<p>Hi, I'm a junior and I'm feeling overwhelmed by my college search. I was considering going into engineering, but now I'm thinking of focusing more on science and less on math. But I have no idea what kind of major I would want or what kind of school I want. I wondering if anyone has advice on how and where to start my search. I've visited a couple of schools and looked at a million websites, but I still have no idea what I even want in a school. So where do I start?</p>
<p>List the schools for me 
i’ll try to help you out.</p>
<p>What state do you live in if you only plan on going to a college in your state.</p>
<p>Hi Kaitlyn - welcome to CC! Could you share with us your GPA, test scores, geographic considerations and some indication of how price-sensitive / aid-dependent you may be?</p>
<p>I live in Illinois. But I’m willing to go far away, but I don’t want to have to fly to school. Currently, I don’t have a list of prospective schools. My GPA is 4.33 weighted, 3.87 unweighted. I got at 28 on the ACT, but I’m taking it again. My class rank is 33 out of 530 (weighted). As far as prices, my parents won’t tell me what they are going to contibute, although I know they do plan on helping. So nothing too outragous.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help!</p>
<p>Hmmm still need a bit more details from them, and are you looking for private or public?
I’d start of with the University of Minnesota or Wisconsin.
Also depends on coursework to see your chances at UIUC.
Indiana?</p>
<p>Start by establishing what your parents can afford to pay and their EFC (what they will be required to pay). Then, start visiting local schools. You will find things you like and dislike about the schools you visit. Maybe it will be the size of the campus, the way the students behave, the architecture, the dorms, the food in the cafeteria. Sit in on a class - maybe the class will be 600 students, maybe it will be 30 students. Try both on for size and see which you prefer. Think about what you like and dislike about your high school - too big, too small, too much emphasis on sports, too little emphasis on sports, just right?</p>
<p>Go to College Board’s school finder - it will let you say what states are of interest (along with major, size, etc.). You can choose just states within driving distance, and then it will give a list of schools. Also, without knowing your driving tolerance (or my geography), I’ll suggest Rose Hulman and Case Western.</p>
<p>You really do need to find out from your parents how much they can help. And keep in mind that just because their Expected Financial Contribution (EFC) may be less than Cost of Attendance (COA), the schools are NOT obligated to pay the difference. So you need to find schools that you can realistically afford - IMO, no school is worth $200K in debt when there are community colleges and state schools, etc.</p>