I think a decent 4 year school will give you more options to explore. You said yourself you have changed your mind twice since November. I know too many people who went someplace to study Pharmacy and realized they hated it. One person had to transfer and lost a lot of credits , the other was in a state school with lots of other options and is doing a different major. It is not the state school she would have gone to if she did not want Pharmacy but she is stuck. There are way too many high school seniors who latch on to something, and then change their minds. It is one reason that although I like engineering I did not apply to RPI or WPI and chose to apply to schools that had engineering in the context of a larger university
Since you live in PA, the CC system really isn’t set up to help you transfer to the flagships (the branch campuses do that job but are expensive. Greater Allegheny or Abington are basically open admission and lead to Penn State, Pitt Johnstown leads to Pitt, etc). Check what classes are offered and whether they meet your needs. In my experience, there are lots of strong vocational programs, lots of remedial education classes, but not much for kids with your background and stats.
In addition, considering your stats, you could have received excellent scholarships if you’d applied to other colleges (and I remember clearly we did tell you that your list was all high reach/reach/perhaps high match, and to apply to a few more schools, so I have to assume you wanted to take the risk and see). Going to CC now means forfeiting thousands of dollars in possible merit money.
If you’re unsure about what you like, take coursera classes and work for an employer; then apply to a wider list of colleges in the summer and fall.
^Well take a gap year and work and save money and apply to the local state school next year.
I would do that but Penn State is really expensive, even for instate students and they are not known for giving very good financial aid. According to the net price calculator on their site it comes out to around $26,000 as the cost of attendance after federal, state, and college grants. Even if i use the 2 + 2 program at Abington, which is the closest Penn State branch campus it only drops to around $22000 for the first two years. I would love to attend Penn State, but sadly its just not an affordable option for me and my family. While a gap year sounds appealing, I don’t know what I would do that is worthwhile other then working, which i already do.
@westnext Run the Net Price Calculator for the University of Iowa. Although he may not attend, they have been very, very generous with the combination of offered merit and need based aid for my son which was accurately predicted by the calculator. If your projections come out similarly favorable, I would encourage you to apply.
How were uyou going to pay for the private schools you applied
Look into Informatics at Northern Kentucky University. It a unique program with great facilities at a relatively inexpensive price.
WestNext: you could join Americorps, or CityYear (you’d get a scholarship in the process). Hurry though as I don’t know what their deadlines are. They can’t be far off. Those are prestigious, nationally-recognized programs.
http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps
http://www.cityyear.org/
The problem is that, as a high-need, high-stats applicant, you can’t afford to “waste” scholarship opportunities. Sure, you’ll pay less in the short term if you attend CC, but it’s unlikely the CC can serve your academic needs and it’ll also kill your chances at full tuition/full ride scholarships - which you COULD get if you apply on time next year.
You’re unlucky to be living in PA, where the path to a flagship goes through branch campuses - check that those Abington costs are without R/B as you might be able to commute. But frankly even that isn’t the right solution, as you should have a shot at Schreyer AND provost scholarships on Main Campus, so going through Abington would be forfeiting real chances at merit money.
(With your current stats, if you’d applied by Dec 1st for engineering or CS, you had a guaranteed full tuition scholarship at the university of Alabama, plus Honors college, Honors dorm, $2,500 yearly stipend. It means you could go to college and attend an excellent honors program for about $10,000 a year.)
Strategize better while you’re working/volunteering. You can retake the SAT and/Or the ACT to try and reach the next level. Take one more SAT Subject of your choice. Finish the year strong, try to get as many As as you can for senior year.
Email Dickinson or other colleges and say you’d like to apply again, how can you improve your application next year? Some may tell you what was the major flaw in their view. (Many won’t, but if just a few tell you, that information will be precious).
Secure now letters of recommendation from several teachers, since you won’t be in school next year. See yout guidance counselor to explain your plan.
If you’re part of CityYear or Americorps you’ll get a rec from someone in the program, it’ll help you stand out, but you’ll still need two great recommendations from teachers in academic subjects where you stand out.