<p>I think you are pretty solid for BU and you may also get into Northeastern thanks to your GPA. Not sure how much aid either school will provide though. Neither offers much in aid.</p>
<p>my dad filled out the financial aid calculator and it said our expected contribution was $0…nothing…? Does this mean I should apply to schools that are lower than my capabilities so I can get aid, or should I apply to schools like BU…What does this mean? My family’s income changes every year due to the economy because my father was a real estate broker and now idk what he is doing but what I do know is that although he works allot, he barely makes anything…advice?</p>
<p>If in fact your EFC is zero - that’s generally good news. It means that if you’re accepted to need-blind schools (the Ivies, for example) they will give you enough FA to attend. However, none of the private schools on your list are need-blind. NYU or BU may accept you but not offer enough FA. In which case your family would have to finance your education through loans - if they can get them. I’m a bit curious about this zero EFC since assets are usually taken into consideration and apparently you live in a million dollar house. Without knowing all the details, we really can’t advise you. Only your family can figure out what you can and can’t afford. I would recommend you apply to a VARIETY of schools - your local public universities which will be cheaper, and privates of your choice. Have your family fill out FAFSA, apply for FA and see what you are offered. If the privates give you enough aid, great. If not, you still have your local instate universities – which in California are excellent – to fall back on.</p>
<p>what about publics out of state like Univ of pitt which was mentioned earlier, and what about Hunter college which was given an award for giving students “allot of bang for their buck”…</p>
<p>Public colleges/univ in CA on my list:(Is this good?)
Berkeley
UCLA
UCSB
SFSU(applying for scholarship)</p>
<p>privates in CA:
USC
Occidental
Pitzer</p>
<p>publics out of state:
univ of pitt
hunter college</p>
<p>privates out of state:
BU
Northeastern Univ
NYU
George Washington University</p>
<p>Public schools rarely give significant FA to out of state students.
With private schools, it doesn’t matter whether they are in or out of state. Tuition is the same for both.</p>
<p>Your list of CA publics is good, although you probably know how hard it is to get into UCLA and Cal these days. UCSB is a bit easier, and SFSU will be the easiest. </p>
<p>I think you should also apply to UCSD, a very good school, and consider Davis/Santa Cruz. </p>
<p>Of your CA privates, Occidental is probably the easiest to get into & possibly get aid in. USC has gotten very competitive for FA and selective for admission. Pitzer would be a good choice as well, but in general the Claremont Colleges (of which Pitzer is part) are hard to get into. I’m also not sure how good their FA is. Something you should look into.</p>
<p>are you really that desparate for a college in a big city that you are looking at Hunter?</p>
<p>OP is from California and unfamiliar with NYC schools. I assume Hunter is on her list because of its “good bang for your buck” reputation she read about.</p>
<p>Oh, ya…well, to be honest…I have family issues and world not like to go to school near my family. I want to use college as recovery from my past memories of my dad threatening my mom and me hiding in my closet fearing punishment…well anyway…those days are over, but my family would want to visit SD all the time. Also, when my parents recently found out i was not a christian, they verbally abused me for hours and told me I would come back to Christianity and that they would never respect me. Also, my parents are creationists even though they know nothing of the fossil record or the definition of evolution. Well, setting that aside, I feel urban environments offer more support for me: more open-minded people and being farther from home. I want to feel more independent. Although they will help pay for my college, it is not as though they completely support me. Just wanted to clarify my situation.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear of your difficulties. I think it’s healthy to go away to school in any case, but I can understand why for you it’s particularly important. One thing: most big campuses will offer you diversity, support and a lot of open minded people. They don’t have to be in urban areas.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear about that curleq94. I suggest you look at some many resources to help you out in your college search. Take a look at the US News rankings when they come out in September, the Princeton Review just released a book called the “Best 376 Colleges” that has tons of cool student reviews about colleges, Fiske’s Guide To Colleges 2012 is good too. If you look at all those sources (and there are many more!), you’ll have a good idea of what you are looking for and hopefully will have a better list!</p>
<p>And yes you should take finances very seriously. It’s ok to reach and apply for a few schools you can’t afford but the rest you should def either be able to afford or will be able to receive scholarships/substancial financial aid. You should definitely apply to at least 2 schools you can definitely get in and that you can be 100% sure that you can afford.</p>
<p>Def let us know if you have any more college questions! I’m in a bad mood today so sorry if I came off in a bad way haha</p>
<p>Thanks I will definitely look at those books…this really helped me realize what I need to look for…gracias por tu ayuda</p>
<p>de nada :)</p>
<p>What about Eugene Lang?</p>
<p>You should take NYU off your list for financial reasons, if nothing else. You would be better off trying for Barnard, although it is a big reach.</p>
<p>RE FA and the Claremont Colleges, Pomona has great FA, but it’s a very big reach for you. Pitt reportedly does have some good scholarships available to top OOS students, but I don’t know if you would qualify with your current stats. Your CR score is extremely low for many of these schools, unfortunately.</p>
<p>An urban school with excellent language and IR programs is Georgetown, especially their foreign language school. But again, very big reach.</p>