SAT 1470 (750E, 720M) first sitting, 2nd try planned for March
APs: 10th grade: AP Chem (5); 11th: APUSH, AP Lang, AP Bio (doing well in all of those); 12th planned: AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Econ, AP Calc BC, probably AP Physics C, maybe AP Latin or honors anatomy. Note that our HS limits APs in 9th / 10th, so this is close to the max rigor possible.
ECs
musician (first chair cello, percussion & sax) in HS advanced orchestra, with lots of HS electives & ECs related to music, including leadership positions
school year pre-college program (since 9th grade) through SF music conservatory in Technology and Composition (film and game music, sound design, sound recording and synthesis, plus traditional composition and musicianship)
summer courses through ATDP: neuroscience, electronics, python, more neuroscience, neurotechnology, plus TA for neuroscience
other ECs include tutoring (paid and volunteer), art director for a small nonprofit, and more music stuff
next summer’s plans are still undecided
Budget
529 savings would pay for $60-65K / year. We could cover a bit more out of cash flow, but D26 is very cost conscious and would prefer to spend as little as possible, in order to save some of her 529 money towards possible graduate/professional school.
Not eligible for need-based aid
Intended major(s)
Currently undecided. Something related to neuroscience, or bioengineering, or some other engineering or science major. Not sure if she wants a career in engineering, research, or healthcare. She also really likes art and music and would consider a second major or a minor in these areas. She is having trouble deciding because she wants to study All The Things… she has asked me “is there a limit on how many graduate degrees a person can get?”
Wish list
Prefers either a large research university, or a medium sized school with lots of resources / facilities / opportunities for its size.
On the other hand, she likes small classes…
Academic flexibility is important (both in choosing a major, and flexibility within a degree program).
Likes the idea of a small honors college in a big school.
Good access to a city or college town. Not too rural. On the other hand, not smack dab in a super urban gritty neighborhood (ideally slightly less gritty than our local school UC Berkeley).
Blue or purple state (D’s concern here is access to reproductive healthcare)
Easy travel from CA Bay Area would be great.
Prefers cold or rainy climate, not hot sunny climate.
D says food is important! Either good on-campus food, or lots of great off-campus food (like we have here in Berkeley).
Must have a strong music program with at least one good orchestra that is open to non-majors by audition. Additional music opportunities for non-majors would be a plus.
Conveniently located healthcare volunteering opportunities are a plus (although she’s not sure if she wants to go the pre-health route).
Active campus Hillel and friendly feeling for Jewish students.
Diverse campus politics with a culture of open minded discussion. Although D herself is politically left leaning, she’s worried about cancel culture in some left leaning campus environments.
Generally looking for a friendly inclusive collaborative vibe, with students genuinely excited about academics as well as other nerdy pursuits (“I’m hoping it will be easy to find D&D groups”).
Schools considering
This is where we could use some suggestions. So far, D is thinking about a lot of schools her big brother S23 had on his list.
UCB, UC Davis, UCSB CCS, maybe other UCs
Cal Poly SLO (but she’s not sure what major to apply for yet)
Oregon State, U of Oregon (although she likes both of these schools, OSU doesn’t have great music, and U of O doesn’t really have engineering)
Pitt
CWRU
UMN
UW Seattle
maybe RIT and/or WPI? We don’t know much about these.
D26 hasn’t yet visited any schools outside of CA and OR, but from the ones she has visited so far, she particularly likes UC Davis.
I would love to get suggestions of schools that would fall within budget and sound like a great fit for D and her wish list… or more expensive schools that we might not have initially considered due to cost, but which have merit scholarships that we might not have thought about. We don’t know a lot about schools outside the west coast. Any level of reachiness would be fine… her current list is not super reachy as a whole.
In addition to names of schools, I’d also love to hear any relevant details about why you think the school might be a good fit. Comments on schools on her current list are also quite welcome.
The first school that popped into my head was UMD. I think it meets most of your/ your daughter’s criteria, 25% of the student body is Jewish, and there are plenty of Bay Area kids there.
U Rochester would be worth a look. There’s a fun, nerdy student body (check out their videos), music opportunities, open curriculum for the exploration she seeks.
I was thinking big state U or some of the larger privates looking at your “wish list”. I love WPI and wasn’t going to mention it because of the size, but I see it on your list and when I go back over what she is looking for, I do see it having almost everything she wants. It’s smaller than the other schools on her list and no honors college because there is no need to make it feel smaller or more selective. The food isn’t great, but she’d be able to find anything she wants in Worcester.
WPI ranks high in inclusiveness and collaboration. She’d be able to play in the orchestra, take music classes, and have no problem finding a D&D game. It’s easy to switch, or add, majors and very close to two hospitals. The trimester system would let her take more classes and the “NR” system allows for exploration outside of your comfort zone which may be appealing to her.
D23 decided to go in an other direction (WPI didn’t have the major he chose), but he was really impressed with all of the “problems” they had students solve (designing a parking structure, redirecting a fountain) rather than calling in a design firm. It felt very student-centered. It was the right combo of supportive (without hand holding) and believing in the abilities of their students.
