What schools should I look at? 3.6 GPA (uw) and 31 ACT

College Search & Selection
1

GPA: 3.6 (unweighted)
ACT: 31
New York
Race: White
Sex: Female
School rigor: highly rigorous
ECs: Newspaper (editor/illustrator), School Arts Magazine (editor), Yearbook (head editor), run XC (3 yrs), lacrosse (2 yrs)
Internships: Investment company (1 yr), Local art museums (2 yrs)

Currently receive FA at my high school and will need it in college
I have an interest in international relations and history. I also would submit an art portfolio (painting)

I will most likely take the ACT again in a few months (aiming for a 33).
Where should I begin to look? Which schools would be a good fit and give sufficient FA?

2

What’s the major?

3

“I have an interest in international relations and history. I also would submit an art portfolio (painting)“

Many schools will not accept a portfolio as part of the application unless you are actually applying to a program that requires one. What would your intended major be? How rigorous is your curriculum - do you have an idea of your weighted GPA? How much aid will you need - do you have an idea of how much your parents can contribute?

4

Mount Holyoke could hit the sweet spot. Excellent for all of your interests, full-need-met financial aid, and a bit more forgiving on stats and acceptance rate than most peer schools. They’ll also accept an art supplement regardless of your intended major.
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/internationalrelations
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/history

Obviously there are many good options out there, but that’s one that stands out to me at first glance.

5

History is my intended major

6

My school is considered to be highly competitive. I would be able to contribute half-tuition max (by taking out loans etc)

7

You can only take $5,500 student loans first year. You can probably add a few thousand dollars from part time work and summer work. The rest needs to be covered by parents, grants, and/or scholarships.

You and your parents may want to run the net price calculator on several colleges of interest to see whether the resulting net price is affordable.

8

My D had pretty much exactly these stats this year, with perhaps stronger ECs (some state/national level). Highly rigorous public charter school in Midwest.

The UW GPA is an issue. It’s below average for tippy-top LACs.

For a reality check, my D19 was rejected by Kenyon, Grinnell and Macalester. She got in with merit at College of Wooster and in to our strong state flagship. She also got in to some less selective LACs with merit, another out of state public flagship and a state directional with good merit.

She’s also looking at history / political science / international relations.

I’d always suggest mutiple financial and academic safeties (in-state public flagship or an out-of-state public where your stats are high enough to get merit).

Many LACs do not promise to meet all demonstrated need and many (if they give merit) only offer up to half-off tuition. You will not be able to take out loans to cover the remaining amount if the school does not meet need with grant aid. (Those that do promise to meet need, like Grinnell, might be difficult to get into … but, hey, give it a shot!)

You need to run net price calculators on school websites and if you’re thinking of LACs, find slightly lower ranked ones that your stats are above average for. Check out the common data set.

If you provided more into, about preferred school size, location and the amount of money your family could pay per year, people could give you more help.