Match Me for Liberal Arts! HS Junior, 3.8uw GPA, with a maybe unique spike? [FL resident, need FA]

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Demographics

  • US domestic
  • Florida
  • Haitian
  • Junior in high school
  • Female/Black/ Haitian Immigrant Parents:
    *URM, Mom has associates but not 4 year, dad does

Intended Major(s)

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.8
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.198/4.0
  • Class Rank: 16/380
  • ACT/SAT Scores: N/A

Coursework
3 APS - Eviornmental (2) Seminar (…2 because of a lack of a teacher) Art History (Online, test too costly) Currently enrolled in Research, APUSH, Macroecon and Gov. Had a B in Research last semester, the rest A’s

9 Honors Classes - Alegbra 1 and 2, Biology, Pre Calc, Chemistry, English 1 and 2, World History, and Geometry. A’s except Pre-Calc (B-), Chemistry (B+), English 2 (B), and Geometry (B+).

Biology - Had in 8th grade (Corona) and got a D, retook 11th and got an A, D still on transcript.

Dual Enrollment - ENC 1101, Intro to Psychology, College Success, Career Planning, A’s except career planning, got a B

Awards
Kelley Womens Leadership Insitute (International, 60 girls chosen)
Yale Women In Economics Semi-Finalist (Like 50% of 1000+ apps)
Pionner Prep Scholar (Fly-in at University of Denver, 30 out of 300+ apps, 12 of 30 out of state, National)
Scholastic Art and Writing Silver Key
AFJROTC Marine Leadership Award (1 out of 400+ cadets to get it, just joined 5 months prior!)
Girls Who Code Scholar (Unaware of the stats for this one)
DemocroShe Scholar ($500 stipend to learn about civics and government, just got this one but it should be a 2-3 month commitment)

Extracurriculars
Youtube - Creator (9-11)
Uploaded a very niche Nickelodeon series lost media to Youtube, under the name “(redacted)” Gained over 65,000+ views over 2 years. Collaborated with others around the United States and found news reports, radio interviews, and advertisements. Interviewed animation and entertainment industry professionals (some have won Emmy’s and Grammy’s). Had legal permission.

Freelance Writer - Independent (10-11)
Wrote multiple expository articles for literary magazines and organizations surrounding social justice, civics, and the black community. Published online globally for readers.

Success Team - Member (9-11)
Received a $500 scholarship for a trip to Atlanta, Georgia. Visited colleges such as Emory, Georgia Tech, Alabama State, and Clark Atlanta (10th). Recruited over 15+ to join for the current year.

Class Government - President (10-11)
Held position as class president for grades 10th, and currently 11th. Currently coordinating organizing fundraisers for prom and have over 10+ students raising funds and gained $2,300+ so far

Debate (11) -
Regional Finalist for the Incubate Debate Region competition, placed in the top 20% out of 60 debaters from around Florida.

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) (11)-
Placed 2nd in the district for advertising and qualified to make states, competed out of 10+ students from surrounding counties.

JROTC (10-11) -
Wellness Officer Staff Sergeant (SSgt, 11th). Created fitness plans executed every Friday for over 100+ cadets. Volunteered to run canned food drives and coordinate cadet hangouts for over 100 cadets.

Drama Club (10-11) -
Performed in front of over 600+ in two years, assisted in props and rehearsal while dancing and acting.

Intern at non profit (10) -
Marketed a college prep a thon and successfully brought in 300+ attendees, with speakers from Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, etc.

Essays/LORs/Other
So far, my options for rec letters are my Chief (JROTC, Military vet, in AF for 20 years and has the rarest rank) and my college English professor (ENC 1101) and counselor (we are locked in!) Essays, I hope they’re good!

Cost Constraints / Budget
Might get flagged or hated on for this but I would really like to just see my matches without a focus on costs. But for context, my family makes 100k and I need aid. NPC for swarthmore says 19k for context.

Schools
Asking everyone to match me!

Addtional Info
I value a black population, but I do like diversity. Look at Harvard’s demographics for an example of what I mean (No, not aiming for Harvard)
My dad got his degree here.
For bright futures, I haven’t made the testing or community service requirement yet.
Please give some suggestions for where i should go to.

2

impressive resume! I would look at Wesleyan University, Macalester College, Occidental College, Vassar College, F&M College, Mount Holyoke College, Dickinson College, and Colby College. best of luck!

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You have a very interesting background and I’m definitely rooting for you.

