Suggestions of potential "match" colleges?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hi, I'm nearing the end of my junior year and looking for colleges that would be possibilities for me to get into.</p>

<p>My stats:
GPA: ~3.15 UW, not sure what it is cumulatively weighted. First semester of freshman year brought my GPA down a lot (2.6) but the rest is 3.0+. Not great, I know. Major thing that has brought my grade down throughout school is Math
PSAT: 185
SAT: Haven't taken yet but planning on taking it + SAT II Lit test
PLAN: Projected score was in the 29-31 range
ACT: Took it a couple weeks ago, haven't gotten scores yet
Rank: Top 50%
ECs: Choir all through high school (just made it into one of the top choirs for next year), theater in and out of school since freshman year/inducted Thespian, was in LINK junior year, Key Club starting in junior year (will be Secretary as a senior), and I just applied to be an "Ambassador" of my school (a few students who are selected to lead prospective students around the school, sell the school, run shadow days).
From: Colorado</p>

<p>I'm an URM (half black), female, 16 years old. Not 1st gen to go to college, both parents are HIGHLY educated (dad got PhD from JHU, mom has MA from Wesleyan I believe?). I NEED almost full financial aid because my family has fallen on very hard times economically and neither of them have a steady source of income. This is a major drawback.</p>

<p>I test well but don't make the best grades, and my GPA has been the lowest since freshman year this semester, another major drawback. Ever since I was young, I've consistently tested in the 90th+ percentile in standardized tests, and an IQ test that was administered when I was in elementary school gave me 142, so testing is not the problem. I was just recently diagnosed with ADD, also struggle from anxiety and some other undiagnosed things, and I've had a very tough time over the last several years due to issues at home. When people find out about my GPA, they're usually pretty shocked since I come across as being very studious, responsible, and all-around a good student.</p>

<p>I'm really hoping to do well first semester of senior year though. I think I've figured out how to consistently make good grades and I'm taking classes I'm genuinely interested in, so I think my GPA will be at its highest by the end of next semester which could help make up for all the awfulness now.</p>

<p>I want to major in Music, preferably at a school that doesn't require an audition, since I don't play an instrument - I do sing but I'm not quite at that level of confidence yet because of anxiety.
My letters of rec will probably be great though- my GC will likely talk about how much I've overcome since I started high school (coming out of my shell) and my music teacher will talk about how I've come far in my understanding of music as well as having a natural talent. I'm also thinking about asking my drama/theater teacher and/or French teacher. Haven't quite decided yet.</p>

<p>My top choice right now is Lewis & Clark.
Does anyone have any suggestions of "match" schools? I prefer schools in the west, NEED a school that is near (<1 1/2 - 2 hrs) a major city (so I can go to concerts - music really is a huge part of my life and so is seeing it live), but as long as it's near a major city it can be anywhere in or out of the country (except very conservative areas as I have very liberal views). If it's a religiously affiliated school, that's fine as long as religious requirements are minimal (religious classes req. = ok, mandatory mass = not ok).</p>

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<p>If price is not an issue, as an OOS, you should try UC Merced and some of the CSU’s such as Chico, Humboldt, East Bay, Stanislaus and Fresno. </p>

<p>For Music, you should re-post this in the music section of the CC.</p>

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<p>@artloversplus As I said price is a MAJOR issue, neither of my parents have steady income so I need pretty much full aid. Also your UC GPA has to be at least 3.4 to get into any UC out of state, so I don’t qualify for any of them.</p>

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<p>^^ sorry, missed that.</p>

