<p>I am a Junior in high school and a softball player. I get mostly A's and know that academics come before softball. I want to become a surgeon and want to go to a college that has very strong science programs. Any ideas?</p>
<p>What state are you from?</p>
<p>What’s your budget?<br>
Would you prefer a large school or a small one?
Urban or rural?
North/South/East/West?
Do you have PSAT scores yet?</p>
<p>Nearly any reasonably selective school can provide a strong student a good science education and preparation for med school. Browse through the US News top 100 national universities and LACs to try to get some idea of what appeals to you. Don’t limit yourself to the top 10 or 20. You’ll need “match” and safety schools as well as reaches; the top 20 or so are reaches for almost everyone.</p>
<p>Other resources:
[50</a> Top Colleges<a href=“Clearly%20presents%20stats%20underlying%20several%20rankings%20for%2050%20of%20the%20most%20selective%20universities%20and%20LACs.%20Ignore%20ranking%20differences%20within%20this%20group;%20%20#25%20might%20be%20better%20for%20you%20than%20#1.”>/url</a></p>
<p>[url=<a href=“USA University College Directory - U.S. University Directory - State Universities and College Rankings”>Top Ranked Schools by State]College</a> Rankings - Top Ranked Schools by State - StateUniversity.com<a href=“state-by-state%20listings%20of%20colleges,%20ranked%20according%20to%20a%20set%20of%20metrics%20such%20as%20test%20scores,%20admit%20rates,%20and%20student/faculty%20ratio.”>/url</a></p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/privatecolleges/]Best”>Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts]Best</a> Values in Private Colleges, 2010-11<a href=“private%20research%20universities”>/url</a>
[url=<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/]Best”>Best College Values, 2019 | Kiplinger]Best</a> Values in Public Colleges, 2011-12<a href=“state%20universities”>/url</a>
[url=<a href=“Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts”>Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts]Best</a> Values in Private Colleges, 2010-11<a href=“LACs”>/url</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1270318-lacs-most-science-majors.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1270318-lacs-most-science-majors.html](<a href=“http://50topcolleges.com/]50”>http://50topcolleges.com/)</a> </p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.collegeguide.org/index.aspx]CollegeGuide.org”>http://www.collegeguide.org/index.aspx]CollegeGuide.org</a> - Home<a href=“These%20reviews%20are%20written%20from%20an%20unabashedly%20conservative%20bias.%20%20Nevertheless,%20they%20are%20well-written%20and%20can%20tell%20you%20a%20lot%20about%20the%20college%20atmosphere,%20regardless%20of%20your%20own%20leanings.%20%20Ignore%20the%20rankings%20and%20focus%20on%20information%20about%20course%20requirements,%20campus%20safety,%20faculty%20access,%20etc.”>/url</a></p>
<p>Each of these sources has its own perspectives on “top colleges”. One ranker’s “top national LAC” is another one’s “train wreck college”. You’ll need to decide what are the most important factors for YOU.</p>
<p>I am having trouble deciding on a safety university. Nationality:nigerian(africa) projected sat score:2250+ i wrote cambridge advanced level examinations in biology chemistry and physics. I had a perfect 100 in chemistry, 97 physics and 92 bio. I’m definitely going to need financial aid, premed major, someone please suggest a good safety school.</p>
<p>^ For internationals who need aid, there really is no such thing as a safety school. Only a tiny handful of schools are need-blind for internationals (MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Amherst). These are all super selective.</p>
<p>State universities charge out-of-state rates for internationals. Many have no aid at all for internationals. For example UVa, UNC-Chapel Hill, U. Michigan, and Berkeley do not offer aid to internationals. UT-Austin does have some need-based and merit-based aid for internationals (but does not disclose the average awarded amounts in its Common Data Set). Total OOS costs are well over $40K before aid. Average after-aid cost for all OOS students is about $35K/year at Texas (according to the Kiplinger “best value” site).</p>
<p>Here is a list of schools with some of the most generous aid to internationals:
[Top</a> 25 Financial Aid Colleges in US for International Students (Need-aware) - Desperate Guide: Undergraduate College Financial Aid, Scholarship](<a href=“http://www.desperateguide.com/us/top-25-financial-aid-colleges-in-us-for-international-students-need-aware]Top”>http://www.desperateguide.com/us/top-25-financial-aid-colleges-in-us-for-international-students-need-aware)
These schools range from selective (Union College) to super selective (Stanford, Penn, Brown), and since they also are need-aware in admissions for internationals, none of them are true safeties. Among 4 year colleges, I believe private schools like Union, Skidmore, and Dickinson may be about as close as you get to safeties for admission & aid. </p>
<p>I assume you aren’t applying for Fall 2012. If so, the deadline for many of these schools has passed.</p>
<p>I am from Arizona but I really want to get out of the state.</p>
<p>@sftbllplyr. that is still not enough info. Like SAT? Grades? Location Preference? budget? rural vs urban? drugs and drink? What do you want to study? choosing a college is so personal that it takes more info. An Ok place to start is the top 50 of the US New university rankings. </p>
<p>But I will suggest the places i applied to: Wake Forest, UVA, William and Mary, Geaorgia Tech, U of Michigan, U of Chicago.</p>
<p>If you are from AZ and looking to go out of state then Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where my kid goes could be a great choice. They have a fantastic softball team if you are interested. A few of their players made it into the Olympics. With regards to becoming a surgeon, Cal Poly is not associated with a major hospital like UCLA etc., however they are very strong in sciences and a significant number of the students in the boimedical engineering and other programs go on to med school. It is worth your attention. Extremely reasonable even for OOS. </p>
<p>By the way, I graduated from undergrad at the University of Arizona and loved it. I went on to graduate school after that. I know that you want to get out of state. But apply to the UofA and ASU as safety schools just in case. The UofA in particular has a great med school and research hospital.</p>
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<p>Well, if you are left leaning, you can just invert the rankings from this site.</p>
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<p>Keep in mind that state schools typically do not have good financial aid for out-of-state students. If you qualify for it, you’d probably get much better need-based aid from a selective private school like Harvey Mudd College. However, if you’re full pay (no need-based aid), Cal Poly would be significantly cheaper.</p>
<p>Holy Cross and Tufts have very good science programs, Holy Cross has a great pre-med program with high med school acceptance rate and a beautiful campus not far from Boston.</p>
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Suggestions are easier with more information, like grades, scores, and preferences for the size/location of colleges/universities. Also, are you looking to play softball in college? Does whether or not a school has a team make a difference to you?</p>
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Just took a look; I wouldn’t trust the judgement of a website that takes issue with a university offering a “Key Issues in Black Feminism” class. Can’t tell if they’re trying to put down women or minorities, but it’s probably both.</p>