Suggest some colleges please?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi all,

I’ve been having some trouble finding a school that I can really connect to.

Here’s a bit about me:
3.78/4.78 unweighted/weighted GPA
My school doesn’t do class rank
Nationally ranked suburban high school in the northeast
33 on the ACTs
APs: US History (5), English Language and Composition (4), Spanish Language (5), Psychology (this year), Chemistry (4), Biology (this year), and Calculus BC (this year).
I’ve taken the most rigorous classes at my school possible.
My ECs are very strong (editor in chief of school paper, leadership role in theatre company at school, soccer referee for five years, volunteered 250 hours at a highly-acclaimed museum, did a summer internship at that museum, member of school council).

I prefer schools to be small to medium-sized. (1800-9000 undergrads). I intend to study chemistry/biochemistry/neuroscience, so a strong science program is important to me. I have limited my search to the northeast (incl. NY, PA), mid-atlantic, and Chicago areas. I’m not a huge fan of Greek life, but as long as it doesn’t dominate social life, I don’t mind. Lastly, I prefer the campus not to be overly rural.

I would appreciate any and all suggestions! Thank you.

2

That narrows the pool to a few hundred schools… where have you visited so far? What did you like or dislike? What is your home state and financial situation?

3

How you will pay for college, and how much your parents can afford, will affect your list – it isn’t just about which college you “can really connect to.” You have to be able to pay for the place. Do you need merit scholarships? Do you need financial aid?

Your home state matters because tuition at public universities is cheaper for in-state students. If you tell us what your parents can pay (including total for tuition, room and board) and which state you live in, then we can come up with some suggestions for colleges that not only fit you, but that you actually can afford to attend.

4

“I prefer the campus not to be overly rural”

These Newsweek articles (available online) will give you 50 schools to consider to which you can then apply your other filters:

“The 25 Most Desirable Suburban Schools”

“The 25 Most Desirable Urban Schools”

5

I have visited:

Bowdoin (liked)
Tufts
Brown (liked)
Chicago
Northwestern
Wesleyan (actually liked a lot)
Boston College
Williams
UMass Amherst (I’m from MA)

My family will likely not qualify for need-based aid. While merit aid would always be nice, it is not required.

6

Your background seems arts based.

7

Since you liked Bowdoin and Wesleyan, check out Vassar, Bates, Amherst, Skidmore, and Connecticut College.

8

@ClarinetDad16 The museum that I work at is the Museum of Science in Boston. Although I love studying science, I definitely enjoy getting involved in a wide variety of activities. I love talking with people.

9

OK, well, here are some reaches, matches and safeties for you based on what you want and your most recent post. I’m considering most LACs, Dartmouth, and Cornell to be too rural for your taste:

Reach/low reach:
HYP
MIT
Columbia
Chicago
Penn
Brown
Northwestern
Johns Hopkins
Georgetown
Bowdoin
Haverford
Swarthmore
Vassar
Wesleyan
Carnegie Mellon
Tufts

High match/Match:
NYU
Boston College
Holy Cross
Brandeis
Northeastern
U Rochester
Lehigh
Lafayette
Bucknell
Boston U
Trinity
Skidmore
Hampshire
Fordham
GWU
PSU OOS
Pitt OOS
Maryland OOS
Rutgers OOS
UConn OOS
Villanova
Drexel
TCNJ
Better SUNYs OOS
Better CUNYs OOS
American

Low match/Safety:
UIC
DePaul
Temple
Lesser SUNYs OOS
Lesser CUNYs OOS
UMass-Amherst
Any other UMass campus

10

Holy Cross, Tufts.

11

Bump. Any other suggestions?

12

Bump!

13

If you’re female and would consider women’s colleges, look into Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, and Smith.

14

Unfortunately, I am male. Thanks for the idea though, @lalalemma.