What colleges should I apply to or consider?

College Search & Selection
1

–Me–

Background:
I am a white, female Junior in high school. I attend a school of around 380 students in West Virginia. My family of four’s annual income is a hair over $100,000, so financial aid is a no-go.

ACT:
I just got my new scores today.
Composite:32
(Math: 27, Science: 32, English: 34, Reading: 34)

Unweighted GPA: 4.0

Class Rank: Either Valedictorian or Salutatorian

AP Past, Present, and Future:
Human Geography (Exam: 4), Language, Literature, Psychology, and U.S. History (This is every AP my school offers.)

College Classes Past, Present, and Future:
(Taken through a local college)
Algebra (Final Grade: A), Trigonometry, BCA, Speech, and Government

Extracurricular Activities:
Robotics team (Programmer) (F)
Robotics (Mentor) (So)
Academic Quiz Bowl (Coach) (All 4 Years)
Student Council (So- Member) (J - Treasurer) (S - ?)
Class Officer (J - Secretary) (S - ?)
Regional Math Field Day Team (Member) (F, So, J, S - ?)
Concert Band (Every years since 5th grade) (Flute and Violin)
Friends of Rachel Club (So - Leadership Panel, J - Member, S - ?)
Spanish Club (Member) (So, J, S)
Leo Club (So - Member, J - Treasurer, S - ?)
Float Committee (Leadership Panel) (F, J, S - ?)
Homecoming Committee (Leadership Panel) (So)
Prom Committee (Leadership Panel) (J)
High School Newspaper (F - Staff, So- Editor)
National Honor Society Member (S, J, S - ?)
Debate Club (Member) (J, S - ?)

Community Service:
Too much to list. At least around 300 hours by the time I graduate.

–College Stuff–

My Major:
Undecided - nothing in the medical field, nothing with teaching

Location of College:
Within a 10 hour drive of central West Virginia, but preferably not in West Virginia. Definitely no schools in *ichigan.

Colleges I’m Already Considering:

Ohio:
The Ohio State University (My current #1)
Oberlin College
College of Wooster

Pennsylvania:
Villanova University
University of Pennsylvania (Reach)
Swarthmore College

North Carolina:
Wake Forest University
Duke University (Reach)

Other:
West Virginia University (My safety school)
Brown University (Reach)
Cornell University (Reach)
Georgetown University (Reach)

2

What is your financial situation? I see income, but what are your parents willing to pay each year?

Also, your schools really vary a LOT. Duke/Wake Forest are very different from Oberlin/Swat. Almost different planets.

3

With your indicated income bracket your family may be eligible for financial assistance.

Your state of residence would offer you geographical appeal for some colleges.

Swarthmore would be generally more selective than Georgetown and Cornell.

Brown would exceed your distance constraints.

Hamilton would offer a pure undergraduate focus; a broad, balanced curriculum; as well as an ACT middle range (31-33) that perfectly encompasses your new score.

If you become surer about tOSU as your first choice, then reach schools would provide little utility.

For some comparative perspective, you can read through here:

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-50-smartest-colleges-in-america-2016-10/#27-cornell-university-average-sat-score-1422-25

4

Have you already been accepted to OSU?

5

^^^ student is a junior.

What are your parents saying? How much will they pay?

6

http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/

7

Wesleyan would also match your stated criteria.

Georgetown’s curriculum appears relatively narrow in the natural sciences (neither geosciences nor astronomy are offered as majors or minors), should this be a factor for you.

This compilation could help you sort your potential options:

http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/college-profiles-new-sat/

8

“Within a 10 hour drive of central West Virginia, but preferably not in West Virginia. Definitely no schools in *ichigan”

By all means go to Ohio State.

9

Urban to rural
Small to huge

I think you need to figure out what fits you and build a list of schools that are similar

10

One huge thing I forgot: Neither of my parents went to college

My parents haven’t really given me a budget, but I’d say a good bit, since they already said they’d be willing to pay for colleges around the same price as tOSU. I don’t know if we could afford some of the private colleges and more prestigious schools.

I know I’m all over the place with colleges, because I’m not sure what I’m looking for in a college yet. I’d say I’m leaning towards an urban college vibe, and I have no idea about size.

I feel like there are a lot of colleges I just haven’t even considered yet, the list I put together contains either schools my brother applied to (He dropped out after several semesters of going to both WVU and Concord (a small school in WV), schools I’ve researched, or schools my mom randomly threw at me.

Thanks everyone for the links (I’m getting ready to check them all out) and help so far!!!

11

Does either parent own a business or take business deductions?

12

I would suggest that 1) You have a serious talk about financials with your parents. Many schools on your list will cost more than OSU and may not make sense for you to pursue. 2) TVisit some different types of schools (in terms of size. location, etc. ) to try and get a better sense of what your really want. Right now your list is really all over hte place.

13

At the appropriate time, you and your family can consult the Net Price Calculators (NPCs) for potential schools of interest.

14

Unless you or your parents have a large amount of assets, or own a business of value, you would probably get at least some financial aid at most of the private schools you list.

For private schools, I’d suggest focusing on ones that say they meet full need. You would have to pay the Expected Family Contribution, probably take out a loan of around $5K a year, and do work-study. But if your parents can meet the EFC (which isn’t easy), those schools could be affordable.

I just checked, and the cost of attendance at OSU out of state is about $44K a year. Can your parents really afford that much? If so, you should also look for state schools with merit need (don’t know how likely OSU is for that) as that would probably reduce the cost below $45K.

15

These 60+ colleges claim to meet full demonstrated financial need:

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2016-09-19/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need

16

Well I qualify for scholarships at tOSU, one that covers all out state expenses, so it would be more in the 20k to 30k range.

17

Thanks everyone for the financial info. I wouldn’t consider us as having a large amount of assets and my family doesn’t own a business, so that’s good.