<p>I've been going crazy trying to find matches. I feel overqualified for many places, and at all the very selective ones, it feels like I'm playing the lottery. Does anyone have any suggestions?</p>
<p>Some preferences:
-Under 8000 students
-Strong social sciences and English
-Suburban, but close enough to major city for internships (I might want to go into journalism)
-Diverse
-Intellectual atmosphere: lots of discussions and debates among students</p>
<p>Qualifications:</p>
<p>SAT: 730 in all 3
GPA: 3.98 unweighted, 4.63 weighted</p>
<p>-No rankings in our school of 2000 people, but probably valedictorian.</p>
<p>-AP's:
(10) US Government
(11) World History, Comparative Government, Psychology, English
(12) US History, Human Geography, Calculus BC, English</p>
<p>Leadership and Clubs:
-Editor-in-Chief of Literary Magazine (a yearly publication of short stories, poems, screenplays, photography, art, etc.)
-VP Model UN
-VP Tri-M Music Honor Society
-Pit orchestra for Musicals 4 years
-Section leader for Flute section (first chair for two years)
-Mock Trial 4 years
-National Honor Society and Quill and Scroll Honor Society
-High School Ambassadors 2 years</p>
<p>If you're a girl, which I'm assuming you are by the literary screenname, I would consider Smith College as a match. It's an all-girls school but with the intellectual/artsy atmosphere you're looking for.</p>
<p>It sounds like Northwestern would be a good match (possibly safety? I don't think you can be sure about NU though). Suburban but near a huge, cosmopolitan city, around 8000 undergrads ( I <em>think</em>), MEDILL for journalism, hello.</p>
<p>Northwestern is definitely not a safety. It's a good match that you should definitely look into, though. The undergrad journalism programs at Northwestern, Syracuse and U. Missouri, among others, are highly regarded. I know that Columbia and UC Berkeley have reputable journalism programs too but they're unfortunately only offered to graduate students. In fact, neither of the schools have a journalism major, although they have pretty darn good student newspapers. </p>
<p>I would suggest WUSTL, Pepperdine University, Lehigh University, and Emory College as a matchy reach. Take a look at them.</p>
<p>Emory , Rice, Tulane, Northwestern, Lehigh, USC all seem as if they might be matches for you. Not sure things, but probably well better than a fifty per cent chance....</p>
<p>Boston University, George Washington U, although both are large. Does the school have to have a journalism major? If not, then maybe Middlebury, although rural. How flexible are your criteria?</p>
<p>it doesn't have to have a journalism major, as I'm not sure I want to go into that field, but being fairly close to a city would be really nice.</p>
<p>You will be a match at any of the colleges that are just a notch below the very elite top HYPS tier. Given your preferences, I would consider near/in Boston: Brandeis, Tufts, BC; BU is too big. Atlanta: Emory. St. Louis: Wash U. Pittsburgh: CMU. DC: Georgetown. New Orleans: Tulane. Cleveland: CWRU. There are lots of LAC that would be a match for you but are virtually all in smaller towns, not near a major city, if that is your preference. Please remember, that matches do not mean you are sure to get in; they just mean that you are approximately average for the kids that do get in. Your odds of getting into any given "match" should be ~ 50% give or take. Much lower it's a reach, much higher and its a safety and that's why you need 1 0r 2 safeties on your list. Your job is to to the homework required to find matches and a few safeties that you would love to go to, that would be a true match in terms of personality, culture and academics. Put aside the issue of prestige for now and find those schools. Many parents will tell you how it is so much more important what you do at a college compared to where you go. Research and find some less selctive schools (matches and safeties) where you will flourish and which will nurture your intellectual and personal growth. You have great credentials and you will going to a fine school.</p>