Hi all! I could really use some input in narrowing my list, so I’m not paying too much money in application fees. I’ve already been accepted via guaranteed admissions to William & Mary, which looks like a great fit, but I would like to see if I have a good shot at anywhere more prestigious. Tell me if I’m being unrealistic in any of them. I wouldn’t apply to Harvard, for example, since they only admit around 15 students out of 1,000+.
Also, if you think there is a university I might really like and have a good shot at getting accepted in, please let me know!
ABOUT ME:
- Getting my Associate’s at the end of Fall semester with a 4.0 GPA
- Economics major
- Studied at CC part-time while working a full-time job
- 26, currently supporting myself on $40K a year
- Recent immigrant, moved to the US from Southeast Asia 5 years ago and took time off school to work and be able to afford college (parents threw me out of the house at 19 for rather painful and traumatic reasons)
- SAT 1400 (2040 if you include Writing), taken 7 years ago. (Do I need to retake, since it’s been so long?)
- Officer at my local Phi Theta Kappa chapter
CRITERIA:
- More prestigious than W&M
- Better financial aid (as mentioned above, I support myself and don’t make a ton of money)
- In a big city, like NYC, Philly, or Chicago, or someplace that has a really good Chinatown
- Great Econ or Finance program
- Warm weather
- Diverse, preferably nerdy student body
CURRENT LIST:
- Tulane University
- Barnard College (I really want to go to Columbia, but my friend who is an alum said going to Barnard and going to Columbia are essentially the same thing.)
- Pomona College
- University of Southern California
- Cornell University
- NYU
- University of Virginia
- Stanford University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Wesleyan University
- Yale