<p>Hello everybody! I'm new to this forum, and I thought I would start off my first day as a member asking a question that's really been puzzling me, so here it goes. I am wondering where to go to college. I will not consider any colleges in state (NM) and am only looking at so called "Tier 1" Universities (my parents would flip out/not pay for something not on the list, plus I'd like to go to a tier 1 school as well). I want to live in a sizable city (or right out side of one). My SAT was ~1900 and my GPA is a 3.2. My school does not weigh grades, but I have only taken AP/Pre AP classes for my core subjects, so really if my grades were weighted (adding 1 point to every honors/ap class) I'd have a ~3.7. I'm pretty much top 30% (i think top 31% to be precise). My parents aren't rich and refuse to let me take loans, so I need to find colleges that I would be happy at that are affordable. I would also like to go to a large university. I have been considering LSU because of their great financial aid, would this be a good choice? (I could attend for instate tuition, which is about 5k/year, with the Tiger Scholarship). I have been looking at Arizona and Arizona State but I am not aware of any good aid for out of state students. I am Jewish and would prefer a school with a sizable Jewish population (my main issue with LSU).
What schools do you suggest? (I don't care about proximity to home).
Thanks A LOT for the help.</p>
<p>There are so many great large public universities out there, what are you thinking about studying?</p>
<p>go for Clemson btw 
haha just kidding, that’s where I go though so if you have any questions im your man</p>
<p>I’m really not sure what I want to study, but lately, I’ve been thinking Pol Sci or maybe history…and I used to want to do Computer Science, so I guess that could be a possibility, But I have not done so well in high school math, which is important for computer science, afaik. (but have done very well in AP History classes, getting in A in World, US, and Gov/Econ, as well as NM hist, and I’ve enjoyed it).
I know there are a lot of large great public schools, but I want to find some that I could go to affordably. TX, my first choice, would cost me well over 40k/year if I don’t receive aid. :/.</p>
<p>Does your family qualify for any need based aid or are you just looking for merit aid? What are they willing to spend per year?</p>
<p>I would try to push the SAT a little higher, but the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a great choice. Very reasonable tuition and solid programs all around.</p>
<p>Since you live in New Mexico, consider schools in the WUE program ([WICHE</a> - Student Exchange Programs](<a href=“http://wue.wiche.edu/]WICHE”>http://wue.wiche.edu/)) for reduced tuition. The following are good bets:</p>
<p>U Arizona
U Oregon
U Utah
Washington State U</p>
<p>My parents income last year, i think was in the 70-80k a year bracket, maybe a tiny bit higher, (4 person household) so IF i can some how qualify for non-merit based aid, great, but I doubt it…So I am mainly looking for merit based aid.
I know about the WUE program, and I would LOVE to go to U of A, but the WUE only works for a mining major at the U of A, something I don’t want to do. I don’t have an exact number, but I bet my parents could probably spend about 20k/year for college for the full package. It would be under 15k/year at LSU for books+tuition+room and board+travel+other expenses, so if it cost much more than that somewhere not significantly better, they would say forget about it. As for my SAT scores-I doubt I will retake it, since I would have to take the next available SAT to take it in time for early admissions, and that would require too much cramming. My scores are decent (really my math is holding me back, its about 100 points lower than my other 2 sections).
