AF Veteran...help me find a college?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>High School:
3.63 GPA ( a few AP classes - my school didn't offer that many )
SAT - 1620 ACT - 25
I think I only had one leadership position from my schools EC's ( President of their Biotechnology Club ). I was also as manager at a coffee Shop ( 30+ hours a week! )</p>

<p>Gap Year - 2 Months perfecting my Portuguese in São Paulo Brazil and than 4 months tutoring college students English.</p>

<p>College: UMass Amherst ( Computer Science Major )
4.0 GPA
I think I have around 64 Transferable credits from the college right now.
I was affiliated with a few Clubs and held a few leadership position but nothing major.
I worked as Intern for a friends company as well.</p>

<p>My parents discovered I was gay and disowned at this point. Caused my to drop out of college and enter into the USAF.</p>

<p>USAF ( airborne Cryptologic Linguist )
Warhawk Honor Graduate from BMT
4.0 GPA from DLI. Graduated with 3/3/2 DLPT ( Arabic )
Multiple trips to Afghanistan and Iraq</p>

<p>I have received medals and honors from the military and a few recognitions from my college. My Letter of Recommendations are also stellar and my essay is great too. I'm the first person in my family to come out as gay, go to college, and also join the USAF. They were immigrants from Brazil!</p>

<p>It's always been a dream of mine to attend Harvard but I don't think I will be able to transfer in as an undergraduate, so I plan going there for Graduate school later in life. I'm really strapped on cash so I'm looking at
schools that meet 100% of financial need.
Right now my top schools are Cornell and Columbia but I am applying to a few state universities ( California Resident ). So I guess my question is what are my chances of landing in a top school ( especially Cornell & Columbia ). Any suggestive schools I should be looking at would be appreciated too!</p>

2

<p>With your record now I doubt many schools will consider your HS record. What about your GI Bill benefits? Or a Yellow Ribbon school? <a href=“404 - Page Not Found - Veterans Benefits Administration”>404 - Page Not Found - Veterans Benefits Administration;

3

<p>What is your intended major? </p>

4

<p>@GA2012MOM‌ I’m planning on continue my previous major - Computer Science </p>

5

<p>Oh, okay, I was just wondering because if you were previously at UMass, Amherst College is military/transfer friendly, and the aid is great. </p>

6

<p>@"Erin’s Dad"‌ I’m applying to a few state schools because of the GI Bill. For the Yellow Ribbon I think I only have Georgetown on this list ( heard they are very generous for veterans ). </p>

7

<p>As a California resident, you did apply to UCs and CSUs, right? Their in-state financial aid is generally good, and CS is good at many of them. Note that you are considered an independent student due to being a veteran, so you do not need any parental information for financial aid. GI Bill benefits should also help you, so look up what you are eligible for.</p>

<p>Note also that many state universities in various states have good and highly regarded CS majors, but may be more transfer-friendly than the super-selective private schools. If they are affordable (based on your veterans’ benefits), then you may want to add those to your application list. A 4.0 college GPA makes you eligible (from a GPA standpoint) for any school that admits transfers, but some of the most selective schools admit very few (or no) transfers.</p>

<p>Is your backup option to finish your degree at UMass (which has a well regarded CS major)? If so, be sure to check that it is affordable with your veteran’s benefits.</p>

8

<p>First, thank you for your service.</p>

<p>Where do you want to live?</p>

9

<p>@ucbalumnus‌ I think I’m gonna apply to UCLA and UC Berkely. I might also apply to Stanford and southern Los angeles. I’m not sure if it’s possible but also Caltech. As for my back up plan, im not sure if UMass Amherst would work because I technically would be considered OOS if I claim California as my place of resident. @mom2collegekids‌ California is the place right now because most of my close friends live there.</p>

10

<p>The problem with UCs and CSUs is that the deadline for fall 2015 is November 30, 2014 (i.e. deadline already past). Only a few of the least selective CSUs are still accepting applications for fall 2015 (or take applications for starting other than fall). For most of them, you may have to wait until fall 2016 to start. See the following:
<a href=“http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/dates-deadlines/index.html”>http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/dates-deadlines/index.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU;

<p>UMass - Amherst participates in the Yellow Ribbon program, where you may get some or all of your out-of-state tuition paid for. See:
<a href=“Educational Benefits and Financial Aid | Veteran Services | UMass Amherst”>http://www.umass.edu/veterans/educational-benefits-and-financial-aid&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“404 - Page Not Found - Veterans Benefits Administration”>404 - Page Not Found - Veterans Benefits Administration;
<a href=“MA State Yellow Ribbon Program Information 2014 - 2015 - Education and Training”>404 - Page Not Found - Veterans Benefits Administration;
Contact the school to see how much of the tuition will be covered.</p>

11

<p>Note that one advantage of finishing at UMass - Amherst is that you can avoid transfer credit issues. CS is a subject where the frosh/soph-level courses and curricula vary considerably, so that there is often not a one-to-one course mapping between any two schools. This may result in having to retake several frosh/soph-level CS courses due to the new school not accepting your previous CS courses as equivalent to its own. Investigate this carefully at any potential transfer target school.</p>

