<p>If the OP is from the Boston area, 3 hours driving time pretty much eliminates any other school besides UMASS. It’s quite an unreasonable restriction under the circumstances.</p>
<p>What about the University of Minnesota- Carlson School of Management? The program is nationally ranked for undergrad and graduate school. [Top</a> Ranking B Schools in the United States of America (USA) 4 MBA, Ph.D : 4GMAT](<a href=“US Top 50 Business schools | USA B schools ranks | Wizako”>US Top 50 Business schools | USA B schools ranks | Wizako)</p>
<p>With $10K from each parent, plus work study, Stafford Loans, and summer earnings, The U of Minnesota may be an affordable OOS due to the low OOS tuition, especially if the U offers you any scholarship of at least $4k per year or more. And, it only uses FAFSA to determine EFC/ESC.</p>
<p>[Estimating</a> your costs](<a href=“http://onestop.umn.edu/finances/costs_and_tuition/cost_of_attendance/index.html?year=2013-14&residency=non-resident&program=undergrad&CSOM=true]Estimating”>http://onestop.umn.edu/finances/costs_and_tuition/cost_of_attendance/index.html?year=2013-14&residency=non-resident&program=undergrad&CSOM=true)
Expense Full Year Per Semester
breakdown
Tuition/fees $19,868 $9,934
Books/supplies $1,000 $500
Room/board $8,312 $4,156
Transportation $194 $97
Personal/misc. $2,000 $1,000
CSOM surcharge $1000 $500
Total
$32,374 $16,187</p>
<p>The U of M also has a long list of possible scholarships: [University-Wide</a> Scholarships](<a href=“http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/costsaid/schol_campus.html]University-Wide”>University-Wide Academic Scholarships | Office of Admissions)</p>
<p>
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<p>Even UMass does not seem to have big automatic merit scholarships that would make it affordable with a $10,000 AFC (assuming that is what you mean, since there are lots of colleges in the Boston area, just not much in the way of financial safeties on a $10,000 AFC).</p>
<p>So a $10,000 AFC and the stated geographic limit might leave the OP with no safeties with respect to cost.</p>
<p>There is one more less than ideal option, but might be ok. </p>
<p>The Harvard Extension School is about $1020 per course, somewhat higher for graduate, computer or business courses. It’s comparable to a very high quality liberal arts education, but it has several limitations. </p>
<ol>
<li>Classes are primarily at night. </li>
<li>He’ll have to commute.<br></li>
<li>The average age of the students in the class is mid-30s. </li>
<li>The social life will be a little weird because while there are 18 year old’s attending because it’s a great value, you are surrounded by all of this opulence that is Harvard without necessarily having “full membership”. </li>
</ol>
<p>The upside is that you can take some regular Harvard classes, it costs roughly 35K for a whole degree, and it’s really high quality.</p>
<p>^As an 18 year old I would never have considered that. As a 24 year old, I wish I could go back in time and sign myself up!</p>
<p>Yes, UMass does have good scholarships for high stats kids (but high fees too - look at all factors). That’s where a married friend and her husband, dual income family, are sending their oldest kid. Other options were just too expensive. </p>
<p>For NMF, Northeastern used to have a terrific full tuition scholarship. Not sure if they still do. That would leave expenses of room/board around $15K/year.</p>
<p>However, these UMass and NEU scholarships do not appear to be automatic, so the OP needs to look elsewhere for safeties.</p>
<p>Yes, it would be wise for OP to cast a wide net.</p>
<p>For NMF (cant’ recall if that applies to OP) - the wording is approx same as it was a few years ago when my NMF son got the full tuition scholarship. It was a bit stressful to make sure the NMF preference card was filed correctly, but it was assured. Now it appears preference may go first to EA - [Scholarships</a> | Admissions](<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/admissions/costs/scholarships.html]Scholarships”>http://www.northeastern.edu/admissions/costs/scholarships.html)</p>
<p>I’m central MA, along a couple of major highways. It is possible with some creative driving (speeding) to be in NYC in around 3 hours. So my situation is not as bad as someone in Metro Boston. </p>
<p>My dad has yet to contact me. I’ll pay off he does. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any idea about the stats of the students who qualify for full tuition programs like Robertsons at UNC?</p>
<p>The full-tuition programs like Robertson at Duke/UNC, CV at Vanderbilt, Danforth at WashUStL, Jefferson at UVa, etc. are off-the-charts competitive. They are designed to attract HYP-caliber applicants away from the Ivy League. None of them publish stats that I am aware of, but rest assured that GPA and test scores are virtually perfect and ECs truly set apart.</p>
