The Perfect School For Me?

RKT343 · 10-29-2009, 11:16 PM

Hi, so I am in the process of getting all of my college application stuff together and I am trying to find a few more colleges to apply to. These can either be reach, match, or safety schools, I just need more to apply to that tickle my fancy. So I'll begin with some basic statistics about myself.

SAT:

January 2009: 1860
CR: 640
M: 590
W: 630

October 2009: 1950
CR: 690
M: 530
W: 730

Best Scores: 2010
CR: 690
M: 590
W: 730

GPA:
Unweighted: 3.3
Weighted: 3.8

Class Rank:
143/476 (Public High School)

I have taken all honors and AP classes, getting A's and 4's in both of my AP Psychology and AP European courses/exams respectively. Currently am taking: AP Lit and AP Bio. Next semester I will have: AP Lang, AP Bio, and AP Stats.

I live in Frederick, Maryland. About an hour away from Washington DC and Baltimore, MD. My grades show an upward trend from ninth and tenth grade, though my extracurriculars are minimal (a few clubs, two sports). My intended field of study is English Literature with at least a minor, if not a double major, in Political Science. So I am looking for a school that is within my reach, has good programs in my fields of study, and that is not insanely expensive

Thank you in advance for any input.

Erin's Dad · 10-30-2009, 12:05 PM

"that is not insanely expensive"

Does this mean you will qualify for financial aid or does your family make too much and you'll be looking for merit aid?

OneMom · 10-30-2009, 12:25 PM

St Mary's College of Maryland with low in-state tuition could work for you.

LilyMoon · 10-30-2009, 12:52 PM

You might want to look into some of the SUNY schools. The price is right even for OOS.

pierre0913 · 10-30-2009, 05:03 PM

look at Clemson if you can afford it OOS, what are you looking for in a school and what do you want to study/major in?

tk21769 · 10-30-2009, 05:08 PM

Without knowing more about what you like (big/small, urban/rural, etc.), I'd second St. Mary's College of Maryland.

M's Mom · 10-30-2009, 06:35 PM

Apart from cost, are there any other criteria? Size? Location? Culture? How much money do you need? What other schools have you found that you like? We can suggest some comparables.

mom2collegekids · 10-30-2009, 06:36 PM

What can your family afford to spend each year? Have they given you an amount? If you'll need F/A, be aware that OOS publics won't likely work for you.

ctyankee · 10-30-2009, 06:39 PM

St. Mary's or University of Maryland.

RKT343 · 10-30-2009, 10:16 PM

Sorry for the late response!

To answer a few questions, affordability is not as big an issue as I conveyed earlier. Just as long as the school is at or below the mid 30k's annually. My parents combined annual income is around 160k, so I do not think I will qualify for need-based F/A. However, as long as they're not dropping fifty-thousand a year for me I think I'll be alright.

To address a little bit more, I'd prefer to go to college in either a suburban or urban area. Not out in the middle of nowhere, I'd like to be near some medium sized cities at the very least.

I'm also ambivalent towards size, as long as it fits everything else, I'm ok with large or small

.

Intended Major: English Literature
Intended Minor or Double Major: Political Science

Thanks!

RKT343 · 10-31-2009, 10:31 AM

Shameless bump

Erin's Dad · 10-31-2009, 12:25 PM

First look to your in-state publics. U MD is a good school. If you want to go OOS you'll have to look at places like Mississippi or Alabama for some potential merit aid. Also consider some second tier privates like Ohio Wesleyan or U Dayton.

mom2collegekids · 10-31-2009, 12:58 PM

>>>
To answer a few questions, affordability is not as big an issue as I conveyed earlier. Just as long as the school is at or below the mid 30k's annually. My parents combined annual income is around 160k, so I do not think I will qualify for need-based F/A.
<<<

I know that $30k+ per year sounds like a lot of money, but many/most privates cost more than that without some kind of merit $$. Many privates are costing about $50k per year.

Also, many/most OOS publics cost more than that w/o merit money. Many OOS publics are costing $40k+ per year. There are some that are less.

Alabama is costing about $30k for OOS (tution, room (private room in super suite), board, books, misc personal expenses.), but you'd get some merit money from this scholarship...

Students who have a 28-29 ACT or 1250-1320 SAT (critical reading and mathematics scores only) and at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA will receive $3,500 per year or $14,000 over four years.

BTW....Alabama accepts weighted GPA for all classes as long as it's written on the transcript. So, if necessary, make sure your school puts your weighted GPA on your transcript.

http://www.ua.edu/

Check out the super nice (private rooms) housing that is included in that price (scroll down for all pics... http://housing.ua.edu/ridgecrestsouth.cfm

RKT343 · 11-02-2009, 09:09 PM

Bump.

These are all very good ideas, but I haven't quite found one that is perfect for me. All feedback is appreciated!

applicannot · 11-02-2009, 10:36 PM

What about Loyola College of Maryland?