Being so caught up in other activities, I haven’t really thought about what schools I want to apply to. I am ending my junior year so college admissions are just around the corner and I would like to have a list of colleges ready by August. I am thinking of applying to around 8-10 schools and one of them is already taken by UT Austin since I get automatic admission there. I would like to apply to a couple Ivies maybe (Princeton, Harvard, Yale or Dartmouth but i need to narrow it down to like 2 or 3). One of my siblings goes to Dartmouth so I think I might have a better chance there. I need help with deciding some match/low match schools preferably schools that give a lot of financial aid/scholarships.
GPA:
W: 4.5
UW: 4?? (I have never gotten below an A so I am guessing its a 4)
HGAP: 5
Euro: 5
WHAP: 5
PSAT: 1430
Haven’t taken the SAT/ACT yet but i am taking the SAT on May 5th (on most of my practices I get around a 1470)
SAT II: Plan to take Biology and either US history or Math II on June 2nd
EC:
NHS (3rd year), Spanish Club (pres. for 1 year been in the club for 2 yrs), Orchestra since 6th grade, Literature Club, Basketball team (since 7th grade but quit in 10th grade), Volleyball/Track team (since 7th grade quit in 10th grade), TFF (volunteer organization but they stopped being active this year), History Fair Club, & TASS participant.
Awards/Achievements:
9th grade: Academic honor awards for like 6 of my classes
10th grade Academic honor awards for another 6 classes & Top 20 GPA
Regional History winner
Texas State History Fair winner
Future Plans:
Attending the YYGS BBS program this summer
Attending National History Fair
Race:
Black
Sex:
Female
Would you consider an all-women college?
Yeah I’m open for anything! Do you know what the school is called?
There are several good women’s colleges; a few that I know a little more about and feel comfortable recommending are Smith (in Massachusetts), Scripps (southern California), and Agnes Scott (suburban Atlanta).
Do you have any thoughts about what you’d like to major in?
Do you know what you want to major in - or what fields you like if you prefer being more general? Different schools specialize in different things even if most “have the major.”
Do you prefer urban, urban with a campus, suburban, rural? Size? LAC or Research U? How do you feel about northern weather?
You sound like a student most college would love to have so it’s really the fit that matters more… Congrats on a terrific high school background.
Here is a list of colleges that claim to cover 100% of demonstrated financial need:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2017-09-21/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need
Many of these are very selective. For example, all 8 Ivies make the list. However, if you have a realistic shot at Dartmouth, then some of these “full need” schools should fall in your match/target range. Possibilities:
Bates
Bryn Mawr (women only)
College of the Holy Cross
Colorado College
Connecticut College
Franklin & Marshall
Kenyon
Lafayette
Macalester
Mount Holyoke (women only)
Oberlin
Occidental
Scripps (women only)
Smith (women only)
Trinity College (CT)
U Richmond
Wake Forest
Most of these are small liberal arts colleges.
Run the online net price calculators on any that interest you.
If you find they don’t seem to offer enough need-based aid, then you may need to focus instead on schools with lower sticker prices (such as in-state public schools) or on schools that are likely to offer enough merit scholarship money to meet your needs.
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/
Take a look at this list of Diversity Fly-in programs. These are basically special programs where the school will bring you to campus (Fly-in) and you can get to know the school much better on their dime. My D did several of these. Please note deadline’s for applications:
https://getmetocollege.org/what-colleges-look-for/2018-fall-diversity-visit-programs
@rosered55 @Creekland I’m thinking of majoring in neuroscience or something biology related… maybe biomedical sciences stuff like that. I prefer big cities but the location isn’t really a big factor for me. @rosered55 @tk21769 Thank you for the huge selection of schools, I’ll make sure to look into all of them! @Dolemite Thank you for the visitation programs, I’ll make sure to look in those too!
Vassar gives excellent financial aid. They meet 100% of need.