Where Can You See Me? (Part 2)

College Search & Lists
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>first of all, thanks a ton for helping me out. I think this is my third thread about this, and each one brought me one step closer to finding a great school for me.</p>

<p>First things first, here are my stats:</p>

<p>Asian American Senior
GPA: 3.7/4.3
I have an upward trend, starting somewhat slow my freshman and sophomore with ~2 B’s a semester. Then in junior year I stepped it up and got straight As and a B each semester. B in AP Chem</p>

<p>SAT I: 2210 (I’ll retake this and I expect it to break 2250)
SAT II: American History: 770
Literature: 720 (I ran out of time. I’m retaking this and will hopefully get an 800 because this is the stuff I’m good at)
Math II C: didn’t take it yet, but I expect I’ll get a low to mid 700
AP Scores: AP Euro (5), APUSH (5), AP Language & Comp (5), AP Psych (5), AP Chem (4). Next year, I’m taking 4 more APs, APES, AP Lit, AP Gov/Econ, AP Calc AB. I think I’ll get 5s on all of them but maybe I’ll get a 4 in Calc because math is my weakest subject
Hooks: I don’t think I have any. I have a sibling at Duke if that helps anything. My high school is in the top 5 public schools in California or something like that. And top 100 in the US. Dunno if that’s as impressive as that sounds
**
Extracurriculars:
**
Tennis for all 4 years (performance stunted for a year because of surgeries)
Green Club for 3 years. I’m the new President for next year.
Marching Band for one year (I quit though)
Colburn Wind Ensemble (high school group at a music college in LA) for 3 years
All Southern Band in 9th grade
All State Band in San Luis Obispo in 11th grade and next year, 12th grade
Art for 3 years
Short story got published in school’s literary arts magazine
Reading Tutor for free for low income schools for one year (next year)
Tutored kids at school and I also teach Clarinet
Volunteered as a musical therapist my freshman year with 60ish hours, a piano instructor my junior and senior year, and volunteered at an art museum as well.</p>

<p>Now that that’s out of the way, I’m a pretty liberal guy, though not really counterculture in any way. I love writing, music, and art, and I’d love a career as a novelist, writing fictional pieces much like Harry Potter (perhaps not as good lol–I’m not that cocky). But I want to go to a well rounded school where I can learn a lot in many different fields. I want to try my hand in psychology, history, other sciences…etc… before I completely commit to one thing because I’d like to explore my options.</p>

<p>I’d like a small to medium sized school near nature. Maybe some mountains or a lake or wooded area. Either way, I’d prefer a proximity to some interesting geography over a bustling city life. Ideally, there’d also be a city nearby, or a college town. But maybe that’s asking for too much.</p>

<p>Also, I’d like a school where you can still do tons of stuff and have lots of fun without joining a Frat. I’m not interested in joining a frat at all, and academics will be my number one priority. So it’s not like I’m gonna be drinking and partying all night all week. Ideally, I’d like a college where everyone is very intellectual and academic (though not stuck up) but still has fun.</p>

<p>Man, I hope I’m not being too specific. Looking back, this post is really long, so if anyone takes the time to actually read all this, thanks a lot</p>

2

<p>I think you might like some liberal arts colleges like Vassar, Wesleyan, Amherst and Reed.</p>

3

<p>Look toward Brown as a dream school.</p>

<p>Open Curriculum fits your emphatic “I want to go to a well rounded school where I can learn a lot in many different fields” perfectly.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

4

<p>Hamilton and Haverford sound like good fits as well (of course I’m from the east, so I don’t know much about schools west of the Mississippi)</p>

5

<p>Dartmouth sounds like a good fit to me if you can get in.</p>

6

<p>Brown and Dartmouth have been recommended to me a few times. Trouble is, getting in is no easy feat :(</p>

<p>Do you guys know of any colleges that fit my description but might be a bit more realistic for me to make? I love Brown and Dartmouth, but those are definitely reaches</p>

7

<p>Have you considered Colorado College or Cornell College? The one class at a time curriculum might appeal to your sense of learning.</p>

8

<p>I think the Claremont colleges might be a good match for you location-wise. I think they are in a very pretty area…and I think the more selective of them would be high match/low reach for you. Do be careful of their specific specialties (Harvey Mudd being a science college pretty much, and one of the other ones being all-female). Maybe Swarthmore, too? I don’t actually know much about its geography, so my mind is working like this
Swarthmore = in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania = pretty
Therefore Swarthmore = pretty
And I do know it’s not all that far away from Philadelphia, which is a lovely city.
Sarah Lawrence is no more than a match for you (you have good test scores, ECs, and are a dude. They are at least 60% female) and advertised itself to me as being in a beautiful wooded area an hour from NYC. However, it is $$$$$$ so if you’re cash-strapped it would be a bad choice to rely on as a safety. They might give you merit aid? Dunno their policies on that. I have also heard nasty but unsubstantiated rumors of aid packages that decrease from year to year. They are quite liberal, and tend to be best in the things you listed, like English and philosophy and most definitely the arts. Don’t know about their science education, though.
Also, Dartmouth is like, Frat Central.</p>

9

<p>Kenyon, Middlebury, Pomona</p>

10

<p>Thanks a lot, guys. Unfortunately, my dad is somewhat of a prestige wh0re, and so he only wants me to look at the typical top tier list: UCLA, USC, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Brown, UPenn, Dartmouth…etc… Unfortunately, with a list like that, you can’t expect great results lol. He wants me to stay in California, and my safety at the moment is UC San Diego because in state tuition there is awesome.</p>

<p>Again, thanks a lot, people. I’m currently researching all these colleges you’ve listed, and I’m sure once I’ve found one I like, it’s only a matter of time before I can convince my Dad to let me apply. </p>

<p>He has a thing against small liberal arts colleges. Especially ones like Kenyon and Pomona because they’re expensive and he doesn’t think they’re worth applying to, as opposed to colleges like Harvard where even if the tuition is high, it’s, according to him, more worthwhile. I don’t doubt that an Ivy League education is awesome though.</p>