OP has to first run the NPCs of the schools on the list, we have no idea what the family can contribute to college , or whether they can afford what the calculators will say. They shouldn’t apply anywhere that doesn’t look affordable per the NPC.
NPCs should be accurate for OP even as an international as long as parents aren’t divorced, or don’t own a business or real estate beyond a primary home (are any of those the case for you OP)?
Of course, OP won’t qualify for the $5.5k student loan that the NPC estimates will show (and looks like OP won’t qualify for Pell or fed work study so that won’t be an NPC issue).
ahh, I did not know that I could still use NPC’s as an intl… I will definitely try them out. I think we can contribute at most 20k?
-I do not want to name the lac that offered me a fly in(it isn’t like swarthmore, pomona) but it is still pretty good- has an acceptance rate of 40ish percent
I might look into EDing, but I don’t think I can really commit to a place because I always second guess myself lol. I might look at all my options and then decide… my state school is pretty good imo, so unless I get into a really good school, I might not go out of state.
Definitely try them as long as your family doesn’t have any of the situations noted above. Another thing that could make NPCs inaccurate is if your parents have income in foreign currency…is that the case?
Please talk to your parents and get a firm budget, then run the NPCs. With an income of $150k, it’s quite possible some meet full need schools will expect you to pay more than $20k. Let us know the NPC results and we can help figure things out.
From the data released with the Harvard litigation, applying EA to Harvard increases the odds of admission to 3.79. This is an immense advantage, and Harvard has EA. The chances only go up with binding ED. As long as the NPC looks affordable, applying ED is your best chance. The RD admission rates for asians has been brutal.
Yes, I see that harvard’s EA (REA) is non binding, but it is restrictive… meaning I won’t be able to apply to any other private colleges EA… I am planning to shotgun, and I am not sure if it’d be better to apply EA to harvard+ public colleges+other T20s RD OR apply EA to as many places I can(since most EA is non binding, non restrictive)+ harvard RD?
What is it about Harvard that makes it your top choice? What kind of experience are you hoping to get out of college? That will help inform your list and where you apply, whether EA, REA, RD, or whatever else.
I will do this; my NPC for some places is around 30-40K, but I don’t think we would be able to contribute too much; again, it is either my state school for full ride OR some ivy/comparable school for at most 20k, maybeee 30? I need to further discuss this w/ my family.
well, Harvard is harvard lol. I really like this one particular class/ prof there(I was inspired by his textbook lol). I don’t really care about the environment much, I hope to get into a good place with good aid… I really like stanford/caltech/mudd’ all of the california lacs, but I just put harvard as an example
Ok, so if those NPCs are at schools that are offer only need based aid, then they will not be affordable and you should not apply. It sounds like you will have to merit hunt to get schools within budget. But of course do talk with your parents, and keep us updated.
There is no reason to shotgun (I assume you mean highly rejective schools), and it will likely result in sub-par essays. Do you want suggestions for LACS that offer merit?
Early round 1: apply to your top choice + whatever EA schools that allow (MIT, Caltech, state schools, etc). For example you can do Columbia ED1 + MIT + Caltech + other state schools. But Harvard is SCEA and does not allow concurrent EA with private schools.
ED2: If you get rejected or deferred from round 1, apply ED2. There are a handful of T20 and top LACs that are in play: NESCAC, UChicago, WashU, Vanderbilt, etc. Make sure that your top choice is affordable.
RD: The deadlines for ED2 and RD are the same. So use RD for shotgunning the rest. Chances of acceptance are lowest in this round.
It would appear based on OP’s recent post on finances that OP’s family will not be able to afford the family contribution that the NPCs are showing at meet full need schools that don’t have merit aid. Most T20s do not offer merit aid, and if they do, it makes the school even reachier to need to get those awards in order to attend.
I wanted to add that the NPC results are likely net of the $5.5k first year federal student loan, which you won’t qualify for, so make sure to add that $5.5k on to the net COA the NPC gives you.
thank you everyone for all the advice! I will keep all of this in mind this fall! However, can y’all comment on what my chances are at T20’s, LACs, etc? I know its really hard and luck is involved, but please tell me if I honestly have a chance.
