Hello. I am having a tough time deciding where I should go for school. These are my stats:
AP World History-- did not take exam
AP Psychology-- currently taking but will probably get a 4 or 5
AP Spanish-- taking next year and will probably get a 4 or 5 (fluent)
AP Lang-- currently taking (not a great writer so don’t expect much)
SAT- not taken but will soon
I’m sorry for not having much. I am a junior so I don’t have much done yet. I have no extracurriculars because i am shy but I definitely want to get more involved next year and plan on having a job during the summer.
Besides not knowing what to study or where to go, I do know where I want to surround myself. I would like to stay in the east, maybe northeast. I like the cold weather and detest the hot humid climate. I would like to be somewhere liberal and in a city or suburban area. Not rural. I have never taken a theater or drama class because I’m introverted, but I would like to learn and possibly study it at school. Of course it would have to be beginners. I have been told that I should look into Liberal Arts colleges but I do not like the small population. I’m looking at 5,000+.
I don’t have the slightest clue what I should do. I have never been interested in one particular thing but I’m also not that creative so that might be something. I spend a lot of time watching/re-watching favorite movies or series. I have thought about maybe learning how to analyze something but I don’t know if I would be good at it. I’m not a good writer and like i said before don’t think I am creative enough.
I’ve dreamed about studying abroad but I have found that in Europe (uk) you study what you specifically want to do.
Well, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll receive good advice from lots of knowledgeable folks here.
You don’t necessarily have to know your area of study in advance because most colleges will admit you “undeclared” but it helps to know the general area and select colleges that provide a lot of flexibility. From your description it sounds like you’re leaning towards a liberal arts degree (although not necessarily at a liberal arts college), and not a STEM degree.
Please tell us a couple of important things that will help guide us:
what state are you in?
what is your budget?
Since you’re early in your process you may not have thought about budget yet but it’s an important factor. Work with your family to see what you can afford. Use online resources to calculate your “expected family contribution (EFC)”.
To be clear: you mean, pursuing your whole undergraduate degree abroad as versus doing a “study abroad” semester which is a lot more common?
That can be an expensive option but I don’t know your financial situation. Tagging @LostInTheShuffle here who may be able to provide you insights into UK’s college system.
Most important is to check with your parents to see what the financial limitations are before you make your college application list, checking the net price calculators on college web sites to see if they are likely to be affordable.
By “undecided”, is there a range of subjects you are more likely to be interested in, and subjects where you are less likely to be interested in? That may influence the suitability of various colleges. A suitable college will have a good selection of majors with suitable depth and breadth in major within the range of subjects you are more likely to be interested in. In addition, it is more desirable if those majors are not oversubscribed, so that changing or declaring any of those majors does not require another competitive admission process or a very high college GPA.
Hi @fernanda10 - yes, in the UK, you generally apply to study a specific subject (e.g., math, English literature, etc.), although an increasing number of universities are starting to offer “liberal arts” as a course. Fire away if you have specific questions.
What subjects are your best at? What subjects do you like the best?
What state are you from?
Do you know what your budget will be for a full four years of university?
Are you currently a junior in high school?
There are plenty of people from the Northeast who are active on this web site so you should be able to get some good suggestions. However we will need a bit more information to give you anything useful.
Yes, I am a junior! Overall my grades have always been between Bs and As. My GPA is around a 3.8. This year I’ve been doing better at math and history. There isn’t one subject I “love”. Oh and I’m from Georgia.
My parents income is low so I don’t think they’ll be able to pay for college. BUT I don’t want that to stop me from deciding where I should or should not go. I know there are scholarships I can look into (which I should probably start doing now). I may seem naive and stupid to think like that because college is EXPENSIVE. I know, I don’t need to be reminded of it. I just don’t want to close any doors you know?
I have heard about performers, actors specifically talking about how introverted they were as children or teenagers. It just feels impossible whenever I think about it.
Have you thought about doing a year or two at a community college? The cost would be significantly lower than most 4-year colleges and you might be able to live at home. Community college would also give you a chance to explore various subjects. If you found a good match to your interests and talents, you could transfer to a 4-year with that focus.
Better to know what doors are closed before you make your application list than find out in April of your senior year in high school that all of your admissions are too expensive.
Use the net price calculator on each college’s web site to get an estimate of cost and financial aid. Do this before you make your application list. Example from University of Georgia: Net Price Calculator .
If your parents are low income then you need merit and/or need based aid. Merit requires high GPA and test scores. The schools that offer the best need based aid have low acceptance rates and all the accepted students have high stats.
It’s best to build your list from the bottom up. Choose a school you’re sure to get into, that’s affordable, and that you’ll be happy to attend. That might be a school within commuting distance of your home. Does your state offer grants to your in state public universities?
You may know college is crazy expensive. You may not know that, as a student, you are capped at $27,000 in federal student loans ($5500 your first year with small increases after that). Any other loans will be on your parents.
I appreciate the fact that you have worked hard and want to aim big but I encourage you to be realistic, too. Make sure you have a solid “safe” option that you can attend. I have said multiple times that getting acceptances that are out of reach financially is worse than being rejected. I think the only thing that might be worse is getting part way through, running out of money, having no degree and still being faced with loan repayment. Aim big, sure, but have a good back up plan that excites you.