Which colleges are right for me?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm a junior just finishing up the school year, and all I can think about is colleges! Here is my resume and my interests, if you guys could give me a little guidance on some colleges to look at, that'd be great! (my guidance counselor in school is helpless).</p>

<p>Personal: Upper middle class, Long Island, NY. typical public school
SAT I- taken this past march 1x: 2240 (770 M 720 CR 750 W)
SAT II: Biology M: 800; Spanish: 800, Math level 1C: 790
PSAT- taken in october: 225 (75 M, 73 CR 77 W)
GPA (through 3 marking periods of junior year): 97.68 UW, 98.8 W (not valedictorian, top 10 probs)
Awards: Bausch and Lomb Science Award/Scholarship, National Spanish Exam Gold medals (2x), NYSSMA Music Festival- "outstanding" score (5x), Spring Track All-Conference (4x800m relay), 4 different honor societies (National, Spanish, Science, Math), Placed at state science comp</p>

<p>Research: In the middle of a project on Ovarian Cancer Stem cells, working with a mentor this will be my second summer at the best cancer hospital in the country. Will be entering IntEl, siemens, etc. next year.</p>

<p>ECs: 3 varsity sports all since frosh year (XC, swimming, track). I don't want to be recruited for college, although my running times might qualify me for D3; Science Club (board member), Latin Club (co-president), Jazz Band</p>

<p>Some of the interests I look for in a college are: Financial aid (my parents will need lots of $$ to be persuaded to let me attend a private), Location (must be in mid-atlantic or new england region, preferably out of NY), that it's coed, has a major in cell/molecular biology or something very close to that, has a top notch science and biology program, is excellent for pre-med, has some intramurals (ultimate frisbee, baseball, triathlon), gives AP credit, and that undergrads can dorm.</p>

<p>I did a little bit of research and from that, I concluded that Johns Hopkins is the best fit for me. No one tell me about HYP or MIT because we all know they're crapshoots, plus nothing about them really attracts me. Some other places I liked were Georgetown, Brandeis, Carnegie Mellon, Tufts...I want to go to a place where I won't be below average. Any other suggestions you guys have?</p>

2

<p>Academically-wise, you’re picking some good, competitive schools where you’ll be accepted to at least one I’d say. But what about atmosphere? Do you want rural or urban? Or suburban? Do you want cold weather or hot weather? Or a mix of both? Do you want an intellectual campus feel or a laid-back campus feel? I’d say you’re gonna get into one of those schools you listed, as long as you write some good essays. Go to coll e ge pr ow ler.c o m or talk to friends with connections to learn more about your schools.</p>

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<p>Can you afford those schools?</p>

4

<p>Middlebury?</p>

5

<p>Your qualifications are good enough to make you a contender for virtually any college. So costs & aid could be bigger constraints for you than admissions (as long as you don’t load up on “crap shoot” applications). Have a look at institutions that are “need-blind and full-need” ([Need-blind</a> admission - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need-blind_admission]Need-blind”>Need-blind admission - Wikipedia)). There are about 50 of these schools. With 2 exceptions (Virginia and Michigan), they are private schools with high sticker prices. You’ll need to use an online “Expected Family Contribution” calculator to verify that in fact you are likely to qualify for need-based aid from these schools (if you aren’t … then you’ll need a different strategy).</p>

<p>In addition to the schools you’ve mentioned, have a look at the University of Rochester, the College of the Holy Cross, and Boston College. These are three of the least selective Northeastern schools on the “need-blind, full-need” list. </p>

<p>Many good schools that aren’t on that list might still be great choices. But start with those. Then be sure you have a couple of less selective, affordable back-ups.</p>