Hi.
I am part of the class of 2017.
I live in Washington.
Stats:
UW GPA: 3.8
SAT (retaking the new one maybe): 2070 (M: 690, W: 640, CR: 740)
Senior courseload: Calc BC, Phys C (mech + e&m), AP Gov/AP Econ (macro + micro), AP Statistics, Satire, Computer Science Independent Study.
AP Tests taken so far: Phys 1, Calc AB, World, Computer Science
I don’t have particularly good ECs, during my sophomore year I slacked off. I’ve accumulated about 150 volunteer hours from various community projects and participated in a few clubs on and off, most notably a state level quiz bowl team (2 years) and the environmental club (2 years). Over a summer I earned some college credit for doing a business program. I’ve also done peer tutoring for a year.
I intend to major in economics and pursue a business or law degree. I’m also considering a mech/aerospace engineering, computer science, and finance/accounting.
More than anything I want to leave this state ASAP and go to a nonreligious, academically strong school that isn’t particularly small (3000+ students) and/or cutthroat. Preferably the school should be warm, not located in suburbia, rural towns, or the midwest, and near the coast (the warm part is more important to me than the coast part). (the out of state part, secular part, and the “not in the midwest” part are the most important parts for me).
My family has somewhat limited funds. They are probably available to contribute something between 60-80k total for my education.
So I know UW is a school that accepts students with stats similar to mine (washington state u to a lesser degree). I know they would be quite affordable for me and that they have stellar engineering, math, and business programs. I think their campus is quite beautiful, they have plenty of connections, and their staff is generally friendly and accommodating.
Despite this I’m pretty sure staying in washington and seeing my family on a regular basis would not be healthy for me, at least emotionally. I just want to know if there’s some feasible alternative to UW that I could get into (considering my poor extracurriculars) and afford, pretty much.
ROTC is also an option but I’m not sure how I feel about active service.
I think I have my safety schools or whatever down (UW, WSU)
I don’t have any reach schools/schools I have a good chance of getting into and affording that I want to go to in mind (maybe USC but financially its unrealistic and academically it’s not incredibly likely that I’ll get in).