Match me for best linguistics research schools in very general northeast (looking for target, safety and reach, other specifics explained in post) [NY resident, 94/100 GPA (3.8-4.0?), 1320 SAT, likely no parent contribution]

Chance Me / Match Me
1

junior, white suburban female, LGBTQ though i doubt i can mention that (catholicism looms over me), middle class

us domestic
new york
catholic private college prep hs
legacy at georgetown, boston college

parents will NOT talk to me about finances because they think its inappropriate or something so i truly don’t know their ballpark for me

cumulative around 94%, gpa probably 3.8-4.0 (school doesnt tell gpa at all) 1320 sat (not my best day, taking it again this summer aiming for 1500+), maybe top 20% of my class with grades
dealing with unmedicated adhd and getting sick very easily, missing weeks of school, so my grades are lower than they could be. when i turn 18 i’ll find a doctor that won’t dismiss me as “not struggling” but for now i’m stuck with my complex dopamine-regulating system and fighting to keep up with my classwork

all honors as they dont offer aps, i’m told they’re basically equivalent though
ending my 3 year hs commitment to chorus to take 3 electives next year, tentatively because they don’t know when each class will be scheduled as they normally only let students take 2, and that includes advanced art, international studies and music theory. so i’m at least continuing with music just in an analytic way, I didn’t particularly enjoy chorus
on my fifth/final year of latin (next year is just translating, we’ve covered every topic)
i have consistently scored the highest in the grade/level on the national latin exam, summa cum laude x2 and only maxima cum laude this year because there was a mistake with the version we were taking/studying for, still had 4 points above the national average. other awards are honor roll and national honors society stuff, and a financial literacy certificate but i don’t know if any school cares about that
service hours are maybe 40-50 of mainly school events.

style/language-based creative writing and binging hours upon hours of video essays on tons of different and unique topics are some of my hobbies. i’m studying irish in a course outside of school and have just generally researched a ton of languages, so i am able to mostly understand spanish when its spoken slowly enough and know my way around japanese grammar, among other things.

my main draw is my conlangs (constructed languages, like tolkien made) which ive been making since i was 12. they are all very detailed with their realism, complex and unique concepts, experimental grammar and other stuff. i’m literally giving a presentation in english when we get back after memorial day explaining the steps to creating one. i can’t really express the depth of them here, but they’re huge, and if anyone is curious i can go on rants in the comments lol

clubs include

  • the philosophy club where ive led discussions
  • the art club where ive been selected as main artist for multiple events
  • quiz bowl where ive ranked pretty high in my competitions (can’t say how high because its identifiable information), was mvp by far in a couple matches, and am on track to become captain next year
  • the latin club where i was selected as leader of the classics day competitions highest level team
  • and the school announcements club. i’m just in it there’s nothing special

i’m going for pretty much anything linguistics, preferably research. i want to be helping reconstruct the phonologies of dead american indigenous languages, or tracing the links between the proto-indo-european language and religion as i’m also big into the development and themes of mythology. i am just a huge nerd man

*** may come back and edit this, i feel like i’m forgetting something…

1 Like
2

I don’t know much about this field, but I do know that University of Massachusetts has a good program, so you can put them on your list for a start. Hope this helps. Sorry that I don’t know more.

2 Likes
3

Paging @dfbdfb

10 Likes
4

University of Massachusetts has an excellent and well regarded linguistics program.

2 Likes
5

Bryn Mawr.

2 Likes
6

University of Minnesota. The following refers to grad students, but that means there are resources available.
" Nearly half of the graduate students in the Institute of Linguistics have been Native American and/or worked on Indigenous language reclamation initiatives.

Also, their Native American Studies program has a language track.

One thing you can do is look into some linguistics research journals and see who is doing the type of research you are interested in.

5 Likes
7

UMass Amherst, no question. One of the top linguistics programs in the country.

2 Likes
8

Until @dfbdfb arrives…

One option you may want to consider is Syracuse. You can see how its major in linguistics is structured, but the school also offers a certificate in Iroquois linguistics.

U. of Southern Maine is another option to consider. Its website is kind of driving me nuts, but it has a popular linguistics program and also offers a minor and certificate in Wabanaki Languages.

Leaving the northeast, you may also want to check out U. of Wisconsin, both the Milwaukee and Madison campuses.

Milwaukee has a linguistics major and offers four semesters of classes in the Native American languages of Wisconsin.

Madison offers both a BA and BS in linguistics and coursework in various indigenous languages.

And seconding the U. of MN and UMass.

4 Likes
9

I’m going to throw out several more names of northeastern schools with popular linguistics programs, but someone else (ahem) will need to provide more light on their suitability with respect to your interests.

