Colleges for a tall, frizzy-haired, contrary female

College Search & Lists
1

<p>So I’ll get right down to it. I’m a junior at a college-prep public school that consistently places in the top 50 on U.S. News and World Report. </p>

<p>School:
3.81 uw gpa (4.35 w) (Freshman year 4.0, Sophomore 3.7, currently 4.0)
Has taken three aps: HuG (grade 4), APES (grade 4), APUSH (grade 5)
Am currently taking honors physics and pre-calc, ap gov, psych, world, and lang. Am also taking journalism.
Was awarded “Excellence in APUSH” award at my school for being the top student
SAT: 2190 (Cr 770, M 720, W 700), have not yet taken ACT or subject tests
Have taken the usual required classes for math and science (such as Algebra I and II, Biology, Chemistry… all have been honors except for Geometry in ninth because I was an idiot in eighth grade)
Have taken three years of latin and two years of spanish </p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Was a summer fellow for President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign
Volunteered at a summer camp for autistic children
Am currently a legal intern at the County Attorney’s Office where I live and have built up a portfolio
Model Student Senate participate three years in a row (Best Freshman Senator, Best Committee, Best School, Most Effective Ranking Member, Senate Majority Leader)
Speech and Debate team, was a semi-finalist last year
Played for high school team since seventh grade, quit this year because of school and because girls who play soccer are the actual worst
Representative for Students Against Destructive Decisions for my school at this conference thing held by the county
Currently Opinions Editor for the newspaper
Am Literary Editor for literary magazine at my school which has won a CSPA Gold medal, I think
Placed first in a writing contest in ninth grade
Play soccer on a competitive team but will probably stop following the spring season
Volunteer with League of Women Voters
Will probably volunteer for a democrat in Florida’s gubernatorial campaign next year but haven’t decided which one yet</p>

<p>I’m thinking of majoring in political science or government (as you probably guessed) and I am also really interested in studying philosophy and history, possibly also biology, as a minor.
Obviously I’m looking to apply to the top colleges (I really like Georgetown), but I’m not really sure which ones I should be looking at and am finding the process kind of hard (and also really stressful). I’ve been looking at the “top colleges” lists for political science, but they all vary (but are very consistent in placing the ivies in the top spots) and I’m not sure what criteria they use to rank the colleges and thus am having a hard time trusting them.</p>

<p>I would like to attend a school that is in a more urban area (preferably on the mid- to north-eastern united states), has a good intellectual climate, has access to great internships, and is rigorous. I’m not interested in Greek life or anything like that. </p>

<p>So if any of you could point me to colleges that are good for what I want to do that would be great? This obviously won’t be conclusive or anything, but I haven’t been satisfied by the research my parents and I have done so far. Also, my dad’s from Poland and has been encouraging me to look at schools in Europe. My polish is not very good, and I am not skilled in any other language, so I would obviously be limited to the United Kingdom. I’ve heard of Oxford, Cambridge, and the London School of Economics, but I don’t think I’d be very successful at getting in. Does anyone have any suggestions for colleges in the UK that I maybe could look at? </p>

<p>Wow if anyone read that and decided to reply thanks a lot in advance</p>

2

<p>St. Andrews is a popular UK college for Americans.
You could get into a ton of wonderful schools. I’d try to get my hands on some good college guide books (your guidance dept. or library should have them available) such as Fiske, Princeton Review, Insiders Guide etc. and start reading up to see what schools pique your interest. Don’t get too caught up in rankings. If your school has Naviance, use it as well. In NYC, Barnard might be a great fit for you.</p>

3

<p>What does the money situation look like? Sit down with your parents, and run the Net Price Calculator at each college/university website. That will help you see which places are likely to be affordable. If none are, go read through the threads on Automatic Merit Scholarships in the Financial Aid Forum. You qualify for a bunch of them.</p>

<p>Contrary women often find places they like on this list: [The</a> Women’s College Coalition](<a href=“http://womenscolleges.org/]The”>http://womenscolleges.org/) Take a look at those as well.</p>

4

<p>in addition to your numbers, I think there’s a chance you’re going to provide some very interesting essays, molli! I really liked your post. Your writing has voice and personality. It will make the adcoms want to meet you, and you can’t buy that kind of ability in a prep course. You sound like an excellent candidate for Georgetown, and what better place to study politics than at a Jesuit college in the center of the political world? The advice you’ve received from the two happys is very good. </p>

<p>You have lots of time. Think in terms of the reach-match-safety model. Make sure the safeties are also safely affordable and you could go there if all else fell thru. That means visiting every school you can when you arrive at a final list of 6-9 schools. You also may have the opportunity to win a tuition scholarship or some such money-saving award, so consider including a couple schools on the list for which that possibility exists: Tulane, Emory, Richmond come to mind. Most of all, have some fun with this. If it weren’t stressful, it wouldn’t be as much fun. Think of it as a haunted house (you know you’re going to be scared and surprised and anxious but you’re going to come out of it screaming, laughing, and relieved). Or, don’t tell your dad I said this, you could postpone going into the house and just enjoy your last 1.5 years of high school. There’s no rule that says you have to enter the house now. This is the beginning of some of the best years of your life. There are all kinds of ways to make the most of them. Good luck.</p>

5

<p>Molli: You sound a lot like my D, though she is short and has straight hair. She is also into speech & debate and wants to major/minor in some combination of poli sci/history/public policy/economics/philosophy and eventually go to law school. She gave up playing soccer in 8th grade but got her ref license and has been officiating every weekend since age 12. She now does games up to u19. Her stats are similar to yours: 3.9uw/4.3w, SAT 2200 – 800cr/680m/720w. She is a senior in the process of submitting apps. Here is her list, in order of attendance preference: Harvard, Yale, UChicago, Georgetown, UPenn, William & Mary, Brandeis, Tufts, UCLA, Cal, UMass-Amherst, and U Washington. Good luck!</p>