Hi guys,
So about a year ago, I came to a realization that college applications and visits were right around the corner. Due to my indifferent and ambivalent nature, I have had a tough time deciding what universities I should aspire to apply to. Can you please recommend some possible universities that you believe would best suit me?
I will be a junior in the fall of 2015, I have taken many practice SATs and PSATs and my average score is around a 2100-2200, and I am currently in the top 20% of my class with plans to move into the top 10% since I am taking over 8 AP classes in the next 2 years. Additionally I have plans on possibly majoring in business since that has intrigued me since I was a kid.
I have run cross country and track at my school for the last 2 years, and I have a black belt in Taekwondo. Furthermore, I am an avid choir student and have sung since as far back as I can remember. I have been in the All-State choir and have received a myriad of awards for my voice. I frequently volunteer in my community, and I am a member of NHS and of Young Men’s Service League.
I would be extremely grateful if anybody could recommend some possible universities that I would have at least a decent chance of getting into. Thanks!
You can study business just about anywhere, so that is a good thing! It’s not like you have a rare major that will limit your options.
If you do score in the predicted range for your SAT and you have a GPA of 3.0 or better, there will be lots of options out there for admission. However, what you can pay for will determine where you can attend. So ask your parents to run the Net Price Calculator at the website of one of the big public Us in your home state, one of the decent liberal arts colleges in your home state, and one or two other places. Have some adult beverages and a big box of tissues handy while they run the NPCs. Lots of parents find the numbers shocking.
You need to give us more info that major and stats.
What are you preferences with regards to the following:
Location
Cost
Diversity
Division of Sports
Local Area
Party Environment or More Quiet
LAC
Religious Affiliation
Financial Aid
Location- Preferably in Texas since that’s where I live but I’m totally willing to go out of state if it was necessary
Cost- Ideally less than 40,000 a year. I hope to get scholarships
Diversity- DNM
Division of Sports- DNM
Local Area-DNM
Party/Quiet- Since I’m aiming for more prestigious schools, I’d prefer a quiet campus, but I would like a size of greater than 5,000
LAC- DNM
Religious- DNM
Financial Aid- I’d planning on applying for scholarships if that’s what you mean
There are two basic types of financial aid: need-based and merit-based.
Merit-based aid is awarded because of your grades, your ACT/SAT scores, or because you have some special talent or ability that the institution wants (for example, grades and test scores might not matter all that much if you are a truly exceptional dancer, artist, or musician). Sometimes specific information about requirements for merit-based aid is right on the website.
Need-based aid is awarded based on federal formulas (you need to file the FAFSA to get this money) and possibly based on state formulas or the individual formula of the college/university that you are applying to. To find out if you might qualify for any of this, you need to run the Net Price Calculators.
For more information about both of these kinds of aid, visit the Financial Aid Forum.
Good luck with everything!
You might get good merit money at Tulane. It’s not too far from Texas and they give out a lot of scholarships and love high test scores. They also have a pretty solid business school. @fallenchemist do you have anything to say about the AB Freeman school at Tulane? OP is interested in business and I recommended Tulane.
Based on what @synco2015 has said so far, Tulane would seem to be an excellent fit. If (and of course until he has actual scores it is just an if) he really scores between 2100-2200 on the SAT and if he can have a super strong junior year for his GPA which would move him much closer to the top 10% of his class, then he would very likely receive a great merit scholarship. Another school that he should be more than qualified for stat wise and that he will no doubt look at anyway is SMU. Tulane is considered stronger overall, but SMU is certainly a fine school and meets his criteria.
As far as Tulane’s business school (AB Freeman School), I think it is a great place to study. Sure, I am biased towards Tulane in general, but Freeman has a number of extremely interesting and somewhat unique programs in Finance, Entrepreneurship, the energy sector, and is also very strong in accounting, with a 5 year program that results in a masters. Another thing about Tulane is they make it very easy to focus on what is called interdisciplinary majors, which means if you were interested in, say, music and wanted to orient your studies so that you combined business studies with music, they help make that happen.
Clearly there are many places to get a very good education and a degree in business. I think Tulane is one of the best for a certain kind of student, and that person usually knows if they are that kind when they visit. There is just a certain vibe about the university and the Freeman School that resonates. And of course there is New Orleans itself, which not only is a fun and extremely unique place to go to school but also has numerous opportunities to learn more about business “on the ground”, so to speak. New Orleans is one of the hot cities the last few years for entrepreneurial start-ups.