<p>Use super match on cc to try for a list first. </p>

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<p>Wait for the first round of test scores, and see what your final junior grades are, and then get back to us. It will also be valuable to get a sense of your weighted GPA: what Honors/AP/IB classes have you taken? If your academic qualifications aren’t great, you might want to look into some auditioned vocal performance programs that place less weight on GPA and test scores. How are Colorado’s public colleges for Music? Your GPA and test scores might be good enough for some private colleges to give you merit aid, but you will probably have to cast a wide net. The problem is that most music scholarships require auditions. If you are looking for a non-auditioned BA program, you automatically have to rely heavily on academic admissions criteria. I strongly recommend checking in with the threads on College Confidential regarding Music and Musical Theater majors. My older son auditioned and applied to Acting and Theater programs, and the CC community was very helpful to me at the time. They might be able to steer you toward academic matches with good financial aid. Try the College Confidential or College Board “match-finder” for some suggestions. My first suggestion is Whittier, near Los Angeles. They are small, nurturing, and have a tradition of tolerance and diversity. </p>

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<p>@artloversplus No worries. I’ve toyed around with the super match tool but it only gives me about 10 colleges even when I cut down on qualifications so I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.</p>

<p>@woogzmama No honors/IB, currently taking AP Lang and AP Euro, next year I’m taking AP Lit, Music Theory, and Psychology. You make a good point with auditioned scholarships, but I struggle so much with auditions I’m not sure if it’s even worth trying. That seems really pessimistic, but thinking about auditioning at a university level honestly makes me want to start crying…I can sing in front of hundreds of people more easily than I can audition in front of two. Whittier is on my list, has been for a few months, by the way! I’ll have to do some more research into their financial aid. Thank you.</p>

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<p>Are you interested in Music Business programs? If Math is a tough subject for you, some of them might not work, but others are more focused on management and production. Loyola New Orleans has a very good program; I think that the Loyolas in Chicago and Baltimore might, as well. I don’t know how good their financial aid packages are, but they are worth looking into. </p>

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<p>Though these schools are getting steadily more selective, try Sarah Lawrence, Bard, St. Olaf, and Skidmore. All of them are reachy for you, but I’d say you have a shot at all of the - especially if you do well on that SAT. </p>

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<p>Less selective non-auditioned music major programs in the west which give good financial aid? I don’t know what your chances would be at Colorado College - but they have a good music program. Lewis & Clark is a good idea. Whittier too. Loyola Marymount. Redlands. If you’re willing to look in the midwest, that would open up possibilities. </p>

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<p>you aren’t going to want to hear this, or you would already mention it, but given your financial situation, I strongly suggest you have CU Boulder in the mix. Options are better than not having options.</p>

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<p>Baldwin Wallace University.</p>

<p>Your SAT is gonna be a big factor - so once you get those results, you’ll get a better feel for what your actual chances are - projections mean absolutely nothing. Once you sit for the test once or twice, then you’ll know where you stand. A 3.1 is hard to overlook in terms of selective colleges unless it’s coupled with a stellar SAT/ACT.</p>

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<p>@woogzmama‌ Appreciate it; will do.</p>

<p>@Guest15 Thanks! I’ll look into them. I’ve looked into SL a bit already. Bard is pretty iffy for me - my dad used to teach there and it’s very close to where I grew up, which makes me pretty uncomfortable, but I won’t entirely rule it out.</p>

<p>@SpiritManager I’ve looked into CC but it seems pretty selective? I believe it was about 30% acceptance rate last time I checked. So that was a major iffy factor for me, great school though. My cousin went to Redlands, so I’m a bit familiar with them.</p>

<p>@collegevetting I actually asked my GC about schools to apply to in state, and she said CU is a bit reachy? Which seems silly since it’s got an 87% acceptance rate but my brother just got rejected from there even though he was accepted at places with lower rates. I’m not crazy about huge universities though.</p>

<p>@preamble1776‌ I agree. I’m willing to retake them as many times as necessary though. What range would you put as stellar for someone with a GPA like mine? Baldwin-Wallace’s Music History/Lit Major looks cool but it also seems to require auditions for all music majors.</p>

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<p>I would suggest Willamette University for music and possibly also University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. My daughter’s flute teacher is an amazing musician and she went to Azusa Pacific. A good friend who sang semi-professionally went to Biola. Both Biola and Azusa Pacific are in Southern California and are Christian colleges.</p>

