<p>If you talk to the schools’ financial aid departments about your situation, they might be able to send some more cash your way.</p>
<p>You have excellent stats, and are likely to get admission to all but the very top schools (MIT, Stanford, etc), where it’s pretty much a crapshoot for anyone.</p>
<p>I am, of course, obligated to pitch USC as a potential choice. Very good engineering and business schools, and strong greek system. And here’s the best part: coming in with your stats and as a female engineer, you should definitely apply for the Trustee’s/Presidential scholarship programs. Quite a few female engineers around here have full tuition scholarships (Trustee’s), and many more have half tuition (Presidential). It does involve a trip to campus for an interview, but that’s well worth the amount of money you could potentially get.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re applying now, then you’re in the class of 2014. The class of 2013 just started their freshman year.</p>
<p>EDIT: ahh, menloparkmom beat me to posting. Ahh well, still good advice! I notice you don’t have SAT scores on your stats though, did you not take it? menloparkmom, she doesn’t have NMF listed on her stats, which I’m pretty sure it would be if she had it. Still, Emmers, you have a good chance of getting the Presidential at least, if not the Trustee’s, with that eye-popping 800 on the SATII Math II and the 4.0 GPA.</p>
<p>^^^brilliant minds think alike! But OP, just remember, you MUST complete your application to USC by Dec 1 to be considered for the Presidential or Trustee scholarships. This will not prevent you from applying SCEA to Stanford, if you so choose.</p>
<p>I’m glad someone or two mentioned USC! USC seems to fit everything the poster wants in terms of engineering/business, greek life, a great social life, and they offer merit money! With your stats, you’d be a great match for USC, and I’m sure they’ll make sure you come to their school with the financial aid offer they give.</p>
<p>If your assets are rather weak, then you will get FA with a family income at your level - provided they are truly weak (read: beneath 200,000), and you are going to HYPS. Also, your tax forms for this year, which will be used to finalize your FA award, will reflect your family’s decreased income in 2009 (and naturally, the award itself will reflect this).</p>
<p>I realize that this is a stressful time but I think you may need to pull back from your detailed list and look at the big picture. Have the money talk with your folks. I assume your dad’s layoff will make a difference in your aid application for one year but not beyond that. What is their limit? If you get into a school like Stanford or MIT, are they willing to ante up the extra money, if necessary? How much are you willing to contribute through campus and summer work? This has to be your first priority, unless you are content with UIUC. And do look into the honors program, the James Scholars, there.</p>
<p>How set are you on engineering? I see someone with an excellent scientific mind, but not one that is specific to engineering. For instance, what issues in environmentalism are you most passionate about? Could you see yourself in a scientific field that is more research oriented, or are you all about the practical? Finally, are you done with lacrosse, or could that be part of your college plan?</p>
<p>I disagree with post #6 regarding Columbia. Yes, obviously the applicant’s high school is factor in a successful application. But in my day at least (and I had a very close working connection with the admissions office back in the day) Columbia’s very broad approach to undergraduate admissions meant that many excellent candidates were admitted to ‘the College’ whom were not valedictorians or at the very top of their classes. Sure many students whom were not at the top did not make the cut but naturally there were no guarantees for Valedictorians, either. Columbia always prided itself on admitting bright, creative people with individual impetus whom are thinkers and whom perhaps don’t march alongside the parade.</p>
<p>I think it’s going to be very hard for others to beat Chambana in terms of value. Even if USC offered 1/2 tuition, I don’t think that changes the value equation too much when you have UIUC in-state. But definitely apply to USC.</p>
<p>^^ can you name another Private top 25 university where LESS than 50% of the UG population is white and where 11% of admitted students are first in their families to go to college?</p>
<p>If the OP is lucky enough to be chosen as a Trustee scholar, then it would be pretty hard to top USC when don’t have to pay tuition for 4 years.[ my son is a trustee scholar, and his GPA wasn’t as high as the OP’s. Otherwise its is hard to top UIUC instate.</p>
<p>I think you need to be looking at additional match/safety schools. You are more likely to receive merit aid from those schools than any reaches. Take the time to carefully review school websites for information about potential majors/minors and what if possible</p>
<p>Don’t overlook Purdue. It has a number of top-ranked engineering programs. It also offers a fair number of merit scholarships for out-of-state students, for which you might be competitive.</p>
<p>Minnesota is not as highly ranked (except in Chemical Engineering, I believe) and doesn’t offer much in the way of merit scholarships for out-of-state students, but the cost of attendance for an out-of-state student is much lower than the other Big 10 universities.</p>
<p>Michigan State, also not as highly ranked, but it too offers some merit scholarships for out-of-state students for which you might be competitive (including some for Chicago-area high school grads).</p>
<p>oh my goodness i’m extremely ecstatic for two reasons</p>
<p>just when I’ve been feeling down in the dumps</p>
<p>1) I’ve been reading your comments. I cannot emphasize how much this community is assisting me.</p>
<p>2) I did have the FINANCIAL TALK WITH MY PARENTS… I showed them this entire thread. And we weighed my budget and my options. My aunt also heard about the dilemma and she’s also willing to pitch in with my education (as long as I apply to her beloved university, she’s awesome). </p>
<p>The family conversation did reach a cliched lovey-dovey ending - in summation mum and pop are willing to drop the big bucks for a GOOD VALUE COLLEGE, if the sticker price of a small private college is $50,000+ they’d rather pay for a “brand name school.” Hopefully this open communication with my parents can open my options to a wider array of institutions.
