where to apply?

[JaBlue]

Hi. I have no idea where I want to go to school. I'm 17 and about to start (yes i'm behind) the app process.

I have good grades in the toughest classes - about half As and half Bs. I was way ahead in math and took calc as a junior and physics C and AP chem and all that stuff but there are a few problems. I got bored in a lot of classes and ended up missing missing it!] about 1/3 of school. I still got the grades, just didn't show. In addition to that, I took only 4 classes at school last year instead of 6 because I took calc and some finance class through berkeley online. I got incompletes in both classes because they stopped being interesting. This year I only have 3 classes at school, but I have two self study philosophy pass/fail classes that I made up myself so that I could do something interesting.

Anyway, with all this wierd [censored] about me I figure htey'll either love me or hate me and I have no idea where I'm going to get in.

I write better than just about all my peers, for what it's worth (not on here though).

Other things: I am top 100 in the US for my age in chess and I had a summer job where I got to learn about finance. I am also an avid mountain biker and road biker. I ended up quitting my summer job after school year started because it was shitty pay and I wasn't learning anything in return for my grunt work, which was what I expected. And I'm the best jazz guitar player in the county. I was never involved in school so I was never in any clubs or president or anything but I am well liked.

I also did pretty well on Standardized tests with 2140 (equiv ~1400/1600) on the SAT and 31 on the ACT and some reasonable SATII and AP scores

In terms of where I'd like to go to school, I don't want to go to a huge school with 3000 in a class, although if I have to I guess I will, and I don't want to go to a tiny school with 300 in a class. Ideal class size is prob. 500-1500 with some wiggle room. In terms of location I'd probably like to be on a coast and at least within driving distance to a city. I visitted dartmouth which is in the middle of nowhere but I liked the campus a lot. Having casinos within driving distance is a bonus.

Lastly, I'm not sure what I want to study so I'd like the school to be well rounded. I think I might like to be a writer so a strong english department is good. I also love music, so a music school is good too - it must have jazz, though - I ain't playing Beethoven or Bach. And philosophy is very interesting to me too. I am good in the sciences and math although I really doubt I want to study them much. Business is kind of interesting but I discovered over the summer I need more than money in a job to be happy in life (why the [censored] am I playing ******?!?)

Anyway, if you got through this, I'd like suggestions on where to consider applying and if you know the school well, support for why I should apply there would be great too. Keep in mind where you think I might get in and that I don't want to be surrounded by morons. I definitely want to have fun as I'm all ready in the habit of going out, getting drunk or high, etc. quite a bit.

Thanks a ton.

editted to add that I live near san francisco right now so the UCs are definitely big parts of my choice although they are probably too big for my liking

[El Ishmael]

Class of '11?

http://harrypooterfreak.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/gryffindor.jpg

[sam h]

[ QUOTE ]
In terms of where I'd like to go to school, I don't want to go to a huge school with 3000 in a class, although if I have to I guess I will, and I don't want to go to a tiny school with 300 in a class. Ideal class size is prob. 500-1500 with some wiggle room. In terms of location I'd probably like to be on a coast and at least within driving distance to a city. I visitted dartmouth which is in the middle of nowhere but I liked the campus a lot. Having casinos within driving distance is a bonus.

Lastly, I'm not sure what I want to study so I'd like the school to be well rounded. I think I might like to be a writer so a strong english department is good. I also love music, so a music school is good too - it must have jazz, though - I ain't playing Beethoven or Bach. And philosophy is very interesting to me too. I am good in the sciences and math although I really doubt I want to study them much. Business is kind of interesting but I discovered over the summer I need more than money in a job to be happy in life (why the [censored] am I playing ******?!?)

Anyway, if you got through this, I'd like suggestions on where to consider applying and if you know the school well, support for why I should apply there would be great too. Keep in mind where you think I might get in and that I don't want to be surrounded by morons. I definitely want to have fun as I'm all ready in the habit of going out, getting drunk or high, etc. quite a bit.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you wanted to go to the east coast, both Wesleyan and Vasser sound like decent fits for many of your criteria. You might think about Yale too. It is bigger than you want but the residential college system there gives it a smaller feel. If you are willing to relax the class size thing, then Swarthmore might not be bad. That is where I went.

