Free College Counseling: What is the best school for me?

Jacqueline,

I understand that your options seem exhausted and it can be very frustrating, but unfortunately these circumstances are commonly the case when dealing with college. It seems that credited institutes for cosmetology are not very close to Haverstown, although there are some in New York, NY, the Lia Schorr Institute of Cosmetic Skincare Training. I'm not certain how far away that is, but without your son living on a campus or nearby the school, I don't know what options you're left with.

I?m not quite sure the situation you and your son are in, but I feel like that would be the one of your reasonable options left open. If he has taken out a student loan, they can arrange for different ways to pay back the borrowed money?and as far as a different way to get through this dilemma, I would try to find a school that offers financial aid as well as one that does accept scholarships.

Good Luck
Julia Yannone
The College Prowler Counselor

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Robert,

Before I can really help you find the ?best? college for you, you have to narrow your choices down. Answer some questions for yourself?where do you want to go to school? Where do you not want to go to school? You have to decide if you want to leave your state, stay in state?all of these factors go into choosing the school to best suit you.

You have a good GPA, and I?m assuming your overall SAT was around 1990 which is very good as well. It?s totally up to you, but I would suggest that you choose an average school and excel in those programs. It can sometimes be better to stand out from the crowd than to be mixed up in all of it.

If you choose an average school, your scholarship options won't vary too much. Scholarships depend on your work in school and in your community, not which school you decide to attend.

If you?re getting scholarship money from a college or university, that?s where it differs. You would have to talk to a financial aid specialist for the school you choose. They can work with you more closely and help you with the financial aspects of college.

As for choosing a school, I would start by answering those broad questions I proposed to you earlier. Once you?ve narrowed your choices down to about three or four, pick up some College Prowler books...this will really give you the entire picture you need to help you make your final decision.

Good Luck,
Julia Yannone
The College Prowler Counselor

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HOW TO KNOW WHICH COLLEGE IS RIGHT FOR YOU:

10 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER BEFORE YOU CHOOSE A COLLEGE



1. What type of school do you want to go to?

2 or 4 year college

Public vs. Private

Same Sex vs. Coed




2. What type of school setting do you prefer & where at?

In State/ Out of State

Urban

Rural

Suburban

Location in U.S. (north, south, east, west, etc.)



3. What size school do you prefer to attend?

A large university or a smaller college-

Small: fewer than 2,000 students

Medium: between 2,000 and 15,000 students

Large: More than 15,000 students



4. What activities &/or student life aspects are important to you?

Do you have an interest in Greek Life?

Are intramural sports something you would like to do?

Do you plan on playing sports at the college level?

Are student organizations a factor in your college choice?

Do you want student housing available all 4 years?



5. What major or academic program are you interested in?

If you?re undecided, what are some of your possible interests?



6. Tuition & Financial Aid: What?s your situation?

$5,000-$15,000

$15,000-$25,000

$25,000-$35,000

$35,000- up

will you be applying for Financial Aid, scholarships, grants, etc?



7. Which entrance exams (SATs or ACTs) will different colleges accept? Which ones should you take?



8. How should I prepare for the SAT/ACT?

What should I expect?

Are they really as hard as everyone says?

How long are the tests?

Do I need to take the SAT Subject Tests?



9. If you don?t do very well on the SAT/ACT, does that mean you won?t get into a good school?

Are those scores what admissions solely base their decision on?

Should you take them until you get a score you?re satisfied with?



10. What is the usual acceptance process?

What do schools consider when they look at your application?

If my GPA isn?t what they require, can I still get in?

Do I need to write an application essay?

When will I know if I?m accepted?

Is there anything that will help me get in?

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Khai,

It?s a good start that you know that you want to continue your education, the difficult task is choosing where you want to do that. I can?t really help you decide on whether or not to stay in state or to go out of state for college; that?s a tough decision that you?re going to have to make.

As far as what to study? I suggest you enter as undecided or undeclared as a freshman, get a lot of your gen-eds out of the way, and take a few electives in both of those fields. That way you can get a feel for the professors, the classes and how the different areas suit you.

As far as the scholarships are concerned, finding them can be a very time-consuming and potentially frustrating process; you just need a good place to start. Some students choose to examine pages and pages of award information in scholarship books or in files found at local libraries. While some students use trustworthy and accurate scholarship search services on the Internet to save time in the searching process.

Using online resources is a good idea if the website offers efficient, current, and legitimate information. I would suggest talking one on one with your high school guidance counselor about any local or state awards that you may qualify for. Once you decide on a few schools to apply to, I would be sure to contact the financial aid office to learn if you qualify for any awards provided by the school.

One last resource that people sometimes overlook is through the grapevine. You should ask your parents and friends to be on 'scholarship alert', always checking local newspapers and bulletin boards for local scholarship listings.

As a junior you should be focusing on exactly what your questions pose. You need to be narrowing down your choices of which colleges to apply to, and that?s where College Prowler can make things a little bit easier. To get as many scholarships as possible?you need to always be on the lookout. Did you know that College Prowler offers scholarships? Look in ?About Us?, and check out ?The Scholarship?.

There are a lot of opportunities that you can take advantage of, you just need to find them. At the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, the GPA requirements are that your core high school GPA falls between 3.28 and 3.95. UTK has a great business administration program, but they don?t offer anything in pre-dentistry.

If you want to learn more about what UTK students think about the school, check out the College Prowler book on the University of Tennessee. It will give you the information you need to hear?like how students rate professors, what grade they gave to student life, etc. Some schools that do offer pre-dentistry programs: University of Dayton, Clemson University, Boston University, Boise State University. You can find out more of the info you need from the College Prowler books on Clemson and Boston University.

I hope this helps,
Julia Y.
The College Prowler Counselor

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Lauren, The first school that comes to mind for Fashion Merchandising, as I?m sure you know is FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York City. According to FIT, the ?Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Global Fashion Management prepares emerging fashion executives for top managerial positions in the burgeoning international fashion industry.

It is unique among graduate business degrees?. This degree combines the aspect of fashion as well as the background and basis of an MBA. I would suggest this program for you, it sounds like it would suit you the best, and where better to study fashion than New York City?

Other than that, I?m not aware of any MBA programs in Fashion Merchandising. You might have to mix and match when it comes to your undergrad and graduate degrees. Think of which grad program will compliment your undergrad the best, that is if you?re unable to find a grad program that offers Fashion Merchandising, MBA.