I do have a friend who wants to go to UU on the WUE, but it doesn’t seem good for me (i’ve read it’s a commuter school, something I don’t want), but I’ll look in to the other 2 you posted. EDIT: i just checked, i qualify for wue at oregon (u need a 1200+ SAT), but Wash State doesn’t post exact reqs.</p>
<p>^ Did you look into Minnesota? It’s a great school and the price is right.</p>
<p>OOS tuition and fees is $15,542. It’s not THAT cheap, (although much cheaper than places like U Michigan). I’ll look in to it, and talk to my parents about it, but I think they’ll just say “it’s 10k more per year than LSU”, but I see it’s ranked a good deal higher (22nd public school vs 67th), so it might be worth the additional expense. Do you think with my stats I would get in?</p>
<p>Minnesota is probably as cheap a school out of state as you’ll find without getting scholarships</p>
<p>so are there schools you know of (that meet my reqs) that offer something like LSU where if you have certain grades and certain SATs you automatically qualify for decent scholarships? Ex: at lsu 3.0 + 1240 SAT/28 ACT = in state tuition. I would like to find more schools like this.</p>
<p>^ It’s cheap compared to peer schools such as U Washington, U Maryland, and Penn State.</p>
<p>Anyway, you have a chance at it. I would call it a reach unless you can raise the test scores, but maybe I’m too negative.</p>
<p>alright well i think ill try applying and see what happens. Do they have some type of early admissions policy?</p>
<p>U Wyoming offers guaranteed scholarships if you have the stats: [UW:</a> Peak Achievement Freshman Scholarship](<a href=“http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/admissions/info.asp?p=4117]UW:”>http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/admissions/info.asp?p=4117)</p>
<p>U Nebraska does too: [Out-of-State</a> Scholarship Estimation](<a href=“http://admissions.unl.edu/estimate/]Out-of-State”>http://admissions.unl.edu/estimate/)</p>
<p>Oklahoma State is another: [Guide</a> to Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.okstate.edu/finaid/scholarships/guide_to_schol.html]Guide”>http://www.okstate.edu/finaid/scholarships/guide_to_schol.html)</p>
<p>Same for U Alabama: [Out-of-State</a> Scholarships for 2009-2010 - Types of Scholarships - Undergraduate Scholarships - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html]Out-of-State”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html)</p>
<p>These are just a few that I dug up quickly.</p>
<p>sgdude
The others have given you some good advice. My daughter is going to LSU on the Tiger Scholarship - she just missed the full tuition Golden Oaks by one point on her ACT. We are in NJ and will be taking her down to Baton Rouge on Friday. So far the school as been great. She was invited to the Spring Invitational Program which allowed her to register for classes way back in April - long before other incoming freshmen. </p>
<p>The application is very easy to fill out. She applied in July last year and had her acceptance in early September. One lesson we learned is that if you decide to apply make sure to fill out the housing application and send in your deposit right away. Even before you are accepted. (it is refundable if you decide not to go) Housing assignments are made based on the date your housing application is sent in. We waited to send in the application until we knew she would be going there - as a result she was in the second to last group to pick their dorms. </p>
<p>Good luck with your search</p>
<p>Nj Paladin</p>
<p>North Dakota State is really easy to get into and it costs $13,023.00 per year.
You can look at this link for schools with really high acceptance rates…
[College</a> acceptance rates: How many get in? - USATODAY.com](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-11-02-collegerates_x.htm]College”>http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-11-02-collegerates_x.htm)</p>
<p>Why are your parents against letting you take out loans in your name?</p>
<p>my parents are agaisnt me taking loans because
1.) they didnt take loans for college so they see it as unnecessary debt they dont want me to have.
2.) they think i WONT be able to get good loans in the current economy.</p>
<p>I personally have no problems taking loans (if they aren’t to excessive) but my parents are just really against it.
@nj paladin: i applied to LSU as well, and qualify for instate tuition with the Tiger Scholarship. :D. I would like to know more about what you think about the school, since I have never been to Louisiana or seen the school, if you could tell me about your visit when you get back I would greatly appreciate it.</p>
<p>Both of your parents’ reasoning are flawed, however well intended. College is so much more expensive than it was a generation ago. It is no longer possible to work your way through college. Student loans are actually better than ever right now. Even though banks often make the actual loan, in reality, the federal government is backing it to the point where it is no risk at all to the banks. The interest rate on Stafford Loans have decreased even more because of new legislation.</p>
<p>I do understand your parents’ hesitation, and I also think that loans should be a last resort, but a decent size loan (<4000 a year) is nothing to fear</p>
<p>You aren’t going to get much cheaper than ASU or Minnesota for an OOS public.</p>