<p>I am a sophomore in high school but beginning to look at colleges</p>
<p>3.6 GPA (straight a’s this year, freshman year’s bringing me down)
210 PSAT/30 PLAN (estimated 31-34 ACT)
student council, academic team, muse machine, model un, tutor, volunteer at camp for kids with special needs (5 years), choir, HOBY, school newspaper
I go to a small school (around 75 kids per grade) so only one AP class is offered (I am taking it next year)</p>
<p>I plan on majoring in special ed (moderate to intensive licensure) and these colleges offer it (all in-state):</p>
<p>Ohio State University
Ohio University
University of Cincinnati
Miami University
Ohio Dominican University
Ashland University
Bluffton University
Walsh University</p>
<p>anything you could tell me about if these colleges would be a good fit for me would be great</p>
<p>Actually you should take the opportunity to visit as many of them as possible. Most will have different “feels” and they are certainly in diverse settings.</p>
<p>Since you’re a sophomore with a 210 PSAT, I recommend this…</p>
<p>Take the SAT in May or June and pay for the extra score report. This will give you a good idea of how you’ll do on the Junior year PSAT. A few weeks after you take the May/June test, you’ll get sent the answer key (which will have your wrong answers indicated) and test book. Use that to work on any weak areas. </p>
<p>If you increase your PSAT by at least 9 points to get a 219, you should make NMSF. The cutoff for Ohio was 212 last Fall, and it’s very unlikely that it would increase by that much in one year.</p>
<p>You have the opportunity to receive various big merit scholarships from schools around the country USC, Fordham, and many state schools. You should explore those options and not just limit yourself to schools in your area.</p>
<p>I don’t know what your financial situation is, but if you have a 30+ ACT consider applying out of state for “better” midwestern schools: UMich, WashU, UPenn, UChic, UIll., etc… Not that there is anything wrong with the other colleges you listed, but a 30+ ACT will easily get you into all of them and Honors w/scholy at OSU.</p>
<p>Most of those would only work if money is no object. </p>
<p>I’m thinking that she’s looking in-state because of economics. She could probably spend the same or less and go to some better schools out of state with BIG merit if she scores in the 30’s for ACT and/or makes NMF</p>
<p>I agree with Erin’s Dad, those schools have very different feels so you really need to see them. My son is a recent Miami alumni and loved it. I am a UC alumni and loved it but they appeal to different people. Good luck!</p>
<p>thanks for all your input everyone and the reason i’m mainly (but not exclusively) looking in-state is partially because of money, but mostly because i want to be a teacher in ohio and i’m not sure how teaching licenses match up from state to state…</p>
<p>^ It is a very smart idea to go to an in-state school if your goal is to teach within Ohio. You will save a ton of money. I knew a few students at Miami that were enrolled in their School of Education. They were very happy. Good luck!</p>
<p>Best Education Program 2009 (Top-25 by USNWR)</p>
<p>1 Vanderbilt University (Peabody) Nashville, TN
2 Stanford University Stanford, CA<br>
3 Teachers College, Columbia University New York, NY<br>
4 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
5 University of California–Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
6 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
7 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
7 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
7 University of California–Berkeley Berkeley, CA
7 University of Texas–Austin Austin, TX
7 University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, WI
12 University of Washington Seattle, WA
13 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
14 New York University (Steinhardt) New York, NY
14 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
16 Ohio State University Columbus, OH
17 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
18 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
19 Boston College (Lynch) Chestnut Hill, MA
19 Indiana University–Bloomington Bloomington, IN
21 University of Minnesota–Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN<br>
22 University of Southern California (Rossier) Los Angeles, CA
23 University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
24 Arizona State University Tempe, AZ
24 Pennsylvania State University–University Park University Park, PA
24 University of Connecticut (Neag) Storrs, CT
24 University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
24 University of Maryland–College Park College Park, MD
24 University of Virginia (Curry) Charlottesville, VA</p>
<p>The OP is absolutely correct that most teachers learn in state colleges because the programs are designed to meet that state’s education certification requirements.</p>
and the reason i’m mainly (but not exclusively) looking in-state is partially because of money, but mostly because i want to be a teacher in ohio and i’m not sure how teaching licenses match up from state to state…</p>