I NEED ISJ'S HELP.

[KD]

HEY, ISJ. I NEED YA'LL HELP. YES, YOU![/color]

As most (?), some, possibly none of you guys know, I'm still a high school student in the midst of (yuck) college selections. Disgusting as this might sound, I'm totally lost in the thousands of colleges out there.

I'm currently planning on majoring in biology, with a probable focus on animal wildlife/zoology.

Does anyone have any suggestions on good Biology universities? Preferably Research Universities? It can be located anywhere in the US, private or public. (And fyi, I'm pretty sure Caltech, Harvard, Standford, etc are out of my league. LOL)

Ones I'm looking at currently are UChicago, UCSD, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Colorado at Boulder, Washington State University in St. Louis, and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

And here's some personal info so there's a range. I currently have a 4.05 (weighted) GPA and a 3.94 (unweighted GPA). I'll probably score somewhere between 1900-2100 for the SATs and possibly a 32 or 33 on the ACT.

By graduation, I'll have taken AP US History, AP Biology, AP English Lang, Chinese 4, H. Chemistry, AP Calculus, and possibly AP Lit...and I have a job? does that help me? LOL.

This sounds totally pathetic and mods feel free to remove this thread if it's way inappropriate. Just thought I'd look for some opinions.

THANKS TO ANYONE WHO SUGGESTS ANYTHING. [/b]

[Prophecy Girl]

KD! A woman after my own heart. I will throw in a plug for my alma mater, Rhodes College here in Memphis. Rhodes is really small, but has an incredible reputation and has extremely recently (just since I graduated in fact) become far more research-oriented. Biology is the most popular major on campus, and the Memphis Zoo is literally right across the street (I did a research project there one summer).

There's more info on the school itself here: www.rhodes.edu/about/371.asp

I could write volumes on the awesomeness of Rhodes, but I'll leave it here: www.rhodes.edu/academics/1941.asp (The "monitoring pandas" thing at the end of the research projects IS ME!!! ;D)

(At the very least, you should totally do a college visit so we can hang out for an afternoon.)

Of your current other choices, the only one that I have personal connections to is Washington University, which is also an amazing school. With your test scores and GPA, you'll get some kind of academic scholarship at any of the schools on your list. When you start visiting places, you'll probably find it easier to narrow your choices (at least I did...sometimes I knew just by walking onto a campus that I couldn't see myself there).

GOOD LUCK! As I bio person myself, I admire you for taking the initiative this early. I didn't decide on my major until my sophomore year, but I can't imagine studying anything else (even if I went 180 degrees in the other direction after graduating ). The only other thing I will say in favor of small schools is that in terms of research projects (and everything else), you have a much smaller chance of getting lost in the shuffle. Most of my classes were 15 or fewer people, all the biology professors (even the ones I never had classes with) knew my name, and my advisor even used to read Jake Watch! For some people that sort of thing is less important, but I learn better in that type of atmosphere and I know that had I wanted to pursue further education or a specific biological job, a team of people who knew me very well would have had my back. So that's my two cents! ;D

[sumi k]

UofW -madison is a fantastic school. it was one of my choices when i graduated high school and up until the last moment, i was set to go there.


id also suggest looking into university of iowa (such a fun campus) and UofIllinois-champaign/urbana.

[KD]

PG, I heard about Rhodes! Many great things as well. I'll definitely add it to my list of possibilities. My only fear with colleges is that I won't be able to afford tuition. I go to a really competitive high school (top 2% in CA, baby!) but all my classmates are rich. By the time I apply, it's likely my family will have, no joke, $0 income...with 2 kids in college (or going to college), IDK if I can put that kind of strain on my family. I know scholarships and financial aid is available, but I dunno how much it will cover. That's my reservation especially with out-of-state private/public schools.

I'm definitely partial to small class sizes and a small student to teacher ratio. I love a sense of good community as well.

PANDAS. So jelly~

Sumi K, I have heard great things about UofW-madison; I'm just worried it's out of my league (along with all the other schools I listed up there! LOL) Plus it's really far away, since I live in SoCal...

Speaking of which, college visits. What I do? I don't understand how, what, etc.

[Kokomo (aka NSA)]

You have a very impressive educational resume, dear!! That's definitely something to be proud of! And something colleges will look for and appreciate.

