<p>I'll be a senior this upcoming year and I've started to narrow down my college applications list. So far I'm applying to:</p>
<p>-University of Michigan
-Michigan State University
-Northwestern University
-Vanderbilt University
-Notre Dame University</p>
<p>Michigan and Michigan state are both backups as I'm in state, but my question is where else should I apply?
I scored a 33 on my ACT, I have numerous volunteer and extracuriculars. My GPA weighted is a 4.571, unweighted it is close to a 4.0. I will also probably be valedictorian. I am looking into going premed, but I definately won't declare a major until at least my sophomore year, because I am so unsure about premed. I am also interested in journalism possibly. I like the idea of smaller private schools, although my parents don't because they are all 30-40 thousand a year, but I don't think i could handle a huge school/campus. I'd also kind of like to stay in the midwestern region.
Any ideas would be helpful, thanks</p>
<p>Chicago and Northwestern are always at the tip of my tongue when i hear Midwest.</p>
<p>I don't know why your parents are worrying about cost- you will be an excellent candidate for merit aid.</p>
<p>Well, I'm the oldest, so my parents haven't been through this before and so we all kind of don't know what to expect</p>
<p>Well, if you're interested in journalism...the University of Missouri-Columbia has one of the best, if not the best journalism schools in the country. It could be one of your safeties.</p>
<p>I don't think smaller private schools are necessarily more expensive. It depends on whether or not you qualify for FA, how good the FA package is, and if you get merit awards. If you don't qualify for FA, NU could be expensive as it has extremely limited merit and only in small amounts, Vandy is a good choice for merit, I'm not familiar with ND. </p>
<p>Some other possible schools with good merit aid: Grinnell, WUSTL, Emory, Brandeis, Smith, BU, Kenyon, Tulane and Rice.</p>
<p>Pre-med is also strong at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Our valedictorian from 2 years ago went there for pre-med.</p>
<p>Several of the small LACs in the midwest might offer you aid: try Macalester, St. Olafs, Carleton. They are all good for premed.</p>
<p>o yea, and grinell is pretty good....but it's in Iowa</p>
<p>If you like small schools, you're in luck - the midwest has tons of great LACs that you could probably get merit scholarships from. Case Western Reserve is also known for good merit aid, along with Rhodes, Knox, Denison, College of Wooster, etc.</p>
<p>You could also try Tulane, if you're not opposed to going south. They're known for giving tons of scholarships. Same with Goucher (which is in Maryland). </p>
<p>Good luck. Even if you don't get as much as you hope for, I'd still say that it's worth it to take out loans and go to the school that's best for you. After all, you only get the college experience once, and what you get out of it is entirely dependant on your happiness.</p>
<p>I also second Northwestern, which has an AMAZING journalism program. I don't believe that they award merit aid, but I'd say that it's still worth it to apply. It's such a fabulous school.</p>