Hi guys, daughter-in-question here. I felt like there were a few things my mom didn’t express very well in the initial post, so…I’m gonna clear things up.
1. A major concern is academics. My main priority isn’t to get prepared for a job, it’s to learn and explore things I enjoy or couldn’t in high school (which, granted, is probably naïve, but with the job market requiring college for even below average students, I don’t want to be shoved into a group of kids who are just going out of obligation. I’m nerdy, learning is fun.) That’s part of the reason I’m looking at Ivies and sub-Ivies, because I want a college where people are driven and passionate.
2. I don’t necessarily want an ‘urban’ campus life. Mainly, I want diversity. Coming from a tiny, everybody-knows-everybody kind of town, I want to meet new people with lots of different interests and personalities. That’s why I’m primarily looking at universities with strong liberal arts programs, rather than just liberal arts schools. I also like the idea of research universities with strong liberal arts programs, although I don’t really know what’d I’d research…it’s just intriguing. :P
3. I’m not concerned about prestige in the typical way. I would like a college that is well-known to potential employers and grad schools, but I’m not looking for a college that makes me look “smarter” when I casually mention it to friends and family.
4. Iowa was mainly a safety that I kept because I couldn’t figure out anywhere else. I would like to pursue creative writing in college to some extent, but there are so many things I’m also interested in, I’d rather not go to one college for a great writing program. Having said that, any suggestions for safety schools (that fit the above requirements to some extent)?? I feel like it’s impossible to find one where I’ll fit in, but my test scores are low (1870 on the SAT, retaking in October, but I got a 2010 on my PSAT so I know I can do better). I’m scared I’ll get rejected from all of these schools I’ve invested so much time in, and I won’t have a SOLID safety school to fall back on.
5. I don’t really want to go into traditional journalism. If I did choose journalism, it would be either writing for magazines or some kind of editorial work. I would really enjoy going into editing and publishing, though, or…well, my dream at the moment is to somehow work for the UN. Dunno how that’d happen, but we’ll see.
So, another question, what would be my best bet for majors? I’m pretty sure what my mom said was on par, I just want to make sure I’m not going for the wrong things.
I think that’s all. :P