Syracuse is another to look at - easier admit than others mentioned.
Are you full pay ?
Are your stats in range for these schools?
Any budget needs ? Do you need merit aid ?
It’s nice to be accessible to home but you are going to college - and you won’t be going home as often as you think - or shouldn’t be. And again all these schools are accessible.
Must it be a private school ?
Must all schools have a social scene and psych is not considered an overly rigorous major like an architecture or engineering although that is student dependent.
Just know if you don’t go to law school - and it’s unlikely you will, it’s also a tough major for outcomes although it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t study it.
Seconding the suggestion of Syracuse for you and also adding on U. of Massachusetts. Amherst gets lots of great reviews as a college town and it’s part of the 5 College Consortium with Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Hampshire should you want to also experience courses at a smaller liberal arts college while enjoying the benefits of a big university.
U. of Maryland-College Park would be another possibility, and if Bucknell was in consideration, then you might want to think about Colgate, which actually gets an A+ on Niche from student surveys about athletic life there.
BC is a socially vibrant place with a lot of school spirit. Game days are a big deal, especially in the tailgate area and in and around the “mods,” the senior housing on the lower campus. The students and alumni tend to be very enthusiastic about their time there.
Don’t know anything about Tulane, but DD is a senior at BC. BC has a definite vibe to it - lots of Type A, competitive, career-focused students. That can be a good thing or bad depending on your personality, but you should be aware of that before you apply ED. I live a little north of NYC and it’s very easy to get between NYC and Boston. My son graduated from a Boston-area school a while back and there have been plenty of times over the years when we have driven there and back on the same day. Both of my kids have taken Amtrak numerous times and have had good experiences on the whole.
I’ll look again at Syracuse. Thanks for the suggestion.
I’m not sure what is behind your comments that it’s unlikely that I will go to law school? Or that I “shouldn’t be going home as often as I think I might want to” – I have not shared anything with you about my family’s circumstances and although I am just a kid and new here, while well-meaning I am sure, neither of those comments are helpful
FWIW, every adult in my family are lawyers. Studying the humanities and the law have been central to our family for generations, so I’m well versed in the rigor and outcomes of this chosen path.
Thank you. I will look again at Syracuse. It was on my list, and then I took it off because it always seemed like a mid-experience for a high sticker price. We are full pay, but my parents care a lot about not overpaying for something that’s not worth it. Syracuse gets beat up pretty good in the Niche reviews – but, you’re right, in terms of school spirit, size, proximity, and a few other factors, it is worth another look.
Excited to look into the others you mentioned too – thank you!! U Maryland-College Park and Colgate look interesting!
We don’t know your academic background, but if you’re competitive for a slot at BC, then you may well get merit aid from Syracuse, which would drop its sticker price. Syracuse is sensitive to how much interest an applicant shows, so if you do decide to apply, make sure you’ve demonstrated interest.
My academic background is good but not stellar (hence the ED focus)
3.74 (current, likely to go higher after this semester)
8 APs
5 Honors
3 DE (4.0)
LOTS of EC’s with leadership, Psych research/published, sports/team captain, hundreds of volunteer hours.
Is this weighted or unweighted? How does this compare with your peers? Even if your school doesn’t rank, do you have an estimate as to top 10%, 20%, 50%, etc? At some schools, there is very little grade inflation and a 3.74 could be in the top 5% of students in a class. At others, it might be more like the top 50%. Depending on what a 3.74 means at your school, it could affect your chances for admission.
That’s my UW GPA. I rarely include the W because I recognize that schools recalculate and the standards for doing so are malleable.
I go to an academically rigorous school. It’s known as being a challenging college preparatory, and as such, I have some really bright peers, but I am surely in the top 10-15%, and would be surprised if I wasn’t top-10
Boston vs New Orleans! Not even close. Tulane might be a fine institution, but it is still in Louisiana. Living in Arkansas, we often rank 48 in many statistical categories, since Louisiana and Mississippi rank 49-50.
BC certainly isn’t a party school, but it has Power 4 sports and the city of Boston with more college age kids then probably any city in the country. Interesting that you plan to go abroad for junior year, but you are concerned about partying, since junior year is the year that all comes together. First two years are more campus years, and senior year you will probably be more bar/restaurant focused.
Do you have a school on your list where you are extremely likely to be accepted, that your family is willing and able to pay for, and that you would be happy to attend for four years? You should have at least one school that meets those three criteria, and preferably more than one.
Do you have a test score? Next year a lot of schools are moving back to test required, and a number of schools already seem to be more in the “test preferred” zone. Having a score, even if not a super high score, can often be a benefit for schools that aren’t familiar with yours. For instance, a student who scored a 1200 on the SAT might choose to go test optional at BC, but could use that 1200 to give a solid boost to their application at a different school.
