Expert: Bruce - 11/5/2006

Question



Math is my weakest point, so only counting CR and math my SAT score is around 1300-1350 or so.

Cost is definatly a major concern. My parents are divorced and my father isn't about to contribute anything. My mom won't be able to pay much at all, and I'm not able to get a job now either. My brother payed for his college with a combination of grants, loans and work-study things, and I'm hoping something like that will work out for me too... I don't have a home state, but if nothing else works out I'd be willing to go live and work for a year before college so I'd get in-state tuition.

No, I'd prefer no religious affiliation at all! When I say I don't want a party school, what I guess I mean is that I'd prefer there to be a bigger emphasis on more interesting things than going out and getting drunk as often as possible; I have nothing against partying from time to time, but I'd like to be around people who go to college for the sake of learning and not simply to go wild.

Climate... I like variation. Hot summers, cold winters... I don't mind rain, but I hate having days on end of grey, chilly, drizzle.

Doesn't really matter. I don't have a car, so having some sort of public transportation would be convenient, and I guess thats easier to find in an urban setting. However, I'd go crazy living in a city and not being able to get out as well. It's not a big deal, any one would be ok.

I have family in Pennsylvania, but don't need to go to a school near them. What would be good would be if there were an airport near the college, so I could go visit them without much trouble.

Thanks a lot for your help!






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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hello Bruce,
my name is Karen and I'm a high school junior. I'm starting to think a bit about colleges. There are so many to choose from, and I'm feeling a bit lost. Do you have any suggestions?

I'm an American citizen, but live abroad. I'm in the IB diploma program. Unfortunatly I don't know how to convert those grades to the system used in America so I don't know exactly what my GPA would be. However, I do pretty well and would guess I'm in the top 10% of the class at least.

SAT score will be roughly 2000 or 2100.

I have several ECs, ranging from purely being participant to being secretary for quite a large (non-school) local club/chapter of a national organizatio.

I'm looking for a college that will give me a solid education. I don't want to go to a big party school; I want the students to be interested, motivated and friendly. I want the professors to be accessible and the classes small. Opportunities to do some undergraduate research and stuff like that would be nice as well.

I'd like to major in psychology so a good psych department is important. I'm also kind of interested in animal science, so if the school offered that it would be good too.

Location isn't really important.

Thanks for your help!
Karen
-----Answer-----
Hi Karen,

Let me ask you a few questions and then I would be glad to
suggest some places to look. You seem like a great candidate for a small private college, and I'm a big fan of those kinds of schools; and as psych is a fairly popular program, you'll have plenty of good options.

What is your SAT score w/out the writing test?

Are you concerned about college cost? If so, do you have an official home state in the US that you should check out closely because of the possibility of state aid?

You say you don't want a party school - are you interested in a college with an active religious affiliation?

Do you have a strong preference for a particular climate?

Do you prefer urban, rural, suburban or does it not matter?

Do you have extended family in the US that would offer a measure of convenience were you to attend school near them?

Thanks for any feedback you can offer on this.

Bruce

Answer
Karen,

Here are some schools you may want to check out, to see if they are good fits for you. Because you indicated that you like 4 seasons and because its the region of the US I know best, this initial list is more northeastern US focused.

Hamilton College (NY) - Website says HC meets 100% of need for accepted students. Great school, beautiful setting, liberal artsy.

Drew University (NJ) - has a seminary and historic tie to Mehtodist church, but does not function as a religious college at undergrad level. Good liberal arts school, nice setting, accessible to NYC and public transport.

Hobart & William Smith Colleges (Geneva, NY) -  liberal arts focus, beautiful lakeside setting, good reputation.

University of Rochester (NY) - Larger school, Good reputation, Web site says they meet 100% of financial need.
Diverse student body.

St Mary's College (MD) - not a religious school, but located in St Mary's, Maryland. Liberal artsy, good reputation. Public college.

Geneseo (NY) - part of the state of NY system. Nice college town about 30 miles south of Rochester; excellent academic reputation, even as a non NYer, you would have reasonable fees and they have some awards you could apply for.

Franklin & Marshall College (PA) - Lancaster, PA. Good school, nice setting.

Elmira College (NY) - small liberal arts school, good with financial aid, lovely campus setting in small city.