College Ideas

College Search & Lists
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Hello, everyone! I am a new user at College Confidential, though I have checked the site for responses to questions posted by others over the years. Now, I will keep this as brief as possible; I a Junior in High School, so I am thus moving into the mystical “college preparation” phase. I have thought a good bit about this in the past, though I feel I have not made a great amount of headway. The CC Community has always seemed very helpful and eager to assist, so I figured it would be a good place to ask for some ideas.

What I Am Looking For
As far as subject matter, there are a few areas I would like to study somewhat. I have been taking both Latin/Classics and Chinese for several years, and would like to continue with those. I am also very interested in political science, film-making, screenwriting, creative writing, and game design. As for a major/minor, it is only an inkling, though I am considering getting the necessary credentials to go to law school, and perhaps later to acquire a Masters in Urban/Regional Planning.

Location is not a concern in these early stages – I would like to have a few ideas from across the U.S. Cost is not a huge factor as of now, either; I mostly am trying to find a starting place! In the realm of size, a large or medium (anywhere from 2,000-15,000+) would be preferable.

My Educational Background
To provide a bit of context, I figured I would provide some basic information about my performance in school. As an IB student, I am currently in Honors Pre-Calculus, IB History of the Americas, IB English III, Honors Latin III, Chinese II, AP U.S. Government and Politics, and AP Environmental Science. In my Sophomore year, I took AP Human Geography and AP World History as far as APs go. In addition to my languages, I was in Acting II my Freshman year.

My weighted GPA as of the summer of 2015 was 4.64. Last year I did considerably better than in Freshman year, as all of my grades were As (we had the seven-point grading scale until my Junior year, I should probably mention). On the two AP exams I took last year, both of my grades were fives. As for the PSAT and PLAN, without studying, I received a 1900 and a 27, respectively.

Outside of school, I volunteer (~50 hours each school year), create short films (with professional equipment), and write. I have been a member of Model United Nations since Sophomore year (I received an award at Duke’s Conference in early 2015), I am a part of our Key Club, and have just founded a Cinematography/Film-making club.

Well, I think that is about all that came to mind. If there is anything I missed, please, let me know! I am thankful for any feedback!

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I did mean to add the fact that I am from North Carolina. My apologies.

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It’s great to be open minded, but it’s also kind of hard to recommend schools when you have very few preferences. You might not care where you are in the country, but there’s tons of other things you can think about. Would you prefer a university or an LAC? Would you rather be in a city, the suburbs, or in the middle of nowhere? Do you care about weather? Party culture? Political climate? Religious affiliation?

I understand why you don’t want to consider cost right now, but it is a really important factor that should be a part of your search even in the early stages. You don’t want to fall in love with a school that is just not affordable. Have you talked to your parents about how much they can contribute?

You probably know this already, but UNC is a really great option for anyone who lives in North Carolina.

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lalalemma, thank you for the quick reply!

You are right about the need to narrow down my preferences. I’d hoped that, through posting and further discussion, I’d be able to get a better idea about how I can go about doing just that.

Going along with my preference for a larger school, I would prefer a university to a liberal arts college. Location as far as surrounding area goes is a bit tricky, though I suppose I’d be most satisfied with a happy medium – in a small, college town, with access to a larger city. (Bringing in UNC, that’s a great example of what I mean.) As much as I love the south, it certainly can get a bit hot, so I would be most comfortable in a cooler area. I’m not one for parties myself, but I certainly do not mind the presence of a party culture. It’d probably be somewhat difficult to escape with most universities, anyway.

Politically, I lean a little to the left. As such, a more liberal school would be preferable, though diversity in political opinions is never a bad thing. I would rather the school not be a religious school in it of its self, though having ties to a certain religious facility is not a bad thing.

As for cost (the elephant in the room, to be sure), I believe I have a pretty wide range. My parents have stressed that finding a suitable school is more important than finding a cheap one, and have encouraged me to apply to slightly more expensive schools if I so desire. Personally, I still would prefer a school that is not totally out there – 40K+ with financial aid, I mean. I don’t believe we would qualify for any extreme aid, as our yearly income is over 130K.

UNC is definitely on my list! (Probably all there is right now, actually.) I don’t want to have just one school on my “desired list,” though. Anyway, thanks again for replying, and dealing with my lack of specificity! It’s greatly appreciated!

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Check out Tufts, Lehigh, Michigan, UVA, and Emory. Obviously your test scores would have to improve a lot for schools like these to be seriously considered, but that doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a problem given those scores were from sophomore year and no studying.

I’d also recommend the SuperMatch function (it’s on the left side of the page under “Find a College.”) It’s really helpful!

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I suggest looking over the colleges listed on fairtest.org, also. So far, your test scores are a weak link for you. If they accurately predict future performance, most of the colleges listed will probably by out of reach for you, but many elite colleges are test-optional now, and you should consider applying to some of them.

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Make sure you study for the PSAT this year to potentially make National Merit. There are many scholarship options with that award.

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lalalemma and woogzmama, thanks again for all the feedback! I am aware that my test scores are nothing to brag about, though I am confident I can improve them with preparation.

Erin’s Dad, that is a good idea. I was unsure whether or not I should take the PSAT again this year, though I probably will.

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This is the year that will count for NMF. If nothing else it will be good practice for the SAT.

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Erin’s Dad, thanks! I will sign up.

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Haverford
Bryn Mawr (if you are a woman and interested in women’s colleges)

They have a very cool interdisciplinary Growth and Structure of Cities major that sounds like it might be of great interest to you as well as access to great Classics department and Chinese language. It’s not an undergrad urban planning degree, but a Liberal Arts multidisciplinary approach that could well support law or urban planning or many other things you might decide to do. Good luck.