Both Boston College and Tulane really value community service, so I would definitely highlight that in your application.
Below are a number of colleges, some of which are on your list, sorted by my guesses as to what your chances for admission might be. All the schools have some kind of an “A” for athletics on Niche, unless otherwise noted.
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
Seton Hall
U. at Buffalo (NY)
Likely (60-79%)
Providence
Rutgers (NJ)
Tulane: ED
U. of Delaware
U. of Massachusetts
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Fairfield (CT): B+ for academics
Penn State
Syracuse (NY)
U. of Connecticut
U. of Maryland (make sure to apply EA or don’t both applying…about 95% of seats are filled EA)
U. of Pittsburgh (PA ): Apply soon if you’re interested
Unlikely just by the #s. Most kids intending law or medical in high school will find other careers - that’s all.
If you need to be home regularly due to family circumstance maybe a more local school like Fordham, Marist, or Stony Brook might be a better choice ? Or for football - Rutgers or Delaware ?
BC to NYC is easy. There will usually be someone on campus driving Friday/Sunday night who will be happy to have someone pay for gas in exchange for a ride. And if not, bus, train. And students from other colleges in the area (U Mass campus in Newton, Wellesley, Babson, Bentley) so there will be lots of opportunities to rideshare.
I think most BC kids have the social life they want/are seeking. If you want rah rah- it’s there. If you want museums on Sunday afternoon and then student-rate symphony or ballet tickets it’s there. If you want lots of Boston/Cambridge- you’ll do that, and if you want more on-campus social life, you’ll do that.
The restaurants, bars and liquor stores near BC have become much more strict about liquor laws over the last few years (just an fyi) and so if your plan is a lot of underage partying, it’s still there, but it’s harder. I don’t know the climate near Tulane so can’t comment.
If you really want to be able to pop home for short visits-- BC all the way. I do the up and down drive regularly for work (leave early in the morning for a lunch meeting in downtown Boston) and although the last 30 miles of driving home are tedious, it’s not that big a deal. I take Amtrak when I can-- piece of cake and you can work the entire way with no distractions.
Funny anecdotes about Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. I would not stay or live there after college, but you raise good points about the surrounding area, and I appreciate your insight. It matters somewhat, and Boston is such a great city.
I don’t think it’s that unusual that kids looking for a school with a strong social scene (not “concerned with partying” per se) also want to travel abroad in their junior year – if you took a poll, I would venture a guess there is plenty of overlap in those two areas.
Huh ? Kids travel abroad from most every school. Many use third party companies so you’ll have abroad kids from many schools.
And there’s a ton of kids at Tulane and other Southern schools from the NE.
One big difference is who attends.
For example, it’s estimated more than 40% of Tulanes kids are Jewish.
At BC, there will be few Jewish students but 20% come from Jesuit High Schools and another third from private ones.
Not sure if any of this matters to you but I wouldn’t worry a lot where you want to end up - both schools will place all over and btw so will other southern publics also loaded with northeasterners because they buy them in with merit - the top kids.
In the end, you will be somewhere four years. Pick where you feel comfortable. If BC is easier, go check it again and others. Syracuse, Bing, UConn, wherever.
If law is the goal, the where doesn’t matter. You can go to LSU instead of Tulane and still end up at a Harvard.
If you visit BC and feel like it’s where you want to be, and your family is ok price wise (both these are near $400k over four years), then ED.
If you have any doubt (about any school), don’t ED there.
Most kids in life don’t ED. If you are unsure, RD gives you a chance to delay and compare financial offers too.
THANK YOU! You have been so generous with your time, and I really appreciate it.
This is so helpful, wow.
Penn State and U of Pittsburgh are also on my list. I will look into the others.
UMass and UConn are also on my list, but I am confused by the reviews. Is one better than the other—“better” as defined by all the details I’ve provided about my wants and needs? I thought UMass was considered better, but you have it listed here that indicates it could be the other way around.
I am very confused about their campuses. Is one within the network preferable to the others?
Your academics are fine but yes ED will matter here and ability to pay will too at Tulane.
For psych, and law school, for the most part the where won’t matter - whether Boise State or BC, Temple or Tulane. So the best school - UCONN or UMASS - should be turned around - visit both and which is best for you? I’d surmise UMASS based on what you wrote but I’m not you.
Your gpa, lsat, and what you do EC wise will.
And Pitt - fine school but again a flight home. You can get in but you have to apply early so do so by Nov 1 but earlier is better. They have rolling admissions. You said you don’t want urban I believe - Pitt is in an urban area but not BU or GW urban.
American might be worth a look. James Madison too.
Law school is pricey so budget for that too. Can your family pay seven years with no debt on you ?