<p>Given your high financial need, I should mention that your school counselors should be able to get you fee waivers for the SAT. You also could request application fee waivers when you apply to college, but I am not sure you want to draw quite that much attention to your situation. </p>

<p>Your SAT numbers are important, but so is your EFC. Sit down with your parents and spend a little time on College Board.org and fill out the Net Price Calculator information to get your EFC. Then go to each college’s websites from this thread that at all intriguing to you. Fill out their net price calculators (many will link you back to the College Board numbers you put in). They will give you a fairly good estimate of how much money you would get in pure financial aid. Look for lots of loans or for colleges that simply don’t meet your full financial need.</p>

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<p>@Picapole I’ve been looking into PS, also requires auditions though…and the sad part is, I couldn’t even send a video of one in because they come to Denver to audition prospective students in person D: Willamette’s on my list and I’ll look into Biola and Azusa. I can try to waive SAT scores but my dad has said he doesn’t want to waive the application fees, and he didn’t do it with my brother. Thanks for the advice!</p>

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<p>Given your stats and your financial circumstances, you should be considering some in-state public universities. The average GPA for Boulder is ~3.6, so that might be a reach (although the admit rate is > 80%).</p>

<p>Forget about OOS public schools. Too expensive. Not enough aid.</p>

<p>As for private schools, they are expensive and the ones that meet full need (or close to it) are too selective. You could toss a Hail Mary pass to a couple of schools like Colorado College (23% accepted last year) in hopes that they’d take a chance on you. Or consider some of the Colleges That Change Lives (<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/”>Austin College – Colleges That Change Lives). Earlham College is an excellent school that covers ~83% of demonstrated need on average. You may have a shot at admission there (average entering GPA = ~3.6). Lewis and Clark might be reachable, too (although its average GPA is 3.7). It covers ~86% of demonstrated need on average (acc. to its US News entry). Many other small colleges outside the USNWR top ~75 should be realistic admission possibilities; some of them may give you enough aid that you could cover the balance through loans and personal earnings. If you’re willing to consider a women’s college, check out Agnes Scott (62% admit rate; ~3.6 average entering GPA; ~89% of demonstrated need covered on average.)</p>

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<p>8-| That’s nice. Apply anyhow. It isn’t a guarantee but a) I think at the end of the day you are relatively likely to get in and b) the financial aid package is likely to be as good as or better than you will get anywhere, as a Colorado resident. Then if you are admitted you can decide in April which is the best of the options you have.</p>

<p>Remember, getting ‘admitted’ to a private college that doesn’t give you enough money to attend isn’t any better than not getting admitted, except to your pride.</p>

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<p>Oh what a tough situation to be in!</p>

<p>This thread might have some good suggestions. I started it my D’s junior year and there are a lot of similarities to your situation. I didn’t think my D’s GPA would crack 3.25 by senior year, and she needed SIGNIFICANT aid. Of course as you have probably already realized, all of the meets-full-need schools are hard to get into :frowning:
<a href=“Please help! Cannot find any "safeties" we can afford, what to do? - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1443369-please-help-cannot-find-any-safeties-we-can-afford-what-to-do-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;
I haven’t read through that thread in a while, but maybe there are some suggestions in there that might be helpful.
Also- maybe you will do better than you think… my D had a major turnaround at the end of junior year and was able to get her SAT up to 2100 at the fall retake (STUDY all summer!!!) and get her GPA up to 3.46 uw as well by mid-year senior year. She got into a great school with a very big grant. So there’s hope!!!</p>

<p>Are you being treated for your depression/anxiety and ADD? My D didn’t get the ADD dx until after junior year. Her depression had been the huge struggle (to the point she had to take a reduced school day) but once she found out about the ADD, which had specific techniques she could learn to overcome her weaknesses, she improved rapidly. (The depression had been caused, really, by the undiagnosed LD, which maybe is the case for you. I think it’s really hard when really smart people struggle and don’t know why!!!) Anyway- with therapy and meds for depression, coaching for the ADD, and, ultimately, medication for the ADD, my D had a huge turnaround. (She was very anti-meds, but they helped tremendously so she’s admitted they’re necessary, for now at least.)</p>

