Need help narrowing my college list down

College Search & Lists
1

<p>Right now, I have about 12 colleges on my list and I would like to remove some schools that don’t match me well enough. I would also like to possibly add colleges that fit my criteria more.</p>

<p>College List:
Reaches:
Claremont Mckenna College
Harvey Mudd College
Pomona College
Washington University in St. Louis
Northwestern
Emory University
Low Matches:
USC
JHU</p>

<p>Matches:
Whitman</p>

<p>High Matches:
Occidental</p>

<p>Safeties:
UH-Manoa(In-state)
Creighton University</p>

<p>I’m an Asian student from Hawaii who is looking to go to a school that is fairly diverse and/or friendly towards everyone. In other words, I want to apply to a college where I would fit in. Financial Aid is a huge factor in my college selection process which is why I chose these schools. I also am looking to major in Biology/Pre-Medicine. Size of the school isn’t really important. However, I would like to go to a school that is Urban/Suburban.</p>

<p>My main issue is choosing 1-2 colleges from the Claremont colleges that fit me best as I know that all of them give excellent FA and there is also the option of cross-enrollment. Also, I would like to eliminate 1-2 other reach schools as I know I have too many at the moment. </p>

<p>Stats:
3.75 UW GPA, School doesn’t weight
SAT: 2070; 610 CR, 770 M, 690 W Retaking in October.
SAT subject: 800 math 2, 740 Chem, 720 physics, 680 USH(not intending to send in)</p>

<p>ECs/Volunteer:
Wrestling(9,10,11,12)
Crosscountry(12)
Judo(9,10,11,12)
Volunteering at Hospital 100+ hours(9,11,12)
Volunteering at center for kids with cancer(12)
100 other hours of community Service
Habitat for Humanity(11,12)
Japanese-Okinawan Club(10,11,12)</p>

2

<p>*Financial Aid is a huge factor in my college selection *</p>

<p>If this is your situation, then Creighton isn’t a safety for you.</p>

<p>A safety has to be a school that you know is affordable otherwise it’s not a safety. </p>

<p>How much FA do you need?</p>

<p>What is your likely EFC?</p>

<p>How much can your family pay?</p>

3

<p>Creighton isn’t financially safe for me, but i’m hoping that I get decent merit scholarships as well as some need-based aid. My EFC is around 15k and my financial safety is my in-state school, which I can afford.</p>

4

<p>I’m considering Reed College now. Would that be more of a low match or a reach for me?</p>

5

<p>Reed is probably a reach or high match. If they don’t get many apps from HI, then that’s a plus for you.</p>

<p>Since you’re pre-med, be aware that Reed is known to have grade deflation which can lower GPAs.</p>

6

<p>Your CR score is very low for many of these schools, which emphasize reading and writing. Bringing that up would probably help quite a bit. Do you have a class rank, or if your school doesn’t rank, is the profile going to give the colleges some idea of where your GPA falls?</p>

<p>I am puzzled that you have JHU as a low match. I would really tend to doubt that.</p>

<p>I would suggest that you look more at midwestern LACs, where applicants from Hawaii and Asians are reportedly rarer and therefore more desirable and possibly more likely to get money. Macalester would be an example, and it is urban and reportedly has an international focus. There are a number of less selective but solid schools in the region with which I am not terribly familiar that might be good targets for you. They are probably not urban, though. Perhaps someone else will weigh in. </p>

<p>I would suggest that you look at the Universities of Rochester and Pittsburg.</p>

7

<p>I second University of Rochester and I would also take a look at College of Holy Cross, Brandeis (might not get full aid, but I think that Hawaii would be a big plus there) and Lawrence (extremely friendly, with excellent sciences and while Appleton isn’t a huge metropolis, it’s nice).</p>

8

<p>I dont have class rank but the grades at my school are really deflated so im probably up there. Jhu being a low match( or high, whichever one is closer to reach) is based on admits from my school withsimilar stats. </p>

<p>I thought college of the holy cross doesnt give good aid? And rochester just isnt for me.</p>

<p>Sent from my SGH-T959 using CC App</p>

9

<p>School doesnt rank btw</p>

<p>Sent from my SGH-T959 using CC App</p>

10

<p>Here is what Holy Cross says about financial aid on its website:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>However, some posters on this site have been dissatisfied with their HC financial aid, so I think that the packages vary. I still think it would be worth an application because your package might be sufficient to cover your need.</p>

11

<p>Actually…If you rasise your SAT to 2100 you’re competetive for 2/3 tuition towards Creighton…</p>

12

<p>Anybody know about any of the other colleges?</p>

13

<p>I read on a thread here that it is very very difficult to be pre-med at Harvey Mudd. Its supposedly nearly impossible to keep a high GPA for med school at a school that places such emphasis on hard sciences and engineering. </p>

<p>And as you may already know claremont mckenna, pitzer, and scripps all operate in the Keck joint science center—youre getting arguably the same education from any of those schools with a Bio major, so if you think you’d be able to fit in socially with pitzer/scripps students, it might be a good idea to apply there instead since both are quite a bit easier than getting into CMC.</p>

<p>Some other schools that meet full need without loans are Colby, Vanderbilt, and Davidson</p>

14

<p>[College</a> Application Questions - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com](<a href=“http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8042591/college_application_questions.html?cat=4]College”>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8042591/college_application_questions.html?cat=4)</p>

<p>here is a great article to spur some much needed question you may ask yourself before applying</p>

15

<p>would it be good to apply to pitzer just to get into the claremont system? I think it is a college where I will fit in</p>

16

<p>I really think you need to do a bit more research on the differing natures of the colleges you are considering, if you are looking for fit.
I you feel like Pitzer and Reed would be good fits for you-- then CMC would likely not be.
Mudd is a very intense experience for those drawn to STEM fields, if you are more of a generalist or pre-med, probably not a good fit, either.
Whitman is not known to be terribly generous, but, of course, it depends on the situation.</p>

17

<p>Whitman is a very friendly place socially, the students are accepting and enthusiastic. The school is working hard to increase their diversity, 2012 Princeton Review listed them 14th in the colleges with lots of race/class interaction, that could bode well for you with financial aid.</p>

18

<p>definitely apply to Pitzer, it doesn’t look like your leadership positions are strong enough for CMC. Just cheat the system.
good luck!</p>