On the west coast, maybe Reed. I think it is a bit smaller than you want, but Portland is cool and it is known for having a very smart but free-thinking and somewhat quirky student body.

[NLSoldier]

university of san diego.

[JaBlue]

Do you really think I can get into these schools?

[bholdr]

College is not really about WHERE you go, but WHAT you do while you're there. unless you're thinking ivy leauge (appearently not), and if you have the oppurtunity (meaning: money) to go to a decent state school, it doesn't really matter, in my experience at least... fk it. go to a school in an area where you can get a servicable education, that also has intresting people and activities. go to a school far, far away from what you're used to... get laid. drink. try some drugs. meet people. have fun.

If you're really:

[ QUOTE ]
top 100 in the US for my age in chess and I had a summer job where I got to learn about finance. I am also an avid mountain biker and road biker. I ended up quitting my summer job after school year started because it was shitty pay and I wasn't learning anything in return for my grunt work, which was what I expected. And I'm the best jazz guitar player in the county. I was never involved in school so I was never in any clubs or president or anything but I am well liked.

[/ QUOTE ]

you'll do well wherever you happen to end up.

[ QUOTE ]
Lastly, I'm not sure what I want to study

[/ QUOTE ]

that's what college is for. as long as the school has 5k+ students, you'll likely find something there that turns you on, or at least keeps you busy. the great majority of college grads do not work in the feild that they studied.

[ QUOTE ]
I don't want to be surrounded by morons.

[/ QUOTE ]

tough. you will be. ANYwhere. such is life.

[ QUOTE ]
think I might get in and that I don't want to be surrounded by morons. I

[/ QUOTE ]

you, sir, are ready for college, then.

GL, and WTF are you doing playing poker at 17? hah!

[El Ishmael]

Look in cities. Not like I have any experience in the middle of nowhere, but I'm just assuming a little here.

That said, Vassar might not be too bad, even though Poughkeepsie is a [censored] shithole and it's not really THAT close to NYC. I know a few people who go there and like it (kinda artsy though).

I'd stay away from Wesleyan. Gay pride city up there and the town absolutely sucks.

It sounds like a Swarthmore-type place would be right for you, although it's not really near anything AFAIK.

EDIT: Similarly, Haverford.

[JaBlue]

[ QUOTE ]

Gay pride city up there

[/ QUOTE ]

uhh, I live near San Francsico

[El Ishmael]

Oh, thought you were East Coast.

[dcasper70]

[ QUOTE ]
You might think about Yale too. It is bigger than you want but the residential college system there gives it a smaller feel.

[/ QUOTE ]

I work 2 blocks from Yale and wander through campus to see the 'sights' during lunch. You sound like you would absolutely love this choice as long as you don't mind the cross country commute...

New Haven is such a fun small city.

[RunDownHouse]

[ QUOTE ]
If you wanted to go to the east coast, both Wesleyan and Vasser sound like decent fits for many of your criteria.

[/ QUOTE ]
Good God, stay away from Wesleyan. For one, it hardly meets his size criteria. For another, its a horrible, awful place. I met a bunch of Wesleyan students in Germany, and they hated it without exception. Some of the complaints:

- the incredibly liberal, whiny atmosphere. Apparently the movie PCU was based on Wesleyan, and its not that far off. Ugh.

- the gay community. They said that in student surveys, somewhere upwards of 50% of males had had a homosexual encounter by sophomore year. Part of the reason for that seemed to be the large number of hairy, flannel-wearing lesbians there, which resulted in a tiny pool of datable women. None of the Wesleyan kids felt comfortable in that kind of atmosphere.

- the lack of a good social scene. Most likely stems from the first reason.

As far as good recommendations go, you may want to rethink your size requirements. How did you come up with those numbers, anyways? If you're looking for a strong english department, you're not looking for classes with 1000 kids in them. 30 - or less - is ideal for that type of study.

[JaBlue]

Maybe I should rethink the size requirement. Here was my logic: I want 500+ because too small is, well, too small - hot chicks are important and I don't necessarily want to know everyone. As for the upper bound, I just don't want to get lost. I kind of want to have a sense of community and a sense that I might actually matter at the place I go to. If I were to go to, say, UCBerkeley, I really doubt I would feel either of those things.

By class size I mean the amount of people in my graduating class, not the amount of people in each class of mine. I don't want to take huge weeder classes with 200 students in a lecture hall where you never talk to the prof.

