What are some schools that match my description?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hiya,
I am a rising senior, and am wanting to figure out what colleges I want to apply to.
So, here's some information about myself/ the school I want, so that you all can help me figure out some good prospects. </p>

<p>I am looking for a campus that is preferably in a LARGE city, but this isn't really necessary, so do not count schools out only for this reason. I love Politics and will be majoring in Political Science. I am extremely Conservative but am very open-minded and don't mind a debate, so a liberal school wouldn't be the end of the world. I won't need sports in a school, it's not a big part for me. I have grown up always playing sports, but in college, I will be worrying about schoolwork first, as that will be my priority. I am fairly preppy, but not too preppy. I currently live in Arizona. I am a white male. </p>

<p>My Stats:
GPA: 3.65 UW, 4.25 W
SAT: 2290 (Math: 770, CR: 720, Writing: 800)
ACT: Haven't taken yet and don't plan on taking.
SAT II's: Will be taking APUSH, Math, and either Lit or Chem on the earliest date of my senior year.
AP Classes: By the end of my Senior year, I will have taken 10 AP Classes/exams...
Euro, US History, English Language, Calc AB, Bio (did horribly on this one though), English Lit, Calc BC, Chemistry, Econ, Government. (I also may self-study Stats, but have not decided on that one yet.) </p>

<p>EC's:
-Student Government (All 4 years) and Student Body President-Elect.
-NHS (2 Years)
-Job at Baskin Robbins for 2 years by the time I graduate with the highest promotion possible.
-State Convention for Student Councils. (2 Years, all that was possible for me)
-National Convention for Student Councils. (This summer.)
-Calc Squad (Lame, but it's a club.) [Possible cabinet member for my senior year. Elections haven't occurred yet.]
-SSBTR (Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research). Run by my STUGO in correlation with other schools, but it is held at my school. In my time with the charity/walk, $1 Million has been raised for research.
-State Student Government Summer Camps (3 years)
-Tons of community service (My STUGO is very active, always doing something, whether giving away a car for perfect attendance [which is paid off by our labor] or planning for SSBTR, dances, etc.]
-Debate club my senior year
-Possibly Deca club my senior year, still undecided.
-Lacrosse (Varsity) my freshman and sophomore year. Varsity captain my sophomore year. (Stopped playing that, though.)</p>

<p>My family is fairly wealthy, so financial aide is not an option, but paying for school may fall on me alone, so I want the following in schools:
Please provide me some schools that would be reaches (Despite any price), some schools where I could get GREAT scholarships, and some schools that are perfect matches (Despite any price). </p>

<p>Thanks so much!
Ask if you need any more information!</p>

2

<p>Georgetown immediately comes to mind. Great city, great if you want to study politics, etc. </p>

<p>Don’t know about their merit scholarships though. For good aid, i’m sure U of A will be the best option for a cheap school. Their programs are all around pretty good.</p>

3

<p>Thanks.
I just don’t think I have any shot at Georgetown. I love the campus and am visiting this summer but find my chances to be slim to none. </p>

<p>Like I said, money may not be an issue, so please suggest ALL schools that come to mind, but if you have some that may offer me some good scholarships, feel free to share. </p>

<p>I do know that I have a full ride at all of my in state colleges because of the AIMs scholarship waiver. I would only have to pay for housing/meal plans.
I figure if all else fails, ASU will be my alternative. My brother currently goes to UofA, and I really like the campus but it is nearly all science kids…
Moreover, I may get into Barrett’s, which would be great for ASU.</p>

<p>I am also looking at GWU; will be visiting this summer. I don’t find American too appealing, though. </p>

<p>Thanks again for the colleges.</p>

4

<p>GWU and American are both overwhelmingly liberal, as is DC (92% Obama this past election), but GWU is supposed to have a strong if small population of right-wingers.</p>

5

<p>Georgetown is DEFINITELY an option for you. Don’t be modest, you have a great shot there.</p>

6

<p>Vanderbilt? Tulane? USC? UMiami? Northwestern? Columbia?</p>

<p>You don’t indicate which type of conservative you are. Fiscal Policy? Social Policy? Foreign Policy?</p>

7

<p>No merit money at Georgetown, but it is the center of the universe for politics.</p>

8

<p>

I think that Georgetown sounds really good for you, and that you have a reasonable shot there, but for a student who is not eligible for financial aid, Georgetown would be hard to manage without outside financial help (parents, other family members, family friends). With no merit money, you’d have to borrow something along the lines of $200K.</p>

