<p>OP, I like you, but sometimes the favor is in our adult perspectives. </p>
<p>Still not the usual range of details. 35 ACT, 660 SAT M, maybe 730 SAT CR, 800 history some 5’s but a 1 chem, a potential interest in bio… What about gpa, rank, rigor, ECs, experiences beyond the hs? This isn’t a chance-me thread, but look at posters trying to make suggestions. Someone said you “are any Ivy league candidate,” you told us that you carved out a “unique academic experience” at your hs, etc. We may have said all we can.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you a little more: I am top 10% but I don’t know a updated gpa because the guidance office hasn’t worked their magic. My most unique ec is probably a community service organization that I founded that had several projects going on right now: restoring a public Park and am advisory program for freshman for example.</p>
<p>I am also doing neuroscience research this summer if that helps.
I am really grateful of all that help that you all have given me over these past few days.</p>
<p>Your mother and stepfather, make 135K, and that fluctuates. So sometimes more, sometimes less, perhaps they don’t know how much they can count on. Your father makes 100K, they live in the Northeast. There are other children (at least one step brother) involved. That may seem like a lot of money to you, but after you take out taxes (especially in the Northeast), living expenses, insurance, cost for children…there is not much left.</p>
<p>I’m assuming that of the 135K, your step father makes some of it? If they follow statistical averages, he makes more of it than your mother does. So you want him to put out more money for you, than he does for his son? Look, you can use the reason that you’re a much better student than his son is, so you should get more, but that won’t wash. As a matter of fairness, it is unlikely they will give you more than him. </p>
<p>Divorce is expensive, it’s one of the most expensive hits your finances can take (besides having kids). If the salaries were put together, to make a total of 235K, with everyone living together (which of course they wouldn’t), they could probably fully fund your school. Living separately, with little savings, no way. At this point, there is no way your parents/stepfather should be funding a pricey school for you, they need to focus on saving for their retirement.</p>
<p>Talk to your dad (who probably won’t give you much if he also has little savings), figure out what you have to work with, and go from there. There are parents who are wealthy who won’t pay for pricey schools either. Would you actually go highly into debt yourself to pay for a top LAC to get a degree in biology/history (both not the most employable degrees after graduation). Not knocking the degrees, but if you knew you might have a tough time getting a high salary after graduation (especially if you are planning on spending more money going to grad school), would you personally go into debt for that? If not, then why should your parents? They are heading towards retirement and have little saved.</p>
<p>Alabama still is not that selective at the low end. <a href=“http://www.pvphs.com/pdf/CollegeAcceptance.pdf[/url]”>http://www.pvphs.com/pdf/CollegeAcceptance.pdf</a> (page 135) indicates that students from California with stats approximating baseline CSU eligibility (e.g. 2.6667 HS GPA, 900 SAT CR+M; 2.5312 HS GPA, 950 SAT CR+M) were admitted to Alabama (make you wonder what the 47%-60% of applicants who were rejected had for academic credentials).</p>
<p>However, while many people judge a school’s quality by its worst students (the reason why most people want to attend super-selective schools), what really matters for a good student is what the opportunities are for the school’s best students.</p>
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<p>The state of Alabama is 26% African American.</p>
<p>“The state of Alabama is 26% African American.”</p>
<p>Ok but that’s the total population percentage not AA in the 18-24 age range. I’m not sure what the percentage is for college age kids but 12% could be close to it…</p>
<p>Leicester, UMass Amherst has an honors program. I’ve had PhD students who’ve done their undergraduate work there, and they got a fine education. At any big state school, there will be partiers and there will be serious students. It’s easier to notice the partiers when you visit because they tend to be loud and visible, whereas the serious students are holed up in the library and the lab. So your impression, from a casual visit, might well be misleading.</p>
<p>I believe UMass also has a merit scholarship for excellent students, possibly restricted to kids who want to do engineering? or to kids with strong SAT scores? My nephew won one of these, but I don’t remember the details (he ended up at Georgia Tech). He is a smart kid but not over-the-top (National Merit Commended, good grades in high school).</p>
<p>“Ok but that’s the total population percentage not AA in the 18-24 age range. I’m not sure what the percentage is for college age kids but 12% could be close to it.” </p>
<p>That seems unlikely. The African-American population skews young and dies early. The percentage of African-American college age students is not likely to be that much lower (if it’s lower at all) than the percentage of AA in the state’s population. </p>
<p>A good comparison would be to compare Univ of Alabama with Maryland’s flagship since it also has 12% African-American students and accepts a similar 47% of applicants. Unlike Al, Maryland does take race into account. However, Maryland’s scores, particularly at the low end, are higher: Md CR scores are 580-690 (versus AL 500-620/ ACT Eng 22-31), Md Math 610-720 (versus AL 500-640, ACT Math 21-28). Maryland graduates 73% of African American students in 6 years and Alabama graduates 59%. </p>
<p>None of this really affects the OP or puts Alabama off the table for him. However, I don’t think Alabama’s problem is too many African-Americans! It is more likely that Alabama’s problem is poor K-12 education, as reflected in its mean ACT score of 20.3 and low 72% high school graduation rate.</p>
<p>"I have some newer stats: 35 ACT and a 800 SAT Subject test in Us History and World. " - Congrats on the great test scores. </p>
<p>DS had 35 ACT and other great stats. But even though we in theory could have paid full cost of college, we ended up ruling out all the non-scholarship schools. It was painful in some cases, but it was the fiscally sound family decision. </p>
<p>Please look at discussions on other threads regarding bio major. You will most likely need to go to grad school too - try to minimize your loans. Good luck!</p>
<p>Sciences grad school is usually funded, though. All of the science grad students I know have had some kind of scholarship/stipend that paid ~25k a year. It’s not like business or law or medical school. </p>
<p>That being said, if you want to do research, you probably won’t make anymore than 60k a year until some years after the grad degree so heavy loans are probably a bad idea regardless.</p>
<p>OP, I have been following your thread over these past few days. It sounds complicated. I have been hoping (as I am sure you are!) for hard numbers of how much your father is actually willing to pay, and a clearer idea of how your stepfather’s income will figure in.</p>
<p>It must be disappointing for you, after working so hard, to suddenly realize that your college choices were subject to such drastic change.</p>
<p>At first I though it might be worth a shot to try an exceptionally generous “little Ivy” like Williams if you feel your stats are up to it. Then again I guess you did the price calc on Amherst and it was not going to be feasible? </p>
<p>So the merit based aid schools really do sound like better bets. Previus posters have given lots of leads. I wanted to add Boston College and Fordham to the list. If you apply Early Action you can be considered for BC’s presidential scholarship, which is room, board and tuition (I believe, better double check). NMF can receive tuition at Fordham and if they get a Pres Scholarship it will be bumped up to include room.</p>
<p>If you are good at Math and Science you might also look at some Math/Science scholarships at less-competitive LACs. Skidmore for example.</p>