Stuck in North Carolina. Help?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hi everyone, </p>

<p>I really thought that by now I would be satisfied with my college applications and be completely done, but alas, here I am. I came into the application process earlier this year thinking that I would apply to around seven school EA, but now, after EA deadlines are gone, I've only applied to 3 schools. After talking with my dad (who will pay for my school), he really pushed me to cross off the three private and one out-of-state school that I wanted to apply to.
Now I'm stuck in a pretty crappy situation.
I live in North Carolina, and I have applied to UNC-Wilmington, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UNC-Charlotte. Without a doubt, Chapel Hill is my first choice, but I'm fairly sure I won't be accepted there. I visited Wilmington and it was alright. I just visited Charlotte a couple weeks ago after I had already applied and absolutely hated it.
That leaves me with two choices for my college education (likely just one due my dismal chances at Carolina.) </p>

<p>My issue is, I don't want to be stuck with one option come the end of January. I'm really limited to NC public schools, and I'm looking for suggestions among those.
Here are some of my stats:
28 ACT
4.5 weighted GPA, 3.85 UW
rank is 13/150<br>
I have a plethora of ECs (ex. Student Body Pres, national DECA competitor) </p>

<p>~ I want to go into a political science program. </p>

<p>Can you suggest any other NC public schools that I might like? I'd appreciate it so much!</p>

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<p>May I ask why you don’t like Charlotte?</p>

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<p>Try UNC Asheville.</p>

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<p>I know a few very happy east Carolina grads.</p>

<p>Do USC and Clemson charge out of state to NC residents?</p>

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<p>@davidgreene, I know this may sound strange, but I got on that campus and just wasn’t feeling it. The location seemed odd due to every entrance being surrounded by a 4 lane highway, and I didn’t really like the fact that many students take buses back and forth from the freshman residence halls. They were so far away. Finally, after speaking with the people from the poli sci department and the study abroad office, they just didn’t seem to have what I need. </p>

<p>@slackermommd I actually live in Asheville, and that’s just a bit too close! </p>

<p>@texaspg I’ve been thinking about ECU! And yes, USC and Clemson do charge out of state. Sucks because I wanted to apply to USC.</p>

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<p>What about NC State?</p>

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<p>I second NCSU. With the location in Raleigh, there may be some internship possibilities for political science.</p>

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<p>Agree re trying ECU and NC State. Appalachian? WCU? I know many people who loved those too, unless you think they’re too close to Asheville.</p>

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<p>annazee13, because you live in Buncombe County and you have excellent credentials, you probably stand a good chance of scoring a Regional Scholarship (if not an Honors scholarship) from East Tennessee State University, if you’re at all interested…</p>

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<p>I think you’re selling yourself short on getting into UNC.</p>

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<p>^ It’s possible but not a guarantee for anyone, so it’s good that the OP is considering other choices to like.</p>

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<p>USC and Clemson have merit scholarships that might bring the cost to the same as instate tuition, or maybe close enough to consider. Worth a try, but deadline to apply to USC for scholarship is Dec 1. Not sure about the deadline for Clemson, but it’s probably the same. Apply quick. You never know.</p>

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<p>I second Appalachian, apply to their Honors College. (Quickly as there may be a deadline approaching).</p>

<p>Your dad may be concerned about out of state costs. But this only applies to public universities, whose main goal is to admit in-state students and reserve their financial aid to them. The reality is that applying 400+miles from your home to a PRIVATE college means you bring “geographical diversity” and it means that if you meet or exceed their academic requirements, you are more likely to get “preferential packaging” (ie., fewer loans, more grants). Of course it doesn’t mean it’ll automatically be more interesting financially than NC publics, but you could try. At the very least, it means you’ll have a choice in the Spring. Tell your dad you’re trying to maximize the possibility of a nice financial aid package.</p>

<p>Right in Carolina, you should try for Davidson ( a HIGHLY ranked LAC). With 3.85 UW you’re well within range even if your ACT is low for them. If you write well, your essays could make the difference, they meet 100% need, and for political science they have a pretty powerful network.
Similar to Davidson but where you have the advantage of adding geographical diversity is Macalester in Minnesota. (It’s more liberal than Davidson, which is pretty moderate overall). I doubt there are as many NC applicants as from other states so you’d get a boost just for that.
Roughly speaking, focus on the MidAtlantic, Midwest, and Pacifc Northwest.</p>

<p>Also good for political science and study abroad, you have Dickinson in PA. Then, obviously, American University in DC (reachable even if it’s a reach). Willamette is right by the Capitol and its students get a lot of internships. Occidental has a (selective but well-known) internship program with the UN.</p>

<p>Some colleges participate in “Semester in Washington”, check and see which ones. It’s a must for Poli Sci majors. </p>

<p>If you’re a girl, apply to some of the women’s colleges - the alumna network will help you. Agnes Scott and Mills are matches, Simmons is a safety, Mount Holyoke is a reachable reach, Bryn Mawr/Smith/Barnard are reaches and Wellesley a huge reach.</p>

<p>Check out the Quaker colleges, which are a haven for political science majors since the college is student-regulated (ie., lots of opportunities to get involved and make a difference). There’s Guilford right in NC, but more prestigious are Earlham (match) and Grinnell (reach). Grinnell is particular is very generous with financial aid. There’s Haverford too but it’s too much of a reach for you.</p>

<p>Check out “Colleges that change lives” (there’s a website) to see colleges where your stats would be valued (ie, better financial aid) and where you could “make a difference”.</p>

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<p>If you are considering womens colleges, then you might also be elible for scholarships at Meredith College, also in Raleigh.</p>

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<p>okay, I get that UNC-A is out of the picture. try looking at the Colleges That Change Livesas suggested. look at Hendrix in Arkansas, for example or Earlham in Indiana.</p>

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<p>Less than four hours away are Virgina Tech and Roanoke College. I think Virginia Tech may have a scholarship for political science majors. Also we know someone who was very happy at Roanoke and with your stats, I think you could get merit money. Check these out as two more options…</p>

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<p>I don’t see why you won’t get into Chapel Hill if you are in-state. </p>

<p>I’d be very leery of the mediocre options, even if their boosters would have you believe otherwise. You’re very likely to be frustrated there.</p>

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<p>Is your father’s restriction due to money concerns? I.e., he believes that only NC publics would be affordable? If that’s the situation, then you should probe more deeply into the actual financials. </p>

<p>It could be that you’d be eligible for need-based aid at a private school, in NC or elsewhere. Ask your Dad to use an on-line net price calculator to determine how much you could expect. If it’s affordable, I would second the idea of Davidson.</p>

<p>Also, I’d address the discrepancy between your GPA and ACT score. Have you tried the SAT or retaken the ACT? Sometimes another try or a different approach will do the trick. Sometimes people are just not good at testing.</p>

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<p>Grinnell is a great LAC, but for the record, it is not and never has been a Quaker college. It was founded in 1846 by Congregationalist ministers from New England who had headed west to spread the Gospel to the American frontier. Grinnell shares some of the same social activist history as the Quaker colleges, but it is not one of them.</p>

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<p>Sorry - I lump them together due to activism + self governance + no greeks :slight_smile: and since they’re no longer overtly “religious”… I get what you’re saying historically though and didn’t mean to offend.</p>