Demographics
US domestic
Applying as an out-of-state student
Public High School
Female/White
From very rural state with limited opportunities.
Intended Major(s): History (or another humanity)
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: unknown (likely about 3.9)
Weighted HS GPA *: 4.4 weighted GPA
College GPA (for transfers):
Class Rank: 34/418
ACT/SAT Scores: 31 ACT (1250 PSAT; taking SAT soon and retaking ACT)
Coursework
AP Test Scores: APHUG 4, APUSH 5
AP Classes (Scores TBD): AP Lang, AP Psych, AP Gov, AP Lit
Awards: Extensive Social Studies Fair awards, Extensive AFJROTC awards. Several other community level awards in writing and social studies. Several group/team state level championship wins and national level participation.
Extracurriculars
4 Year AFJROTC member. (Achieved highest position available and led five teams)
4 Year Marching Band member (High Chair rank and State Champs for 3 years so far)
Show Choir Stage Crew Manager (putting in 20+ hours/week)
Several other smaller and successful groups in research and community service.
100+ community service hours.
Essays/LORs/Other
Expecting a decently strong essay (seeking help from a college counselor to write) and very strong LORs.
Cost Constraints / Budget
Sizable budget, but not able to afford Ivy League or comparable prices without loans.
Schools
College of William and Mary (likely ED)
UNC:Chapel Hill (I know this is a long shot as OOS)
USC
College of Charleston
Also, feel free to provide any suggestions for other colleges that would be a good match based on my stats.
Just to clarify, what is your current year in high school?
Have you looked at the Common Data Sets for the schools that you might consider? I ask because Section C7 gives the various academic/non-academic admission factors that are considered, and how each school weighs those factors; and there is some variation from school to school. For example, some schools give more weight to GPA than to test scores, while others (such as UNC-Chapel Hill) are the opposite, and some give equal weight to GPA and test scores. Sections C9-C11 of the Common Data Sets will give objective (GPA, test score information) for recently matriculated students, so you may be able to compare your objective statistics to those of the matriculated students and get a rough estimate of your admission chances.
You should also be aware that some highly desirable public schools – such as UNC-Chapel Hill, UVa, maybe W&M – have limits on the number of OOS applicants that are admitted, because preference is given to in-state applicants (whose parents are taxpayers of such States).
Also, what is your State of residence? I ask because there may be admission options in adjacent States where OOS status is not considered.
So it’s an interesting list - some flagships but not the largest.
You can’t afford Ivy but can you afford W&M which is $64K this year? Note, public schools don’t guarantee to meet need - so you’re talking with inflation - and adding in travel etc. likely $300K over 4 years. I’m working with a young man OOS on here who got into W&M and really wants to go but didn’t get the aid he had hoped - because it’s OOS. He got a great deal at Richmond - which meets need. It’s a similar school in some ways but maybe not socially - but maybe another to look at.
So C of C - also not cheap so check and not a ton of merit aid anymore - is a safety for you. You may even be considered for the Charleston Fellows (must apply to Honors). It’s vastly different than W&M in that it’s a small urban campus. UT Chattanooga might be a hybrid between the two - Charleston and W&M to look at - another safety. And UTC will be at a much lower cost. And if you like urban VCU.
Really - a lot depends - do you prefer the larger schools - UNC or USC type. The more suburban, smaller or even rural - you can throw an Elon in.
Or that mid size urban - C of C, maybe UTC…maybe a Tulane as a stretch (not in the city (yes in the city limits) but not far) or neighboring Loyola New Orleans which is Jesuit and an easy entry.
Congratulations on your accomplishments so far and for starting to investigate colleges.
The very first thing you need to do, even if it is uncomfortable, is to talk with you parents in specifics about your education budget. How much is saved for you to use without loans? Is there money for graduate school if that is in the future? Is there enough money for 4 years of travel expenses from your rural location to your school (price some flights, plus cars to/from airport & school times the number of times you’d have that expense - to school for drop off, Thanksgiving, winter break, spring break, pick up etc.)
Once you have a strict budget, you can really move forward. A yearly 30K budget is different than a 60K budget. You need real numbers. You can find a school to meet your numbers but there’s no reason to look at and fall in love with any schools that are out of financial reach.
Have you visited many schools? How did you choose W&M as a perfect fit for you to potentially ED? What do you like most about it?
It would really help if you could give us a figure, like $50k, $60k, $70k, etc. Since Ivy League and comparably-priced schools are now $90k+, it lets us know either what the sticker price of a school needs to be or how much merit aid would need to be provided by the school to bring a school within your budget.
When you say USC, do you mean the U. of South Carolina or U. of Southern California?
