Worried: I still don't have a clue to where I'm applying

College Search & Selection
1

<p>It's getting really late and my college list keeps changing, mostly because I can't find the kind of college I want.</p>

<p>Ideally I want a school that fits this criteria:
about 5,000-10,000 people
strong in Biology and Psychology (I'm undecided)
is located some where beautiful in the Northeast (no farther south than MD)
has a great social life and is someplace where people don't go to the city or home every weekend.
has some diversity (not 97% White like one school I saw)
good financial aid</p>

<p>Here are the schools I'm thinking about applying to so far and none of them really fit this criteria. What do you think of the schools below? Any suggestions?</p>

<p>Likely Schools
University of Connecticut
Fairfield U
Pace U</p>

<p>Targets
Boston College
Brandeis U
University of Rochester</p>

<p>Reach
Williams or Swarthmore
Brown
Johns Hopkins
Cornell</p>

<p>Yale would be great but its way too much of a reach for me</p>

2

<p>Oh, and I'm not sure if you need my stats to tell me what schools are matches but I'm from CT and I'm African American. I have a 3.88 GPA (not too many challenging classes because my school doesn't offer them)2170 SAT, about 400 hours of service,I'm President/Vice President of 3 clubs, I haven't received my SAT Subject tests yet.</p>

3

<p>don't apply to Pace</p>

4

<p>Actually, you have a decent list. In fact, you should probably add a few more reach schools. Maybe try a few of the Ivies like Brown, Dartmouth, Univ or Penn? Your URM status will help quite a bit, at least according to how my URM friends have fared in the past.</p>

5

<p>What don't you like about Pace? </p>

<p>hawkphoenix: Is there anything specific that you like about Brown or Dartmouth?</p>

<p>I can't visit schools now (my mom says its pointless unless I'm accepted) and it doesn't help that all schools say they're awesome, even if they're not.</p>

6

<p>I was just suggesting schools as competitive as those are reasonable reaches for you.</p>

7

<p>I think your list is good and I would totally add more reaches if you like the school. I would just finish as many apps as you can now, but not submit them yet. Even if you decide to add or take away a school, you can probably reuse your essays.</p>

8

<p>As an URM, you will probably get the best financial aid at the ivies so add more.</p>

9

<p>When you say you want "somewhere beautiful" in the Northeast, does that mean you want the campus to be pretty, or just the surrounding area?</p>

<p>Brandeis's campus isn't much to look at. You can do much better than Pace. Swarthmore, Johns Hopkins, and Cornell are places that are known to keep you studying like crazy...don't know how that fits with your desire for a "great social life."</p>

<p>Tufts would be nice. Fordham and Georgetown? With your stats, Amherst, Harvard, Yale, and U of Pennsylvania are within reach.</p>

10

<p>I see your point hawkphoenix, I was just hoping that if my target schools don't give me much aid then my safeties will. My mom makes a decent amount but there is literally $0 in my college fund. Everyone in my immediate family has gone to CC so they thought I'd be the same.</p>

<p>TourGuide44: I live in CT so I'm not really used to big cities. Maybe I'm limiting myself to a colleges that have more traditional campuses apart from the town or city it is unlike NYU for example. That mind set always made me think of Fordham as a no but I already have to go there on Wednesday so I'll check it out. You have a really good point about the other Swat, JHU, and Cornell. I love studying but I don't want that to be the only thing I do. I'll definitely check out your suggestions (I never even thought of Georgetown).</p>

11

<p>Thank you so much for all of the suggestions. This is a huge help.</p>

12

<p>I think you should apply to Yale because it seems like your dream school and you do have a chance and they give good FA.</p>

13

<p>carnegie mellon has a biology/psych double major program. you can apply to either the mellon college of science or the college of social sciences to enroll in that program.</p>

14

<p>I just got a fee waiver to Tufts in the mail and it really made me research the school. It really seems like such an awesome school and I'm glad someone in this thread suggested I check it out in the mail. If not, I probably would have just thrown the letter out.</p>

<p>Thanks for suggesting Carnegie. I'll look it up now. I'm not sure if a Biology/Psychology double major is a wise choice but it seems perfect.</p>

15

<p>Hey,</p>

<p>You're getting into UConn, likely with money. See no reason to apply to Pace and Fairfield, particularly pace (seems like it has nothing you like, its a total commuter school/ diploma factory, awful social life).</p>

<p>Dartmouth should absolutely be on the list (diverse, very social, incredibly campus community, great undergrad psych, awesome financial aid). It has all the upside of a LAC (great classes, study abroad, resources, community, beauty, etc) but with a much more active social life. Students are intelligent, but normal and fun, which seems like your thing. </p>

<p>I would also look at Tufts, Penn, and Georgetown. Remember the top schools tend to give the best aid. </p>

<p>Carnegie is a study factory as well, not a fantastic social life, not beautiful. </p>

<p>If I were you this would be my list:</p>

<p>Reaches: Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Penn, Amherst (I think you'l like the social scene better than Williams, more students at Amherst because of the 5 college system)
High Matches: Georgetown, Cornell
Matches: Tufts, Boston College
Safe: UofR, UCONN</p>