Chance my HS Junior - Psychology/International studies [TX resident, 3.67 UW, top 30%, 1230 SAT, <$40K/yr]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics
US Citizen from Texas
Currently attends local high school for the Performing and Visual Arts
White female
Legacy to Texas A&M

Intended Major(s)
Psychology with an emphasis on international relations

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.67
Weighted HS GPA : 4.014
Class Rank: top 30%
ACT/SAT Scores: right now it’s a 1230, but just started tutoring for round 2 of SAT. She has not taken the ACT, but plans to take both in June.

Coursework
She will graduate with about 7 APs and 2 dual enrollments. She will take AP Calc senior year. She took French I and tested out of the high school requirement for German (but barely, her German is not good)

Awards
International Thespian Society

Extracurriculars
Member of Secretariat and room leader for the Global Elementary Model UN which is based out of DFW, but has participants from all over Texas.
She has started and is leading a Global Elementary Model UN delegation at our neighborhood elementary school who will participate in GEMUN for the first time this year.
President of the Junior World Affairs Council at her school
Member of National Charity League
Summer intern for Dallas Young Artists (community theater)
Cast in All School Musical production of “Hairspray”
Selected for the “Musical Theater Practicum” at her high school
Leader of costume design team and cast member of the Musical Theater production of “the Mystery of Edwin Drood”

(For what it’s worth, the all school musical and the musical theater practicum take up A LOT of time, to the detriment of her grades. I do not know how to “sell” these two activities for the committment they have required…any advice here would be appreciated)

Essays/LORs/Other
We have not started these, but I am hoping she will have LORs from her Musical Theater Practicum teacher, her AP psych teacher, and the school sponsor for the Junior World Affairs Council. Essay advice would be appreciated

Cost Constraints / Budget
probably upper limit would be $40k per year

Schools
I do not know where to begin. My hope is that we can somehow parlay her extensive musical theater experience into win for a school that is not have a huge theater program, but is interested in students that can add to a mediocre theater program while she majors in international relations/psychology (does that make sense?).

Also, She likes old northeast cities and would appreicate an “old” feel to the campus. I think it would help if she goes to a school in a big city that allows her to connect to potential international NGOs that she could get involved with and intern for. This leads me to look at Boston and DC and New York as potential cities.

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I’m not familiar with psychology with an emphasis on international relations. Is she interested in a double major with psychology and international relations? Or a major in political science with a focus on international relations?

You will want to look at the foreign language requirements for colleges. Most colleges want at least two years of the same foreign language, and many/most of the colleges that are more selective prefer students to have three or four years of the same foreign language. Additionally, if your D is interested in international relations, foreign language proficiency is important to have. I would strongly urge her to take French II or the next level of German (German III?).

When you’re looking at what colleges want, note whether they say recommend or require. If it’s required, then your D may be out of luck. If it’s recommended, then she may have a shot.

Look at what each college requires, but usually schools that ask for more than one letter of recommendation want one from a humanities/social sciences teacher (English, history, foreign language) and one from a STEM teacher (i.e. math, science). The preference is also usually for teachers who have taught the student in 11th or 12th grade.

There are many ways to get internships for NGOs or international experience without being in NYC, D.C., or Boston. Many state capitals have international/foreign trade boards or committees to recruit foreign investment or tourism in the state. They may have NGOs that help with refugee resettlement or asylum claims or other issues. Additionally, your D will have summers to focus on internships as well, so though there can be a special look into the cities you mentioned, I don’t think the search should be limited to them.

Has your daughter visited any schools yet? What are her thoughts about school size? Greek life? The importance of intercollegiate athletic enthusiasm? Does she prefer small classes or the anonymity provided by larger lectures? Are there any other factors that influence her college preferences?

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Thank you so much for such thorough answers. I should add that I feel very out of the loop with this whole process, so forgive my ignorance. I probably did not use the right words in discussing her major field(s) of study. She thinks she wants to do psychology. I think she has ECs showing an interest in international affairs. I am trying to find a way to marry these two interests into…something. Maybe she just needs to go for General Studies and then figure out options once she gets to know them. But I want her to be at the right school to be able to do both.

Excellent point on the foreign languages. I’ve known this was a major shortcoming and have not worked out a plan for that yet. Right now I’m thinking I need to find some community college class for her to take over the summer. Do you think that would work?

Thanks for the heads up about a math or science teacher LOR, I will get her thinking on that.

She has not visited schools yet. Honestly, she has been so overwhelmed with rehearsal time, she has barely thought about what comes after Junior year, much less beyond. I am starting this for her so we can formulate a game plan over the summer. To answer your questions about campus life: I don’t think she will care about Greek life. I personally feel like she could benefit from a place that has a decent team so that she could benefit from the cohesive atmosphere that school sports bring.

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The issue with DC, NY and Boston is this.

