What colleges did you really like? I am looking in to some colleges I like such as Tufts and JHU

College Search & Selection
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What colleges did you really like either when you visited, researched etc? Im a current junior trying to sort out what colleges i am thinking about applying to does anyone have any good recommendations (reaches, targets, safeties)

I have a 3.75 UW gpa (big upward trend), 1560 SAT, 9 AP Classes and 4 Honors

Can you help me find some more reaches and targets?
So far I have drafted my list as this:

Reaches: Tufts, JHU, USC(I live in California)
Targets: UMiami, Bucknell,
Safeties: Ohio State, Pitt, Penn State, Providence,

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We really liked Colgate and Richmond. Campuses are beautiful and we really enjoyed the visits.

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I have heard a lot of good stuff about richmond thanks

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You may find this thread useful:

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Really? We had the exact opposite experience at Bowdoin, but my son was being recruited there so our visit was a little different.

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Those are not my comments. I only pasted the link to that thread because many colleges including Tufts and JHU (referenced by OP) have been discussed there and may provide helpful to OP.

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What about those schools interested you? They seem to cover a wide gamut (LAC to huge public, rural to urban etc.)

What do you plan to study?

What can you afford?

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My parents say I will be full pay and I plan to study Finance, I want a private institution that has some prestige, I am fine with both urban and suburban.

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Just to clarify: this means your parents have explicitly told you that they can fund upto $320k without incurring an undue financial burden?
If yes, that definitely gives you many colleges to pick from but wanted to confirm they’re aware of what they’re signing up for

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Yes recently my grandmother died who in her will left a large sum of money for both me and my sisters education so technically not my parents money but hers.

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You may want to rethink your list.

If you want to study finance you need a college with an undergraduate business program. I don’t believe that Tufts or JHU have undergrad majors in finance. You may want to look through this list. Poets&Quants For Undergrads - Wharton Again Tops Poets&Quants' Best Undergraduate Business School Rankings (I don’t put a lot of stock in rankings but it is a good list of undergraduate b-schools)

In addition, Ohio State, Pitt, and Penn State are public colleges.

I would try to see out one or two safety/match colleges that have non binding EA or rolling decision as getting an acceptance in December will take a lot of stress off the process.

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thank you i will look into it

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The question, just to verify, isn’t if they can afford - but do they want to afford.

In other words, if you can get a quality education at $20K a year or $40K a year, do they want to spend $80K+ (before inflation).

Just because they got a big inheritance doesn’t mean they want to spend in full.

Tufts has a finance minor but not major. JH doesn’t have finance undergrad. Check that - but at Tufts you’d major in Econ with a finance minor.

Tufts, btw, is need aware - so your odds go way up if you’re wiling to pay in full. Only 35% or so of kids get any need aid - so for lack of a better word, they are a school of the wealthy.

So you say urban and suburban - so a school like Bucknell or Penn State wont’ work although one can argue Penn State by itself is in an urban like bubble.

As for prestige, that’s all in the eye of the beholder - but since you chose big. I’m giving you schools where you’d likely find merit aid.

Your money school - dirt cheap - like $3-4K in tuition - will be Alabama - because you have more than a 3.5 and the necessary ACT score. Manderson is solid for sure. It’s a safety.

Other large to look at - FSU (likely a reach), Arizona State (since you mentioned equally huge Ohio State - safety), Indiana Kelley school (like Penn State, sort of rural but the town atmosphere makes it suburban)…you may not be direct admit but you’d get into IU. CU Boulder is a solid likely for you…UW Foster likely a reach. South Carolina (along with ASU, the top Honors Colleges) is another fine one as is UGA Terry.

Privates to look at - SMU (likely), Denver (Safety), Lehigh (target), TCU (likely/safety), , and Syracuse (safety). U of Pacific is another safety for you…right in CA as well as USD and Santa Clara.

How bout UCI and UCR - as well as Cal Poly, SDSU or others? No reason to overspend on a finance degree unless Wall Street is the dream…and even for then, it helps but it’s not 100% a guarantee or required.

