oh really ?? i have my 2020 agi and i know my 2019 agi, and the 2020 agi is like a 10k increase from 2019. nothing special happened, my parents didn’t get a new job, my mom even lost hours so the only explanation is COVID aid… maybe it’s unemployment aid? which would probably be counted
Unemployment income is counted on the FAFSA.
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yeah, i figured as much. it’s probably a 1 year thing… i’ll be working through that and explaining it for sure
Sonoma State? largely residential, lovely setting, like a public lib arts school ??
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Maybe…but lots of kids major in poli sci at colleges all over the country and many of them are not near centers of government. And you already said you didn’t like Sac State, so Chico might be a good alternative cal state as a safety.
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I think the Cal State Schools are great - but if you apply to the right targets, you don’t need a ton of safeties.
You had ASU and/or Arizona on your list. Are they not satisfactory? If they are, no need to look further. They are quick decisions too - and they are both close to a city.
We don’t know (I don’t know) if you’re pell grant eligible. Or could you be QB eligible? Then you have less worry.
Other solid schools with quick decisions would be Pitt but aid, unless you are a URM is tough. And Bama which you had concern with. Florida State is very good and you’d earn an out of state waiver.
But honestly - if you’re satisfied with U of A or ASU (U of A will be cheaper, both have Honors Colleges)…why add anymore safeties?? You likely won’t be at a safety but if you can see yourself at either of these, then be done.
I probably said it earlier - but since money is an issue, SMU (a likely for you) and W&L both have full rides - with W&L certainly being attainable (not easy but attainable).
If you qualify for QB, that’s the best. If you don’t, you’re fine with U of A and ASU - and move on to narrowing down your target and reach schools - just my opinion.
105 messages - i haven’t kept up but I see a lot of debate about this Cal State or that Cal State. Seems to me U of Arizona a better and cheaper fit for you anyway.
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should i apply to both ASU and U of A?
also yes, I am a QB CPS scholar. as I indicated in my OG post I am planning to rank a few schools in NCM. and i’m definitely pell eligible.
I’m not a QB expert but the website says you’ll find out on dec 1 if you have a match. So I suppose you can wait til after as long as you don’t miss their individual deadlines. You won’t for those two schools.
Also I said you mentioned u of a and asu. Are those satisfactory to you ? I was simply saying you were going back and forth on safety. You don’t need safeties. You need targets and merits you can afford.
So you either apply to only meets needs schools and Miami, Occidental and Dennison, etc are your definites. And then other schools as you move up the chain are your targets and reaches. Watch for need blind vs need aware.
I’ll let others answer but to me seems like QB a no brainer and you’ve likely overcomplicated the topic. My opinion 
QB is a no brainer which is why op is applying, but applying through QB doesn’t mean you are accepted by QB and further that you are accepted at the colleges you ranked. Its like applying to 12 of the most selective colleges in the US ED, that’s it.
So, @harrypottereatspie needs a minimum of 2 solid, affordable safeties, and even CSUs may not be suitable because they don’t necessarily cover R&B, so they need some.scholarship on top of it.
@harrypottereatspie
Asu is unlikely to be under 5k, so UA is the only good choice thanks to your GPA - unless the estimation makes it affordable?
(Barretts alone is 4k extra).
Basically, you have to decide whixh downside will matter more to you: commuter Sac State where you’ll be living on campus and hard partying classmates in exchange for proximity to the State Capitol, or a further away campus that’s in a college town not a city, with a good honors college and stronger classmates + potential for extra scholarships?
Isn’t either better than CSULA for you - if they’re not, that’s an easy safety but I get why you’d be reluctant to attend a college where the vast majority fail to graduate in 4 or 6 years.
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i’m just afraid that U of A and ASU are not entirely affordable. i’m entirely aware that matching or even getting in QB RD is incredibly competitive and I plan to apply to schools outside of QB anyways (of course if I match there will be no need for it but I want to be realistic). so I want some safeties that I can apply to so I have somewhere to go.
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Your stats are well above qb average so that’s good. Look at the colleges that meet 100% need and then go on their NPCs.
Just know if they are need aware (not need blind) they can say no due to $$, not due to u.
I would look at W&L, Lafayette, Lehigh, CWRU, Denison, F&M, Macalester, Occidental, Skidmore, Trinity, Union, Richmond and Miami.
You are in at most (based on academics), maybe all. So check the calculator but also determine if need aware. Lafayette is known to reject those with too much need.
If you’re getting a full ride or near, you have to be flexible in environment and everything else. No time to be choosy in that sense (in my opinion).
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i don’t have my definite numbers but UA seems to be more affordable than ASU. i’m considering adding either sonoma or chico state since they seem to be a much better fit for me. and yes, those alternatives are vastly better than CSULA. it seems to me that i have to pick the lesser of the two evils. CSULA is also insanely close to me… it’s a 10 minute drive. i’d hate to go there
oxy and macalester are on my radar already from your list. w&l is a no, the huge percentage of people involved in greek life is an absolute dealbreaker for me. oxy is rumored to be need aware but i don’t think macalester is.
i completely understand and I’ve tried to be less picky, i’d probably be happy at any of schools i’m considering or planning to rank even if I don’t know too much about them.
For the Cal States, you could also look at Cal Poly SLO. It is mostly a residential campus and in the lovely San Luis Obispo area. Many consider it to be the “flagship” Cal State. From what I have heard, people who go there are really happy that they do. And although many think of it as a bit STEM-my, they do offer a BA in Poli Sci.
Also, are the UC’s a financial possibility for you? Will you qualify for a CalGrant (I would assume you would and they can be used for the UCs, the Cal States, and also private colleges in California.)
Cal Poly SLO is the most expensive CSU if you include room/ board. CSU’s give less aid including Cal grants than the UC’s so most likely only CSU tuition and books would be covered. This why commuting to the local CSU makes a good safety along with affordability but I also believe U of A or ASU are better options for OP.
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In the end free = unbeatable. So if they meet need and your need is almost 100%, it’d be hard to restrict.
A school like W&L that is that Greek heavy won’t be in the traditional sense you are thinking. I would advise you to talk to students attending vs making judgements.
If you truly have little to contribute you’d be making a mistake only applying to one or do on the list. You need to apply heavily.
Free or near free beats $23k at Arizona etc
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i think i need to get more accurate numbers for this. for example I don’t know how much my parents paid in income taxes or the exact amount of savings.
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with all due respect, i really want to consider fit in my list. i’m not going to choose a school blindly because i have a better chance at getting a full ride there than more selective schools. i chose the schools on my list because i feel like i would be happy there, and i don’t think i would be happy at W&L. maybe i’m making a judgement call too quickly there are multiple parts of W&L that i don’t like, and these factors are all deal breakers for me. if there was one dealbreaker factor i probably would be willing to overlook it, but W&L has not 1, but 3 dealbreaker factors (bordering on 4) that completely take it off my radar.
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That’s perfectly fair - and you don’t need your parents to tell you how much they paid in taxes. You need them to run net price calculators for schools.
Fit is most important - I get it. Finances are a part of fit.
You really need to understand the finances.
Don’t go to a school you clearly won’t like - but on the other hand, saving $300K isn’t a bad deal!!!