Unless you receive need based aid, this is unlikely.

You can fill out a net price calculator to see. All schools are different but it’s a place to start.

Many schools have a DC semester. My daughter did one and worked at a think tank but had a multitude of opportunities.

What I would more focus on is - what size school does she want. It sounds like she wants urban. Should it be one with greek life? How large a school does she want?

These type things to narrow in on a list.

Both Psych and IR can be done most anywhere. Not sure how they marry up - but once you know your need profile, you can start picking schools - and rest assured, Texas ones will hit budget as will some neighboring states.

Welcome | Net Price Calculator (collegeboard.org)

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I would consider the following 10 basic rules…

  1. Cheaper isn’t always better and the cheapest option should not be the de facto starting point for preference.
  2. Social, academic and financial fit are all very important in determining happiness and eventual outcomes and should be considered equally.
  3. You can’t attend a school unless you can afford to pay for it, but sometimes modest amounts of debt are worth it.
  4. Prestige and name recognition don’t always matter but often they do. For international students and those interested in specific careers, certain top tier schools out perform lower ranked schools. This difference becomes more acute as the disparity in ratings, prestige or name recognition becomes greater.
  5. These decisions and discussions are personal and based on family value systems and unique financial circumstances. Consequently no one should pass judgement on the conclusions or priorities of others.
  6. While it may seem helpful to hear about other kids specific experiences assuming that your experience will be the same is risky. Your response to any comments beginning with the term “my kid” should be taken with a grain of salt in terms of its personal relevance. First hand experience however is always more valuable than “searched” second hand info.
  7. No matter how well intended, anyone giving you advice will be basing that advice upon their own biases and as justification for their prior decisions. It is human nature.
  8. If someone always offers the same answer they aren’t listening to the question.
  9. The value of free advice from strangers is often equal to what you are paying for it (including mine).
  10. Listen to and respect everyone but only follow the advice of GCs, confirmed experts, your parents (or kids observations) and others who know you or your kid the best.

Good luck.

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Due to the admission by rank system in TX, she’ll probably do best outside of the state.

She’ll need to have 2 colleges she likes and that you can afford - those are the most difficult to find.

College websites have a Net price Calculator: you input financial info (number in the family, income, investment&home/equity value, and sometimes GPA and test scores…) and they tell you roughly how much they’d expect you to pay.
Do this with Muhlenberg College, SUNY New Paltz, Agnes Scott, Mount Holyoke, Clark, College of Charleston, St Olaf, Dickinson, American University, Macalester. The results should be quite different. Are all affordable ? Only some?

She can consider Psychology major/IR minor for now. You 2 can dig into it more later.

If she took French 1 and German 2, she would start in College French 1 or College German 2. It may be worth it (and fun for her because they do a lot of …crafts, not sure how to call their ‘learn by doing’ approach…) to look at Concordia Language villages this summer. They have both languages and they’re very effective - completing a full 4 week session can give 1 year of HS foreign language credit.
Taking German 3 would be useful for college admissions but French may matter more for IR, first because it’s the traditional language of diplomacy (although many many languages are now used, English and French are still expected) and second because it opens up Canada and West Africa in addition to Metropolitan France&its territories.
In any case foreign language mastery is an essential skill for IR, as is study abroad - she’ll need to understand what makes the countries in her area of geographical interest move and change. Anyway… she needs to bring her level in Foreign Language as close to HS Level 3 or 4 as she can.

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Point Park and Chatham in Pittsburgh might work with some merit or FA. Point Park has a very good performing arts program. Chatham is close to CMU and Pitt. CMU has world class performing arts programs. Most of the Pittsburgh schools have cross registration agreements. Run the NPC.

Ithaca and Drexel have strong performing arts programs but you would need merit or FA to stay under budget.

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Looking for schools that have good school spirit around sports, that would provide good opportunities for your D’s interests, and that have the possibility of meeting budget, I’d take a look at:

Seton Hall (NJ): About 6k undergrads just outside of New York City. Its diplomacy school might be very intriguing for your D, and basketball is popular.

U. of South Florida: About 38k undergrads and sticker price comes well within budget around $31k.

Some other schools to consider include:

  • U. of Denver (CO): About 6200 undergrads and hockey is very popular here
  • Baylor (TX): About 15k undergrads
  • U. of Cincinnati (OH): About 30k undergrads

In-state, I’d take a close look at:

U. of North Texas: About 33k undergrads. Has lots of possibilities with respect to various foreign languages and areas of the world
https://internationalstudies.unt.edu/

U. of Houston: About 38k undergrads and your D might be interested in its international affairs internship program.

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I think it’s very difficult to approach this from the standpoint of viewing her talent, as a non-major participant in musical theater, as a “hook” to achieve a desirable and affordable acceptance. That’s going to be tough, because for the most part, schools that aren’t invested enough in MT to have a strong and competitive program, aren’t going to be invested enough to recruit her for her talent, either.

