A high school senior major undecided: LAC or big U?

[phatxtiger]

<p>Other things aside, please teach me how this factor (major undecided) will affect my decision.</p>

<p>ps. I am strong in math, physics, chemistry and have been weak in english, history, biology, social sciences (except economics) but I see some personal interest and possiblities in these (especially if I can get great education in college) </p>

<p>Also, please list some colleges(reach, match, safety, anything, but please label them) that you think will fit me. </p>

<p>800math, 600verbal
740 Chemistry, will take IIC and writing (expecting 700-800 and 600-700 respectively)
GPA:
9th:2.5
10th:3.0
11th:3.5
12:4.0</p>

<p>currently taking:</p>

<p>Economics
AP physics
AP statistics
AP calculus AB
Spanish
English</p>

<p>Right now I like all these classes except Spanish. Normally I don;t like English but I like this year because of the great teacher and great book we just read(Angela's Ashes). I'm not sure yet if I now like the English literature itself or just that class. </p>

<p>Many many thanks to people with great advices and their time!</p>

[midwesterner]

<p>What area of the country are you looking in, and how good are your state schools?</p>

[phatxtiger]

<p>I am currently open to all areas of the country. I'd prefer colleges with some diversity in student body (doesn't have to be great; from scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most diverse, anything above 4 is fine)</p>

[collegeparent]

<p>LACs: Bates, Colby, Connecticut College, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Lafayette and Macalester. </p>

<p>Universities: Bucknell, Case Western, GW, NYU, Rochester, UNC, USC, Penn State, Wisconsin and Lehigh which could be a good possibility for you.</p>

<p>All of this is, of course, IMHO, for starters.</p>

[phatxtiger]

<p>TY collegeparent for the list of colleges.</p>

<p>Do you also have an answer to my first question? (LAC or U)</p>

[midwesterner]

<p>Look at Rose-Hulman (slight reach) and Carleton (reach).</p>

[blaineko]

<p>I'm more a LAC guy myself because I like smaller classes and the personal attention without TA's.</p>

<p>I'd recommend:</p>

<p>Vassar
Haverford
Bates
Colby
Lewis & Clark
Hendrix
Lawrence U
Whitman
Beloit
College of Wooster
Trinity C.
Clark U
Clarkson
Earlham
Sarah Lawrence
Skidmore
Antioch
Willamette U
Occidental
Pitzer
Colorado C
Guilford</p>

<p>Are some suggestions with slightly liberal to liberal colleges like Reed, Wesleyan, etc...</p>

[bballplayer]

<p>I would say.........
John Hopkins
St. Joseph's University (great school in Suburbs of philly)
University of Penn ( best school for any science) trust me i live in the area
Haverford
Dickinson
Williams
Amherst
Lafayette
Temple
Penn State
Yale
Macalaster</p>

[curmudgeon]

<p>Guys and Gals , maybe I read the op wrong but from the post I got a student with a 3.25 GPA and a 600 verbal and the recommendations are Bates, Colby,Carleton,Haverford, Hopkins, Penn, Amherst, and Yale? What am I missing here? I see the phenomenal growth in GPA but assuming equal hours each year, it's still a 3.25 in a sea of 4.0's at these schools. We have no E/C's or hooks that I can see. The 800 math is as impressive as the 600 verbal is unimpressive. </p>

<p>Help me understand this,because I am not seeing it.Bates isn't that keen on SAT's anyway, are they? Whatever it is that you are seeing maybe it will work in some other student's favor ,too. Like my D. LOL. If the posters are right -pick,Yale, Williams, or Amherst.</p>

<p>You'd have to answer your basic question about LAC or Uni before my suggestions would mean much, but from reading your other posts where you are truly struggling with this,think about the smaller UNI's,Furman, Tulsa,TCU, SMU, schools like that or a notch up in some folks eyes and a little reachy , Wake,Vandy,Tulane. </p>

<p>As you can tell I am much more comfortable with the southern schools, simply because I know them. You may be like D and want to say Adios to the South for a while, but schools of this type or kind might serve you or anybody else very well.</p>

[ohio_mom]

<p>Phatxtiger - is english your first language?</p>

[reidm]

