What are my chances/where should I be aiming to apply?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Senior year is about to start which is very exciting, but I am starting to panic a bit. I have (basically) no idea where I would like to go, let alone apply. I have no idea what to major in and honestly I need help.

So what sort of schools should I be looking at? What tier? How selective? Etc.

I would be so thankful for ANY guidance and feel free to yell at me for having no direction because same.

Stats:

ACT: 32 C, 36 E, 27 M, 35 R, 31 S, 7 essay
GPA: 3.7 (weighted- school only provides weighted gpa)
Rank: School does not rank

ECs:
Latin club banner chair (create a “banner” for our school/club- 1st place in state)
NHS, LHS, etc. (10-12)
Tutor at local school (11, 12)
Hold job at a local pizza place and at another local restaurant beforehand (10-12)
Prom coordinator (11,12)- Basically organizes all of prom; music, decoration, location, seating, tickets, etc.
Head of various school spirit projects (fundraising for the school, organizing school events, etc)
School play publicity head of crew (11, 12): Extremely successful, “turned a slacker crew into a powerhouse and tripled ticket revenue” nominated for city award, honorable mention for our program which I designed

I am currently putting together and illustrating an anthology of poetry by residents of a local area which was once named the most dangerous zipcode in the US.

(i know, they're weak)

I would like to add that for the majority of my high school career I have been struggling with depression. I have not decided yet whether or not I would like to include that in my application (whether in my essay or in my guidance counselors letter). Any advice regarding this is also very helpful.

Thank you.

2

Okay, here’s my take. You’re awesome at critical reading and writing, and also organizing and promoting and social activities. Choose a major that can make the best of these skills, something along the lines of public relations, journalism, marketing, economics, hospitality, human resources, management or nonprofit management. You may also choose to apply these skills in a scientific area, such as a program to prepare to be a scientific journalist or technical writer. You could also study English, Latin, Science or Education and become a teacher. You could also plan to become a Principal of a school one day. Go to a couple of college websites and look up some of these majors, and see what classes you would need to take to complete them, and that might help you choose a major. (Look at required graduate programs as well for careers requiring advanced degrees.) Also, choose a college/university that has an active student government, Greek life or volunteering program that you can become involved in, to continue helping out with special events. I would picture you at a larger university rather than a small liberal arts college, because they will have more events, bigger events, etc.

Do not write about your depression in your application, but do choose a college that has comprehensive services for the emotional needs for students. For example, at the University of Minnesota where my daughter plans to attend, there are these resources:
http://www.mentalhealth.umn.edu/
http://www.bhs.umn.edu/services/wellness-paws.htm

Regarding tier, your ACT is very solid for the flagship state universities and many liberal arts colleges – you shouldn’t have any problem getting into universities/colleges in the 50-150 ranking level, and you could try for some higher as well, but don’t limit yourself. I wouldn’t make a college list based solely on the rank of the university/college.

Think about your ideal college experience – what do you picture seeing and doing those four years, and in what kind of place and campus? What activities will you be pursuing outside of class? How often do you want to see family, and how do you want to get there – by driving or flying? What is your parents’ budget for college?

Once you have an idea in mind of the type of college experience you want to have and what you can afford, then you can create a list of places to apply that span the whole spectrum from highly competitive admissions to easy admissions, and yet that all meet your basic requirements. Include a safety or two that you know, based on their admission criteria and cost, that you will get into and can afford, and that will also meet your top priorities.

3

Thank you thank you for the reply. A lot of your suggestions have echoed what I have heard in the past from others close to me. It is nice to know that its not just personal bias. Good luck to your daughter :slight_smile: I hope college is a wonderful experience for both of you!!!

4

What is your state of residence? Will you need financial aid? You can get into the overwhelming majority of four-year colleges in the country, but it’s best to begin building your list from the “bottom up.” That means finding safeties and matches that you will probably and definitely get into, that you can afford, and that you will be happy to attend. It sounds as if a liberal arts college is likelier to be a fit for you, and a smaller school will offer more opportunities for you to participate in activities at a leadership level. If your best financial options are your state’s public colleges, look into the requirements for Honors colleges or smaller campuses. Many good, small colleges offer generous merit aid packages to students with stats and accomplishments similar to yours. If you give us a little more to work with, in terms of your financial requirements and preferences for geographic region(s), local environment, etc., we can provide more suggestions.