Thank you for the warning against Wesleyan. I don't want to have any gay encounters and I don't want to go to class with all butch lesbos.

[JaBlue]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You might think about Yale too. It is bigger than you want but the residential college system there gives it a smaller feel.

[/ QUOTE ]

I work 2 blocks from Yale and wander through campus to see the 'sights' during lunch. You sound like you would absolutely love this choice as long as you don't mind the cross country commute...

New Haven is such a fun small city.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure I'd love Yale, or pretty much any Ivy for that matter, but I don't think I'd get in. I have a lot of friends with perfect attendance and great recs and better SAT scores than me that got turned down from all the ivies. I will probably apply to these places because, well, 50$ is nothing, but I do want some realistic choices and definitely need to consider what my safety options will be. I hear they don't like the incompletes.

[RunDownHouse]

[ QUOTE ]
By class size I mean the amount of people in my graduating class, not the amount of people in each class of mine.

[/ QUOTE ]
Duh. I'm an idiot.

Budgetary considerations will help people give you much better recommendations as well.

EDIT: Idiocy abounds this morning

[Chobohoya]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You might think about Yale too. It is bigger than you want but the residential college system there gives it a smaller feel.

[/ QUOTE ]

I work 2 blocks from Yale and wander through campus to see the 'sights' during lunch. You sound like you would absolutely love this choice as long as you don't mind the cross country commute...

New Haven is such a fun small city.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure I'd love Yale, or pretty much any Ivy for that matter, but I don't think I'd get in. I have a lot of friends with perfect attendance and great recs and better SAT scores than me that got turned down from all the ivies. I will probably apply to these places because, well, 50$ is nothing, but I do want some realistic choices and definitely need to consider what my safety options will be. I hear they don't like the incompletes.

[/ QUOTE ]

You need to list all of your scores in everything in order for us to have a solid idea of where you might get in.

Admission to the very best schools is always going to be difficult. That doesn't mean you won't get in, because for every one of your friends who didn't get in, you're going to hear about someone who you have no idea how they got there. Gotta have all the numbers though.

[peterchi]

In terms of the size and community aspect, you may want to look at the University of Chicago. My sister went there and loved it. However, you have to be able to get along with nerds. My sister is a bit of a wild one but she's intellectual too (ex: she went to Michigan Law, a top 10 law school, during the same time I was an undergrad there, and she partied harder than I did when we were there). So she was able to fit in reasonably well at Chicago, but she did repeatedly tell me that they embrace their nerdiness there.

I almost always endorse my alma mater, Michigan, but it is a bit huge. I will say that its school of music is amazing, though. But it is its own separate school; basically it's a conservatory that is housed at the University. It is nice that they have a ton of ensembles that you can join (more than one jazz ensemble I'm sure), if you've got enough game for it (sounds like you do), and you'll get to play with truly exceptional musicians (I did one semester of a Concert Band that was 95% school of music students).

My cousins went to Pomona in California. I don't know anything about it, but I do know that they are smart and have well-paying jobs right now heh.

I have friends at Colorado who love it. I think it's not too big. Again, don't know much else about it.

[arod15]

University of Maryland College Park
A ton of fun
A ton of fish
A ton of hoes....

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

My prediction is that you're going to donk out of college in your first year and a half. Join the army and go to school after you get out.

[swede123]

[ QUOTE ]

I write better than just about all my peers

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

Other things: I am top 100 in the US for my age in chess

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm the best jazz guitar player in the county.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like you need to seek out a University offering the rare triple major in chess/writing/jazz guitar. Perhaps you need to write jazz music about chess.

Swede

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like you need to seek out a University offering the rare triple major in chess/writing/jazz guitar.

[/ QUOTE ]
This reminds me. When I was at UM, there was a woman in the music school getting a masters in that big bell at the top of the tower on campus. I don't remember what it's called.

[peterchi]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like you need to seek out a University offering the rare triple major in chess/writing/jazz guitar.

[/ QUOTE ]
This reminds me. When I was at UM, there was a woman in the music school getting a masters in that big bell at the top of the tower on campus. I don't remember what it's called.

[/ QUOTE ]
Carillon!

I had a friend who played it once.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like you need to seek out a University offering the rare triple major in chess/writing/jazz guitar.