<p>To the OP – remember that UMass is part of the Five College consortium, so that as a student you could also take classes at Amherst, Smith, Mt Holyoke and Hampshire.</p>
<p>That is a nice benefit to UMass.</p>
<p>I recently spent a week with UMass grad students and faculty, and I was very impressed, BTW.</p>
<p>The kids I know at UMass are bright and satisfied. I think it’s easy to visit and think a place is party centric. You have to look for the kids in the library or quieter activities. Do we know OP’s major or stats?</p>
<p>I live in NY, and a lot of kids and families had the private and selective college mentality, far more than from the midwestern state I had lived in prior to this. But, you know, things have and are changing rapidly here. Binghamton has become far more selective and more SUNYs are appearing on the college destinations of grad programs even at private schools. </p>
<p>There are far worse choices than UMass. I know that where I lived, the choices for most of the kids who were lucky enough to have them, were Flagship U, non flagship state schools and local state schools including community college. This is not such an unusual situation, and used to be typical, again, for those privileged and lucky enough to have the options. Otherwise, it’s find a job, pay rent to the to 'rents and go to community college part time, bit by bit. Not the worst choice in the world either.</p>
<p>Other threads postings…OP had ACT composite of 33…English 35, math 28, reading 36, science 33, writing 10.</p>
<p>SAT 2060 with math 660 (don’t know the other subtest breakdown).</p>
<p>*The benefit of Alabama is the money. Other states flagships are have much more competitive admissions. </p>
<p>Pittsburgh CR 570-660, M 600-680, ACT 26-30
Ohio State: CR 540-650, M 610-710, ACT 26-30
SUNY Binghamton: CR 590-680, M 630-710, ACT 27-30
SUNY Geneseo: CR 580-690, M 600-700, ACT 27-29
McGill: CR 630-730, M 630-730, ACT 28-32
Wisconsin Madison: CR 530-650, M 630-750 ACT 26-30*</p>
<p>Yes, one of the many good things about Alabama is the generous merit awards for high stats. </p>
<p>But, Bama still has competitive admissions for a state school. Bama’s acceptance rate is in the mid-40% (Collegeboard says 53%, but that is old info). </p>
<p>The “low end” of middle quartiles ACT at Bama is going to be lower than schools outside the South because Bama is determined to admit a high number of AA students - who nationally do not do well on standardized tests. Bama graduates more AA students than nearly every other national univ. Roughly 12% of the school is AA…something that flagships outside of the South can’t boast.</p>
<p>That said, Bama’s upper quartile is an ACT 30+ (with high GPAs)…those are students who could arguably do very well at any school in the nation. Those students are largely concentrated in about 12 majors (Eng’g, math, bio, chem, physics, English, The Classics, Business, etc). So, if you choose a challenging major, your classmates are going to be strong.</p>
<p>Those stats don’t make the OP Ivy material, sorry. They would qualify him for the honors program at UMASS, though. The OP needs to look at some of the smaller/lesser name colleges in his 3-hour range–Boston, Worcester, and Albany would all fit the driving criteria, and that gives him dozens of colleges. Worcester also has a college consortium, he coudl go to, say, Clark, and take classes at several colleges.</p>
<p>Just a little frank talk. I don’t think we have enough context on OP’s competitiveness or the rest of the story. OP assumed Amherst was feasible. Since OP was looking at lab opps, is he/she hoping for STEM? The AP chem 1, the math 28, even the 660, could pose a hiccup. The comment that no one in his hs does well in the AP chem test, suggests the hs is less competitive, especially in MA. It goes on. If Mom and Dad each kick in 10k, with Staffords, UMass is affordable, at 24k. Take plenty of classes at Amherst.</p>
<p>Clark is also pretty interesting and has merit money.</p>
<p>some x-post</p>
<p>Mom and Dad are providing a total of $10k, I think. OP has not heard from Dad, so it is unclear.</p>
<p>We don’t know if Dad can contribute more or if child support ends and he could provide the same 10k he’s been giving Mom. Or if child support continues and that’s Mom’s resource. OP gets a job, gets work study, and that also goes to costs. Roughly: 10k Mom, 2000 earnings (my kids’ “contribution from summer earnings,”) 1700 w/s, 5500 Stafford, and he’s at $19.2. I think OP needs to fill in the usual blanks.</p>
<p>I have some newer stats: 35 ACT and a 800 SAT Subject test in Us History and World. Thank God. Sorry I didn’t put them earlier… </p>
<p>My intended major is history or Bio.</p>