to apply from the West Coast relative to NoVa, even though OOS.
As long as finances work, I am not sure you need too many more. Your stats are good for all of them and I suspect you will get into a couple. Do any of them have EA or rolling admissions? You should absolutely check out Whitman. It regularly appears in Princeton Review’s Happiest Students list and has a very good reputation. In your shoes, I would apply to a safety with rolling admission. There is probably no reason why you need to apply to more than six or seven schools if you have a rolling admission acceptance under your belt.
@TTG, Kenyon does not give generous merit except to a very few outstanding, Ivy-calibre students. This student would almost certainly not get merit aid and Kenyon would be a reach. It’s a great school though.
As others have said, be very careful with OOS institutions if you need financial aid. As an OOS student, a private school may quite often offer better financial packages than a public school. Your academics are borderline for receiving much merit aid, so you would be competing for financial aid with in-state students who often are given priority.
Probably a good idea to add a few more instate options just in case your OOS options prove to be too expensive. Cal Poly Slo probably has a fair amount in common w UC SC and is well regarded. Maybe explore UCSB, and UC Davis.
I have previously toured Davis… I didn’t like how exhausted and tired every one looked. Although I have my sights set on a rigorous education, I don’t want to risk my happiness for it.
I have also previously made spreadsheets for my dad but he never lets me finish. That said, we have set up a time this weekend for me to walk him through the application process for both the schools and FAFSA.
I know my test scores aren’t where they could be… As I’ve gotten older my testing skills have dropped which affects my GPA as well as AP, SAT, and ACT scores. I am, however, told that I am a pretty talented writer, especially on personal subjects. I am banking on this skill to help me win some scholarships both with the schools and outside programs as well.
Thank you, everyone. Everything has been very helpful!
Many HS students from CA are enamored by the Pacific Northwest, but for someone needing financial aid this is not the best move. You have good grade/scores and should stay in CA. Paying OOS for WA/OR is not smart, unless you can get private school funds.
Outside programs that provide a significant amount of money are extremely difficult to get. Make sure the vast majority of your list is filled by schools where your family can afford the net price estimate.