I hope this helps...
Joey Rahimi
The College Prowler Counselor

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Nick,

First, it?s a good start that you know you want to attend college. The next step is one of the toughest decisions you?ll probably make: where you want to go and what you want to study. I can?t tell you what to pursue as a career, but I can give you some advice that will hopefully point you in the right direction.

I am just going to assume you?re going to stay in-state for school, let?s just use The University of Wisconsin, Madison for example. The middle 50% of their students have high school GPAs that fall between 3.5 and 3.9. You?re a little below the average by those standards, but that?s just the middle 50%; there?s 25% below and 25% above those numbers.

As for your major, I would strongly suggest that you consider entering as an undecided freshman. Undergrads usually change their major (on average) about 3 times. If you enter undecided, this gives you a change to get your core required classes out of the way, and explore some fields with your electives.

You can take a class within the school or business, which offers many majors?or maybe you?re looking at something in their school of education, which also offers a list of great possible majors to choose from.



The choice is ultimately yours, and it may not be easy, but that?s why you experiment. As for finally deciding on your school of choice, I suggest applying to a few, just to leave your options opened. College Prowler can help you get a much better understanding of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. You?ll learn the ins and outs of the school and how students really feel.

Hope this helps?
Joey Rahimi
The College Prowler Counselor

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Dear N. Nissen,

As far as your daughter?s experience at NYU, the only honest advice I can give you there is that sometimes people aren?t always friendly, sometimes they don?t like you, and as far as too much competition for getting into the Tisch School of the Arts, it doesn?t sound like she wanted it badly enough. These are obstacles that people face when they?re in college and the real world. It is difficult however, to overcome these obstacles when it seems nothing is working out: the tuition, lack of scholarships, etc.

Belmont University, TN sounds like it has a few programs in visual and performing arts for those who are not interested in acting. They have a music business program that is very unique and distinctive to the college.

Because you?re limiting your search to Tennessee and Kentucky only, it?s going to be very difficult to suit all of these preferences. Plush dorm rooms aren?t usually part of the college experience, unless your daughter would live off campus in her own apartment. The same goes for trendy dining and high-end shopping; college towns usually don?t have too many world class bistros. It?s going to be difficult to find pseudo New York City in Tennessee or Kentucky.

Also, many schools pride themselves on their well rounded liberal arts background, so I would really encourage looking outside of TN and KY, you?re likely to find more options that way.

Good Luck?
Julia Y.
The College Prowler Counselor

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Celeste,

Well first, congrats on your acceptance to those three schools. Now comes the tough part: making your decision.

Judging by your criteria, the University of Colorado doesn?t sound like the best suitable choice for you. Let?s say for example you?ve narrowed your choice down between Auburn and UC?it?s going to be 40% more expensive to live in Boulder or Longmont, CO than it will be to live in Auburn or Opelika, AL.

Comparing Raleigh, NC to Boulder?it?s going to be 30% more expensive to live in Boulder, again. Colorado has a higher cost of living.

Your last two options: Raleigh or Auburn, it?s going to be around 10% cheaper to live in Alabama. But that?s only judging by cost of living.

As for your climate preferences, it?s going to be warmer in AL than in NC, but there are more career possibilities in Raleigh and surrounding cities. I?m not sure what your husband does, but as for family activities I would say Raleigh might be your best bet.

But don?t take my word for it?College Prowler has books published on both NC State and Auburn. This will give you a much better picture of what both cities are like, how the students have rated the city, so on and so forth. I?m sure you?re not interested in the quality of the dorms, but these guides also give you an idea of the professors and how students feel about them. It will really help with your decision.

I hope this helps?
Julia Y. M
The College Prowler Counselor

Hi Ketaki,

The top schools for Bioscience majors are going to be schools like Johns Hopkins and Cornell. But just because they are cream of the crop universities does not necessarily mean they are cream of the crop for you. I have looked up some schools that have any of the following: bioscience, biochemistry, biology, or chemistry majors that also fit your SAT scores. Here they are:

Baylor, College of Charleston, Dickinson, Drexel, George Mason, Kansas State, Rhodes, Syracuse, Towson, Washington State.

Your math score is in almost every single one of these school ranges, but you might want to think about taking the SAT one more time to improve your verbal score. Colleges do look at the SAT scores but they also look at your GPA and the number of advanced science courses you have taken if you are applying into their science program.

We have a lot of helpful pointers in our guidebooks and you definitely want check out the rest of our website as you get more serious about these colleges?our guidebooks really are helpful when it comes to deciding where you want to go.



Best of luck and hope this helps,

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

Hi Hannah,

First off, take a deep breath! Yes, the college process is a little bit overwhelming at first, but it isn?t that bad!!! Before you pick your major you should definitely start thinking about what kind of college would be the right one for you. You will have plenty of time later on and even once you get into schools to figure out a major. There are many ways to determine what kind of college you want to go to?and one of the first questions should most definitely be how big? Are you looking for a small intimate college or a college so big you run into many new people every day? To get a full picture of what kind of college you are looking for go to the ?What is the best school for me? section of the prowler counseling and answer all 10 of the questions that answer Jeewon from New York?s question. After you have answered these and you take the SAT you will start to get a pretty good feel of the type of colleges you will be applying to.

Don?t worry about your SAT scores. They are one component in this process. Although they could hinder you if they are extremely low and boost you if they are extremely high, they are not going to be the only deciding factor for smaller and medium sized colleges and universities. The big ones do tend to look just at your scores and GPA due to the huge amount of applications they have every year, so if you do decide to go big you want to do your homework before you apply. Most schools also take a look at your extra curricular activities. Do you do volunteer work in your community or walk your neighbor?s dog for them on a regular basis? Those kinds of activities are what colleges look for their prospective students to be doing during their free hours.

The college process is a little bit stressful, but it is also supposed to be fun! You?re deciding where you?re going to be living for the next few years of your life, and it should be a place where you know you will be happy. Make sure to visit your top schools before you make your final decision, because your first impression of the campus and the people will give you a pretty accurate picture.



Best of luck and I hope this helps,

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

Hi Amber,

To answer your question about which college to attend you want to look at Jeewon?s question in the ?what is the best school for me? section and write down the 10 answers that fit you and where you want to go to school. This list of answers will be your guide for the entire process so write them down and then put them somewhere that you know you will be able to find them again. Don?t write down your answers and stick them in your desk drawer and forget you ever had them?bad idea.

