Some help building my college list? :)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello everyone! I am a rising junior and I want to start building a college list that I can start cutting down when I start visiting (touring?). I want to become a veterinarian and possibly major in Animal Sciences. So far I have a couple of reaches but barely any matches or safeties. If you could suggest some colleges that have good prevet opportunities/resources/programs that'd be nice :) The following are my credentials (it might be more than needed. Sorry!): </p>

<p>~~
Freshman Year Courses:</p>

<p>Biology H: A
Chinese II H: A+
Creative Writing I: A+
English 9H: A
Geometry H: A
Personal Fitness: A+
Photography I: A+
Speech: A
Web Design: A+
AP US History: B+ (with a 3 on the exam :()</p>

<p>GPA: S1: 4.143 S2: 4.5 (these are weighted)</p>

<p>~~
Sophomore Year Courses: (Semester One)</p>

<p>Advanced Composition:A
Photography II: A
AP US History: A-
AP Biology: A
Chinese III H: A+
Algebra II H: A
English 10 H: A</p>

<p>GPA (currently): Weighted: 4.583 Unweighted: 3.923</p>

<p>~~</p>

<p>My Junior Schedule:</p>

<p>AP Chemistry
AP English Language and Composition
AP European History
AP Calculus AB (will take Pre-Calc over the summer)
Chinese IV Honors
Writing Center Tutor
Themes in Contemporary Literature</p>

<p>~~
My Predicted Senior Schedule:
AP English Lit
AP Psych
AP Calc BC
AP Chinese
AP Physics B
AP Enviro
(Electives are still unsure)
~~</p>

<p>Testing:</p>

<p>My PSAT Score this year is
Critical Reading 66</p>

<p>Math 68</p>

<p>Writing58</p>

<p>I took a Mock SAT Exam at my SAT class and got:
Math: 670 CR: 680 Writing: 540
I took Writing again months later and got a 650. I am hoping to improve them as the year goes on...</p>

<p>I will be taking the AP tests for all my AP classes that I take.</p>

<p>~~</p>

<p>ECs:</p>

<p>-Playing Piano since I was seven (I think I've gone to districts for eight years in a row and have been qualified for the state competition for those eight years...)</p>

<p>-Community Service Officer of the Chinese Club this year (member for two years, trying out for VP next year); also in National Chinese Honor Society</p>

<p>-Member of the Animal Care Club</p>

<p>-Volunteering at my local animal shelter four times a week for an hour (started last month but I'm determined to continue this for the rest of my high school year)</p>

<p>-Founder/President of Creative Writing Club </p>

<p>-Will attend a summer program about Marine Animals and will get hands-on training with dolphins</p>

<p>-Next year when I'm 16 I will start volunteering at my local ASPCA</p>

<p>-Will try to shadow a veterinarian this summer
<em>~</em>~<em>~</em>~<em>~</em>~<em>~</em>
My College List So Far:
Reaches:
Cornell (dream!)
UPenn
Johns Hopkins
Tufts
UC Davis
~~
Matches (more or less?):
North Carolina State
Penn State (?)
~~
Safeties:
UF (?)</p>

2

<p>What have your parents told you they can afford each year?</p>

<p>How much of the expenses at UF would be covered by Bright Futures?</p>

3

<p>They won’t tell me. All they say is that money won’t be a huge problem and that they’ll make it work for whatever school I choose.
Umm, and I honestly don’t know. Like UF is at the bottom of my list, so I haven’t really researched much…</p>

4

<p>You have to have a serious conversation with them. Look up an estimated financial aid calculator (the one sponsored by College Board is accurate) and go through each question when your parents have the time. They will need their IRS tax forms.</p>

5

<p>

</p>

<p>Prepare for the worst case by trying to find a very low cost safety that you like. There are enough sad stories on these forums of students who find out in April of their senior year that their parents are surprised at how much college education can cost. Remember that professional school can be expensive, so you do not want to take on a lot of debt for undergraduate.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-17.html#post15743177[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-17.html#post15743177&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>I would add Wisconsin-Madison (match), Michigan State University (safety), Colorado State University (safety) and the University of Georgia (match/safety) to your list. Cornell should be your dream…it is awesome! ;)</p>

7

<p>^^thanks I will take a look at those. I’m also hoping to go somewhere north (like NY, Pennsylvania, Connecticut…) for college for a change. Any suggestions?</p>

<p>I used the financial aid calculator on CollegeBoard. I talked to my parents and after a lot of coaxing they agreed to help me fill in the calculator’s survey (with them telling me that they’ll make it work no matter what it takes anyways…).
At the end I got something called Federal Methodology Results and Institutional Methodology results. I’m not sure what to get from these results though…Any help?</p>

8

<p>Bump? (10char)</p>

9

<p>You might consider adding Va Tech. Otherwise, in PA, Penn St is known to be good, but not so good with offering aid…</p>

10

<p>Are you in-state for Florida ? If not, UF is going to be a reach or high match.
NCSU is safety.</p>

11

<p>@Creekland okay ill check it out thank you!</p>

<p>@Xtreme Yes I do, does that help my chances? Also, do you know some colleges in the northeast-ish area that offer good aid?</p>

12

<p>Yeah you are in at UF because of the high GPA and R+M score.</p>

13

<p>Your FM result would be for FAFSA only schools, your EFC, Expected Family Contribution is that result.</p>

<p>Your IM result would be for schools that use the FAFSA and the CSS PROFILE (a paid application for financial aid through the College Board) Or a school that uses its own financial aid application, that asks questions about home equity and more detail. The IM EFC is listed on the summary that the EFC calculator comes up with.</p>

<p>The two results would be based on school year 2013-2014 with the 2012 tax returns. </p>

<p>If you are a junior in high school now, your EFC will be based on 2013 income tax returns, and assets, so you would file FAFSA and or CSS PROFILE during your senior year for college year 2014-2015.</p>

<p>Suggest to your parents they buy “Paying For College Without Going Broke” Princeton Review, by Kalman Chany. It is published every year in Oct-Nov.</p>

14

<p>Thanks so much for clearing that up for me! Now I just need to see how my report goes with the colleges I am looking at.
I’ll be sure to get that book as well thank you :)</p>