Unique Nature College?

momrath
Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:15:58 +0000

Lala, before you get another 8000 suggestions, I think you should take a step backwards and approach your search more analytically. My guess is that your high school doesn’t provide much in the way of counseling. This board is an excellent source of information and advice, but you need to narrow in a bit. There are dozens of rural colleges that would be possibilities for a high achieving student, so you need to clarify the money, make a balanced list, decide what’s right for you.

First, ask your parents to use an on line calculator to determine how much need based aid your family might be eligible for. This isn’t foolproof but it’s a good starting place. If your estimated family contribution is $15K or less, then you can have a wide open list. If it’s more than that you’ll need a different list, but put that to the side for now.

Second, think about what you have to offer. 4.0 GPA in honors classes is an excellent start. Do you know your rank? When will you take the PSAT, SATI or ACT? How about your extracurriculars, formal and informal? These could be very influential in admissions. Also, do you have any demographic pluses: ethnic background, economic status, geographic location?

Third, make a list of about 20 colleges/universities that you can afford and that have what you want. If need based aid works for you and you’re open to travel, then the Eastcoast rural LACs are certainly an option. If you are female, consider women’s colleges too.

And lastly, explore QuestBridge. If you fit their economic criteria, they will guide you through the process.