Open Question: Can you help me narrow my list of colleges?

2 January 2009, 9:18 am

I will be applying as a transfer student for Fall 2009. I would like to narrow my list to include schools that fulfill ALL (or almost all) of the following criteria: 1. Good undergraduate English program 2. Creative writing track available, or several good creative writing classes offered 3. Secondary education teacher certification offered 4. Decent reputation 5. Not too small (my high school had 3000 students, so anything about as big or larger sounds appealing) 6. Many live off campus (I would like a traditional school in which most students live in dorms, though I plan to live off campus with my fiance so I would like there to be some commuters, perhaps 20-40%.) 7. Good public transportation (I don't have a car, so the availability of buses in the area is important. If they're free for students, even better!) 8. Stable weather, preferably warm (Not all the schools on my list fit this, but I would prefer a climate warmer than the one I'm used to.) 9. Decent nightlife (like I said, I plan to live off campus, so a nice town or city with restaurants, movie theaters, museums, bars, etc. is preferable. Not that I don't plan to participate in campus activities, but since my fiance will be done with school by then, I'm looking for things to do outside of the school environment.) About me: - didn't graduate from high school, but earned a GED instead, and applied to college soon after. - been in college for 2 semesters so far (started last spring) - Currently attend Binghamton University (I'm a New York state resident, but I'm looking for schools that are mostly out of state) - current cumulative GPA: 3.276, though I will try to raise it to a 3.346 with a course I am taking this winter break. My GPA was 3.676 after my first semester, but I took an extra class this previous semester and had a hard time carrying the load, so my GPA went down =/ - SAT: 1950 (Critical Reading 680, Math 600, Writing 670), but I hope to improve when I retake it this month. Finally, my list so far (in no particular order): Boston U Clemson College of Charleson Rhodes Tulane UC Berkeley UCLA UC San Diego ? other UCs? U of Iowa UMich UNC CH UNC Asheville UNC Charlotte UNCW UT Austin UVa Wake Forest Rice? St. Mary's College of Maryland? U of Arizona? UC's? Davis, Irvine, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, etc. Carleton? Grinnell? U of Georgia? University of Wisconsin--Madison? College of William and Mary? University of Wisconsin--Madison? NC State?? Elon? U of Florida? others?? I was originally looking at schools like UPenn, UChicago, Duke, Vanderbilt, etc. but since my GPA went down I figured these schools were too out of reach. What do you guys think? Would they take someone like me? What would be a compelling hook? If you're read this far, thanks so much! I look forward to giving the best answer to someone who really (and thoroughly) helps me out, and I really REALLY appreciate it!! By the way, I'm pretty liberal. Isn't GWU kind of conservative in terms of the student body?... Read More »

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