Next, to address the question about your major, don?t worry about it quite yet. Having a major in mind when you get to college is a great thing, but do not limit yourself to just one. You never know, the perfect major for you could be waiting at X college when you get there, so please don?t settle on one.

Thirdly, if you want like where you are and feel comfortable you MUST visit the campus. You will get a feel for what goes on during the day to day at the school, and whether or not you will like staying there for an extended period of time. It is your school, so you should like: how the buildings look, how friendly the people are/aren?t, and of course the conditions of the dorm rooms.

Finally, as to the question of surviving on your own?every person is different. Some college freshman can?t wait to pack up and leave their 1980?s inspired bedroom with the parents sitting in the kitchen when they come home at 2 a.m., while others cannot stand to think about leaving their favorite teddy bear. No matter where you fall within these two categories it is still scary to leave home for the first time. It will take you a little while to adjust to living with a roommate, but most students do quite well on their own. If you do have a little bit of trouble adjusting to living life on your own and with a budget?there is always a telephone. Give your best friend from home a call and vent about whatever is going on, and even your parents for a quick hello. Adjusting to a new place is never incredibly easy, but keeping an open mind to your new environment is key to your happiness there.

Be sure to grab a few of our guidebooks at your local Barnes and Noble, Borders or even on the website as your college process progresses.



best of luck and hope this helps,

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

Hi Casey,

I would like to say that I commend you for wanting to continue your education. There are a lot of people out there who just give up and never finish getting their degrees. Since you didn?t give me any of your high school information it might be a little harder for me to give you an accurate school but we can give it a shot.

First of all, you?re currently living in Georgia so you would want to look at schools in your area first, unless you are willing to move to the northwest to continue your education. If you are working you definitely want to think about looking into a nearby community college and taking a few classes there to see what you are really interested in. A lot of schools offer night classes, which would be great if you?re busy during the day.

Even if you aren?t committed to something specific during the day you probably want to take a few introduction classes just to get your bearings on what area of study you want to focus on.

I?ve looked up a few colleges in the area and hope they get you started:

Costal GA Community College Camden Center (912) 510-3300

Valdosta State University (912) 882-6573

Brenau University (912) 882-7125

These schools are all nearby where you are right now, so give them a call and see if they are still accepting people for the fall semester. Tell them your situation and that you are very interested in continuing your education.

If there is a specific school that you are interested in you most definitely want to get in contact with them as soon as possible to see what you can do about enrolling in some of their classes if not this fall then in the spring.

Best of luck deciding on what you want to do and hope this helped,

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

David,

Since you live in New York, I?m going to stick to schools in New York State. You are obviously welcome to look outside of the state, but New York contains so many good schools already, I may as well point out those that suit your profile.

Cornell and Columbia would be reach schools. About 85% of accepted students are in the top 10% of their class, which you may not be, considering your G.P.A. However, since you indicated having taken mostly A.P. classes, I am also assuming those classes are not weighted. Their difficulty should soften judgment of your G.P.A. (since they will show that you chose to challenge yourself rather than simply try to get a perfect G.P.A.). However, your SAT score is very high, so depending upon your extracurricular activities and volunteer work, you stand a chance of being admitted.

While Colgate fits your admissions profile almost perfectly, it does not offer the same range of ordinary engineering programs as your reach schools do. Instead it has pre-engineering programs with Columbia University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Washington University.

Likewise, Hamilton?another good match?instead of offering ordinary engineering majors, has a 3-2 program with RPI, Columbia, and Washington University. Clarkson and Hoefstra would be nice fallback schools. They offer a variety of engineering options, and you have very good odds of acceptance with your G.P.A. and SAT scores.

Also, while I only addressed engineering in my answer, you may also assume that all of these schools have programs in mathematics.

I hope this answers your question. To find more information on any individual college, look for the books on http://www.collegeprowler.com/all_college_guides.asp. All of the schools I mentioned are listed there.

Best of luck on your college search!

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

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Jessica,

A lot of schools offer design programs. My advice would be to choose a school large enough to offer both a program that interests you as well as core courses in case you change your mind. Community colleges are always an option, but if you choose to take core courses there, you will not get to experience whether or not you are interested in design/marketing by actually taking classes. Again, you can always apply and transfer to ?top? design schools once you decide this is what you would truly like to do and are ready to move far from home.

Several worthwhile schools in Michigan include Adrian College, Alma College, and Andrews, University, all of which are very small colleges (about 1,000 undergraduates) that offer design majors as wells as liberal arts classes. These schools are all approximately 2 hours from where you live. Then, Michigan State University?which, on the other end of the spectrum, with about 35,000 undergraduates and also offering an assortment of interesting courses and majors?is less than an hour from where you live.

Your G.P.A. appears high enough that you should have a decent shot at getting into most of these schools, depending upon your standardized test scores and extracurricular activities.

No matter what, don?t let anyone push you into a decision you don?t want to make. College is a decision that should be made for you. Uncertainty is not a flaw?most college freshmen are unsure of their major, and even many sophomores are undecided. Take your time and try not to fret too much!

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

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Arash,

Of the two schools, Cal Poly certainly seems to be the better-known, more highly regarded school. For housing, it offers ordinary residence halls, themed halls, and suite-style living. Meanwhile, Cal Poly Pomona offers ordinary residence halls, suite-style living, and what they term ?village apartments? (for upperclassmen only).

Both schools obviously offer computer engineering and have about 18,000 students. The only obvious difference besides reputation is location: Cal Poly is about 4.5 hours from where you live. Cal Poly Pomona is about a half hour away. If that does not matter, then you just need to choose which school you would rather attend. To do this, it is best to visit each campus and get a feel for each.

Best of luck making your decision.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

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Hi Ramon,

If you have your heart set on being an engineer when you graduate college, then University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the right place. They do have the third best architectural engineering program in the U.S. But if you have any interest in exploring the world outside of engineering then you want to check out Johns Hopkins.

If you were born with a calculator in one hand and a ruler in the other than no one in the world should stop you from doing what you are most passionate about; just make sure you are ready do commit to it before you jump. Visit both the UIUC campus and the Johns Hopkins campus and talk to students from both places while you?re visiting. Getting a feel for the place that you will be spending you next four years in is an absolute must.

Best of luck deciding!