I would say WPI would be a much better fit than RIT.
Thanks so much for all that detail! From what you say about WPI, it does sound like it has a lot to offer for D. She has told me she’s attracted to the hands-on “learn by doing” teaching style at Cal Poly, but concerned about Cal Poly’s limited academic flexibility. It seems that WPI’s “project based learning” emphasis is similar, but the school seems to have a lot more academic flexibility.
We had a young woman from California here a couple of years ago who chose WPI over Cal Poly SLO for the same reasons you’ve stated and for the atmosphere. She posted back the following year about how pleased she was with her decision and how she was even more sure that it was the right one after being at WPI.
I like a lot of the suggestions already given. When I was reading the description, the first school that popped into my mind was U. of Rochester, which @DramaMama2021 also recommended.
Another school that could be worth investigating is Brandeis. I heard that they’re seeking ABET-accreditation for engineering, it’s very well-reputed for neuroscience, it has a lot of depth in its programming (for many, through a PhD) but with a relatively small undergraduate body of about 4k. It has easy access to Boston (and 8-15 direct flights a day to San Francisco), it seems like the kind of school that a nerdy/quirky person would love, and I feel as though I’ve heard good things about its music offerings. And there’s definitely a sizable Jewish population here, too. Plus there’s robust cross-registration opportunities… “Full-time undergraduate students may cross-register at Babson College, Bentley University, Wellesley College and Olin College of Engineering and as well as the undergraduate school of arts and sciences at Boston College, Boston University and Tufts University.” (source)
I’ll be back after I think about some other possibilities for your D.
Thanks for the suggestion!
I’m not quite sure what to think of the fact that Brandeis has eliminated their two music PhD programs and the Lydian Quartet… I’m not sure what that means for their music programs, and if it’s an indication of budget issues for the university in general, or an indication of a shift in priorities (since you mentioned they may be seeking ABET status for engineering)? I do have a close friend who has a PhD in music from Brandeis and probably has a lot of opinions on the school, I’ll have to talk to him
Thanks, that’s great info! D26 hasn’t decided yet if ABET engineering is a must-have for her. Currently she still has U of Oregon on her list which has neuroscience and some bioengineering research, but only a bioengineering minor at the undergraduate level.
All of these schools are ABET-accredited for bioegineering/biomedical engineering, among other disciplines. They are also all located in states that are designated as protected or expanded access on the reproductive rights map linked above. And they all give merit aid, and I suspect your D would be competitive to get it at any of these schools.
Binghamton (NY): About 14k undergrads, relatively reasonable sticker costs and seeking to recruit top OOS applicants with merit $. Per Hillel, 26% of the student body is Jewish (3700 undergrads). Unsure about the strength of the music program, though.
Case Western (OH): About 6200 undergrads. Strong in an array of departments, including music where it has a joint program with the Cleveland Institute of Music and multiple ensembles, including a symphony open to all but requiring auditions. Per Hillel, there are 630 Jewish undergrads (10% of the undergrad population). Demonstrated interest is important here.
Colorado State: About 26k undergrads and your daughter would almost certainly get WUE here. A variety of programming and looks to have a fairly popular music major (43 majors in most recent year, per College Navigator). Hear lots of great things about Fort Collins and the atmosphere here. Per Hillel, about 500 undergrads (2% of the undergrad population).
Miami U. (OH): About 16k undergrads at this “public ivy.” Several people have indicated that it feels like a large liberal arts college/William & Mary vibe. Music program might be sufficiently strong for your D’s interest. Folks say that Oxford is a cute little town in walking distance of the school. Per Hillel, it has 1k Jewish undergrads (6% of population).
Michigan State: About 40k undergrads. An array of options with a popular music program. Per Hillel, there are 2700 Jewish undergrads (7% of the population) here.
U. of Cincinnati (OH): About 31k undergrads. This school places a big emphasis on co-ops, so there’s opportunity for more hands-on education here. Per Hillel, about 1k Jewish undergrads (2% of undergrad population). There’s a strong music program here and direct flights to San Francisco.
U. of Hartford (CT): About 4100 undergrads. An excellent music program here and, per Hillel, there are 600 Jewish undergrads (15% of undergrad population).
U. of Kansas: About 21k undergrads. I think its music program would suffice for your D, it has a well-reputed honors college, Lawrence get raves as a college town, and there are 1700 Jewish undergrads (7% of the population) per Hillel.
ETA: Oops, I missed that Case was already on your list.
ETA2: Another possibility would be Syracuse (NY). It has about 16k undergrads, a popular music program, and per Hillel, it has 2500 Jewish undergrads (16% of the population).
Thanks for all the great info! Some great ideas here. Some of these are schools that I really don’t know much about and we’ll have to research more.
I keep hearing good things about Miami U of Ohio… It does sound like a great school in many ways but I must admit that it’s hard for me to get past its name!
