<p>I'm looking to apply OOS to some colleges in California, but I am pretty unfamiliar with the top colleges in this state. Any ideas of where to apply would be great. Here's my stats, for reference:
ACT: 32
GPA: 3.98 UW
APs: Jr.: APUSH, Sr. yr.: Spanish, Lit, Gov, Stats, Psych
ECs: Lots of community service, specialized service projects, many DECA awards, good leadership.</p>
<p>I'm looking for:
Great aid or 100% aid (EFC is almost 0)
Urban-ish
15-35% acceptance rate
Enrollment of 7000+
Journalism or business-related majors
Closer to coast and big cities</p>
<p>Do any schools come to mind that fit this criteria? Thank you!</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s what I figured about the UCs. I may apply to UCD anyways since I have a friend that goes there and just see what happens. Good idea? I have run the matches on College Prowler and stuff like that, but I guess I’m just looking for others’ experiences and perceptions of California schools. @jkeil911 yes, I’ve been to California! Haha I go there every couple years, but usually we go to Huntington and there’s not too many colleges in that area.
Thanks.</p>
<p>Pomona, Claremont Mckenna, HMC, Stanford, and USC are the best privates. Since you’re looking for great financial aid and 15 to 35 percent acceptance rate, I would cross out all the Claremonts and Stanford. However, with that being said, I think you have to consider making your application stronger and to apply to at least Pomona and Stanford, since they both offer some of the best financial aid offers around. They will be reaches (for anyone really), but you should try out your luck. Pomona’s enrollment may be only 1600, but the whole consortium has 7000+ students.
As for the publics, UCLA, UCSD and UCB are great options, but their financial aid is very tricky (as the posters said above).
Bottom line, if you want to get great financial aid and academics, you should strengthen your app and apply to Pomona, Stanford, and USC (with USC being the most realistic option out of the three). </p>
<p>Just to chime in as a current UCD student, because you specifically mentioned it…</p>
<p>UCD doesn’t meet all the qualities you listed. It’s not urban (sure Sacramento is pretty close, but Davis itself certainly isn’t urban), there’s no journalism or business majors unless you want to count economics, and it’s not very close to the coast. Also our admit rate is higher than the range you listed; it’s somewhere in the 40s, though I’m not sure on the exact admit rate. Given that it doesn’t match what you said you’re looking for and that it would be really expensive as an OOS student (you won’t be getting much aid from any UC, as has been said before), you may want to reconsider.</p>
<p>Your best bets for the most financial aid from California schools may be the privates. Unless you are a recruited athlete, you will not get a full ride. Some schools mentioned like Stanford and USC are good choices. You might want to consider LMU (Loyola Marymount) and University of San Diego (USD) which give more merit aid. UC’s are really not a good choice for OOS since you will be expected to come up with the OOS tuition fee of $23K which is not covered by FA. Check out the threads under Financial Aid and Scholarships for Full Ride/Scholarships. </p>
<p>Maybe I won’t apply to UCD then, it was just comforting for me to think about having a friend there haha @PhantomVirgo . Thanks for the advice.
Awesome, thank you @gumbymom. Any more ideas for private universities would be great.</p>
<p>OOS students always have to pay the UC OOS tuition supplement of 23k a year extra and don’t get aid for that. That is the minimum you’d have to pay, plus you’ll be expected to take your student loan and UC expects your to contribute 3k from summer and 2k during the year usually. Not to to beat a dead horse but just to give you some actual numbers on the minimum you would pay. So there is no point to ‘apply and see’ when you can nail down some certainties. Save the application fee for schools that might give you enough aid. </p>
<p>Try the NPC calculators for USD, Pitzer. USD gives merit but you might have to apply to see.</p>
<p>A non-California resident with FAFSA EFC = $0 will probably see a net price of about $31,500 to $33,000 (student contribution of $8,500 to $10,000 plus non-resident tuition of $23,000), at UCs, unless s/he gets a rare full ride merit scholarship. That is generally far too expensive for someone with FAFSA EFC = $0. CSUs will probably be list price of around $30,000 minus federal aid only (Pell grant) – still too expensive. You can check net price calculators.</p>
<p>Berkeley Regents’ Scholarship may meet full non-resident need, but you should ask them specifically about that before applying (it does not specifically mention resident versus non-resident awards). But that scholarship is a reach for everyone.</p>
<p>More realistic for financial aid may be USC (private); check its net price calculator. Stanford and the Claremont colleges also, but they are more selective. Less selective privates may offer merit scholarships, but check to see that full ride or near full ride scholarships are possible.</p>
<p>@VW1965 A close family friend (w no religious affiliation) will be a freshman, majoring in journalism at Chapman this fall. Check back with me if you’d like… I can let you know her take on it. :)</p>
<p>when one needs a great deal of aid and one is OOS, it helps if one has good stats like yours, but even in a state with as many colleges as CA one probably will have to toss out the other expectations one has. If you find a school that offers you the aid you need and has journalism or business, you’ve done very well. There might be others out there that also are near the coast, have about +7000 students, etc., but for now let’s get real. Keep your options elsewhere open.</p>
<p>Another university worth checking out is University of Redlands. It is a bit smaller and definitely further from the beach. But it’s a respected university (no religious affiliation btw) and has been know to be very generous with aid especially for a student with stats like yours.</p>
<p>I hope it’s possible for you to plan a trip to CA and visit some universities. Demonstrated interest is very important (especially if you’re hoping for generous aid). A campus visit can be absolutely invaluable!</p>