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

Akriti,

An ACT score of 19 puts you in the 42nd percentile of 2005-2006high school students who took that test. For a further breakdown of you score, visit the ACT website. Translated into SAT numbers, this would be between 900 and 930 (not including the writing portion).

Small private NJ schools (1,000-2,000 undergraduates) that accept scores in this range include Caldwell College, Centenary College, and Felician College. Kean University would be a larger option, with about 10,000 students, and it is a public university for which you would pay a lower in-state price. Also, these schools admitted students with about an average of a 3.0 G.P.A.

If you want to look outside of NJ, try to look for less selective schools that have relatively high acceptance rates. (Seventy percent or better is a good ballpark figure.) Best of luck finding a good match!

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

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Ravale,

As with most very selective colleges, NYU will consider your secondary school report and test scores most important for admission. Typically, the incoming freshmen have an SAT score of 1220-1410 or an ACT score of 27-31 and a G.P.A. of 3.6. However, your extracurricular activities and other personal characteristics (e.g. talents) are also important to the school. Therefore, if you are in good academic standing, it looks like you should have a very good chance of being admitted, considering all of the other things you do with you time. Get someone you know well to write your recommendation?perhaps a mentor at the orphanage or supervisor at the internship.

Concerning the majors you mentioned, NYU offers several different options. In social sciences, it offers political science and government, sociology, international relations and affairs, economics, urban studies/affairs, social sciences, and anthropology, and it also offers international business/trade/commerce under the business, management, marketing discipline.

The other schools you mentioned are all fairly compatible. Amherst and Columbia are both somewhat more selective, with 21 and 13 percent acceptance rates. NYU is by far the largest school of the list, at 20,000 students, Amherst the smallest at about 1,600. Consider these factors, as well, when you are choosing your school.

If you want to read more, check out the books we have on each school. They?ll give you a much better idea of what life at each place is all about.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

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Annie,

According to US News, University of Oregon was ranked nationally as number 115 of the top 120 colleges and universities in the country. It tied with other schools such as Loyola University Chicago and Northeastern University. It has an 84% freshman retention rate and a 20/1 student/faculty ratio. Meanwhile, UC Davis ranked 48th, Santa Barbara, ranked 45th, Irvine 40th, and USC 30th (with a 95% retention rate and a 10/1 ratio, to give you some comparison).

Meanwhile, College Prowler sells a book called The Guide to California Colleges that you may want to use to compare all of the colleges to which you have been accepted (excepting Oregon). To help answer your question and to give you a preview of the book, here is how the guide ?grades? the schools for academics:

Santa Barbara?B+
Davis?B
Santa Clara?B
Irvine?B
Santa Cruz?B
USC?B+
Cal Ploy?B

You can read about how College Prowler ranks University of Oregon from a sample page.

Best of luck making your choice.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

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Greg,

It is very difficult not to allow what other people think of a school influence your decision. Good for you for considering you own needs preferences before making this decision!

From what you have said of each school, you should consider why you are going to college in the first place. While school spirit can be an influencing factor, do you necessarily want to pay thousands of dollars only to cheer on a football team? If you can cheer on a football team while receiving a dynamite education, then that is the ideal condition. Nevertheless, if one of the two must be sacrificed, do consider that you are paying to attend school.

Also, even if Maryland maintains a better reputation, this does not necessarily mean that you individually will receive a better education there. If you are, as you stated, not a very good student, then it may be better for you to go to a school that has smaller classes where you will not be lost in the shuffle.

I hope this has been helpful advice. Best of luck making this difficult decision!

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

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David,

I would say that all of the Ivies are reaches, considering that your G.P.A. is slightly low. (These schools require a G.P.A. closer to 3.8 or 3.9.) Your SATs are impressive, however, so these schools are not entirely out of the question by any means, especially if you have other aspects of your life to tout such as sports, music, volunteering activities, etc. The same thing goes for Duke, Lafayette, and the U. Rochester.

Good matches for you include Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Washington University St. Louis, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, University of Chicago, Lehigh, and Villanova. Plus, mathematics/statistics is actually one of the most popular majors at Vanderbilt University?quite a rarity.

Due to the acceptance rates (and not the standards of acceptance) you have increasingly better chances of getting into U. Michigan, RPI, WPI, and Syracuse (the fact that you dad is alumnus does not help in this case).

You could probably get into Tufts without too much of a problem, but it does not seem to be especially strong in the Math/Science area. (Its more popular majors include international relations, economics, and political science.) The same goes for George Washington University and U. Virginia.

You should get into either SUNY school fairly easily, although biology is listed as one of the most popular majors at Binghamton and not Stony Brook. Lastly, of all the schools on your list, you should have the easiest time getting into Boston University and Clarkson University.

You should probably pick some additional criterion to narrow your list of schools. What size are you looking for? What sort of location? Consider these things before you begin to visit schools or you could spend the next four years trying to choose your college!

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

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Annie,

Attending a junior college accomplishes several things for you. First, it allows you to stay local. You can live at home or at least in your hometown, so you do not have to worry about moving away for your first few years of college. Second, it enables you to receive individualized attention, since classes at a junior college are typically smaller that they would be at a large public university. Third, it cuts down on expenses. Junior colleges usually cost less than regular public and private universities.

However.

Depending where you plan to go after you finish your associate?s degree at the junior college, some of your credits may not transfer. Also, if you want to experience the camaraderie of living with and developing with your graduating class, you may want to start with them them, as well. If money is not an issue but you still want small class sizes, look at smaller private schools. And if you need to live at home (depending how far away the school is), commuting is always an option.

Take all of these things into consideration before you make your choice. Just because your siblings went to junior college does not automatically make it the best choice for you.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

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Harmonie,

Admission to law school does not require that you take a pre-law program; you can graduate with any four-year degree. Some common degrees held by those in law school include political science, business, English, criminal justice, international relations, and accounting. Admission to law school depends upon performance as an undergraduate (G.P.A.) and scores on the LSAT. Law school then typically takes three to four years to complete and is followed by the bar exam for the area(s) in which you plan to practice. Financial aid is available to law school students, in the same manner as it was to undergraduates--through scholarships, grants, work-study, and loans.

The only Colorado school I was able to find that offers a pre-law program is Regis University. This is a relatively selective, private university. It enrolls about 6,000 undergraduates and is located in Denver. As for Harvard or Yale, I would recommend simply trying to get the best undergraduate education you can. Even if you are accepted into one of these two undergraduate programs, this does not guarantee you acceptance to their graduate programs, and the name of the graduate institution associated with your law degree is what will matter most for your future career.

