Where to apply? Kinda lost

I’m not getting a lot of outside help with my college search and application process so I’m kind of trying to work my way through this. Also, I’m not sure if this was the right place to post, so I apologize if it isn’t.

I’m really not quite sure where I should look to apply to. I am a New Jersey HS senior with a cumulative GPA of 3.1, SAT of 1880 (Reading: 670; Math: 510; Writing: 700). I took two honors classes last year (English and US History) and am taking English 4H, Spanish 4H, and AP European History this year.

I have a few extracurriculars as well. I am the captain of the XC/Track teams at my school, a leader for our senior retreat (for Catholic school students, a spiritual event), am in our public relations dept. (school publications, social media, yearbook committee), some other clubs that I’m not sure make a difference or not. In addition I do a fair amount of community service, the bulk of it in the summertime (about a week’s worth) and a little bit during the school year.

All that being said, I really have no idea where I should be aiming. I don’t consider myself to have strong academic credentials, and I’m not sure what I want to major in. I’m really lost.

Could someone help to steer me in the right direction? What schools would I fit in academically? Is there any more information you’d like me to give?

Also: I’m thinking I’d like to stay in-state, although anything within a reasonable distance (like an hour) from Central NJ would suffice.

Elizabethtown College
http://www.etown.edu/

Richard Stockton College (very good Liberal Arts foundation)
Rowan University (STEM)
Drew University (solid college generally; pricey private school)

have you made an appointment to talk with your GC, or college counselor if your HS has such a person? Many kids wait for someone to come to them, but at many schools its up to them to take the initiative.

You may want to look into Marist or Fairfield U

How about Rutgers?

You need to ask your parents how much they can pay so you can target your schools. Then run the Net Price Calculator on each of the school’s web sites listed above to get a projection of how much you’ll have to pay. You may be surprised at the difference between forecasted payment and what your parents are willing to come up with.

Erin’s Dad is right - the most important question for you to answer right now is what can your family afford. Once you have that, you can look at schools within the geographic constraint that you’ve set.

Don’t worry if you don’t yet know what you want to study. That’s what the first two years of college are there for.

Once you have a few school names in hand, why not visit? Take a tour, sit in on a few classes, eat in the cafeteria - see if you feel comfortable. It will help you to get a better sense of what you like and don’t like. You can sign up for all this on the school’s website usually - and get on their email list too.

When I was reading your post I was thinking St. Bonaventure University in Western New York right up until you said you wanted to stay closer to home. At that point, I thought Marist or Ramapo.

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GPA of 3.1, SAT of 1880 (Reading: 670; Math: 510; W


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HOw much will your family pay? THAT answer will largely determine where you should apply.

Given the cost of NJ state schools and the large number of private liberal arts schools in the PA/NJ area, you should run the Net Price Calc for private schools. It may wind up costing less.

If you are will to expande, look at Ursinus and York College in PA.

Stockton is a great school, but they are still fighting a “suitcase” mentality. If weekend activities are important, specifically ask them for the current weekend events.

Ursinus is a good choice I agree!

I would recommend Susquehanna, Siena, Marist, St. Bonaventure and Fairfield. St. Bonnie’s is further away but it is wonderful and the average cost of attendance is less than 17k a year. If you want to write, St. Bonnie’s has one of the best journalism schools in the country.

@ScaredNJDad
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St. Bonnie’s is further away but it is wonderful and the average cost of attendance is less than 17k a year.


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What are you basing that on?

The COA is over $45k per year.

The average cost of attendance after merit and need based aid is about 17k. They presented at my daughter’s school. The money is broadly distributed as well. My daughter showed me the email she received after the college fair. US News routinely has the school as a best value. Just take a look.

Boy, do I NOT like St Bonnie’s web page. They don’t publish the CDS and have a request page for information on what they call the Common Data Set page. The info here http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=20 states the average price after aid is $19K. 100% of those who had need received aid. Only 20% received full need.