Can you let us know more about what you want out of your college experience, apart from a racially diverse population? These questions might help jog your thinking:

  • Do you have size preferences about the overall university?
  • Do you learn best in smaller classes or do you prefer the potential for anonymity in larger ones?
  • How do you feel about Greek life?
  • How do you feel about significant school spirit around intercollegiate athletics?
  • Are there areas of the country where you would prefer to be (or prefer to avoid)?
  • Are there any climate concerns (heat, cold, cloudiness/lack of sun, etc)?
  • What types of areas of study do you think might be possibilities? It’s totally okay to be undecided, but it’s good to make sure colleges offer the fields you’re interested in, whether that’s engineering or linguistics or business, or…
  • How do you feel about urban, suburban, small town, or remote campuses?
  • Is there a certain distance from home that you would prefer (whether in hours of driving, or in terms of direct flights from a convenient airport)?
  • Are there particular interests you want to pursue (whether ROTC, or public policy, or rock climbing, or…)?

I would strongly urge you to do whatever you can in order to qualify for Bright Futures, as it’s an amazing benefit for Florida residents. Khan Academy is reported to have good free test prep and with the whole summer ahead of you, there should hopefully be enough time for community service, too.

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I just asked you a bunch of questions, but I started thinking of some suggestions before getting any answers (oops!). Your reaction to some of the suggestions can help you figure out things that you prefer (and don’t prefer). As you’ve already run the NPC at Swarthmore, I’m moving ahead with the assumption that you might prefer a smaller school. These three schools are some that I think could be nice fits for you:

  • Agnes Scott (GA): Women’s college of about 1k undergrads. 33% black, 35% white, and 41% of students receive Pell grants. It’s in one of the most walkable areas of Atlanta (Decatur). Both Agnes Scott & Oglethorpe are part of a consortium that allows students to take classes at other Atlanta-area schools, including Spelman, Emory, Georgia Tech, SCAD, etc.

  • Oglethorpe (GA): About 1500 undergrads and you may qualify for their Flagship 50 scholarship (depending on how they calculate your GPA), meaning that your family would pay the equivalent of U. of Florida’s tuition and fees for tuition there (currently estimated at $6380…as Florida has some of the lowest in-state tuition rates in the country). 22% black, 38% white, and 38% of students receive Pell grants.

  • McDaniel (MD): About 1800 undergrads at this Colleges That Change Lives school, an association of smaller schools that were recognized for their commitment and success in undergraduate teaching. 25% black, 54% white, and 36% of students receive Pell grants. Here is its CTCL profile: McDaniel College – Colleges That Change Lives

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If you need a merit scholarship to afford the college, then the reach/match/likely/safety classification must be based on the scholarship, not admission.

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Seconding all the above!
What about Mount Holyoke, Macalester, Bates for reaches
Whitman, St Olaf, Kalamazoo for matches?
Run the NPC and see whether any would be affordable. :+1::crossed_fingers:

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Sorry for late response!

  1. Bigger the better, I like schools with populations above 5,000+
  2. Medium sized lecture rooms, or like 20-100 in the room.
  3. I dont really care for greek life, but if it runs the entire social scene im out.
  4. I’m all for it!! Yay!!
  5. Id like to strongly avoid places with high elevation, I did a fly in at UDenver and got a massive headache while there
  6. I’ve noticed that I like making sure things go the way theyre supposed to do, so maybe managment or policy
  7. small town/remote absoluetly not
  8. I dont really care for distance
  9. Maybe debate? seems fun.
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If you like schools that are 5,000+, liberal arts colleges won’t work for you as they typically enroll fewer than 5,000 (most are much smaller than that). Also, particularly in the Northeast, they are often located in rural areas/small towns. You really need to get a budget from your parents - there aren’t that many schools that meet full need like Swarthmore. And given your preferences, I’m not sure Swarthmore would fit the bill anyway - and it is a very high reach for you. Unfortunately, the schools that are the most generous with financial aid are also the toughest to be accepted to.