Thus, look for the school you like best. Find one where you feel most comfortable and where you feel you will receive the best education. If your list includes Harvard and/or Yale under these criteria, then apply there, as well. If not, don?t bother?you can worry about them once you have taken the LSATs.

Joey Rahimi
College Prowler Counselor

Alex,

This is a really tough situation. One possibility is to go to the financial aid office at American University and explain your dilemma, and ask if anything can be done to revise you financial aid package. The worst they can say is no, and if you are a valuable enough candidate, they may reconsider and offer you more money, even if it may be in the way of loans.

Otherwise, all I can ask is, if you are certain you would rather attend American, can you afford to do it? Are you willing to pay that amount of money either now or later (if you take out loans) to attend that university? Or, on the other hand, is it worth saving $20,000 to put up with four years?and perhaps a lifetime?if disappointment? If you truly are not sure about your decision, however, try revisiting the University of Colorado. You may find that its reputation tainted your attitude it and that you neglected to notice resources that would allow you to receive a more personalized education.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Maisha,

You are correct in assuming UVA is another very selective university. It offers early decision (application due by Nov. 1 instead of the regular Jan. 2 deadline) but not early action. Your grades, class rank, and recommendations will be most important for that application. Meanwhile, the average G.P.A. is 4.0, and the average SAT range is 1230-1430. Therefore, you will need to simply try to get the best score you possibly can. Yale, on the other hand, has early action, not early decision. Again, the deadline is Nov. 1, as opposed to the regular Jan. 1 deadline. Your grades, recommendations, and essay will be most important for this application. Meanwhile, the SAT range for this school is even higher: 1400-1580.

These numbers may seem daunting, and for this reason, I would advise you to consider these your Reach schools. Some other schools in nearby states that have law programs include (in order of decreasing difficulty of admission) Dickinson College (PA), Cedarville University (OH), Babson College (MA), Ohio Wesleyan University, and Hofstra University (NY). If you want to hear what students at these colleges have to say about them, check out the College Prowler books published on each school. They?ll give you some insight on what each one is like, what to expect from the students, the feel of the area, etc.

Best of luck!

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Albina,

First of all, here are some admissions statistics to help you get an impartial view on the schools:

Buffalo
Overall acceptance rate: 62%
Top 10% class: 22%
Academics: its size gives you lots of resources and a variety of degree options; however, its size also makes you a small fish in a big sea and you receive little individualized attention

Albany
Overall acceptance rate: 56%
Top 10% class: 20%
Academics: large gen. ed. requirement classes are followed by choosing a major and smaller more specialized classes to ensure a well-rounded education

You are correct in your assumption about Albany?s reputation. Princeton Review named it the #1 party school in America, probably because there are at least three bars on every corner in the downtown area. According to the review in College Prowler, ?In an average week, a typical student will go to the bars and clubs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday? (79).

However, Buffalo has a pretty rigorous nightlife, too. There are many bars and clubs in this area, as well, and the college crowd takes advantage of them. Plus, 19- and 20-year-olds can drink legally just a few miles away across the Canadian border.

Thus, you simply need to prioritize. If graduating early is really that important to you, then you should take advantage of your AP and ?college now? credits. (By the way, you need a minimum of thirty completed credits for sophomore standing.) However, if the school?s reputation means more to you?consider, for instance, where you intend to attend medical school?then you may want to rethink your plan. Also, by using your high school credits to graduate early, you may miss out on learning or reviewing valuable information that will be pertinent in your career, perhaps on the MCATs or material that you will need for classes that build upon one another. Consider why you are trying to ?hurry? toward medical school and, perhaps most importantly of all, think about which school you actually prefer right now. After all, you will be spending the next three or four years there!

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Michael,

It is understandable that you are torn between the two colleges. They do seem very similar. Their size is very compatible, as is their cost and caliber. Here are the primary differences I could pinpoint:

 Fairfield 2 hours and 45 minutes from home. Trinity College is 1 hours and 45 minutes from home. It is only an hour difference, but if you will have a car and intend to go home much, one hour can mean a great deal.

 Fairfield has no Greek life, while Trinity does.

 Fairfield is associated with the Roman Catholic Church (Jesuit), while Trinity maintains no religious association. I don?t know if you are religious or not, but this may impact your decision.

 Fairfield competes in Division I athletics, while Trinity competes in Division III. This is certainly important if you plan to participate in varsity athletics, and it usually has bearing upon the amount of support the student body has for its athletic teams, as well.
 Fairfield is located in a town (suburban), while Trinity is located in a city (urban). I am sure you have visited both campuses and understand the differences of each.

Hopefully I managed to find something here that you had not already realized. If, after considering everything, you still cannot decide, ignore the details and just go with your gut. Best of luck with your decision.Joey Rahimi

College Prowler Counselor

Annie,

First of all, my best advice would be to buy the College Prowler books on both Harvard University and Pomona College. This way, you can get a side-by-side comparison of what students at each school have to say about the pros and cons of going to either an Ivy League school or a small liberal arts college. This being said, I will do my best to give you a brief synopsis of each.

AP Tests: Both schools demand scores of 4 or 5 to receive any credit. At Pomona, many different AP tests are recognized and usually awarded one credit. At Harvard, only the Language Test is recognized and exempts students from the one-year language requirement.

Faculty: The student-faculty ratio is actually lower at Harvard than at Pomona, despite the fact that Pomona is a significantly smaller school. Additionally, more of Harvard?s faculty hold terminal degrees.

University vs. College: Attending a university usually provides more resources. For instance, the Harvard University library is the 2nd-largest collection in the U.S., behind the Library of Congress. Also, because of its size and monetary resources, Harvard has a more respectable and larger athletics program (Division I) than does Pomona (Division III).

Location: Pomona is located in a small town setting, while Harvard is in a major city. Boston is full of colleges and, therefore, college students and resources, while Claremont is much quieter and low-key.

Lastly, I will list for you the Top Three Best Things About Harvard as written in the College Prowler book:
1. Access to the best professors and minds of our time.
2. The student motivation and ambition on campus us contagious.
3. The opportunity to pursue literally ANY interest you might have.

The worst? ?People often focus too much on future careers and making money and sometimes lose track of enjoying the present.?

