I’m really wanting to get some college visits in this summer because I don’t have a whole lot of time during the school year, and a lot of my college prospects are too far away. I’m a junior in high school, and I’m planning on a history major, and going to a LAC for it. I’m looking at a lot of colleges in the eastern portion of the Midwest/western portion of the Mid-Atlantic, namely Ohio and Pennsylvania. I can’t do anything over Spring Break, because I have to stay in town for drama rehearsals for districts, and we have no more days off built into the school calender thanks to snow days, so this semester is out of the question for visits. Here are my two options:
I've applied to TASP, and if I get in, I will leave a few days early from my home in northern Missouri with my grandpa and do a college visit road trip. If I get into the U of Michigan program, I can visit schools like Butler, Calvin College (I have family very near Grand Rapids), and Ohio Northern (Ada, Ohio, near Columbus). If I get into the Cornell program, I could hit Butler, Ohio Northern, Oberlin (Oberlin, Ohio), Allegheny College (Meadville, Pennsylvania), and maybe a few others. This would be a long trip, but fun, and worth it.
If I don't get into TASP, I don't know how I'll arrange the trip. I've got a friend interested in U of Minnesota, so we could always road trip up there, see Grinnell College (Grinnell, Iowa) along the way, and then check out the various LAC schools in the Minneapolis area, as well as U of Minnesota. In addition or substitution to this, I could also retain my former plan of a college trip across the Midwest with my grandpa, in a less-time restricted fashion.
Thoughts? I really don’t know what I want to do here. The schools I really want to visit are, in no particular order, Grinnell College, Butler University, Oberlin College, Ohio Northern University, Calvin College, Allegheny College, and Gettysburg College. Others I would be open to seeing are any and all in the Minneopolis/St. Paul area, Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio), Hope College (Holland, Michigan, near Grand Rapids), and anything along the way. I also want to visit Northwestern College (in Orange City, Iowa) and SLU, but I can fit those into the school year. Any help is greatly appreciated.
I think the idea of doing a road trip with your grandfather is terrific! That you would even consider it says a lot for your relationship. Forget the schools (a side benefit from my perspective) - spending time with him on the road is something you’ll remember for the rest of your life (and maybe even cherish, if grandpa is a good traveling companion).
I have a very good relationship with my grandpa, and have traveled with him before (to Germany, actually), so it should be a fun trip. Plus he is a very intelligent man (former vice-president of a mid-size company), whose advice I greatly value. But I guess what I’m looking for is some mapping advice from someone who knows the region(s) and/or good LACs in the area.
If you get into TASP, I don’t think you are aiming high enough for your college list… I honestly can’t imagine a TASSP kid at many of the schools on your list. Don’t know what your stats are, but consider seeing St. Olaf if you get to Minnesota. Also… your list just strikes me as odd. I can’t see the same kid being happy at Oberlin, and also at Calvin or Hope.
Oberlin is a strange one in there, and Hope and Calvin were both suggestions of my (very conservative) family (though Calvin seems to be a great match). I have looked up St. Olaf, and it is one of the main reasons I’d consider the Minnesota trip. My stats are… unique. Poor GPA, around 3.5, but a 33 ACT as a sophomore, and I plan to retake it again this semester. I don’t know what my PSAT is, but it was high enough to get on the TASP mailing list. I’m mostly looking at small LACs because I can’t afford many big private schools, and state schools in Missouri are really just dreadful.
How about Truman State? Not in the “dreadful” category, nor is it as expensive as a lot of schools. Of course, you need to run the net price calculators for all your schools (St. Olaf isn’t cheap). Gustavus is a school you might look at in MN as well. Or St. Thomas in St. Paul, although it is a bit of a commuter school.
I live in Kirksville. I do not want to go to Truman. I guess it’s a “growth” thing, but I really don’t want to stay in this town. I feel like a lot of people here “settle” on Truman. And I realize that I’ll just be going to a school similar to Truman somewhere else, but for me, that’s enough. I have run net price calculators on most of my schools, and that is factoring in. I hadn’t checked out St. Olaf’s, though. This all could greatly vary on whether or not I get into TASP
Wow, looking into Lafayette, it is a great fit! Thank you so much for pointing this out! Suburb, out east, right by Philly, scores match well, high retention rate, small size, great financial aid, all in all a great school! It may have just shot to the top of my list!
You do have a variety of places
Add college of Wooster in Ohio for a place with a different vibe
Check the expected contribution/aid calculators at each college - use accurate numbers too
Marietta College - Ohio?
Keep working on the ACT unless you SATs exceed it - you dont need both
If you are planning on visiting Gettysburg and Lafayette you might also put Muhlenberg and Ursinus into that mix. Muhlenberg and Lafayette could both be toured on the same day they are so close. Best of luck to you!
Actually, I was looking for an excuse to visit Ursinus, so thanks for that (I don’t know my Pennsylvanian geography, so I didn’t really know where it was). I still don’t know if I want to go that far out of the way this summer, but I’ll definitely consider it. I am, however, trying to limit the number of places I visit, since time is an issue, but thanks for all the suggestions, and I’ll check them out.