<p>Many schools will knock out freshman grades giving the poster a 3.5 UW + whatever he/she gets for AP weighting. That said, a number of the schools suggested are reaches for this poster. </p>

<p>I prefer LACs for most undergraduate studies, but universities tend to have a bit more diversity - or at least given their size more apparent diversity. </p>

<p>Also, I would think that listing math or science(s) as probable major(s) would put the application in the best light, given the SAT score disparity. </p>

<p>LACs already mentioned that seemed good recommendations to me were: Furman (moderately selective and gorgeous campus), Macalester (reach - diverse for a selective LAC), Occidental (match/reach - diverse for an LAC), College of Wooster (match/safety), Lawrence University (match/safety - very good sciences) and Guilford.</p>

[blaineko]

<p>The grade trend is an upward one, so colleges tend to look more favorably on the latter grades as evidence for the ability to do college work. Yes, without knowing specifics, a 3.25 gpa is low, but placed in context it's quite an accomplishment...as classes get harder the higher you go.</p>

[phatxtiger]

<p>ohio mom, no engnlish is not my first language. This is my 4th year in the country. I have not taken a look at toefl test but I think I will do fairly well on it after studying for SATII writing test.</p>

<p>Thank you posters for the college suggestions.</p>

<p>And should I assume that there is no clear relationship between "major undecided" and "choosing LAC or U"???</p>

[dke]

<p>I'll put in a plug for Wheaton in Mass, too......like Bates, Bowdoin and Mt. Holyoke they don't require SATs in the applications.....small classes, good location.....</p>

[ohio_mom]

<p>phatxtiger,
the fact that english not your first language will definately mitigate your verbal score. You should take the TOEFFL - there is a sample one in the Real SAT II's book. </p>

<p>I think that your major undecided issue tends to be a bit more important at a U than a LAC. You can get a little feel for it if you scope out this information on college sites - or call/email addmissions and ask the percentage of undecided majors that were accepted and/or matriculated. My son, who is also undecided, is putting down the major or majors he is thinking of at the moment. He is also avoiding schools where you have to choose a particular college (like CMU) or major.</p>

[ohio_mom]

<p>Also - make absolutely sure that the fact that you've only been in the country 4 years is mentioned in your application and in your GC rec if at all possible. Now, your GPA pattern makes sense! You sound like a great student, and are really putting it together!</p>

[icemaker]

<p>Regarding your question concerning Liberal Arts Colleges vs. Universities -- Like many on this board I personally have a preference for liberal arts colleges because they tend to have smaller classes, professors that primarily focus on teaching (though most professors at liberal arts colleges still conduct research) and professors (instead of TAs) teaching. Generally, you can expect more personalized attention at a liberal arts college than you would at a big university. </p>

<p>There are advantages of a larger university, however. You will have more class and major options at a large university. I assume also that some students like to be largely anonymous, which is afforded to students in large, lecture-style classes. Though there are a number of diverse liberal arts colleges, just the sheer size of big universities often mean that there will be more diversity at large schools. For example, primarily because of its size Indiana University is much more diverse than the state as a whole or the liberal arts colleges in Indiana or Ohio.</p>

<p>Regarding college suggestions, obviously your upward grade trend is better than the opposite. The fact that your verbal SAT score is significantly lower than your math score can be explained by the fact that English is your second language (though 600 verbal is pretty darn good, given the circumstances). These factors should play in your favor (particularly at liberal arts colleges where the admission process tends to be more personalized). Consequently, in my humble opinion you probably can step up somewhat with regard to selectivity and still be in the ballpark. Some schools I would consider if I were you:</p>

<p>Universities
Case Western Reserve -- match
Miami of Ohio -- match/slight reach
Ohio State -- match/safety
Purdue -- match/safety
University of Michigan -- match/slight reach</p>

<p>Liberal Arts Colleges (focusing on schools with relatively diverse student bodies and good math and science)</p>

<p>Oberlin -- realistic reach
Earlham -- safety
Macalester -- match
Beloit -- safety
Carleton -- reach
Grinnell -- match/slight reach
Hiram -- safety
Wesleyan -- realistic reach</p>

<p>I hope this helps.</p>