Good colleges for me?

[AMT]

you should not be asking specific college names. what you should do is the following:

1) meet with a college counselor. most are idiots, but some have a good basis of knowledge for different students.
2) find friends/family friends/people you know that have similar credentials, both that are in college and older and are the same age as you. ask them what they did/where they go/how they approached it/what they looked for, as well as, with the person your same age, collaborating with him and seeing what he/she thinks about it.
3) decide what kind of demographics/situation you want to be in: USA vs canada? cold vs hot? east coast vs west coast? big vs small? liberal arts vs state school/public university? ivy league 40k/year or full ride at a small, non ivy league type school? school with a major that interests you and has a good reputation in that department?

then, after collaborating/consulting internet/counselors/information areas with all of these questions, visit schools that fit the criteria. from there, you will have a good idea of where you want to apply. once you get in or get rejected, your decision should be relatively easy. good luck, come to university of maryland, we love it here [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Cubswin]

[ QUOTE ]
true...I can see that, the only reason I would say it would suck to do this is b/c it will be hard for OP to meet people when he's a junior that he doesn't already know.

Isn't the great thing about college becoming close friends with multiple complete strangers over the years...

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess the one thing i missed out on was dorm life. I had enough friends down there already and visited enough times so i knew a bunch of people before i got down there. There were also about 2 dozen students that transfered there from the CC i attended so its really wasnt too bad.

[Jeffmet3]

If you can afford 4 years of college, you don't want to go to Community College.

Most relationships you'll make at school will be freshman/sophmore year.

Going to Community College, you'll be missing out on a lot.

[theben]

apply to at least 5 ivys and a ton of help on your essays. remember to lie as much as possible. also, consider fudging a resume and making some things up (clubs, sports, etc)

[AMT]

[ QUOTE ]
apply to at least 5 ivys and a ton of help on your essays. remember to lie as much as possible. also, consider fudging a resume and making some things up (clubs, sports, etc)

[/ QUOTE ]


college dropout

[Colonel Kataffy]

I don't think you'd have a problem getting into U of Chicago. My understanding that it is easier to get into than its prestiege would suggest. And I had a friend get in there with a similar resume, but only a 27 (he is white) on his ACT. However, U of C has a notoriously unfun atmosphere and everyone I know who has gone there hasn't liked it.

That being said, the school you should go to is the university of wisconsin. It is bigger than you desired, but really, its only bigger in the good ways. It has great humanities programs. Small sized upper level courses. Best bar/party seen in the country. And best all round atmosphere.

[shadow.]

if you're checking into liberal arts colleges, don't forget davidson college.

if you check it out, it's stats and reputation speak for themselves.

we only have 1700 students (all undergrad), which can be a plus and a minus. it's really awesome in that all of the classes are like 20 students or so, all of the professors know your name (btw, no ta's) and i've been over to several of my prof's houses for dinner, etc. they really care about you and what you do in and out of the classroom.

naturally, 1700 makes it very awkward sometimes, as you definetly know pretty much everyone. you can see where i'm going with this.

a disadvantage about davidson is that, while very well respected within the southeast and academic community, not too many people know about it west of the mississippi.

i'm not too sure how good your sat is within the new framework, but keep in mind that it's extremely difficult to get in here. i believe the admit rate is down to <20% with the class of 2010. most important factors in admittance are well-roundedness (sounds cliche, but it's very important-- sat is less important than at places like uofc (which does still use the uncommon app, loll)), committment to integrity (we have a unique academic environment here with the honor cdoe. exams are self-scheduled and not proctored, there are constantly take home tests and quizzes, theft is not an issue-- people leave their bikes unlocked, etc. this environment is extremely conducive to a committment to academics and fosters this very real sense of community), and personal essays. the essays are very important (and actually why i got into davidson with a less than stellar gpa).

anyway, i love it here and i think that it's one of the best schools in the world for some of the reasons mentioned above, plus some others that you really can only feel and see and experience once you get here.

i encourage you to do some independent research and come visit-- that's really important in admission too.

if you have any questions, feel free to pm me.

[ImsaKidd]

OP: Are you National Merit Finalist/Semifinalist?

If so, Make sure you find a place that will reward you. I am headed off to college in September, and I got a full-ride to a decent school (Drexel) solely because of National Merit. Your parents will love you for it, and you wont be stuck with debt for years paying off some 150k+ tuition bill.

[emon87]

Dude, you'll hate U Chicago. The campus is extremely unfun, and being in the south side of chicago means you can't leave campus after 8PM (4PM in the winter). Also, the people that go there are really really weird. Carleton is also chock full of weird people (my best friend goes there and hates it.)

Northwestern is awesome, but you're probably on the edge of being able to get in. If you like Seattle, you should check out Seattle U or Seattle Pacific U. Both are right in the city and I have heard very good things from the people that go there (I am from seattle).

Good luck with the admissions process - you probably won't get into schools you think you should get into - it sucks that way.

[Cubswin]

[ QUOTE ]
If you can afford 4 years of college, you don't want to go to Community College.

Most relationships you'll make at school will be freshman/sophmore year.

[/ QUOTE ]

I realize you might make a lot of great relationships in your 4 year college your freshman and sophmore year, but this also holds true at a CC. I made three really good friends at CC that also transfered at the same time I did and didnt miss a stride once i started attending UIUC. The intimate size of 300/400 level courses your junior year means you will quickly build a network with individuals who are pursuing the same career path you are. Of course, your results will depend on how outgoing you are. For me, transferring was an easy choice because i knew that grad school would eventaully be in the equation and I wanted to keep costs down for myself. Its not for everyone, but if your outgoing and money is an issue, CC it is a great choice.