As you continue your research, do read about the core curriculum at Columbia and UChicago to see if that is appealing to you. It is very different from the open curriculum at Brown, which is also on your list.
I like the suggestion of Wesleyan for a bit easier admit and a very friendly climate.
Okay, I will research more into it. Can you describe the differences? Thank you so much for your help by the way and everyone on this thread!
I’d be inclined to swap Macalester for Vanderbilt. But again, I think that researching the schools is key. Look at their class/distribution requirements, housing options, special programs, extracurriculars, etc. Some schools might increase in your estimation while others decrease.
I did! Vandy’s state is too unappealing.
I like the direction your list is taking. I agree with DramaMama that I’d still like to see you fit Wesleyan in somehow, or at least give it due consideration. Check out the College of Social Studies and the Global Engagement Minor in addition to the Government major, which offers concentrations in American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory.
I’m not sure exactly which school I’d remove to make room for Wes, but that’s because I don’t know exactly what appeals to you about each (other than rank/prestige), and they vary so widely in personality.
Anyway, your ranked list isn’t due for almost six months! I think it would be more than fine to have 16-18 schools on the list for now, and just know that you’ll need to decide on 1-3 to cut by October. You’ll likely learn a lot about all of the schools over the next five months, and it’ll become clear which ones you can let go.
Ultimately, you can rank fewer than 15 colleges, of course. This option ensures that you can create a desirable list from top to bottom.
Macalester is amazing. (I’m also LGBT from
FL and I had the time of my life there.)
I don’t think your chances are great at your favs; they’re single digit admits and they get a tremendous number of middle-class applicants from all over the country who have been groomed specifically to apply to them. A few are known for their laissez-faire social environments which can be rough on First Gens. Also, you say you are interested in an urban environment for jobs but consider the fact that a lot of of that searching can be done over the internet and that actually living in a big city can add to your out of pocket expenses. TBH, I think half of every QB ranking should include small colleges known not only for their superlative academics but also for their social inclusivity. Hamilton and Macalester fit the bill, but there are others out there.
@Kunjani Oh okay that’s cool. Mac will be firm on my list then!
@aquapt I see what you are saying haha. I tend to hate procrastination, so I’d rather start writing my essays now and reviewing them rather than simply writing it the day before the application is due. I agree about Wes, though I’m not sure what I might remove. Maybe Brown?
The reason why I’m starting my essays now rather than later is so I can continuously review them over the summer. I also understand that some supplemental might change. Though, most usually stay the same.
However, Wesleyan and Brown tend to be similar in their attributes. Students who apply to one often apply to the other as well.
I would keep Brown because there is more than a little overlap between it and Wesleyan University and it might evolve in your favor. I’m second-guessing Chicago; it’s a peculiar place with a certain intellectual bent. A First Gen political activist has enough to wrap their heads around without getting into the weeds of “The Chicago Statement” and what that means (or doesn’t mean) for free speech. Columbia is a much more straight forward urban Ivy choice.
Until now I didn’t even know about this statement. It’s making me reconsider UChicago. The reason why UChicago is so high on my list is because they value extracurriculars a lot.
@merc81 Ok that makes sense. Maybe not Brown.
How did you make your list? It seems you know little about the schools on it (or you’d never suggest dropping Brown for Wes and leaving, say, Columbia). You need to do your research. Macalester is a great school, but do you even want to spent for years in Minnesota? You should also consider Grinnell, Amherst, Swarthmore, but not because I simply said so. Do your research and decide if you’d be happy to attend. (All are quite wealthy and generous towards FGLI)
As an aspect to consider, public affairs, as a designated major, may not be commonly available at your schools of interest. However, you may be well suited to the practically-oriented major of public policy.
Up until now, I was looking at solely the programs and how well-received they are.
Though I must concede, I have been slightly blinded:
Up until now, I’ve been biased by spite (my mother said I would only be “good enough” for community college, etc).
Now I’m taking the steps to look more holistically.
You could try&find Princeton review’s Best Colleges at your school library and once you’ve found enough colleges that you like from these descriptions of vibe/student life/academics, you can read up more in-depth using the Fiske guide.
The good news is that you have several months to finalize your list. Spend some time doing research into each school. Look at curriculums, virtual campus tours, career outcomes, etc.
You also need some non QB non FL financial/academic safeties.
@MYOS1634 No yeah 100% I have 6-7 Common App colleges I’m interested in, 5 of which are state schools.
@Momofthree24 Speaking of which, I’m actually going to a college fair that happens to be on my birthday, lol.
This is intriguing to me. It says you get a summer trip (sounds like this summer) to take classes at a university such as Emory, Chicago, Notre Dame, Penn, WUSTL, Yale, etc.
And it comes with this:
So it does sound like you have a huge leg up!!!
Hopefully you will learn things from this program that enhance your applications.
The one thing I’m most concerned with is - you seem to be picking names in large part - but I really hope you go school by school and find the right one.
By this I mean, you chose Chicago because they like kids with ECs - your words. So everyone there likely will have ECs but less important to me is why you fit what Chicago wants. More importantly is how do you fit at Chicago? Why/how is Chicago the right place for you to spend four years, day after day after day?
Those are the schools you should pick.
Sounds like you’ll have an exciting year ahead of you with an opportunity to learn a ton and have admission success.