What colleges would be a good fit for me? (Info included)

College Search & Selection
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<p>I'm about to be a junior, so I'm looking into colleges. I want to go to a good school, where I can get a valuable education, for a good price. However, I don't support highly selective institutions -- yet, at the same time, I don't want to limit myself by not applying to any.
I live in New Mexico, and a major goal for me is to get out of state. I don't want to go to a party school, either, but I suppose it doesn't matter that much ...</p>

<p>I have a 4.0 GPA. My ACT score was 25 (yes, I know ... this OBVIOUSLY needs to go up if I want to get into a really good school. Don't bother telling me -- I'm working on it.)
My transcript has all advanced courses, but only 2 years of foreign language, because the French program has been discontinued (tried searching for college French courses, and they weren't available to me anywhere in my state, or online.)
I'm salutitorian (hoping to beat out my competitor by senior year. haha)
I'm in Interact, NHS, and Student Council (and very involved in each). I'm also in the Drama club. I'm on the crew, and usually a supporting cast member.
I'm volunteering at the homeless shelter.</p>

<p>Next year I'm planning to be in Science Olympiad, and possibly participate in Science Fair.</p>

<p>I'm not in sports.
I'm an artist; I love painting and drawing.
I play the bass, and soon I'll start learning guitar as well.
I'm into graphics design and webdesign, and I know HTML and CSS.
I love writing -- really, really love it. I'm looking to start a school newspaper or newsletter, but I'm not sure if it will work out ... I'm working on my own novel, and have a blog.
I want to be a science writer.</p>

<p>So, given what you know about me and what I'm looking for in a school, what schools would you recommend to me?</p>

<p>So far, this is what my college list consists of:
University of Chicago
Oberlin
NYU
CUNY: City College
CUNY: Baruch
CUNY: Queens
Berea University
Antioch College
Washington State University
University of Missouri
University of New Mexico</p>

<p>Obviously I won't be applying to all of them. University of Chicago, Oberlin, and NYU seem a bit like a long shot, what with my ACT score. Of course, I've got plently of time to bring it up, though ... So we'll see. </p>

<p>Do you have any suggestions? Like, "Hey, why not look into such-and-such a college! You might be a good fit."</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>NYU and Wake Forest are both great choices. The former is “test-flexible” and the latter is “test optional”. Considering the only thing holding you back is your scores, both are great schools that will more or less ignore your ACT score.</p>

<p>[Standardized</a> Tests](<a href=“Standardized Tests”>Standardized Tests)</p>

<p>I can’t recommend anything else unless you provide me with a projected score. Do you think you’ll break 30?</p>

<p>Also, will you need FA? This is important, as schools like NYU are unlikely to meet your full need.</p>

3

<p>Ah, yes, very good point. I momentarily forgot to take that into consideration. Yes, I will be needing FA … And I am aware that NYU has a weak program. Really the point for me is to apply and cast a wide net, and not give up. I’d rather apply and see what I get, rather than rule it out completely.</p>

<p>As for my ACT score, I haven’t got a clue how high I will get. My 25 was a disappointment to me – but what can I say? It was my first time taking the test, and I was very stressed. I plan to take the test as many times as it takes 'til I’m satisfied with my score. My goal is actually a 32. Which is, I know, wild. But you know what they say, Shoot for the moon land amongst the stars? Haha. Something like that. </p>

<p>Thanks for the recommendations!</p>

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<p>Have you considered whether you can get a higher score on the SAT than the ACT? Colleges consider the two tests mostly interchangeable, but they are very different tests, so some students do much better on one than the other.</p>

<p>An ACT of 32 or SAT CR+M of 1400 should open up some big merit for stats possibilities:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Wow, thanks for the page on merit scholarships! Very helpful.</p>

<p>And yes, I’m definitely considering taking the SAT to see how it compares. I took the PSAT last year, and got a 182. Assuming I can do just as well on the SAT (or better), that would be about a 27 on the ACT. Which is better, but not a 32! Haha.</p>

<p>So, yes, I’m going to give the SAT a try … My concern is that when you get a question wrong, you get 1/4 of a point taken off … However, I suppose I did alright on the PSAT, and that was about a year ago. We’ll just have to see.</p>

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<p>Hi! If you want more colleges like Oberlin, Antioch, and Berea, check out Beloit, Earlham (My college, ask me about it if interested), Grinnell, St. Olaf, Kenyon, Wooster, etc. </p>

<p>One note of caution about Antioch. Currently, they’ve just reopened. Tuition is FREE at the moment, but the college has not gotten accreditation yet. It’ll likely be another 2-3 years before they get it. So attend there at your discretion.</p>

<p>And about Berea, are you sure that you will be eligible to attend? They only admit students with very high financial need.</p>

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</p>

<p>The penalty for incorrect answers is so that random guessing will give an expectation of net zero gain. However, guessing if you have eliminated at least one of the answers as incorrect gives a positive expected value. (One study suggested that boys are more likely to guess on the SAT than girls are, which may cause the SAT to underpredict whatever it is measuring (beyond SAT-specific test taking skills) for girls relative to boys.)</p>

