lotterytheology

So I have a list of reaches (Amherst, the Ivies, Vassar) and of safeties (CUNYs, Fordham, Ursinus) but I haven’t really considered targets.
What target schools would be appropriate for me?
I’m female and Asian but I prefer the humanities over the math and sciences. Superscored, I got a 2280 on the SAT (CR 800, Math 680, WR 800) and I may retake to improve the math (because it can’t hurt).
I’ve taken two SAT IIs-- Literature (770) and U.S. History (750). My unweighted GPA is 94.72 but that may fluctuate up or down depending on how I do senior year. That puts me in the top ten percent of my school, Bronx Science, in New York.
I’ve only taken two APs. AP French (3) and APUSH (5). My senior course load will be AP Bio, AP Psych, AP Lit, AP Mic/Mac, and AP Calc AB. I became a bit paranoid after my skimpy junior year so I overloaded.
I volunteered two summers at a big newspaper where I got to write world news on a daily basis and even got some cover stories and features. I do track & field (but I started late junior year), write stories and poetry, and am editor of the school’s social studies research journal which is kind of world news too. I’ve played the piano for seven years decently.
I plan on majoring in something in communications, which could be anything from English, journalism, film, or sales advertising (those are the four I’m considering). And I’ll send colleges a writing portfolio as a supplement.
I’ll apply for financial aid, parents are low-income, high assets but mostly in real estate which colleges somewhat ignore…have any ideas?

zobroward

Ursinus should be a match
Muhlenberg College too!I think both schools would give you a great all around undergrad experience. try and find the best school for you, not the "best" name!

barrk123

Dartmouth- reach
Syracuse

BeanTownGirl

Your stats are really good so I think there are a lot of schools that would be good targets! Do you have any other criteria that would narrow it down? location, size, etc.?

Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications is very well known.
I'm sure there are other thread in here where people talk about this topic.

Have you checked the Fiske Guide for recommendations for your major?

Also, has your family run any of the EFC calculators to see if the real estate assets have an impact?

par72

Holy Cross-very good school with nice campus.

Erin's Dad

I don't know where you got that impression. Your home is not included in assets (in most cases) but all real estate is considered as an asset for both FAFSA and Profile schools. Head over to the Financial Aid forum to learn more.

sadilly

I don't think CSS profile schools ignore real estate, not even your home. Be sure to use the cost calculators to find out.

tk21769

Check out Kenyon College.
It is a little less selective than Vassar, but more so than Ursinus.
Its English department has been highly regarded for many years.
It shows up on multiple "most beautiful campus" lists.

About the Department - English - Kenyon College
The 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses - Prettiest Universities (#2)

PAGRok

I'd say Vassar is a high match, you have great stats and a great GPA, only thing that could keep you from acceptane would be essays and fit. Have you looked into Williams or Wesleyan? How about UChicago, Swarthmore, Haverford? For matches maybe Bard (high match), University of Rochester, Colby, Bates, Trinity, Union, Hamilton, Colgate, Bucknell, Connecticut, Lafayette, Gettysburg, Skidmore. For universities: Boston College, Brandeis, Lehigh, BU, Fordham.

lotterytheology

Thanks for the responses! I didn't expect to get so many. I'm definitely having trouble figuring out exactly what to write for my essays but I think it's coming along.

I started my financial aid research recently and have ran numbers through calculators for many different schools. I have to look into it more, but Erin's Dad, you're right; my family owns two homes which may keep me from getting enough aid. We have a pretty complicated situation, but my current plan is to just come up with a list of schools to apply to and then limit it to those with more favorable policies/ aid estimates.
Also, sadilly, some CSS Profile schools do cap the value of home equity at either 1.2 or 2.4 times the income, which would help me out.

Anyway, I'll look up the above mentioned colleges on Naviance and consider them. As for location, I would like to stay in the Northeast region, but am willing to go further if there's a compelling reason (great location, beautiful campus, best school for a certain major). I'm not partial about size.

hevydevy

NYU possibly? It always struck me as a writing focused school where English and classes writing and analysis reigned supreme.

The financial aid tends to be ****, but it is worth considering.

Wordworker

No need to retake SAT. Your scores are fine. They could drop if you take again, and that would look awful.

Coming from Bronx Science should help. They'll have no doubts about your ability to do college work.

Also check Bryn Mawr.

Penn is a reach for anybody, but one great resource there is the Kelly Writers House. Penn also recruits writers! Faculty person is Al Filreis. If the Writers House website interests you, send him a note. I doubt he gets many applicants from schools like yours.

lotterytheology

Regarding the SAT, the reason I want to retake is that my guidance counselor insisted I take the ACT, "to be safe" she said. I feel that retaking a test I'm already familiar with would be easier than preparing for a different one. People have told me there's a psychological difference between 2200 and 2300 and between 600 and 700. Also, I'm fairly certain I will improve in math and my other scores won't drop because I didn't get them out of luck, but out of practiced skill. Sorry if I sound defensive, but retaking the SAT a third time was something I had to convince myself and my parents to let me do.

To Wordworker, I will definitely check out Bryn Mawr and look into the Kelly Writers House. It sounds great! I'm always a fan of anything writing-related.

As for NYU, I've tried their calculator and the highest aid they provide would leave me $80,000 short after four years, so I crossed them off my list.

BeanTownGirl

I think there are a lot of schools that are a great fit for you. Once you have a good sized list, cross-reference it against these sources of info on schools that offer good merit aid.

Colleges and Universities That Award Merit Aid - Graphic - NYTimes.com
Best Values in Private Colleges, 2011-12