Good luck making your decision.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Dipta,

I would suggest that you focus your energy on finding a school where you will do well and be happy rather than upon getting into an Ivy just to ?get into an Ivy.? Many students make this mistake?they believe that they will only receive a top-notch education from an Ivy League school and that all of their energies and resources should be focused upon getting them into one. Instead, my recommendation is that you find an institution where even your freshman year affords you a stellar education.

It?s okay to be unsure of your major. Most incoming freshman are, whether they will admit it or not. It?s good that you have a general preference for science?this way, you can take several different science classes that will help you to decide which areas interest you most.

Meanwhile, since you cannot use a specific major as a defining feature for what college you want to attend, think of other qualities you desire in a school. Are athletics important to you, either as a player or a spectator? Do you care what division your school is (I, II or III)? What sorts of extracurricular activities will you want to participate in? St. Joseph?s and Fordham are located right in New York, so I am assuming you have more of an urban preference regarding setting, but have you visited any suburban or small-town colleges for comparison? Does size matter to you? You may find that you prefer the anonymity of large lecture halls to the intimacy of fifteen-person class discussions, or maybe you do want to know your professors on a first-name basis.

These are all aspects to consider before choosing a college. Don?t necessarily jump to the conclusion that since you weren?t accepted into an Ivy League school, you should simply find the best school that will enable you to transfer to one. The purpose of going to college is to find the best education, and if that education could only be gotten at an Ivy League school, then there would be five Harvards instead of just one.Joey Rahimi

College Prowler Counselor

Hi Arilene,

A lot of students go into their freshman year in college not sure about what they are going to study. Since you are undecided about what you want to do for the rest of your life you definitely want to make sure that the school you end up going to has a core curriculum or a GED program. These are programs that provide students with an array of classes in all of the general disciplines i.e. math, science, history, english, and language, as well as social science. If you attend a school that has a program that requires you to take classes in different disciplines before you declare your major then you have a chance to figure out that you love writing and hate math or vise versa. These types of core classes help kids broaden their horizons and also help them narrow down to the fields that they are interested in studying for the rest of their college and probably graduate years.

So please, please, please make sure that your new school has some form of a GED or core curriculum.

Best of luck with your college search,

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

Hi Myra Katty,

If you?re having second thoughts about Nursing School I don?t blame you. Although it is a great field, it is not for everyone. If you?re really interested in Psychology then get to it! As far as your financial situation goes, I would get into contact with a local university that has psychology as a major and talk to them about financial aid. There are always ways to get around money problems, I promise. Also when talking about the job opportunities for people with psychology degrees, there are a lot of jobs out there! It might be a little harder to find, but after you enroll in a school you can start asking professor?s for internships and possible career opportunities.

Best of luck,

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

Hi Jonathan,

Perhaps the reason that no one has been able to help you so far is because you are all over the place! My man, you must make some decisions here. You have three or four different possible majors and a master degree in a completely different field! It sounds to me like your indecision has you in a pretty substantial mess. You need to sit down and figure out what you want to do. If you want to get out of undergraduate school then I highly suggest continuing the path you?ve started, even if it means working for PBS, who, by the way, is an extremely well respected broadcasting corporation.

As for the three majors, I do not believe that graduate programs will look down upon your multi-task oriented work, and they might even find it refreshing to have someone who seems to be doing so much in so many different areas. You?ll want to have a chat with an admissions officer at your prospective graduate school before you apply, and make sure that that one particular school is alright with your undergraduate degree. And if they aren?t you know it isn?t the right school for you!

If you are really interested in going into chiropractics then definitely go for the graduate degree in the human anatomy/ physiology area. You seem to be on the right track there.

Hope this has helped,

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

Amanda,

I looked for some colleges and universities that are primarily in the Midwest, have both atmospheric sciences and journalism majors, and are selective enough to meet your academic potential. University of Michigan Ann Arbor could qualify as a reach school for you. The average G.P.A. is 3.7, SAT scores are 1210-1400, and 90% of the incoming freshman class was ranked in the top 10% of their graduating high school class. This university is public, contains about 25,000 undergraduates, and is located in an urban setting. University of Nebraska Lincoln is slightly less selective. It is also a public institution with a slightly smaller student body?17,000 undergraduates?and is located right at home, in Lincoln, NE.

Ohio University would be a great safety school for you. It has numerous journalism and communications-related majors as well as a variety of physical science-related majors in addition to atmospheric science and meteorology. About 17,000 undergraduates attend the university, which is public and located in the rural town of Athens, OH. Another good safety school that is very different from Ohio University is Valparaiso University. This is a very small private Lutheran university in Indiana?it contains only about 3,000 undergraduates. However, it too offers many journalism-related majors.

I hope this gets you started on your college search. Most of the schools I found that had atmospheric sciences were larger schools, so take that into consideration as you look at schools. If you find that you would prefer to attend a smaller university, consider whether you could study a less specific area of science for your undergraduate degree?say biology or physics?and then specialize in meteorology/atmospheric science for your graduate degree.

Concerning AP classes, whether or not you will receive credit for your scores depends upon the institution you decide to attend. Generally, the more selective an institution is, the less likely you are to receive credit for AP scores, especially lower scores. Sometimes, AP scores are used for exemption from general education requirements (for example, a foreign language requirement) or for class placement (within a mathematics track, for instance). Most schools will not accept a score below a 3, and many will only take scores of 4 or 5. Check with each school for its individual policy if this is important to you. If you are able to accumulate enough credits, you may achieve sophomore status. However, be warned: these credits often do not count toward majors or minors. Therefore, you may end up taking more credits than you ?need? to graduate in order to earn your degree.

Good luck!

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Ashley,

Xavier is definitely a good university to attend if you are hoping to go to a historically black college and work toward becoming a pediatrician. Its undergraduate student body of 3,290 is 84% African-American and also 76%, which will work to your advantage for admissions if they desire to keep this balance. Also, the school offers a pre-medical program, and its most popular major is biology?a major that is very conducive to the pre-med program.

At Tuskegee University, biology is the second most popular major. It also offers a pre-med program and has a 74% African-American population. Overall, it has about 2,500 undergraduate students and is located in rural Tuskegee, Alabama.

Lane College, located in Jackson, TN, is the smallest and most densely African-American-populated college I found.. This private Methodist school has a 99% African-American population of only about 1,000 undergraduates. Of course, it has a pre-med program.