With respect to other schools you may want to look at, I’d consider:
Furman (SC)
Wofford (SC)
Christopher Newport (VA) (similarly-size to W&M but less selective for admissions)
U. of the South (TN)
Rhodes (TN)
Emory (GA)…this would be more of a reach, but it also has an Oxford campus which has slightly easier admissions where you could spend the first two years before moving with your whole cohort to the Atlanta cohort
Gettysburg (PA ) - particularly great for history
If you let us know more about what you want out of your college experience, that would help in providing suggestions.
Yes, I have looked into these schools before. I’ve been a little hesitant to research further due to how large these schools are. I don’t necessarily count them out, but I do prefer schools with a more intimate setting in and out of class.
I am currently a high school junior, about to complete 11th grade and applying this fall. I’m a West Virginia student and you are correct that there are some programs in adjacent states, but I have not found any at schools that are a good match for me. If you have any, please share!
In talking with family, parents have determined that William & Mary is within reach for me financially. I will definitely check out Richmond, though, thanks for the rec!
I’m not a fan of schools that feel huge (though UNC was probably an exception) and I’m going to visit USC. I also visited Elon and liked the feel of campus.
I am a West Virginia student, and I’d rather not go too far North of that, but I am open to any out-of-the-box suggestions.
Thanks! I am currently in talk with my parents regarding finances. They are not keen to give specific numbers, but they also really love William & Mary and they are very confident that the school is doable (I am not quite as comfortable). I will try and get more specifics but I’m that W&M is within range and is about at the top of the limit (including tuition, housing, meals, fees, etc.).
I have visited several schools so far. William and Mary is the right size with quality education, good geographical location, and good opportunities for history majors and undergrad opportunities. My parents really love it, and I like it and think it would be a strategic option for post-grad opportunities. However, I’m not sure it is worth the money. I would appreciate any opinions.
William & Mary is a great school that provides a wonderful education. Whether it (or any school) is “worth” the money is a family decision, however. I do know that there are many families who pay the out-of-state costs in their entirety and who feel that it is worth it for their families. But every family’s situation is unique, and this should really be an internal discussion for your family, though you can also mention the importance of them having a plan for a financially secure retirement (and them figuring out how much they can pay for college while keeping on-track for a financially secure retirement).
Are there any schools that you think might be “too small” for you? Have you visited any smaller schools? Right now, I don’t have any additional suggestions beyond those I mentioned in post #7, particularly Furman.
The smallest I have visited is Elon. I currently go to a 2000 person school. I am open to schools that are similar to that, but they would have to have a good program for my major and still have opportunities for extracurriculars and study abroad available. I have heard good things about Furman and I plan to research further! Thanks
I am also looking greatly into in-state schools for WV. I have a full tuition waiver to any in-state public school and qualify for full-ride merit at Marshall and WVU (the 2 larger schools in WV). I will be touring soon.
W&M does not meet need - so if they think it’s doable, they themselves say the most you can get is 25% of total cost - so it’s about $50K.
I’d say it’s a reach stat wise - but ED, rural area (I know the state is rural but not sure if you are) and extensive ECs certainly put it in play. Just ensure you can afford at least $50K (or what the NPC says - may be more) before applying. That’s on your parents, of course - to guide you.
I thinking, given the major, anywhere will be fine - and I encourage you to look at the C of Charleston Fellows I posted earlier. You apply to Honors and then hope.
It seems to me Marshall, which is investing a lot of money, will be a better fit for you than WVU.
How about a Miami Ohio? Too big? To me, it has the most W&M like feel - like a large W&M with less strict admissions and cheaper cost - and like W&M, a very well respected name.
CNU (Christopher Newport) is an LAC like with great merit - about 45 mintues East of W&M. It’s got a very local student body - mostly in state - but it has a top rated campus, food, and dorms - it might be worth checking out.
For History, many talk about Gettysburg which is a bit bigger than your HS and seems to provide solid merit aid.
You might also look at UT Chattanooga as noted before.
I second the suggestion of @AustenNut that you look at Sewanee – The University of the South.
When I mentioned admissions options in adjacent States where your OOS status might not be considered, I was thinking of tuition equivalency for in-state and OOS students – such as what Western Kentucky University, for example, has: WKU Border State Scholarship Program | Western Kentucky University. Ohio University appears to have a tuition reciprocity agreement with West Virginia, here: https://www.ohio.edu/news/2021/07/west-virginia-residents-qualify-state-tuition-all-ohio-university-campuses ; and history and political science majors are available through the Ohio University Honors Tutorial Program. I mention Ohio University because you should include safety or match schools in addition to reach schools (such as UNC-Chapel Hill).