  • Binghamton
  • Brandeis
  • Bryn Mawr (already mentioned upthread)
  • Dartmouth - which also takes a lot of pride/interest in its Native American studies program
  • Georgetown
  • Rutgers
  • Stony Brook
  • U. at Buffalo
  • U. of Connecticut
  • U. of Maryland
  • U. of Massachusetts (already mentioned upthread)
  • U. of Pittsburgh
  • U. of Rochester
5 Likes
10

That means that you have no safeties other than automatic full rides for your stats.

Will they even tell you that (for example) “in-state SUNY is affordable [or not]”?

2 Likes
11

oh my mother hates the SUNYs because of her experience with them, so her response would be I’m just not going to any. I did get the advice of going to one and then transferring to ease up tuition costs but I don’t think that’ll be happening.

I just asked her for an estimate on what she would be willing to spend on little old me and she went “loans and scholarships, babe, scholarships and loans!” so I guess I’m stuck with that

3 Likes
12

Sounds like zero parent contribution. In other words, you are not seeking admission, but instead seeking full ride or close to full ride scholarships. Remember that you can only take $5,500 loans without a cosigner in the first year of college.

3 Likes
13

Oh I think they’ll cosign, there’s just no money put away already

1 Like
14

I REMEMBER WHAT I FORGOT! I was going to mention my letters of recommendation, 2 of which seem like theyre going to be really good. the 3rd one however is from a freshman year teacher who I don’t know as well but I have still talked at length with her about my conlangs and linguistics and the like. I know colleges don’t like freshman year teachers but my school selected her for me over my first choice so I have to deal (she also wasn’t my teacher for the entirety of the year as she had to go on medical leave for a serious issue… but I don’t know if anyone will note that)

Another thing is that the indigenous phonologies and PIE language and religion things are only examples. I’m of course interested in them specifically but I’ll take anything in the same realm of research.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions!!!

1 Like
15

Well, the good news is that most colleges only require one or two letters, but many allow a third to be used as a supplemental letter if it adds something to your application that the others don’t. Hopefully recommenders 1 and 2 are from core subjects in 11th grade (or 10th), so recommender 3 can be used as a supplemental, and as long as she makes the point that you two have kept in touch since 9th grade and talked about your plans, that would be an appropriate supplemental letter.

4 Likes
16

Others have given some good options for linguistics with an Indigenous focus, though I will say that most of the programs that do that aren’t in the Northeast. And to the suggestions you’ve gotten I’ll add the Universities of Alaska (Fairbanks), Arizona, and Washington to the list, if you’re willing to consider the West. (And the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, though they’re more known for work in Pidgin and Creole languages—but those often overlap with Indigenous communities in huge ways.)

But honestly, at the undergrad level you don’t need to worry about your research focus, you need to get a solid grounding in the field, and with your interests a place where you can get basic coursework in historical lx is a bonus, though not an absolute necessity.

And that’s a mistake that a lot of high school students who are targeting a lx major make (and lx isn’t even remotely unique in this)—it’s unimportant what the research or even pedagogical focus of your undergrad program is. If you’re interested in research in lx, then you’re looking at grad school, and what’s important are the research focuses available in your graduate program.

So basically, what you need is a college—any college—with an undergraduate lx major.

Several good ones have been mentioned, but it also sounds like you need a place that will throw money at you. You appear to have a solid GPA (and you can figure out your precise unweighted GPA easily enough yourself, no matter whether your school figures it for you), so if you can get your SAT score up, especially to anything above 1500 (or an ACT of ≥34), you have a solid range of places that will throw money at you. (And don’t worry about your letters of recommendation. If you have two good ones, you don’t really need to worry about the third—and unless they’re bad they’re not going to change anything anyway.)

Your mother doesn’t like the SUNYs, but Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook all have really good undergrad lx programs, and in-state tuition is reasonable. Hofstra also has a good lx program and is willing to throw merit aid money at high-stats students. (Full disclosure: My C25 is going to Hofstra this fall for lx and math, as a beneficiary of said money-throwing.)

On the other hand, Rochester and Syracuse and (especially) NYU have very good undergrad lx programs, but are not generally forthcoming with merit aid. I didn’t see where you mentioned whether you’re expecting a lot of need-based aid, but if your expected family contribution is very low, though, those three are back on the table.

Looking further afield in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, UMass Amherst has a really excellent lx program, as others have mentioned. The universities of Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Maryland have really good programs (Maryland’s and Delaware’s may be a bit overly theoretically focused for your interests, though), as does the University of Pittsburgh and Ohio State. (Seriously, Ohio State has an amazing reputation for their undergrad program.) The University of Pennsylvania also has a very well-regarded program—IMO the best lx program in the Ivies, by a wide margin—but they don’t give merit aid, if that’s an issue.

