<p>It would be nice if you could retake the ACT and get 30 on the science and reading. But apart from that you have a decent chance at Bates’ acceptance. Some leadership roles would be good.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about test scores. I talked to one of the admissions officers and he said that there’s almost no difference between kids who got accepted that did send in test scores and kids who didn’t. They really don’t care about test scores at all. He also said that if any part of you questions whether or not you should submit your scores then don’t.</p>
<p>Hi - Bates is test optional so you don’t need to submit your ACT or SAT scores to be considered for admission. Bates does not give merit aid but at least with our son, they were very generous. They do expect that you, the student, contribute to your tuition payment each year. From their webpage “All financial aid at Bates is awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need.” Good luck to you! We couldn’t be happier that our son will be attending Bates starting this fall.</p>
<p>Chris 1995
They take into consideration everything! Not only salaries, but mortgage, everyday expenses, how you’re taxed, personal debt, whether anybody in your family also has to pay for education etc.
They even have a clause asking for any info that you think is relevant but wasn’t displayed on the app
(At least all this was true for international fin.aid app)</p>
<p>So if you do have a necessity, I’m pretty sure they’ll meet it
(They were extremely generous with me)</p>
<p>You and your folks will fill out two financial aid forms next year. The FAFSA is one and the CSS Profile is the other. In both, you’ll list your family’s income, how many kids are already in college, plus the CSS profile asks for information on assets, retirement plans, etc. All that generates a dollar number called the EFC - expected family contribution - that your family is expected to pay which will give you an idea of what colleges will ask you to pay, i.e. your demonstrated “need”. Different colleges have different formulas but it at least gives you a ballpark. Each college has a net price calculator on their financial aid site that can give you an idea also. </p>
<p>I was pretty shocked at our EFC - it’s about 1/4 of our annual take-home pay. Hopefully your folks have been saving for your college and between savings, financial aid and loans, you’ll cobble together a package. We actually found that a private school like Bates was far more generous vs. our state school (New Hampshire) Even though UNH has a lower cost of attendance, they offered no aid at all for our older son and $10K in loans to our younger. I’d advise looking past the sticker price initially - which I know is hard and kind of shocking. Hopefully you’ll end up with a good package financially. </p>
<p>I’m fairly certain the NESCAC schools offer need-based financial aid only - no merit - but may be wrong with that. Bates was very generous too that most of the financial aid they awarded our son was in grants and scholarships - so no loans. That’s important to look at as well when you get to the point of comparing. Also know that many financial aid offices will “barter” so once you’re accepted, you/your parents can write a letter to the FA office requesting an appeal. Particularly if you have offers of admission from similar schools but who awarded you better aid, it can help. </p>
<p>Does this help? Sorry to be so long-winded!</p>
<p>ETA: This was the process for a U.S. student - not sure how it works if you’re an international.</p>
<p>Chris, a little advice-
Don’t worry about getting in more community service hours. Rather use community service or other ECs to tell a story about who you are. I often see kids write that they have X # of community service hours without saying what they were doing in those hours and I suspect it’s because they completed a list of random projects without any real focus. Not saying this is you, just warning that it could come off that way to an admissions officer. Better to have the committee look at your essay and say, “Ah, he wants to work as a vet some day. It looks like he’s serious, because he’s spent three hours a week volunteering at a vet’s office each of the last two summers,” or “The kid who wrote his essay about his love of books helps out in the library. Makes sense!”</p>
<p>Hi Chris - you may find your bottom line is about the same anywhere you apply as we did, particularly for our older son who didn’t qualify for merit. As I mentioned, even though our in-state flagship school’s cost of attendance is a good deal lower vs. Bates, it would have ended up costing us more. check out the financial aid forum on CC as well. There’s information there on schools that do give merit aid. I don’t mean to be discouraging. The whole paying for college thing is daunting. Good luck! Oh - and agree with Sue22 about your ECs. I think it’s important to not just go after community service to make yourself look better to colleges. Much better to do things that you are passionate about.</p>
<p>I would also add, Chris, that even schools that say they award aid based on financial need alone make adjustments within that depending on how much they want the student. So a school could concievably offer more than a family “needs.” If you happen to have the merit they’re looking for, you might be surprised!</p>
<p>Hi, I’m a first semester college student and I’m looking to transfer to Bates, would love for someone to chance me.</p>
<p>current school: University of Virginia
current GPA: unknown, but 3/4 classes are going fairly well and 1 is really rough. I’m not entirely sure if I’ll have the coveted 3.5 Bates looks for</p>
<p>In the top 10% of my high school class, with SATs M730 CR760 W780. I was involved in high school but not as much in college, having only been here two months.</p>
<p>I’m also a legacy, but Bates doesn’t seem to weight that strongly.</p>
<p>I interviewed last fall, but didn’t end up applying because I thought it was too small. They have that interview on file, but I don’t remember how it went. I’m assuming it was fine but not outstanding. </p>
<p>I have one very solid professor recommendation, one that should be fine, and a stellar supplemental recommendation.</p>
<p>Will you need financial aid? That could make a difference. Your scores are in the ball park, definitely. I think you are right about legacy status–unless legacy has “donor” attached to it, most schools don’t make a distinction for that.</p>
And yeah I’m definitely going to get a lot more service hours in. Trying to get some job-oriented ones.</p>