Parents - $30,000
aunt! - $10,000
Me - Work study @ college for the difference… this is my education, and my future, i’ll do whatever it takes ;)</p>
<p>So what does my list look like now? (max of 8 applications now b/c of aunt)
University of Illinois - Urbana (UIUC)
Stanford - still early actioning
Cornell - the aunt that’s paying is an avid alum; this was her “catch” which I don’t mind at all
Johns Hopkins
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Columbia
Upenn
WashU</p>
<p>I appreciate all of the USC comments: I’m researching USC right now!</p>
<p>Quick questions - I know i’m writing waaaay too much.
does the prestige of the brand name schools really matter for undergrads? or even grads for that matter?
am I shallow if I rate colleges based on dorm rooms too? The only dorm rooms I’ve visited were those of CalTech - i was very appalled
since my aunt is pitching in should I apply for fin aid anyways?</p>
<p>P.S. fun fact zapfino - illinois residents pay instate tuition to Minnesota pub universities & vice versa</p>
<p>Once again Thanks! very much! - sorry for the wordiness, this is my best outlet!</p>
<p>Do apply to Stanford and UIUC in the early round. You’ll get some love from UIUC, and it’s nice to have at least one early acceptance in the bag. Being a female in engineering is a plus - a neighbor just mentioned that his son’s school, U of Rochester, was actively courting women to apply. That’s not a bad option if you are looking for merit money. Cornell is also a good choice, and I think their enormous array of courses will be appealing if you decide to stray from engineering. If you are willing to keep playing lacrosse, MIT might be a good choice. Athletes do get a boost there. </p>
<p>Don’t judge a school based on its dorm rooms. Almost every school has a mixture of rooms; none are uninhabitable. It’s the hallmates who make the experience, not the walls and closets. </p>
<p>Glad you had such a rewarding talk with your folks, and congrats on your excellent choice of aunts :)</p>
<p>“does the prestige of the brand name schools really matter for undergrads? "
Not that much.
“or even grads for that matter?”
the college where you receive your TERMINAL [last] degree is the one that really matters!
'since my aunt is pitching in should I apply for fin aid anyways”
absolutely</p>
<p>oops about the reciprocity!
midwesterner - you must be psychic. she was born and raised in madison</p>
<p>Lacrosse situation: honestly, I’m scared by the college sports atmosphere. Indeed, I’m ranked pretty up there in illinois, & indeed i’ve been approached by coaches. However Illinois is only a pond in comparison to an ocean of other talented players. Also, sports = time + commitment which realistically I’m not sure i can handle.</p>
<p>1) Stanford
2) UIllinois - Urbana
3) Cornell</p>
<p>5 more and i’m ready to final draft my pre-written essays, click submit, send teacher evals, and send in my transcript.</p>
<p>Wow that process seems a lot shorter until you actually write it out.</p>
<p>OK wait, are you applying SCEA to Stanford? Because if you are applying SCEA to Stanford, you need to be sure you can apply to Cornell now as well. Better check first before you hit the submit button.</p>
<p>My plan: Stanford has a restrictive early action contract (excluding rolling admissions and priority dates in-state). I was just planning on shipping everything out by Mid-October. With Stanford being the only school that I “checked the box” for Early action thus fulfilling the “single choice”</p>
<p>"Applicants agree not to apply to any other school under an Early Action, Restrictive Early Action, Early Decision, or Early Notification program.</p>
<p>Exceptions:
* Any institution, public or private, under a non-binding Rolling Admission option.
* Public institutions in a student’s home state under a non-binding Early Action program.
* Foreign colleges/universities on any application schedule.
* Institutions whose early application deadlines are a requirement for consideration for special academic programs or scholarships only if the notification of admission occurs after January 1.
* Institutions under an Interim Decision program only if the notification of admission occurs after January 1.</p>
<p>Yup! the only caveat I would add is if you don’t get into Stanford early, you might want to review your essays to other colleges one more time, just to see if you can polish them even more, before hitting the send button. there is no advantage to applying early to all your colleges, unless they have rolling admissions, or if an early application is required to qualify you for scholarship consideration[ USC]. I would hold off hitting the send button until you hear from stanford in Dec. if I were you.
[full disclosure- S applied to S early, was deferred, and polished, revised and improved his other essays over Xmas vacation. No other college turned him down, including 2 Ivys.]</p>