<p>Someone mentioned Bard, and while I think you might have a shot at it (especially if you apply via the IDP -Immediate Decision Plan non binding) you should be aware that they are not a meets-full-need school. </p>

<p>I second the recommendation to sit down with your parents and figure out what is affordable and then go through the (tedious) exercise of running the Net Price Calculators for ALL schools that seem even possible. You may find some surprises when you do that. I recommend setting up an account at the College Board site and accessing the NPCs through there. If you’re signed in, it saves your information so you do not have to re-type it for every school, which is super time-saving (only works for those schools using the College Boards NPCs but a good percentage of them do…)</p>

<p>Good luck to you. I think it’s great that you’re posting here and taking charge of your future. All the best to you.</p>

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<p>If you like schools such as Lewis & Clark, one good place to look for other possibilities would be in the bottom half of the Kiplinger’s “Best Value” LAC list:
<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-private-colleges/index.php?table=lib_arts&state_code[]=ALL&id[]=none”>http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-private-colleges/index.php?table=lib_arts&state_code[]=ALL&id[]=none&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>@tk21769 Yeah, I’m going to apply to a couple of in state publics, but I’m really hoping that OOS private will work out for me because that’s generally the type of school I prefer in general. I think I have a somewhat better shot at getting into some private schools that aren’t super duper selective because of my URM status? Women’s colleges are fine; coed is preferred but I’m open to all suggestions. Thank you.</p>

<p>@staceyneil Sounds like I can relate a lot to your daughter. How is she doing now? What school is she in?
I’m being treated for ADD right now, just started last month. Never officially been diagnosed with depression because my therapist isn’t sure if it’s just mild and directly related to anxiety or if it stands on its own. I was diagnosed with GAD as a child but haven’t been officially evaluated and re-diagnosed since.
I’m looking into a lot of the schools on the list you posted in that thread. I have legacy at Wesleyan but it seems so selective. Might be worth applying, at least, since I’m a URM with legacy, although I notice they changed their need blind policy.</p>

<p>@tk21769 Thanks, I’ll check it out.</p>

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<p>She’s doing GREAT now! She is going to Mount Holyoke this fall, which was the school she totally fell in love with sophomore year and held as her “goal” when things were rough and she needed motivation.She is also wait-listed at Wellesley. Welseyan was on her list for a while (my brother is an alum and the art studios are amazing) but she didn’t love the geographic location and general vibe as much as her other top schools. She prefers the more rural (or at least pastoral, like Wellesley) campuses and a more welcoming, community-oriented vibe with students who are super passionate and engaged. Welseyan had some of the latter but not so much the former. </p>

<p>My D’s school list was frighteningly heavy on the reaches. I would not advise that for anyone, so hopefully you can find some matches and safeties you like. But don’t discount the reaches. My D is flabbergasted she made it to the Wellesley wait list. You never know!!! (Also, many of these schools waive the application fee if you apply on line. So why NOT apply to reachy schools you love?)</p>

<p>How is your ADD treatment going so far? It took my D a couple of weeks to settle into her medication. She had hoped it would be a short-term solution and that maybe she “didn’t really need it”, so -with her psychiatrist’s blessing- she tried going off it 3rd quarter this year. She found she really struggled with math, though, and reverted to having late assignments in other classes too. So she is back on it and will continue at least through her freshman year at college. She had an ADD “coach” for a couple of months who was great at helping her learn ways to compensate, and she’ll always have those techniques to use going forward. I think she could probably succeed in non-math-related academia without the meds, but it would be a bit harder.</p>

<p>I’m glad you have a therapist advising you. You seem like a very thoughtful and smart young woman.</p>