Grace Said:

What colleges should I consider?

We Answered:

Sounds like you need to get the current copy of Barron's Profile of American Colleges, or any other similar book. You can pick one up at most bookstores. This guide will tell you average GPAs, SAT scores, tuition packages, demographics, etc. for each school. I have found that they are pretty accurate.

Since you have a general idea of the field you'd like to pursue, but aren't quite sure you may be a good candidate for a liberal arts school. However, most private liberal art schools are smaller than what you wish. My advice to you is that you don't close yourself to those without looking at them. My son goes to a small liberal arts school in Portland, Oregon and is quite happy. There are less than 1300 students in the whole school.

Since your grades aren't so good right now, you need to work hard at bringing them up, the colleges will be impressed by your drive to succeed. This would also be a good topic for your admissions essay. Showcase how you've matured and now value education and how you've managed to bring up your grades.

I suggest you apply to different schools, some state, some large, small and see where you feel more comfortable, and more importantly which school gives you the best financial aid package.

Since you want to be in a warmer climate you may want to look at Soka University in Southern California. It's a fairly new school and only has a few fields you can major in but it is very good and in most cases tuition, room and board are free for people with low incomes, the rest pay sliding scale. It is definitely worth checking out.

You can also fine tune your degree in graduate school.

Good luck to you!