I hope this helps you to begin your college search.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Lindsey,

I do not believe that your chances of being accepted to a decent college are as outrageous as you seem to think they are.

First of all, Boston College is a difficult school for anyone to get into. It accepts only 32% of its approximately 22,500 applicants. Then, of those who are accepted, 74% were ranked in the top 10% of their high school classes and most had SAT scores between 1240 and 1410. This being said, your G.P.A. is high enough that you should still have a shot. I would encourage you to apply here as one of your Reach Schools.

Meanwhile, there are many other schools out there that would be perfectly fine matches. It just depends what sort of school you want. What are you hoping to study? If you don?t know the answer to that, then what subjects in school interest you right now? Find a school that has strong programs in those areas. Is setting important to you? Would you prefer to be in the hustle and bustle of big city, surrounded by the calm serenity of farmland, or by the ocean? Does snow bother you? In what size student body would you feel most comfortable? These are all questions you should first consider. Once you have, then you can begin to determine where you ?might or might not? be accepted.

My advice is to visit local colleges without worrying about whether or not you are interested in attending them. Try to visit as many ?opposing? ones a you can?big ones, little ones, public ones, private ones, etc. This will give you a feel for what sorts of qualities you like or dislike in a college. Then, you can begin to look through the mountains of literature that exist on colleges and universities and find the schools that match your preferences.

Good luck!

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Hi Valerie,

You are right, it is very hard to find a Graduate program for fashion merchandising or fashion design. If these two are your undergraduate majors, you could branch out and start thinking about getting a Masters in marketing, production/operations, or even global fashion management. The Fashion Institute of Technology has some great graduate programs, but if that isn?t what you?re looking for Kent State also has a marketing graduate program. You also might want to think about looking at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Look at their websites www.kent.edu, www.fit.edu, and www.iit.edu to find out more.

Best of luck,

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

Therese,

I can greatly appreciate your rut?I remember feeling exactly the same way. All of the brochures began to look the same, I began to confuse many of the colleges? statistics in my head. . . . It can become a real drag.

My first question to you is: have you visited any of these colleges? Have you walked around the campuses, particularly when classes are in session and there have been students there? Have you stayed overnight at any of them? It may be a good idea to do this, even just once and even if you are not ?wild? about the college you choose, just to have the experience. This way, you will have something to use as a basis for comparison. If you are nervous about doing this, then you might try finding a friend or a cousin who is in college and staying with them overnight next year, just to get a ?taste? of the college experience.

What exactly are you looking for in your ?dream? school? Have you concretely defined your criteria? Perhaps try visiting a really bizarre school?one you would never imagine yourself actually attending but that sounds very unique or interesting. (I tried this, and it actually did give me a basis for comparing other schools as I went through my college search.)

I hope these suggestions can get you back on track. You may never find yourself feeling an overwhelming passion toward one particular school. The heavens may never open up and shine upon your head the moment you step onto one individual campus. This does not mean that you will not become passionate about the school you end up choosing to attend. I know I never felt any urgent pull from a single college I visited; yet, I am tremendously grateful that I chose to attend the one I did.

Have fun and try to persevere!

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Leila,

I found three pretty ideal matches for you, all of which have the hospitality management major you indicated:

Pace University
GPA: 3.2
SAT: 980-1170
Location: New York, NY
Population: 8,500
Private, no religious affiliation
Website:http://www.pace.edu

Champlain College
GPA: n/a
SAT: 1000-1130
Location: Burlington, VT
Population: 2,500
Private, no religious affiliation
Website:http://www.champlain.edu

Howard University
GPA: 3.2
SAT: 880-1370
Location: Washington, D.C.
Population: 7,000
Private, no religious affiliation
Website:http://www.howard.edu

Joey Rahimi
College Prowler Counselor

Hi Sara,

You have a very substantial GPA, which is a good start when it comes to college searching. It?s great that you?re starting to think about playing athletics in college. If you are thinking about playing a Varsity sport, you definitely should start thinking about where you would like to play your sport. Certain schools are known for certain sports, so if you?re looking for great field hockey...Dickinson is a great place. Since you did not specify what sport you would want to play, I can?t really tell you where you should be looking.

As for going to a school with a good academic record, you definitely want to go to the best school that you feel comfortable attending. I would highly recommend an SAT tutor before you take the test. Because you only entered two numbers for each section I?m guessing that you gave me your PSAT score, so you definitely still have time to raise it with tutoring. Kaplan and Princeton Review both offer great courses, so take a look at their websites and see if you can work something out.

In order to start forming a list of colleges that you want to go to it is very important that you figure out what kind of environment you want from a college. If you want a big school that would take away a big set of small schools, and if you want warm weather, most of the colleges up north would be out of your search as well. I know there are so many places and options that it can seem overwhelming, but if you think about what you want?you will have a much more relaxed time deciding.

When you start making these kinds of decisions e-mail us again and we?ll get you set up with some of our guidebooks.

Best of luck,

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

Hi Kenneth,

Although the G.P.A. is a good one, unfortunately, it will not be able to get you into any school on its own. You need to build around your G.P.A. and have SAT scores as well as a passion that will lead you to a specific major or degree and possibly a specific part of the country/world.

I understand what you mean by your question, but I cannot really give you information without your test scores.

Get back to us with your scores and we?ll be able to give you a better idea of what schools you will want to apply to and attend.

Best of luck,

Madison B.
College Prowler Counselor

Christine,

USC is very selective. Consequently, its average standards for incoming freshmen are high?the average GPA is 3.9, and the average SAT score range is 1260-1440. These are higher than the marks you show. However, if you do manage to raise your SAT score and do well enough to raise your GPA this year, you might still consider applying to USC as a ?Reach? school. Plus, if you have interesting extracurricular activities, leadership experience, or volunteer hours, these count toward making you a more qualified candidate, as well.

Meanwhile, Chapman University may be a worthwhile school for you to investigate. Its admissions standards almost exactly match your marks, and it has several different pre-professional programs related to the medical field. Others you might want to look at include University of San Diego, Loyola Marymount University, Pepperdine University, and various branches of University of CA: Berkeley, Los Angeles, Davis, and Santa Cruz.