You can never go wrong with Babson (reach) or Bentley (target) if you are hard set on business.

Really drill down with your folks - many of us are full pay and can afford it but don’t want to afford it - so that’s the missing question…especially when they can spend a quarter, third or half.

What is your ultimate goal??

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To clear things up my grandma left the money in a college fund which it sits to this day so I will most likely be a full pay applicant. I feel like my ultimate goal is to major in finance for undergrad and then go to law school to become a corporate lawyer. I have heard law schools especially ones at the top want to see some undergrad prestige. My mother is a Jesuit so she wants me to go to a school like Holy Cross, Boston College, Villanova, Georgetown,(schools that have a religious side). I visited Villanova during my sophomore year and I do love its close proximity to Phili same goes for BC and Boston of course both of those are reaches but I still find them to be appealing. Villanova I know has a good business program as well as BC and Georgetown being a super reach does as well. Should I look into an ED application at a school like BC or Villanova or would it be a waste?

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Then you should look at Jesuit schools - and many will give aid and have a level of prestige.

As for law school, frankly your undergrad will matter less than your LSAT will. Now, you’re a great test taker and that will probably hold. But if I was looking at three years more of expensive tuition, I’d find a school I loved and go to cheap. Don’t believe me - check out the Harvard and Yale law pages. Of course, you’ll have more high end schools on there because who tests well later is likely to have tested well for undergrad - like you. But there’s hundreds of schools - from the Boise States to the U of Kansas to the San Diego States.

Many today are also getting work experience before law school.

So personally, I’d save the loot now and get a solid school for cheap - hence I mention the Alabama’s of the world. That’s a sub $20K for you so you can go to a top law school if you get in (they are #25). But forgetting that - you can go to a Denver for $45K a year or other very solid schools - and if you test as you did, have a solid chance at a top 15 law school.

I disagree on your pedigree theory by and large. A few firms may be that way - but I don’t think the schools. All I listed and them some are solid.

An extremely high LSAT from Oregon State will get you into a top school. A mediocre one from Harvard will not, etc.

We met with a poli sci prof at a very non-elite school. They were beaming that their student scored in the 99-tile of the LSAT. I asked where they could go. The prof said - anywhere they want!!!

Your other question on ED - if you’re dying for a school and money is no matter (and if you are going to law school, it should be - regardless of the inheritance - in my opinion) - but if you’re dying for a Gtown or Nova and they show that ED gets in at a higher rate, then yes, that would raise your odds. Just make sure it’s your clear favorite. Many apply ED, not sure why, when they have other schools they like more…but they just want a name…makes no sense to me.

Anyway, here’s your Jesuits - well many of them. The link shows 28 that are in some sort of association.

BC
Holy Cross
Creighton
Fordham
Gtown
Gonzaga
LMU
Santa Clara
Scranton
Xavier

and more (see link)

Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities–Jesuit Colleges and Universities (ajcunet.edu)

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Consider if you want to save some of the inheritance to pay (or help pay) for law school.

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As a Junior, try to do a little soul searching and exploring different options before you decide on where to ED. If a school ends up high on your list and there is a boost in your chance by going ED then go for it. Are you looking to come out to the East Coast? You could also add Fordham on your list (Jesuit + Big City). If you’re ok with staying in Cali then maybe look at Santa Clara too (Jesuit + Silicon Valley).

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I think between you and your mother you already have a pretty good cross-section of large universities with finance majors to choose from. But, if your ultimate goal is law school, please, PLEASE be aware that you do not need to major in business in order to become a corporate lawyer. Indeed, at most of the top “prestigious” American law schools you will have to fight tooth and nail not to become a corporate lawyer, given the number of students interested in the exact same thing and the number of corporate law firms that will recruit there.

Think whether you want to be a financial analyst, an investment banker or do you want to be a lawyer? Very different educational experiences and at least for the first few years out of school, very different entry-level jobs.

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Thank you so much I will make sure to take a look.