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LACs with the best financial aid tend to be 1,800-2,500 - they feel MUCH bigger than that number of students in a HS because they have larger campuses with several dozens of buildings.
Exceptions would be consortia like BrynMawr/Haverford (about 3,500 together), the Claremonts (5 colleges, about 7,000 students together), perhaps Smith or Amherst which are small but in a consortium that includes about 40,000 students with UMass Amherst nearby. Also I think StOlaf has about 3,200 students?
In college, a class of 20 is not considered medium sized but very small. Even Honors classes (smaller than regular classes hence more personal and interactive) may have 30-35 students. Many lecture halls will have 100-350 students in them (which will be broken into smaller sections once a week, with probably 25-30 students in each, perhaps fewer if you’re lucky). You can ask what the size cap is for Freshman composition, speech/communication, Intermediate foreign language, as those tend to be the smallest classes.

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Echoing @Thorsmom66 that if you want to be in a college with 5000+ students, then small liberal arts schools will not work for you. Also small liberal arts schools tend to be mostly in more remote areas - sometimes in/near a robust “college town” but usually not in a larger city, with few exceptions.

Assuming those two criteria are important, what you may want to seek is applying to the “liberal arts school” of a larger university. At Boston College, this would be the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. At USC, this is the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. At Michigan, it would be LSA (College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts). Most larger universities will have an option to apply to a college or school within the university that is focused on liberal arts, and within which you could major in a range of degrees, from English, to Biology, to Theatre to French.

That being said, your interest in management or policy could lend themselves to either an undergraduate school of business, or an undergraduate school of public policy. Both of those degrees are generally not available in a liberal arts environment - either in an individual small liberal arts college, or in a college/school of arts and sciences (liberal arts) within a larger university. If you really want to study policy or business (management), then you should look for schools - which will generally be larger universities - that offer those degrees.

Please let us know with more specificity what you are looking for in terms of a degree and we can offer better suggestions for schools to consider.

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I agree you have an interesting story, and I think some great colleges are going to love to have you.

Based on your answers, particularly 1 and 4, I am thinking a lot of medium-to-large public universities would be good for you. But that is immediately a cost concern, because OOS tuition can be significant and need-based aid for OOS can be scarce. But then some have merit programs.

Another issue will be ethnic mix. With public universities, it understandably tends to reflect state demographics, so if you want as much diversity or more as, say, Harvard, you will need to check that. Just to get you some information, there is a lot of interesting analysis here:

Including this “diversity heat map”:

767×475 19.9 KB

OK, so I am going to pause here and see if any of this is making sense to you. If so, I think people here can help you identify diverse public universities where you might qualify for merit.

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wow, im really glad you have this map here. Thank you!

For those just reading this, you can suggest other schools besides LACs. Please no publics outside FL, as I won’t be able to afford them.

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I bet you would get a nice scholarship from Howard

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Hi! If you are looking for a larger school (5000+),mix of lectures and seminar style classes, sports and school spirit, good mix of serious academics and fun, and a diverse student body, I suggest looking at Vanderbilt. It meets all of your criteria easily. It is not an LAC, but as others have said, an LAC will not have 5000 students, or medium sized lectures. It is a reach for everyone, but if you are interested, apply for the merit scholarships, and take the opportunity to write the extra essay.

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I love vandy! it’s on my list already. Thank you!

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Okay, you’re looking for a larger school, but I would still investigate Agnes Scott & Oglethorpe because they’re both part of the ARCHE consortium which I mentioned earlier, so you’d have access to large pools of students from universities across the Atlanta area. Since Atlanta is the capital of Georgia, there’s also a lot of options if you decide that public policy is something you want to pursue. And unlike many traditional liberal arts colleges, both offer degrees in business. Combined with all the internship opportunities and being a major metro, I still think they’re well worth checking out. You may also want to check out Clark Atlanta and Spelman (HBCUs, the latter is women-only but the sister school to Morehouse, which is men-only), but I am doubtful that they will meet as favorable of a price point as the other two.

Okay, moving on to some other schools you may want to consider:

  • Saint Joseph’s (PA ): This Philadelphia school has about 5100 undergrads and has a very well-reputed business school. It’s a Jesuit school, so it still has a lot of breadth in traditional liberal arts fields. 7% of students identify as black and 66% as white and 18% of students receive a Pell grant, so not quite as racially diverse as you might prefer, but it’s probably still better than average for U.S. private colleges.

  • Loyola New Orleans (LA): This Jesuit school is slightly smaller than you’re hoping for with about 3300 undergrads, but it is literally right next door to Tulane which adds another 8800 undergrads. Both schools are part of consortium that includes two HBCUs (Dillard & Xavier) and students are allowed to take up to two classes/semester at the other universities within the consortium. 19% black, 45% white, and 39% of students receive Pell grants.