BTW, I think that you could probably come up with a really good essay about hidden “otherness”. Your obvious “otherness” is that you’re Asian, in what I suspect is an area of the country that isn’t. But the real “otherness” is that even though you were brought here in infancy, and speak unaccented English, and grew up with American kid culture, you’re not American - you’re here as the child of a non-immigrant work visa holder. You’re also probably quite different from your peers in the country where you were born, even though you probably speak their language. I’d imagine it’s a fairly rare situation, 17 years here for an 18 yr old, but not on a path to citizenship. Well executed, it could be a very interesting essay that says a lot about who you are.
You said all your APs are science/math. Could you add in humanities APs for next year? It will make you appear to be more than just a science person, more academically balanced, but your EA/ED application won’t be affected by first semester grades.
You don’t qualify for a fee waiver, and from what you say, your parents are not ready to pay what even the most generous schools would expect of them. Even if you were to get into Harvard, arguably the most generous school with fin aid, I don’t think that they’d match what it will cost you in-state. Before you go spending several thousand dollars “shotgunning” the top 50 schools in the nation, you need to have a frank discussion with your parents about college and money. While you’re at it, perhaps it’s time to bring up the subject of the work visa holding parent applying for a green card - if they get one, then the rest of the family may be eligible, also, including you. Without that happening, you cannot legally work here. You fall off a legal status cliff when you turn 21, although you can then apply for a student visa for yourself, and after that, an H-1 work visa for yourself, IF you have a skill that a US employer wants, and for which there aren’t enough US workers. See, it’s getting complicated. That’s why, if it’s at all possible, your family should be talking about this, and planning for it. Might be time for the family to consult a good immigration attorney.
If your family can’t or won’t afford what a college like Harvard is estimating as affordable, and it doesn’t provide merit aid, then it is a waste of time, money, and effort to apply to them. If you’re interested in options besides your in-state choice, then I recommend you become familiar with this website: Merit Aid by Institution – College Transitions.
Most of the colleges you’re thinking about will be listed so you can see if they offer merit aid, and if so, how much and to what percentage of its students. The smaller the percentage, the more important it will be for you to be one of their best applicants.
This might help you think of some options that might be more feasible for you so you can concentrate on making those apps the very best possible to maximize your shot at great merit aid rather than shotgunning a bunch of schools that won’t meet your goal.
Yes, it seems like your next step should be running NPC’s for a few of the most generous need-met schools, i.e. Harvard, Stanford, Priceton, Amherst (which I believe is the only LAC that is need-blind and full-need-met for internationals). The result you get will be the best case scenario in terms of need-based aid. If you can’t find a single school in this tier with an EFC that you would pay, over your very well-priced state flagship, then there’s no point in applying to this category of schools, as there will be no surprises in a positive direction.
If some or all of these schools are projected as affordable, then definitely craft an application strategy that includes them. Since you’re interested in LAC’s, Amherst would be a very worthy ED application if it’s projected to be affordable. The ED acceptance rate was 25% this past year, vs. 8% overall. (Although, understand that your chances will be lower than if you were a domestic applicant.)
However, it may well be that your EFC at even the most generous schools will exceed your COA at your in-state flagship by more than you’re willing to pay. If that’s the case, then there’s no point wasting your time and emotional energy on applying to schools that aren’t going to be viable. The question will then become whether there are schools where you can get big merit, that would also be preferable to your state flagship.
It’s actually very fortunate that your flagship is both high-quality and affordable. We see kids here on CC with similar immigration status to yours, who live in states where the higher ed funding and financial aid policies are not as favorable. These students are “flying without a net” in terms of college apps, which is very stressful and doesn’t always turn out well. The fact that you have a default plan that you know will work is fantastic. It frees you up to be selective about your applications - apply only to schools that you would choose over your flagship, and that have a realistic possibility of being affordable.
Congrats on everything you’ve accomplished so far. You will do great, whether you go to your state university or get an affordable offer from a school you prefer.
If the NPC asks whether you are a US citizen, US permanent resident, or international student, then that is likely to be taken into account by the NPC.