9

<p>Georgetown; American; GW
How about Claremont McKenna-it’s not in a city but near LA and it sounds like it might be a great fit for you.</p>

10

<p>You could automatically get full tuition at Alabama and could get much more money/perks than that if you are NMF or get into the University Fellows Experience.</p>

11

<p>Thanks so much for your suggestions thus far!
I am visiting both Georgetown and GWU this summer, and am hoping to convince my parents that they are worth the investment. They just think it is extremely expensive, which is correct, it is extremely expensive, but I think the visits may open up their eyes.
Moreover, if I actually get into Georgetown, which I still don’t believe is an option because of my GPA, they would be more willing to shell out the money because it is more of a “prestigious” college. </p>

<p>I will also be checking out the colleges that everyone else has suggested thus far as well. </p>

<p>applicannot-
I don’t mind being in a liberal town, and I do know that GWU is extremely liberal, but like you stated, the Republicans apparently let their voice be heard, which is good. Georgetown is more Conservative from what I have heard.</p>

<p>Thanks again for the great suggestions!
If anyone else has more, that would be helpful!</p>

12

<p>University of Rochester has a great political science department and gives merit aid. I think it would be a match for you. Politically, they are pretty middle of the road so you would probably feel comfortable there. </p>

<p>Are you willing to look at large state schools? Several of them - UW Madison and Ohio State to name a couple - have excellent poli sci departments and are located in state capitals. Out of state tuition will be less than most private schools although they often don’t provide merit to out of state students either.</p>

13

<p>“I love Politics and will be majoring in Political Science. I am extremely Conservative but am very open-minded and don’t mind a debate, so a liberal school wouldn’t be the end of the world.”</p>

<p>A liberal school might even be best for you; your debating skills would get sharper than if you’re surrounded by people with whom you agree.</p>

14

<p>The first thing I would do is have a talk with my parents about what they are willing to do financially speaking. This should set up your strategy not some shotgun approach. I say that because Georgetown, GW and American University are really expensive and not known for being fantastic with merit money.</p>

15

<p>If you are visiting DC schools this summer, take a short ride north and visit Johns Hopkins. It might be perfect for you.</p>

16

<p>I would definitely recommend UW Madison if you can afford it. It is not the largest city but the campus is literally built right into the center of town and it is like three blocks from the capitol, and the political science deptartment is amazing. Like you I am really into politics and am extremelly conservative, and I am strongly considering going to Madison in two years to major in econ. It is a pretty liberal school/town, but that just makes it all the funner to rip on liberals for four years!!!</p>

17

<p>Thanks again for the great suggestions thus far and advice. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>“A liberal school might even be best for you; your debating skills would get sharper than if you’re surrounded by people with whom you agree.”
That was one of the things I was thinking. That’s a great point! I do plan on doing Debate; my future aspiration is to become a Politician. </p>

<p>Shennie- Thanks for the suggestions. I will probably stray away from big State schools, but I still haven’t decided yet, so suggestions are welcome. </p>

<p>ctyankee- Thanks for the advice. I do plan on having a discussion with my parents when they are both here and just realistically see what they are willing to pay if I were accepted into any of the D.C. schools. I do understand that I would not gain any merit from Georgetown, and GWU, I may get some but that isn’t very realistic, yet they do have a program that if your cumulative GPA is over a 3.7 for each year, they give you $10,000 in merit aid, which is something to think about. </p>

<p>bonanza- I will have to check out Johns Hopkins. I always thought that they were way out of my league, but I’ll still be willing to check it out, I may definitely like it. Thanks for the suggestion for the short visit while in D.C… :)</p>

<p>Ron_Paul- Thanks for the suggestion. Is that the college on the MTV show, College Life? If so, it’s a nice city. </p>

<p>Thanks again for all the great suggestions.
If anyone else has any to share, they are more than welcome. :)</p>

18

<p>University of Chicago possibly? Especially if you’re really into intellectualism.</p>

19

<p>In reading through the original post (before looking at any others) the school that immediately came to mind was Georgetown. I too think the OP has a decent shot at admissions.</p>

<p>Chicago does give merit aid but the competition would be tough. </p>

<p>NYU is certainly in a big city, and is less selective than GU or Chicago. Another school in an interesting city is Tulane. It’s on the Rugg’s Recommendations list for political science, and gives generous merit scholarships.</p>

20

<p>UVirginia and UNorth Carolina would be good fits politically if you can manage in great college towns but not huge cities.</p>