I think there’s something odd going on. Small endowment. Most students are NY residents, so maybe with a combo of TAP, Pell, loans and work study and some institutional funds they’re getting to the

Since they don’t seem to have a CDS, I wonder if some of the money is ROTC or Athletic scholarships.

about 20% of students have no need.

The avg aid pkg (combo loans, ws, grants) is about $26k. (but 20% of the school gets no need based aid.)

Something seems odd.

You picked a GREAT site! And you aren’t as “lost” as you might feel. Philosophy 101: “I only know that I know nothing (but others know less).” - Socrates. The path to knowledge isn’t “knowing” the answers, it’s in asking the right questions.

First, as other posters noted, absolutely use the SuperMatch tool on this site. Your issue isn’t going to be finding a college, but in narrowing them down. Most students (and college grads) know more about what they DON’T want to do more than they know what they DO want to do, so you’re not alone.

From your SATs, I suspect that your prime interests are in reading and writing, but you don’t know what you’re going to do with them. The answer: Whatever you want. I think you would be a tremendous humanities student (literature, history, philosophy, language, writing), whether one of those are your majors or not. The downside is that the price nowadays of college encourages “Know-How” over Knowledge, and Return On Investment over Pursuit of Happiness. Don’t fall for it, don’t get trapped in it, but don’t forget it, either. Hedge your bets, and don’t spend the big bucks until you have a clearer idea of which path you’ll take. Shakespeare is Shakespeare no matter where the play is.

Don’t be afraid to take a Philosophy 101 primer class. Or, maybe even better, start now with this book: “101 Great Philosophers: Makers of Modern Thought” by Madsen Pirie (less than $10 paperback online). Skim through it; it’s just 1 1/2 pages per Thinker. Great bathroom or bedtime book. It makes learning EVERYTHING easier, and easier to figure out for yourself. You won’t watch a “Seinfeld” or “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, or read the Declaration of Independence and Preamble the same way. It’ll make your writing and comprehension even better, and make you a better questioner than an ideologue. You’ll better understand art/aesthetics, physics, languages/linguistics, politics/government, economics, history, science, psychology, sociology, math, etc. since the changing philosophy of the times shaped the events/science of those times. But, most of all, you’ll learn Yourself.

Do you know the difference between Judging and Justice? Of Pleasure vs. Happiness? Did you know that St. Augustine’s “Trinity” is from Plato? Did you know that Augustine’s (a hellraiser in his youth) most famous quote was “God, grant me chastity - just not yet.” Did you know that Jesus’ “Golden Rule” was an adaptation of something Confucius said at least 500 years earlier? Did you know that Philosophy Clubs in Philadelphia were the Starbucks of their time?

Add a Symbolic Logic class (first used by Aristotle) for some deeper thinking - it’s used in law and psychology. Read a little Machiavelli before a presidential debate; the candidates’ advisors did. You’ll develop a better BS detector, so you’ll have better friends and spouses and be a better parent and community leader.

And, no! I didn’t major in philosophy or a humanity, but boy, am I glad I took those classes! And so are my kids, who learned to drop a little philosophy in their papers to get an A. Or some laughs.

In the interest of full disclosure, I attended public grade school, a Catholic high school (in those days, teachers were mostly priests and nuns, not laypersons), and a public state college in the '70s. There were pros & cons. But, in college, I could spot the Catholic school student right away - they were the ones who asked, “How long does it have to be?”

Back to You. After your narrowing, pick the college based on Value: The environment where you feel you can do your best work and thought exchanges at a price where you can follow many paths without being hamstrung with debt.

Good luck! Have fun (but not too much)! Create your own path. Done right, you will find and shape yourself in college and enjoy the freedom without rigidity. You’ll be great!

You should take a look at Marist. You do have good GPA and SAT scores for the school and I think you would like all the clubs and activities it has to offer. I would recommend taking a tour of the campus at some point if you haven’t already because thats the only way you will truly know if you like a school. I visited one day and stepped on campus and knew its where I wanted to be for the next four years of my life. I hope you feel the same way about a school for you. Just remember wherever you go stay positive and know that everything happens for a reason.