Concerning in-state tuition, I regret to inform you that you would not be eligible. Here?s why: A student, other than a nonimmigrant alien within the meaning of paragraph 15 of subsection (a) of Section 1101 of Title 8 of the United States Code, shall qualify for in-state tuition rates at [STATE] state universities and colleges if the student meets all of the following requirements:

1. High school attendance in [STATE] for two or more years.
2. Graduation from a [STATE] high school or attainment of the equivalent thereof.
3. Registration as an entering student at, or current enrollment in, a public institution of higher education in [STATE].
4. In the case of a person without legal immigration status, the filing of an affidavit with the institution

Good luck in you search! If you want to learn more about any of the colleges I suggested, you can check them out individually or in the California Colleges book, all of which are listed on our website.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Stephanie,

Here are some places that should start you on your search (I didn't know if you meant the Southeast coast or the Southwest, so I included both in my search):

Liberty University (VA)
Patrick Henry College (VA)
Christendom College (VA)
Regent University (VA)
Hampden-Sydney College (VA)
US Naval Academy (VA)
University of Dallas (TX)
Washington and Lee (VA)
Claremont (CA)
Thomas Aquinas College (CA)
Pepperdine University (CA)


Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Maureen,

All of the schools you have listed are very prestigious universities. Not to discourage you, but this means that they all have very low acceptance rates. This is not to say that you are not a qualified candidate; it just may be to your benefit to narrow your list of ?Reach? schools (most of which these are) and to add a few less selective places where you have higher chances (even statistically) of being admitted. Of those you listed, McGill has the most reasonable acceptance rate (51%).

Two schools you did not list but that may interest you are Lehigh University and NYU. Lehigh offers a pre-med program as well as biopsychology and cognitive science. Its acceptance rate is still only 38%, but it is located in PA (comparatively close to your home in NJ), and accepts students with SAT scores ranging somewhat significantly below your own. Meanwhile, NYU has pre-med and neuroscience programs, and while it only accepts 35% of its applicants, it also has slightly lower standards than many of the Ivies and similar schools.

In CA, U. of CA San Diego may be worth a try. It has a 41% acceptance rate and an average GPA of 4.0, but the SAT scores expected are lower than yours, and it offers neuroscience. U. of CA Santa Barbara is another potential match, with a 50% acceptance rate, less rigorous standards, and a biopsychology major.

I hope this at least gets you on the right path.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Porschia,

Some GA schools offering pre-dentistry are Mercer University (in Macon), Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw), Lagrange College (LaGrange), North GA College and State University (Dahlonega), GA Southern University (Statesboro), and Armstrong Atlantic State University (Savannah).

Some dental schools require a minimum of 2 years of college-level predental education, but most dental students have at least a bachelor?s degree. Predental education is not a major, but since the coursework emphasizes the sciences, many applicants to dental school major in a science such as biology or chemistry. However, predental coursework can be completed while majoring in completely non-related field, as well. All dental schools also require applicants to take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT).

Dental school usually lasts 4 academic years. Most dental schools award the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS). The rest award an equivalent degree, Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Ben,

Here are two sites I found that list college and universities that offer programs designed for students with learning disabilities:http://www.college-scholarships.com/learning_disabilities.htm and http://www.gow.org/page.cfm?p=50.

Some New England matches that fall within your academic profile (GPA, SAT, etc.) include Adelphi University, Alfred University, Gannon University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marymount Manhattan College, Mercyhurst College, and Westminster University. To learn more about these schools individually, check out the College Prowler books on our website.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Shelby,

Check out how College Prowler grades different colleges and universities according to their athletic programs, school spirit, etc. at http://www.collegeprowler.com/guides_by_rankings.asp/2.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Alyssa,

Most of the better liberal arts schools are in the northeast. However, here are some southern schools that might be good matches in their order of selectivity: Davidson College (NC), University of Richmond (VA), Spelman College (GA), New College of FL, Rhodes College (TN), Furman University (SC), Sewanee University of the South (TN), Washington and Lee University (VA), Agnes Scott College (GA), Wofford College (SC), Centre College (KY), Presbyterian College (SC), Birminghan Southern College (AL). Davidson is the most exclusive of the schools, with a 19% acceptance rate, but the College of New FL accepts 53% of its applicants, and the schools after it accept an even higher percentage.

In order to obtain a better idea of what colleges might be good matches for you, you need to identify several more defining features than simply ?liberal arts.? Look at the answer to Jeewon?s question, ?How do I know what college is right for me?? near the top of this page to begin that process.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Mallory,

From what you wrote, you should look at majors related to marketing and/or communications. All music public relations-related jobs demand good communications skills, so no matter if you choose communications as your major or not, you should certainly take classes in this area. The ideal major for you would be public relations/advertising.

As for what schools you should consider, this is slightly gray area. You have an excellent academic record, but your SAT scores are extremely low. Because schools do look at both, this causes a good deal of uncertainty as to where you may and may not be accepted. Three schools you will want to look at that have the major I indicated above and generally fit your specifications (quality academics and located in CA) are Chapman University, Pepperdine University, and Master?s College and Seminary.

Retake your SATs and perhaps try taking the ACTs to see if you do better on that version of the standardized test. If you still cannot improve your scores, use admissions interview as opportunities to explain why you did poorly on these tests and how that inconsistency does not actually reflect your merit as a student.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Chris,

First, best of luck with your acceptance to Michigan State. I don?t know much about your ?slacker theory? or whether it will play to your advantage (meaning that you are smart enough to attend their college) or to your disadvantage (because what will prevent you from slacking at college?), but I do know that good standardized test scores are something of which you can be proud, so congratulations on your score.

Central Michigan U. has electrical, electronic, and communications engineering technology; industrial production technologies; automotive engineering technology; mechanical engineering/mechanical technology; and construction engineering technology. Michigan Tech (which has a higher GPA to get in) has chemical engineering; engineering; and electrical, electronics and communications engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, surveying engineering.

Both universities seem to have most of the majors you indicated as your primary interests. However, the sort of academic program you want could influence which college you wish to attend. Let me compare Electrical Engineering at both universities: At Michigan Tech, your first year is comprised of general engineering courses. Then, you branch into electrical engineering. Your senior year, you participate in one of two courses in which you solve real problems funded by companies. At Central Michigan U. you will take approximately as many hours of general education requirements as electrical engineering requirements (including business courses).

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor

Zakiya,

This is an extremely broad question with hundreds upon hundreds of answers. More than grades are necessary to make a good college "match." Take a look at the questions listed farther up on this webpage to better determine what sort of college you would like to attend before trying to factor your grades into what kind of college might accept you.

Allison G.
College Prowler Counselor