  • Tulane (LA): This school is going to be more of a reach, but they really like demonstrated interest, and they’re focusing more on need-based aid. Again, about 8800 undergrads here and part of the consortium mentioned above. 7% black, 66% white, and 9% receive Pell grants.

  • Marquette (WI): This school has about 7500 undergrads and is pretty strong across the board. It has the school spirit that I think you’re hoping for as well, and Milwaukee is definitely a city. 5% black, 67% white, and 20% receive Pell grants.

You may want to check out Loyola Chicago and DePaul (12-14k undergrads), as they also have a lot to offer, but I’m not sure whether they will hit as affordable of a price as Marquette or some others. DePaul is 7% black, 48% white, and 32% receive Pell grants. At Loyola Chicago, 6% identify as black, 51% as white, 23% receive Pell grants.

You may also want to check out some of the Texas publics. At several of them, if you receive even a modest scholarship, you’d be eligible to compete for an out-of-state tuition waiver, and Texas’ in-state costs are also among the lowest in the U.S., though not as low as Florida’s.

  • Texas Woman’s (which is about 88% women) has about 10k undergrads, 17% black, 33% white, and 43% of students receive Pell grants.

  • U. of North Texas (in the same town as Texas Woman’s): About 33k undergrads, 15% black, 38% white, and 35% receive Pell grants.

  • U. of Houston: About 38k undergrads, 11% black, 19% white, and 42% receive Pell grants.

  • U. of Texas – Dallas: About 22k undergrads, 5% black, 24% white, and 32% receive Pell grants, though obviously this school has the lowest percentage of black students in the list so far.

All of this raises the point, however, that a lot of what you’re looking for is in your very own home state. Florida is incredibly racially diverse and its public schools tend to reflect that. Plus, you’d get in-state tuition, meaning tuition rates at among the lowest in the country, and if you get Bright Futures, then it’s even more affordable.

  • U. of Central Florida: About 59k undergrads, 10% black, 44% white, and 34% receive Pell grants.

  • U. of South Florida: About 38k undergrads, 8% white, 45% black, and 33% receive Pell grants.

  • Florida Gulf Coast: About 14k undergrads, 6% black, 60% white, and 30% receive Pell grants.

  • Florida A & M (FAMU): HBCU with about 7700 undergrads, 88% white, 5% white, and 58% receive Pell grants. Tons of school spirit and can also take classes at nearby Florida State.

  • Florida State: About 33k undergrads, 8% black, 58% white, and 28% receive Pell grants.

  • U. of Florida: About 35k undergrads, 5% black, 51% white, and 23% receive Pell grants.

I know you don’t want to focus on budget right now, but it’s a critical part of the college search process. There are lots of really good colleges at a variety of price points, but compromises may need to be made. Here’s an analogy, and we’ll see if it works.

I’m looking to get a new car and I have a budget of $25k. If I want a brand new car that meets everything on my wishlist, then I’m probably looking at a Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, or similar. All of which are excellent vehicles (I own one!). But if I’m looking for something nicer like a Buick or an Acura, then I can’t get a new car (everything I want), I might have to look for a used model that is 5-10 years old. In college speak, maybe that means I’m looking at some combination of a smaller college than I was hoping for, or it’s not as racially diverse, or it’s in a small town, or… If I’m looking for a Mercedes or BMW, then I need an even older car (so getting even fewer items on the wishlist, or further away from the ideal). And if I’m looking for a Ferrari or Lamborghini, I might never find one in my price range, no matter what else I’m willing to give up (i.e. extremely selective/rejective schools that could fill up their classes many times over with students of an equally high caliber).

So it would be helpful to say, my family is willing and able to pay $X per year (is the $19k from Swarthmore’s NPC affordable for your family?). People will try to find as much as possible on your wishlist for $X (as I’ve done above, but I don’t know what $X is). But if you can say, well, these are the most important items but I’m willing to give up a little on these aspects, then that gives posters more guidance in order to help you.

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Great! Also, just re-read your need for FA. Vandy will give full tuition to anyone with family income <$150,000. So, that should be you. You will still have housing/meals, but they will give additional assistance to meet need. Good luck!

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Vandy is a great school but doesn’t have a tradional undergraduate business program. You mentioned you may want to pursue a management degree. Also that you were involved with FBLA and also have interest in marketing. You may want to look at schools similar to Vandy like Emory or Wash U both have strong business programs to keep this option open.

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