[/ QUOTE ]
This reminds me. When I was at UM, there was a woman in the music school getting a masters in that big bell at the top of the tower on campus. I don't remember what it's called.

[/ QUOTE ]
Carillon!

I had a friend who played it once.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes! At UM, you can get a masters in the [censored] carillon! I'm not sure, but you might even be able to push it all the way to a PhD if you're so inclined. What a damned crock.

[swede123]

WTF. That's ridiculous. I bet today's bells don't even require some dude tugging a rope, they're probably all electric.

Swede

[peterchi]

[ QUOTE ]
WTF. That's ridiculous. I bet today's bells don't even require some dude tugging a rope, they're probably all electric.

Swede

[/ QUOTE ]
haha

well, given that:
1) They don't let just anyone go in there and play
2) Every now and then you can hear people [censored] up,

then I would assume it's actually pretty hard, heh.

[samjjones]

You sound like a reasonably intelligent kid. But I'm guessing you are going to be bored by college, too. Figure out what you have a passion for, and let that lead the way. Do what you want, not what's expected of you. You'll be much happier in the long run that way.

[M2d]

[ QUOTE ]
Other things: I am top 100 in the US for my age in chess and I had a summer job where I got to learn about finance. I am also an avid mountain biker and road biker. I ended up quitting my summer job after school year started because it was shitty pay and I wasn't learning anything in return for my grunt work, which was what I expected. And I'm the best jazz guitar player in the county. I was never involved in school so I was never in any clubs or president or anything but I am well liked.


[/ QUOTE ]

UC San Diego. good school, hot chicks, and you can incorporate your extracurricular interests in your life. on weekends and during breaks, you can ride your mountain bike down to TJ and get a gig playing live jazz during the donkey show. then, on your way back, you can pick up extra cash transporting some illegals over the border.

[TheMetetron]

UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
Cal Poly, SLO

[canis582]

Go to a state school! (i regreted going private)

[Worrots]

[ QUOTE ]
It sounds like a Swarthmore-type place would be right for you, although it's not really near anything AFAIK.


[/ QUOTE ]

Swarthmore has Philly right there if he wants to be near a big city with a decent jazz scene. And Atlantic City is easily accessible for a occasional weekend of p*k*r. That's what I did when I was there.

Swarthmore or Haverford might be nerdy enough for him (and I mean that in good way), but a bit small, ~1500 students total. If OP is looking to screw around with lots of hot chicks and party all the time, these schools aren't for him. If he's looking for a reality check on how smart he actually is, then either would do.

[SippinSoma]

[ QUOTE ]
Go to a state school! (i regreted going private)

[/ QUOTE ]

[RunDownHouse]

My undergrad had about 5500-6000 students total, and I think it was an excellent size, maybe on the small side of excellent. Enough students so that you didn't know everyone in the first week, but also small enough to keep class size down and get personal attention from profs.

[J.A.Sucker]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Go to a state school! (i did and didn't regret it)

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

[Maulik]

[ QUOTE ]
My undergrad had about 5500-6000 students total, and I think it was an excellent size, maybe on the small side of excellent. Enough students so that you didn't know everyone in the first week, but also small enough to keep class size down and get personal attention from profs.

[/ QUOTE ]

what school was it? from every post on college you prove to be elusive in regard to your alma mater.

[Maulik]

OP, get out and visit schools. In the mean time, apply to UCLA, UCSD, UC Berkeley and find the others. We can't tell you what you like, just go out and find it.

I don't beleive I saw a budget, so that's important.

[RunDownHouse]

Vanderbilt. I've posted it before. Not a big deal, just didn't see any need to put a specific name when we're talking generalities.

[MtSmalls]

Any sizable liberal Arts college. It will allow for maximum variation in subjects.

UT Austin is a good start.
UW in Seattle would be a good fit as well.

OR, check out a reasonably cheap state school for a year or two, figure out your focus, then find the best school in that subject/area

[sam h]

[ QUOTE ]
Good God, stay away from Wesleyan. For one, it hardly meets his size criteria. For another, its a horrible, awful place. I met a bunch of Wesleyan students in Germany, and they hated it without exception. Some of the complaints:

[/ QUOTE ]

It fits his size criteria perfectly.

[ QUOTE ]
- the incredibly liberal, whiny atmosphere. Apparently the movie PCU was based on Wesleyan, and its not that far off. Ugh.