I think that on the first pass, I’d take the theater piece out of the equation and just ask, where could she study what she wants, for a price you can afford, in an environment she would like and with as strong an academic reputation as possible? Once you have a list, then see what the theater opportunities look like and where she might find fit in that respect.

She has good course rigor, and her grades and scores aren’t bad. The problem is that her record isn’t quite strong enough to score big merit at competitive schools. (Also, I’m not clear whether you would qualify for need-based aid, but the most generous schools that meet need are also not going to be in range. But that doesn’t mean need-based aid can’t be part of the picture. As others have said, run the Net Price Calculators for schools that have already been suggested - do some look affordable?)

There are some private colleges that have Flagship Match rates that would make them affordable. Hendrix is one, for example, and it has an IR major. (And of course psychology - pretty much every college has a psych major.) International Relations & Global Studies | Hendrix College Theater looks pretty non-musical there, though. Another flagship-match school is Oglethorpe, in Atlanta. This would give her major-city access, with lots of the desired internship opportunities, etc. And the theater piece is interesting, because they have a long-standing collaboration with a nonprofit MT group, and put on joint productions in which both Oglethorpe and community actors perform. (Students cast in Actor's Express co-production of "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" - The Source) They have psych and intl studies, and they’re also in the Atlanta consortium with heavy-hitter schools like Emory and Georgia Tech (which has a particularly strong IR program - cross-registering there could be a big enhancement).

IR-wise, is she interested in a particular part of the world?

Trinity U in San Antonio might be another school to run the NPC for. https://www.trinity.edu/academics/cosb/iter/international-studies-ba

U of Houston could be a more attractive option if she could make it into the Honors College. Based on the profile, this seems like a little bit of a stretch but not necessarily out of the question: Honors Profile - University of Houston

Given her interest in IR but the relative weakness of her foreign language background, one path to consider might be a gap year abroad - living with a host family and doing an extra year of high school in the host country - through AFS or a similar organization. This would give her a massive leap in language skills, and establish her seriousness about an international focus. Plus, she could add some additional AP-level coursework, and include her senior-year courses and grades in her GPA as an applicant. Would she be interested in that sort of experience?

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Thank you so much, this is fantastic advice! I appreciate you putting to rest any hopes I had of using her MT experience as a boost, I was hoping all of those hours she has put into it would be worth something…but maybe it can be used to just show that she was committed to something.

The study abroad program sounds very intriguing. As does the Atlanta connection. I will do more reading about Oglethorpe. You are the second person to recommend Trinity, so I will research that, too.

Thank you for your help, this really helps give us some focus.

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Thank you! It’s funny you mention Seton Hall. My husband had also sent me some info on Seton Hall yesterday after it appeared in the mail (one of those many letters that you get in the mail with you have a HS junior). For some reason it piqued his interest and we put it on the list to visit this summer. I had never thought about USF, but will go do some research now. This is great info! Thanks again!

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This is wonderful advice about languages, thank you for the direction. I was wondering if French would be the better way to go. I’m leaning towards her putting her time in that instead.

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Excellent advice! I needed to hear this. This needs to be pinned at the top :slight_smile:

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You need a financial safety school. If you are looking for a university in a large, international city that has a very strong Honors program that fits your budget, you should strongly consider the University of Houston (which has been mentioned several times above)

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To be clear, I’m not saying that her MT talent doesn’t strengthen her application. It definitely does. She’s impressive at something, and that makes her stand out as someone colleges might like to add to their student community.

I just think it’s important to draw a distinction between that and actually being recruited. The athletic equivalent of this situation is an athlete - talented enough to play on a college team, but doesn’t want to play in college. Schools will still see her talent and her work ethic, and say, “This student is impressive, and we like having impressive students on our campus.” But they will not say, “Oooh, we need this athlete for our low-performing club team.” That just isn’t how club teams work.

And many a sports parent, when the decision is made that their child won’t be a recruited athlete, has said exactly what you’re saying: “I was hoping all of those hours she has put into it would be worth something.” It still is worth something - both because they loved it and it helped make them who they are, and because it does make them stand out in the applicant pool. It just doesn’t rise to the level of recruitment, or being a “hook.” Is it a “boost?” Well, that’s a more vague term. In the sense that it does strengthen her application, I think it’s fair to call it a boost. It’s just hard to quantify. And when a student gets in or doesn’t, you can never know how much one factor mattered.

Good luck with the search!

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Considering her MT/tech experience, Concordia villages would likely work well - the downside is that it’s expensive, the upside is that she’d have Fr3 senior year which would be ok for most colleges.

Muhlenberg may be a good target because they have an excellent theater program and it’s small enough that her skills would likely be uniquely appreciated. It wouldn’t be a hook but mire like, a nudge (little help).

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