12

<p><<<
California is the place right now because most of my close friends live there.</p>

<br>

<br>

<p>Well,Calif is a very long state, so where are your friends? North or south? If being near them is important, you don’t want to be in the wrong region…you’d see them as rarely as you would if you went OOS. lol </p>

<p>At many Yellow Ribbon schools, being OOS won’t hurt you cost-wise because OOS costs are covered. </p>

<p>Did you already apply to CSUs and UCs? If not, those deadlines have passed. </p>

<p>What are the YR schools in Calif? Is USC? What about Santa Clara?</p>

13

<p>According to <a href=“CA State Yellow Ribbon Program Information 2014 - 2015 - Education and Training”>404 - Page Not Found - Veterans Benefits Administration; ,</p>

<p>SCU offers Yellow Ribbon for 5 students up to $8,100 each ($16,200 each including DoD match).
USC offers Yellow Ribbon for an unlimited number of students up to $6,000 each ($12,000 including DoD match).</p>

<p>Adding the amounts to the $20,532.02 maximum for GI Bill funding for private schools still comes up short of tuition for both SCU ($36,732.02 versus $43,812) and USC ($32,532.02 versus $47,562).</p>

<p>Note that UMass - Amherst is listed as a Yellow Ribbon school for an unlimited number of students with an unlimited amount.</p>

14

<p>This student may need to look OOS to the Yellow Ribbon schools that will make sure that ALL of tuition is covered and the VA benefits will still help with housing, etc. </p>

<p>Western schools with CS don’t seem to be that generous to our vets. :(</p>

<p>I know that this student wants to stay in Calif to be near friends, but if he’s in Southern Calif, then going OOS may not be really much further than going to school in northern Calif…as far as travel time.</p>

<p>And, since it sounds like you only have 2 more years to finish, then going away isn’t a bad thing if you’ll have a more affordable situation. :)</p>

<p>And if he saves a LOT by going OOS, he can more easily afford to travel back to Calif for visits. </p>

<p>There are very good schools that have CS that give UNLIMITED awards with UNLIMITED amounts …so you won’t get stuck with ANY tuition costs. </p>

<p>Look at Southern schools. THEY LOVE VETS!!! And many give unlimited amounts of money and have unlimited number of awards. If you choose a large one that has regional diversity in its student body, you won’t have to have any concerns that you would encounter anti-gay craziness. </p>

<p>For instance, apply to Alabama. You’d have all of your tuition covered. The school is large, has very good CS, and the school is over 50% OOS, so lots of regional diversity. There are over 900 Calif students at Bama. :slight_smile: The school has a very popular gay-alliance club called Spectrum. </p>

<p><a href=“Yellow Ribbon Program Information 2014 - 2015 School Year - Education and Training”>404 - Page Not Found - Veterans Benefits Administration;

15

<p>

</p>

<p>Since the OP mentioned Columbia and Cornell in the first post, going across the country probably is not a problem. Also, going OOS to an Arizona school may be similar in distance to going to a San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose area school, but going OOS further than Arizona would likely be a much greater distance.</p>

<p>I know you like to promote Alabama, but it looks like UMass - Amherst may be a better choice for the OP – no transfer credit issues, unlimited Yellow Ribbon, highly regarded CS major, and location in the first state to have same-sex marriage.</p>

16

<p>@mom2collegekids‌ @ucbalumnus‌ My friends are located in LA ( hence why I wanted to apply to UCLA). Unfortunately I thought the deadline was different for freshman ( Nov 30 ) so it’s impossible to apply. Just to clarify any confusion I’m not concerned with location. What I’m looking for in a school is it’s affordablity ( sholarships, yellow ribbon, GI bill, etc. ), it’s prestige, and CS program. The reason I would prefer a California school is because during breaks I will most likely be spending it in LA. My ultimate goal is go to Harvard for graduate school ( preferably their Business School ) which is what I am building towards, starting with my undergraduate ( hence why I would really like graduate from a prestigious college ).
Thanks again for your help guys! I apologize for the last replays.</p>

17

<p>Business school admissions heavily count post bachelors work experience. So super prestige bachelors degree may not be necessary nor sufficient. UMass has a good CS reputation, so it should not hold you back.</p>

18

<p>@ucbalumnus‌
Yes, I just noticed that UMass-A does have Unlimited/Unlimited. :slight_smile: Not many NE schools do! Amherst does! Do they have CS? If so, that’s another possibility. </p>

<p>And if his credits work out better, then super. How expensive is it to live there? That could be a big concern. </p>

<p>I think the VA benefits give a set monthly stipend for 10 months? If so, then having access to inexpensive housing is important so that not only are costs covered, but those 2 summer months are also covered. </p>

19

<p>UMass not only has CS (which was the OP’s major there previously), but it seems to have a fairly high ranking, if in-major prestige is desired.</p>

<p>The VA web pages have a page showing what stipend one gets. The OP should look it up.</p>

20

<p>@ucbalumnus‌ Yes, we all know that UMass has CS. I was asking if Amherst has CS since it ALSO is a UL/UL school for yellow ribbon. If so, it could be another option.</p>

<p>I know what the stipend is…I was wondering what the housing costs are around UMass. </p>