- the gay community. They said that in student surveys, somewhere upwards of 50% of males had had a homosexual encounter by sophomore year. Part of the reason for that seemed to be the large number of hairy, flannel-wearing lesbians there, which resulted in a tiny pool of datable women. None of the Wesleyan kids felt comfortable in that kind of atmosphere.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know several people who had good experiences there. The gay encounter figure is ridiculous. There is going to be a visible gay community at any of these schools like Oberlin, Vasser, Wesleyan, or Swarthmore. The percentage of people who are gay is larger than elsewhere but still pretty small.

It depends what you want. If you want a big school, a frat-like atmosphere and lots of frat-like girls, then go to a state school. If you want a smaller environment where you can find a larger percentage of people who are a bit more outside the norm, and you like girls who fit the indie-rock mold a bit better, then these schools are good choices.

JaBlue sounds more like the latter type of person to me, so I recommended those schools.

[sam h]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you really think I can get into these schools?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't really know about Yale. But I think you have a very good shot at the liberal arts colleges, who tend to look past GPA a bit more and more actively seek out people who are not just studying machines.

[Jeff W]

Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, Occidental, Pitzer

[JaBlue]

bump, I feel like I got some good suggestions and some flames as expected and I've started investigating some of the suggestions. Anyone else wanna chime in? I'd really like it if you can give some good reasons for me to go somewhere in particular, or general advice about applying.

[naphinfitos]

I go to Tufts which seems like it would be one of your considerations. I can't really say anything negative about it except that the weather in the northeast can get depressing, and the dorms could be better. The good thing about Boston is that you can be at probably 15 different schools within 20 minutes. For casinos, Foxwoods is <2 hrs, but ID is needed. The next closest is Turning Stone in NY, like 5 hrs away.

[pokerdirty]

sounds like an NYU student to me.

[SackUp]

[ QUOTE ]
Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, Occidental, Pitzer

[/ QUOTE ]

I went to Pomona and HIGHLY recommend it. Amazing school. The claremont colleges on the whole are really awesome and you cannot really go wrong. Also, they have TONS of money so don't get scared away by the price tag. They have mad aid available.

[beta1607]

[ QUOTE ]
My cousins went to Pomona in California. I don't know anything about it, but I do know that they are smart and have well-paying jobs right now heh.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Clairemont Colleges are very good, but very expensive.

[SackUp]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My cousins went to Pomona in California. I don't know anything about it, but I do know that they are smart and have well-paying jobs right now heh.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Clairemont Colleges are very good, but very expensive.

[/ QUOTE ]

Read my post above. They are expensive but give TONS of financial aid. They meet 100% of need. And totally worth any penny you do have to pay.

[wonderwes]

[ QUOTE ]
Any sizable liberal Arts college. It will allow for maximum variation in subjects.

UT Austin is a good start.


[/ QUOTE ]

UTexas in Austin is a great school to go to. It has a wide variety of courses and school population.

I always somehow think college is more enjoyed when you are in state.

[mgsimpleton]

go to yale it's pretty sweet and has a lot of the stuff you are interested

but beware of the homos

there are a lot of them

they call it the gay ivy.

the homos will get you, man, they really will.

[MyTurn2Raise]

I'd love to say Illinois since I went there, but it's probably not what you want mountain biking style.

I've traveled across many campuses and I feel that you should go to Arizona State University. There is no school that can claim more hotties. It's a large state school where your test scores would carry you in easily. The Arizona area has some mountain biking. Casino Arizona and its scores of live poker tables are nearby. Vegas is a common road trip for undergrads there. Advantages of being near a big metropolitan area (Phoenix).

Seriously, UT-Austin, Stanford, and ASU are the only schools I have ever thought that might have been as much fun as the University of Illinois in good ol' Champaign-Urbana.

[edtost]

sounds like pton would be a really good fit if you can get in.

If youre the best jazz guitarist in the country, you might consider not even going to school yet and just try to gig for maybe a few months. It would sure help you decide if you still have a desire to pursue music. I study jazz over at Berklee college of music in Boston and love it. There are also plenty of other music institutions in and around Boston, NY, Philly...etc. It sounds like your lifestyle wouldn't really fit in the east coast though. The weather here is [censored] horrible.