Anyway, this has gone long and somewhat meandering, but hopefully helpful.

14 Likes
17

You must definitely apply to SUNYs because when your parents see other colleges’ pricetags they may reconsider their distaste for them.

You are limited to 5.5k in loans, the rest is taken on by your parents. It’s usually less expensive for parents to use out of pocket money - and anything that decreases loans helps.
Would they be able to use the money currently used for your school tuition for university payments starting in 2026(ie., still pay the same as for HS but throughout college)?

The federal loans limit is based on what a college graduate can reasonably pay back over 10 years. The maximum is 27k over 4 years, which with interest become 31k - and you’ll likely be 30-32 or even older by the time you are done. Anything above that is not recommended.

PHD studies are usually funded (or not worth pursuing) but that means you won’t be earning much for a long time so if you can take on LESS than the federal amount it’d be best.

You do need to know whether you need need-based money or merit only.
Running the NPC on SUNY Binghamton, UPenn/Dartmouth, UMass, Bryn Mawr, and Wisconsin/UMN would give you an idea. (SUNYs are instate publics so you get a big discount based on being a NYS resident; Dartmouth, Bryn Mawr and Penn “meet need”, Bryn Mawr also has merit aid; UWisconsin, UMN and UMass are Out of State publics so won’t give any financial aid to you but may have merit aid.)
If you qualify for financial aid, Dartmouth and UPenn should be the best deal. (They’re also incredibly hard to get into).

The best financial aid (scholarships) comes from universities themselves, if you choose carefully.. which requires running the NPC (net price calculator, those didn’t exist when your parents were going to college). NYS fortunately has excellent state grants for students attending SUNYs, but you’d need a ballpark number for your SAI.
Could you schedule an appointment between yourself, your parents, and your college/guidance counselor, and tell them they need to bring your SAI (and tell your GC they’ll bring the SAI so the GC can offer affordable suggestions). You would need to know if the GC will check the “most rigorous” box.

Your interests are unique and would make for a fascinating essay, especially if you can build on what you do with them.

It’s unique enough that if you qualify for need based aid and have a solid senior schedule (* ) it might be worth it to apply to Penn ED.

(* What’s your senior schedule?)

Are you scheduled for the June?
August? SAT tests? What about the ACT?

I would email linguistics professors at all the universities considered and ask for their advice for your current career plans, what research they’re doing and whether sophomores or juniors in their department can be involved, opinion whether their Dept would be hospitable to your interests, whether you could minor in Native American Studies.. (This would be useful when writing your “why us” statement).

UMN-Morris may have scholarships (UMN Twins Cities would be better for you but I’m concerned about the cost issue and UMN Morris is likely to be less expensive… So I think you’ll have to apply broadly).

Same double pronged strategy with UWisconsin Madison and Milwaukee.

This may be of interest .

6 Likes
18

The UMN Golden Gopher application gives you the option of applying to all UMN schools on one application. You will receive separate acceptance letters and scholarship offers from each school.

5 Likes
19

Your parents are being real jerks, and I’m sorry about that. It’s perfectly reasonable and responsible of you to ask them about a budget for college.

I think you should take one more pass at your mom on this and let her know that you have researched student loans and learned that the maximum amount you can borrow freshman year is $5,500 and, unless you get a full ride somewhere, most scholarships won’t make up the full difference, even if you get a full-time job in the summer and a part-time job during the school year. Let her know you will set up a meeting with your prep school college counselor to try to identify schools with substantial scholarships, then do it.

Your counselor may be able to help you come up with some options…most of which will still require parental contribution. You can report back to your parents and keep them informed. Sorry to say this but hopefully it will embarrass them enough (?) to kick them into gear. My hope and expectation is they would get more involved in this process and engage with you on what is in the realm of possibility.

They went to prestigious Catholic universities and they are sending you to a Catholic college prep school. I’m not sure why they are being such pills about your reasonable questions about college finances. Your parents are grandstanding and it’s ridiculous. Sorry, and good luck.

7 Likes
20

Actually don’t say this part of the speech: merit based full rides have all but disappeared. (They still exist but they used to have clear criteria, clear numbers awarded, etc.). And now they’re like wishing on the lottery.
Say sth like SUNYs cost 35k and private colleges cost 85k, can you (parents) run the NPC on X, Y, Z colleges and tell which are affordable and which aren’t?

That, below, is perfectly encapsulating the difference between paying for college in the 90s and today.

8 Likes