This school has become more competitive. I would say it’s a target more than a safety.
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I think you should discuss costs with your parents- 25-50k seems like a big range.
Oneonta looks like a good safety and they have a lot of different pre-health tracks. It also happens to be a nice school.
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I have only seen Wes for LAC, I haven’t explored many of them, I am open to suggestions. I really do not know what I am doing. I’ve only said WPI as they reached out to me, and RPI because one of my friends went there and said it was good.
I’ve only taken one AP test so far, I got a 4 on my AP World. I will ask my parents to look into budget with me, they just have really been focused on the SAT more than actual college atm, so I don’t know if they are ready to talk budget yet, but I will ask.
As for locations, NYU has been a dream of mine because I’d like to get a good education and get to experience NYC. However, I also like suburban small towns. The problem is I have not been on any college tours yet, so I’m purely going off reputations for colleges, I don’t know what many of these colleges look like yet.
I will look into that, however if its 3+4, does that mean its an accelerated courseload where they pile more stuff to get you graduated faster?
I will add it to my list and try to plan a tour sometime soon. I have not heard of it till now.
Oh okay, I will try looking for other regular opportunities then. I’m aiming for a 1400 SAT score right now, I’m trying my best to get it up, I just lack a brain when it comes to math. I’m trying to find a shadowing opportunity.
I will add it to target schools.
I’ve just heard that the professers aren’t very great and looking at their SAT score requirements, I feel like it might not be the college that is good for me, however I know that whatever school I go to in undergrad doesn’t really matter because I plan on going to med school. I will keep looking into it.
Honestly, I don’t know. It looks like you meet their initial criteria (gpa, scores) which is why I mentioned it.
I think a great thing for spring break - or if your high school has visit days or worst case after school ends - start visiting some schools nearby.
An urban, suburbana. Small, medium, large.
Get a feel. NYU, for example, no major campus - sort of city bound. Perhaps a bit less extreme but BU and GW would be in a more similar boat whereas a Pitt has a campus but is urban.
There are many colleges around - of varying size.
A great SAT will help - but you do have to also mention to the folks, an NYU will be nearly $400K (if you don’t have need aid) -
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Can we afford it? If yes,
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Do we want to afford it?
So budget is critical - but in the meantime, you can visit a variety of 4 or 6 schools - even if just walking campuses yourself - to get a feel for what you might like. That plus a budget can then help you make a list - but likely not WPI or RPI for what you want.
It’s best to be on campus when people are there - but whether weekends or summers - if that’s all you can do, it’s better than nothing.
Lots of kids have perceptions and often like you based on reputation - but often getting on campus, you get an “ick” or “I love this” feel - so best to sample when you can.
Good luck.
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I think Oneonta is a good safety and I would do some research on it. I would also add Buffalo (as mentioned already).
Ohh, okay yea its been on my list for a while.
Okay, thank you for the advice. I will speak to my parents about college tours, we have spring break coming up so I will try to get to some and I will probably go to a lot this summer as well. and yes, I need to be more mindful of the budget.
Yes, I have added it. I’ve just been making a list on collegevine.
I think Wesleyan makes a very good “tent pole” school for you: it has several qualities you are looking for (suburban, superb reputation in the Life Sciences, two hours from NYC), but too reach-ey to rely on entirely and you’ll have to run its NPC just to make sure your parents are comfortable with the need-based, discount price (it’s also need-aware.) But you’ve already visited it, and you have a good idea of what you liked about it.
Your next task is to find schools that resemble some mix of Wesleyan and NYU since the latter has been a favorite of yours for quite some time. Not an easy task, but not impossible.
I’d take a look at all the City of New York (CUNY) flagships. Almost all of them have attractive main campuses with some recently built accommodations for residential students. And none of them are more than an hour away from Manhattan.
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Hunter College has dorms on their 25th St campus. It is also a very good school.
I also think some of the other CUNYs have dorms- I would check. CUNY is a good option given costs and desire to be in NYC.
I understand your concerns regarding scores at Oneonta, but… that is a safety and it’s a good school. New Paltz is a match with your current scores and gpa (regular admission, not the 3+4 program).
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Yes, I will check my budget and look at more schools from a budget-oriented perspective. Thank you for the advice about CUNY, most of them do look good.
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Oh yes sorry, I didn’t read the safety bit. I have Hunter on my list as well.
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Have you used the NPCs on your reach schools?