<p>I'm a current high school student about to become a senior. I have a 3.8 GPA and my highest ACT score is 28 (although i'm sure i can reach my goal of a 30-31). I've taken 2 AP courses and scored 4's on each. I am undecided as to what i want to study in college but i'm leaning towards something science related. I also play Classical Violin but, while i would like to continue playing, I plan not to major in music. Recently i have been researching colleges but i have run out of ideas for colleges to look up. Any suggestions as to what college would be a good fit for me?</p>
<p>Two recent threads:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/964485-colleges-science-music.html?highlight=music[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/964485-colleges-science-music.html?highlight=music</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/952321-does-any-your-kids-double-major-computer-engineering-music.html?highlight=music[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/952321-does-any-your-kids-double-major-computer-engineering-music.html?highlight=music</a></p>
<p>thank you for the speedy reply. Those two threads have been quite helpfull but most of the colleges mentioned were a bit out of my price range. I’m also not sure that my grades are good enough to get in. anywhere not quite as prestigious as NU and Case Western?</p>
<p>From the music major forum: </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/72531-schools-have-strong-music-science-programs.html?highlight=science[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/72531-schools-have-strong-music-science-programs.html?highlight=science</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/630414-jazz-vocal-science.html?highlight=science[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/630414-jazz-vocal-science.html?highlight=science</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/879070-flexible-colleges-double-major-composition-science.html?highlight=science[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/879070-flexible-colleges-double-major-composition-science.html?highlight=science</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/736457-non-major-music-seeking-ne-participation.html?highlight=non+major[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/736457-non-major-music-seeking-ne-participation.html?highlight=non+major</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/386212-non-major-music-opps-colleges.html?highlight=non+major[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/386212-non-major-music-opps-colleges.html?highlight=non+major</a></p>
<p>There are literally dozens of schools that offer excellent sciences and music for non-majors. To get a really helpful response, you need to tell us more about what you are looking for:</p>
<p>1) size (LAC, large public, mid sized (3-10k), etc…)
2) location (urban/rural/suburban), part of the country, driving distance from home, weather
3) culture (jock, preppy, artsy, intellectual, granola, quirky, hipster, etc…)
4) Financial need
5) Deal breakers (single sex? religious? block schedule?)</p>
<p>If you can’t answer these questions, then I’d suggest that is where you need to start before focusing too quickly on specific schools.</p>
<p>Sorry for the lack of specificity. I’m looking for a large college in an urban location. I would like to be somewhere in the Midwest (near home). I would rather go to an intellectual school as opposed to a party school. I will need some financial aid, but it must be based on academics because i don’t qualify for much need based aid. I would also definitely prefer a coed campus and a school with no religious affiliations.</p>
<p>Jsqueak77,</p>
<p>Things things to look carefully consider are:</p>
<p>1) Large colleges, particularly publics, may have larger schools of music that may restrict the access of non-music majors to ensembles and private lessons. This varies tremendously from college to college, so you’ll need to read the college web sites for particular information about music opportunities for non-music majors pretty carefully.</p>
<p>2) Public colleges usually have little or no need-based FA for OOS students. The difference between OOS and in-state tuition can be pretty steep. Several midwestern flagships have really high OOS tuition. Note, however, that MN and WI seem to have some kind of agreements where their in-state students can enroll in either state for quite a bit less than full OOS tuition. [I don’t recall if they pay in-state tuition for each other’s public schools, though.]</p>
<p>3) Definition of “urban” varies a lot from person to person. Is Ann Arbor urban enough? What about Champaign-Urbana?</p>
<p>4) There are a pretty good selection of smaller, private midwestern LACs that are quite strong in science and have ample opportunities for non-music majors to participate in serious, high quality music ensembles. Many of them may well give you enough in FA to become financially viable by the time May 1 rolls around and you have to commit to a college.</p>
<p>So here’s my advice: Look at your in-state publics—particularly with the idea of trying to identify a viable financial and academic safety to apply to. But also look at places like Lawrence U. (Appleton, WI), College of Wooster (Wooster, OH), Illinois Wesleyan U (Bloomington, IL), and St. Olaf (Northfield, MN) that may well give you enough FA to attend and will also give you opportunities for both science and music. Your current stats look pretty reasonable for most of this group of colleges, too.</p>
<p>You need to look in-state if you’ll need merit aid to go OOS. What is your home state?</p>
<p>My home state is Missouri. right now i’m planing on University of MO Columbia as my safety.</p>
<p>Washington University in St. Louis would be a good choice for you if you can up your ACT score. They have an excellent science departments. Their biology department is one of the best in the country. They also offer music for non-majors and it is easy to double major there. Wash U is very generous with aid, both financial aid and merit aid. PM me if you want more specific info about that. My son will be an entering freshman this fall, and the aid he was offered was by far the best of the 16 schools to which he applied.</p>