where to start?

<p>i'm new to cc, and am a current hs junior. i've started to think about getting started on the college search, except i have no idea where to start. i don't know what i want to study (the only subject i dislike is science), and i have no idea where i want to go. i'm considering the east coast, preferably an urban or suburban setting. here are my stats:</p>

<p>GPA: through 1st semester of junior year, cumulative is 3.72
haven't taken sat yet, but psat selection index was 192. i plan on working to improve this when i get to the real sat's
two officer positions in clubs
varsity soccer starter since 9th grade
varsity field hockey starter since 10th grade
i've worked 12 hours a week since 10th grade
national honor society
i'm french, currently living in japan, so i might get the international hook, even though i'm a us citizen</p>

<p>i've been looking at liberal arts colleges, but if you guys could give me a rough list of safeties/matches/reaches, it would really help me get started. thanks! sorry for the long post</p>

<p>list of things you should consider:</p>

<p>geographical location
weather
what you want to study
size of student body
size of campus
party scene?</p>

<p>your statistics look similar to mine when I was a junior (i have a 3.73 cum gpa at a very competitive high school, and had a psat score of 192). Here was what I did wrong and I don't want you to make the same mistake. After I got my psat score I was like "whatever, I'll take the SAT for the first time and it'll be like practice.." DON"T DO THAT! I ended up scoring a 1920 while my friends scored 2100+. I still didn't feel motivated so I took it a second time thinking I would naturally improve and scored a 1970. I knew I could do a lot better so over summer I buckled down during the last month of vacation and studied an hour or two everyday. I took the SAT's again in Oct and got a 2210. Basically what I'm saying is, study hard for your first SAT, get to know the format and take practice tests. If you're lucky, you'll do way better than your PSAT and won't have to take it again like I did. My other suggestion is to explore your academic interests. Come back in a couple months to see if you've decided what you could possibly major in, then join activities to support your interests. if you like math, join math team. if you like english, enter some contests or write a novel.</p>

<p>Some to possibly check into are Gettysburg (PA), Hobart & William Smith (NY), Muhlenberg (PA), Dickinson (PA), Drew (NJ), Union (NY), Clark (MA) and Bennington (VT). Larger schools are American (DC), Syracuse, BU, Northeastern and Vermont.</p>

<p>I think a great place to start is figuring out why you want to go to college. Take some time to daydream about the things you would want to do with your life. What kind of things are important to you now? Friends? Adventure? Travel? Stability? How will your life be shaped by your future career? Will you want to have the stability of teaching or the opportunity of financial success in investing or the thrill of curing disease in medical research? Ask adults that you know about the kinds of things that they like in their careers. If you can't think of a good reason to go to college, maybe consider taking a year or two off and figuring out what you want. You would most certainly be more mature and directed if you did.</p>

<p>Without SAT scores, it's a bit harder to determine reaches, good fits, and likelies... PSATs are supposed to be predictor scores, but I know a lot of people whose PSAT scores were a lot lower or higher than their SAT scores. Keep in mind that how schools fall (in terms of reach/match/safety) will probably change a bit after you get your SAT scores. </p>

<p>Right now, your GPA looks pretty good and your extracurriculars look very solid. If you're interested in continuing field hockey or soccer in college, you should consider getting on contact with the coach(es) of the sport(s) that interests you once you have a list. If you're good enough to be considered a recruit at a Division III school (or I or II depending on what you're interested in and how good you are), your application could get a boost. </p>

<p>It sounds like you actually have some idea of what you're looking for which is certainly a good thing, just make sure you don't confine yourself to much. For example, if College Y is an excellent fit except for the fact that its surroundings are rural, do you really want to cross it off your list altogether?</p>

<p>Below are some ideas of places to begin looking. Since you said you're interested in liberal arts colleges, most of these schools are LACs and, thus, have under 5,000 students. I also focused on schools along the eastern seaboard and schools that are considered to have "urban" or "suburban" surroundings; however, there might be a few on this list that are more rural. Because you don't seem like you know what you're looking for in terms of campus feel ("mini-Ivy" sort of place, large sports scene, more artsy/alternative, more liberal/moderate/conservative, strict LAC or a small university with a LAC feel, size of the Greek life system, religious background, all-girls, etc.), I've tried to include schools that will offer you all different sorts of options.</p>

<p>HIGH REACH: Swarthmore College (PA), Amherst College (MA), Bowdoin College (ME), Middlebury College (VT), Williams College (MA)</p>

<p>REACH/SEMI-REACH: Colgate University (NY), Haverford College (PA), Vassar College (NY), Bard College (NY), Washington & Lee University (VA), Wesleyan University (CT), Davidson College (NC), Hamilton College (NY), Tufts University (MA), Emory University (GA), Barnard College (NY), Bates College (ME), Colby College (ME), Brandeis University (MA), College of William & Mary (VA), Wellesley College (MA), New College (FL)</p>

<p>GOOD FIT: Bucknell University (PA), Skidmore College (NY), Lehigh University (PA), College of the Holy Cross (MA), Trinity College (CT), Connecticut College (CT), Gettysburg College (PA), Franklin & Marshall College (PA), Lafayette College (PA), University of Richmond (VA), University of Rochester (NY), Dickinson College (PA), Wake Forest University (NC), Sarah Lawrence College (NY), Union College (NY), Bryn Mawr College (PA), Agnes Scott College (GA), Hampshire College (MA), The College of New Jersey (NJ), Mount Holyoke College (MA), Smith College (MA), Furman University (SC), Grove City College (PA), Bennington College (VT)</p>

<p>LIKELY/SAFETY: Muhlenberg College (PA), Wheaton College (MA), Elon University (NC), Providence College (RI), St. Lawrence University (NY), Manhattanville College (NY), Ursinus College (PA), Fairfield University (CT), Hobart & William Smith Colleges (NY), Clark University (MA), Guilford College (NC), Rollins College (FL), Allegheny College (PA)</p>

<p>^^rvcc1992, above post contains excellent advice, with wise school selections.^^</p>

<p>Good post, littleatheist.</p>

<p>Yes, you most certainly need to get those scores before we can be of aid!</p>