Demographics
- US citizen but studying in Canada
- State/Location of residency: IN/BC
- Type of high school: freshman/sophomore year public, going to private international school (UWC) junior/senior year!
- Other special factors: first gen, low income
i’m only a sophomore now so this is just to get an idea of what schools i may like in the future
Cost Constraints / Budget
I won’t be able to go to college unless I get a full scholarship, as I’m in a single-parent household and we aren’t the most well off
Intended Major(s)
Political Science
International Relations
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
- Unweighted HS GPA: 3.83
- Class Rank: at current school 10%
List your HS coursework
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English: English Honors 9 & 10, Journalism, Yearbook
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Math: Algebra 1, Advanced Geometry, Advanced Algebra 2
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Science: Biology, Advanced Chemistry
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History and social studies: APUSH
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Language other than English: French
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Awards
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UWC Davis Scholar
Extracurriculars
Tennis, DECA (state finalist), CFA leadership academy, health club, spell bowl, Indiana VOCIE (an anti-drug advocacy group), yearbook, Interact (70+ volunteer hours)
I have a fast food job if that matters
I’m kinda looking for a university in a blue state and more citylike. prefer uwc scholar partner schools 
thank you!
Mod Edit: UWC partner schools
There is a wide range of great colleges on that list, many of which I would have zero problem recommending to someone with an interest in Poli Sci and IR.
Is that enough to make them all affordable, or would you also need additional aid? As a US citizen, you should be treated like any other US resident for need aid purposes, and a lot of those colleges could end up quite generous. You could check their Net Price Calculators to start getting an idea.
Otherwise, you are maybe a little early to be trying to narrow things down too much. You’re definitely on track to be a competitive applicant, but your grades next year and any standardized test scores you might submit will help define what counts as Reach, Target, and Likely options for you.
Finally, different people have different definitions of “blue state” and “citylike”. But for Poli Sci and IR, and outside of the “usual suspects” (the most selective and most famous Ivy+ sort of colleges) . . .
Colleges in DC like Georgetown and George Washington are pretty much automatically good ideas to check out. NYU in NYC. Tufts in Boston is very good for your current interests. The University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. If you are possibly interested in LACs as long as they are in urban(ish) areas, CMC and Occidental in the LA area, and Macalester in the Twin Cities. Lewis & Clark in Portland, OR. If you appropriate, you might look at Barnard (NYC) and Bryn Mawr (Philly, if PA counts as blue enough).
This isn’t intended as a comprehensive list, just some names I saw that leapt out to me as seeming promising.
Be aware that many colleges with good need based financial aid use both parents’ financial information. Check each college’s financial aid pages to see if the non custodial parent information is required when applying for financial aid. If so, you need to include that parent’s finances when using the net price calculator at that college, and get that parent to do the financial aid form (usually CSS Noncustodial Profile).
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