Just a heads up about University of Colorado at Boulder (I live in CO and know many people who have gone there) they don't give ANY money away -- I'm not sure if that's in relation to scholarships and/or financial aid I just know its REALLY expensive (at least to me) and CU doesn't make it any easier for its incoming students in helping with the cost of tuition. Finances can be one of the most frustrating parts of going to college, but schools typically have their own Financial Aid department where you can go to get help and questions answered. And it seems to me their class sizes are ENORMOUS.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have another Jake fan in the area, just be aware of that before you head gung-ho into CU Boulder.

As far as college visits, just know your musts -- things you are looking for in the school you attend. Like you mentioned class size, coming from a college where the student to teacher ratio is still about 21:1 I can tell you its VERY important and makes all the difference!! But think about clubs, athletics, possibly future career services (helping you transition from college to the work force) stuff like that. Try to talk to students you see milling around on campus and get their experiences -- real testimonies are a GREAT way of determining if that school is right for you. Specifically because campus visits are going to hit on the high points, often times the nitty-gritty details can make or break a college experience so get to know what those details are.

Typically if you go to the school's website there should be a section for Prospective Students where they can send you information and you can schedule visits. Their mail-outs are usually bulky and kind of overwhelming. Actually visiting the campus was always helpful to me to compartmentalize my concerns and wishes with what the college offers.

That's all I'll bore you with now. It can feel like a daunting task, -- and it sounds cliche -- but picking the right school makes all the difference. And you already know what you're studying so you're 9 steps ahead of where I was when I graduated high school. I'm 26 and just started pursuing my Bachelors cause I just didn't know what I wanted to do -- I had my Gen Ed's out of the way I just didn't know what I wanted to do with my life.

Good luck to you!

[KD]

TBH, I wasn't too keen on University of Colorado at Boulder in the first place anyway, and your testimony confirms my concerns! So thanks, No Such Angel. I'm definitely stressing over what school to apply to, and then there's the concern that I won't even get into any that I choose! HA.

My resume might be impressive now, but I have the feeling that after this school year is out it might not be some great anymore. Junior year is kicking me in the ass.

I'll definitely need financial aid. There's no way I can survive without it, even if I work all though college. So financial aid is a BIG factor for myself. It goes 1) Financial Aid, 2)Education, 3) Class Sizes, 4) Location. I'd prefer something more urban. UofW-M seems a little too isolated for my tastes...

[sumi k]

you would honestly be surprised at UofW-Madison.

the town of madison is pretty much amazing. im from chicago, and when i had to go up to madison for work i was really upset because i figured i would be so bored.


man, was i wrong. they have some pretty fantastic small music venues. the bar scene is perfect- not too raunchy but not too tame. SOOOOOOOO many great restaurants. not as isolated as you would think, and absolutely breath taking. all the people are nice, too.


even though i live a few hours from madison, whenever my boyfriend is in town we make it a point to drive up there to visit our favorite peruvian restaurant. its better than any ive had in chicago, and that says a lot.

[KD]

Hmmm, interesting. These are the sort of testimonials I need to make an actual decision. (Assuming I even get accepted, chances of which are slim! Hahaa) I did really like UofW-Madison when I read about it. I just figured the distance from home would be tough. PLUS it's probably cold as HALE. (punny?)

I want to go somewhere that's interesting, full of places and people completely unlike those here in SoCal. I'm ready for a change.

UChicago, UWashington, and UMadison are the top three on my list so far.

[KD]

Okay, so I got my SAT score back today and I got a 1920, which is alright. I don't know if I'm going to take it again. Is a 1920 good enough for Uchicago, Uwashington and Uwisconsin?

Im going to try to get a 32/33 on the ACTs.

[Prophecy Girl]

1920 is MORE THAN OK. You should be fine. (I realize I'm about a decade past it all, but I didn't cross the 30 threshold on my ACT and I did pretty well scholarship-wise. You should be more than good to go. )

[KD]

IDK, ALL MY FRIENDS ARE LIKE "WHAAA, I ONLY GOT A 2290. MY LIFE SUKS. I'M GOING TO DIE."

and I'm like "SUCK IT BITCH. CRY ME A FUCKING RIVER."

yeah, I said it. LOL

(but seriously, I hope you're right Becky. I'm praying up a saint here for a scholarship or you'll be catching me working at your local fast food.)