Junior looking for help in putting together a college list

Hey! Welcome to the forum. I have a couple schools to suggest :slight_smile:

UC Santa Cruz sounds like a great fit for you, it’s super welcoming from my experience and the campus is just beautiful. Still California but NorCal so it will feel like an adventure. With your stats, being in-state, I’d say it’s a match.

Seattle schools! It’s an AMAZING city. Look into both University of Washington and Seattle University. Seattle U might be better for scholarships/aid as a private school for an out-of-state applicant (and also higher chances of admission).

This might seem a bit out there, but here me out. University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. The city is totally gorgeous, one of the most accepting places I know, and my friends there absolutely love it. In fact I have a non-binary friend there and they’ve told me how nice everyone is - that’s part of the reason I’m suggesting it. Only like a 2 hour flight from SoCal, and the tuition for international students is still far cheaper than the out-of-state or private school tuition in the US. I don’t know if you care about this but the city is also like 50% Chinese so you wouldn’t face any issues with racial bias. Definitely do some research and check it out!

As a non-binary applicant, I don’t know how you feel about women’s colleges. In case you’re interested in them, I strongly suggest Barnard College. The solidarity and sisterhood there is just amazing, it’s in the middle of New York, and you have access to Columbia while maintaining a small school feel. Might be a reach in terms of stats but I’ve heard they really focus on the supplemental essays.

Last one: Emerson College. Small college in downtown Boston with a top-notch journalism program (like top 10 nationally). Super progressive and forward-thinking. Might be a reach, but not an impossible reach by any means!

Please don’t hesitate to ask me more questions or for details if you need! I have so many other ideas lol but these are some of the main ones. Spread your wings and good luck!