<p>Other SAT tactics include skipping hard or time consuming questions within a section and coming back to do them later if you have time (obviously, you are not allowed to go back to previous sections, so do this only within a section) and plugging the answers back into math questions if it appears too difficult to solve them the usual way.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the info on the SAT. This actually helped a lot – I had been told that the SAT was a lot harder than the ACT, because of the point penalty. But after reading that, it actually makes more sense to me, and doesn’t seem harder. Thanks!</p>

<p>Also, about Berea: Although I’m not totally sure if I would be qualified, I tried their online calculator to see if I would meet their standards, and I qualified there. However, that doesn’t mean that at the time of application I will be in the same state. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>I’m guessing you are aware of the situation with Antioch?</p>

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<p>neo, could you please clarify your financial situation? Does your family qualify for NEED based aid? If you don’t know ask your parents to use an on-line calculator to get an idea of how much need based aid you’d be eligible for.</p>

<p>If your family would be considered low income contact QuestBridge.</p>

<p>Are you male or female? Any ethnic, racial diversity factors? First generation to go to college?</p>

<p>I wouldn’t obsess over your test scores. Do some prep and retake. Try the SAT. It could be that you’re just a lousy test taker. Scores are important, but not as important as your grades and rank. Perhaps your counselor could explain the reason for the discrepancy.</p>

<p>Many schools are test optional. Take a look at the list.</p>

<p>If language study isn’t available at your school it won’t be held against you. However, if another language is offered take that for two years so you’ll have 2 + 2. Unless you wish to study language in college (or are fluent in another language), look for college that don’t have a language requirement.</p>

<p>Be sure to submit a supplement with your artwork and perhaps examples of your music and writing. You can find instructions on the colleges’ websites. Even if you don’t intend to major in art or music, colleges, especially small ones, appreciate multi-talented candidates.</p>

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<p>swat, yes, I’m aware of the situation at Antioch. The reason I was considering applying was because the whole “free” thing – however, I wasn’t aware that they weren’t accredited yet. So I’ll reconsider that.</p>

<p>Momrath, my need-based aid situation is a little tricky. To make a long explanation short, some colleges will give me more aid than others, and there are many factors that are bought into account. So it will ultimately depend upon the college to determine how much aid I receive.</p>

<p>I’m a white female. So, I don’t really have any opportunity there. But I sort of consider that irrelevant for now.</p>

<p>I could take Spanish, and I would like to, even, but I doubt that I will. At my school, advanced classes give more to your GPA whereas non advanced classes take from it. Spanish and Spanish 2 are not considered advanced, and I don’t want my GPA to get any further from my competitor (I’m salutitorian, trying to beat out the valedictorian).</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice on submitting supplements – I hadn’t quite thought of that!</p>

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<p>Also, thank you for pointing me in the direction of Questbridge, but I highly doubt I would qualify. Both of my parents earn middle-class incomes. (This, of course, doesn’t mean that I can afford college. I have 5 brothers and sisters. So, I’m sort of cursed, if you think about it. I’m too rich to qualify for really good scholarships, and too poor to not need any.)</p>

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<p>Is rank of #1 versus #2 that big a deal that you have to compromise your selection of academic courses?</p>

14

<p>I suppose you’re right. But another fear is being beaten out for 2nd, and falling to 3rd.
Another thing is that my GPA right now is only about 4.57 on a 5.0 scale – which I think comes out to about 3.65 when you convert it to a 4.0 scale. That’s actually a pretty low GPA, if I want to apply to more selective schools. (The reason I have my GPA listed as 4.0 above is that my transcript has a section that converts it back to a 4.0 scale for you – and it says I have a 4.0. But I don’t want to take this for granted.)</p>

<p>So, I will still consider taking Spanish 1 and 2 – but there is no denying that it may end up hurting my GPA more than it’s worth…</p>

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<p>@Neonina, these days since high schools’ GPA standards vary like crazy, colleges look more at course rigor and unweighted GPA. That’s not to say they don’t look at weighted GPA, but course rigor is a very important part of the process.</p>

<p>*edit: this is also why the SAT and ACT are valued so highly - they provide a national/international standard that high schools can’t inflate. :P</p>

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<p>Thanks ECADmStudent. But then, would you say that it’s more important for me to focus on my ACT and/or SAT scores?</p>

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<p>I mean, ideally, you can put time into Spanish 2 and your SAT/ACT scores. Life isn’t always so nice, though, and none of us walk the same path. Do what you think is best for yourself, walk your own path, and as long as you’re committed to what you do, you’ll be fine :)</p>

<p>If you’re asking whether I recommend the SAT or ACT, it seems the SAT is a bit more universally recognized, but I personally preferred the ACT. I don’t have much input there.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice, and I will definitely follow it. And what about SAT Subject Tests – does anyone know if there are certain subjects favored over others? Or do colleges just want to know that there are some subjects you excel in?</p>