I’m a junior in high school and I’m interested in majoring in international relations. I’m a white middle class female from Massachusetts. I don’t know my GPA, but I have strait As freshman and sophomore year and I took all honors and AP World History (4 on the exam). In junior year I took AP US and English and I’m probably going to end the year with three Bs.
SAT 2200 (math 650, CR 750, W 800). I retook it but I don’t know my scores yet.
EC: not spectacular. Three years of my school’s drama club, art club, and science club. My art portfolio is probably my greatest strength.
Awards: three national awards on art competitions, and some smaller school awards.
I’m graduating one year early because I got a scholarship to study abroad in Europe my senior year.
I’m probably going to apply EA to Wellesley and regular to Mount Holyoke, Smith, BU, Tufts (maybe), Wheaton.
I don’t want to apply to UMass as a safety, and many people from my school are applying there anyway.
Size doesn’t matter,but I want to be in an urban location.
I should qualify for some financial aid but I’m definitely not opposed to merit scholarships 
How about UVM or Clark.
University of Vermont won’t do- too expensive, and it doesn’t have an IR major. Clark is too close to home, I’m from central Mass.
UNH? Providence College? SUNY Binghamton? Rutgers?
Since you seem drawn to women’s colleges, you should look at Agnes Scott. It is just outside of Atlanta in Decatur, GA. You also might want to look at Goucher which is in Baltimore.
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I should qualify for some financial aid but I’m definitely not opposed to merit scholarships
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Have you asked your parents how much they’ll pay?
You may qualify for FA at some schools, but maybe not as much as your parents would need.
Safety schools rarely give much FA. Some will give merit, but not much FA.
I’m not particularly interested in women’s colleges, I just liked those three colleges when I visited them (and they give good FA). My parents can only pay the amount that the Wellesley, Smith, and Holyoke NPC calculates as our contribution. So if a college can’t cover 100 percent need, then I need merit aid.
Thank you guys for the suggestions, I’ll check them out.
Any additional suggestions?
Connecticut College for a student like you is like a safety and is a 100% need school.
Colleges that meet need define what that need is based on your finances. You can run the Agnes Scott NPC to see how that looks. How about Denison U for a merit aid option?
Check out to see whether you’d qualify for merit aid at American U. If so, it has an excellent IR program, with great internship opportunities in DC. Try Goucher, too. You might get a decent aid package from University of Miami or Tulane, if you wanted to travel further afield. You would probably qualify for a good merit package at Temple, if you are willing to consider that large a school. Their Honors College is quite good. Occidental might meet need; if so, they are also strong in IR. They have excellent foreign study opportunities and even have a semester at the UN.
There are state schools besides UMASS. Salem State is in an urban location, and depending on your MCAS scores, you could qualify for free tuition (though obviously, fees and board and all that would still be a factor). UMASS Lowell is also more urban than Amherst, and its reputation has improved a lot over the years.
That being said, I’d double-check your decision plans. Unless they’ve changed it this year - and a quick glimpse at their website makes me think that they haven’t - Wellesley doesn’t do Early Action. They have binding ED or this funky Early Evaluation program, where you get letters indicating the likelihood of your admission about a month prior to actual decisions. I don’t know if that changes your perspective, but it should be noted.
SUNY schools have affordable OOS tuition compared to many other states schools; maybe you should check some of those out. I go to the University at Albany - SUNY right now. It is in a great location and has so much to offer as far as clubs/organizations, not to mention the academics here are really great! The party school rep has faded, but social life is still fun. Also, I’d check out the University at Buffalo - SUNY.
What major are you aiming for? That is a big determination but each and every SUNY school has something that it’s particularly good in. Again, OOS tuition is so much more affordable than other OOS colleges.
I feel like I’m spamming this board with my recommendation for Temple University in Philadelphia! But seriously, check out Temple. I think you’d get free tuition because your SAT R&W average + your M is 1425 meets the minimum requirement. Temple’s in a pretty bad neighborhood but it is getting better. I see you like BU. I know several kids starting Temple in the Fall who had wanted to go to BU but who decided to take the free tuition at Temple when BU didn’t throw them as much merit as they’d hoped.
Look at Fordham and American. If not too rural maybe Dickinson and Gettysburg. How far from home are you willing to go?
For safeties, would any of the schools in this list be of interest?
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
SUNY’s are cheap for OOS and efficient. They don’t compare well to flagships of other states in many ways but the 4 SUNY Centers are solid Safety schools for mid level to good students. Even most of the very strongest students from NY apply. They rarely end up there but they apply for safety sake. They are solid schools.
UMass should really be an option. It’s so big that honestly, I wouldn’t worry about people from your high school applying there. At least consider it with an open mind. If Clark is too close to home, I’m assuming you don’t really want to apply anywhere in Worcester? I would have recommended you look into Becker or Assumption if that wasn’t the case.
What do you think about Boston College, Brandeis, Babson, Lesley, or Endicott?
Thank you, halfemptypockets! I think anyone looking at large urban universities should look at Temple. The more I see of it, the less I can rationalize paying several times as much for other schools with a little more brand prestige.
What about Bryn Mawr? Not really an academic safety, but possibly a financial one. It’s still all women, but Haverford is just down the road and you can attend classes at both. Great schools, very close to Philadelphia.
^ You think that Bryn Mawr gives more FA than Wellesley, Smith and Mt Holyoke?