OP, we’re from your neck of the woods, but not your HS. When my D was looking at colleges several years ago, our school’s guidance counselor let us know that Cornell didn’t really like our HS school too much because we had a bad track record with them, so that made it extra hard to get accepted there. Evidently we had several kids go there and then transfer out because they were so miserable in the winter with the very cold temperatures and little daylight. It might be worth your while to take a look at your HS’ track record with acceptances to Cornell. Also, think about whether their winter could be a problem for you too. It’s really beautiful up there, but it’s remote, cold and dark. To me, winter feels harder there than Boston or other New England towns.
A couple of other random thoughts:
Some of the highest performers at our HS went to AL because of the scholarships. And people were impressed, because some of those scholarships are terrific. And AL really does promote some of their kids.
If you would be happy going to AL or Auburn, I think your list can be reach-heavy, especially since many of the high reach schools can be generous with need based aid. It can be truly shocking how many high performing kids don’t get into any of their reaches. Really, the reach schools honestly are a reach.
Look at the last 5 years of where the high performers in your HS have gone to. You might be able to see a pattern of which colleges seem to like your school. This isn’t a guarantee because things can change, but …
You might get points for geographic diversity with some schools. Im thinking about LACs outside of the Southeast, such as Lehigh or maybe Harvey Mudd.
I’m surprised Duke & Rice aren’t on your list. I think you have Georgia Tech on your list, which is good.
I’m not sure that your opinion on the policy ought to guide our advice to the student. Agree with it or not, the exception exists. This student is under no obligation to attend if they can’t afford it, and under no obligation to avoid ED. Whether ED makes sense is a matter for the student and parents.
I don’t disagree - but as ED has grown and schools have relied upon it moreso than ever, students are taking far more liberties.
I simply said - and using the OPs $25-30K budget - if the NPC shows a $60K cost and he is accepted and it’s $60K or $50K or $40K and his parents say no, then releasing from ED is unethical - in my opinion.
Students can do what they want and 49 of their accepted did not attend - on their stats page (whether one or two years ago). I don’t know their specific situations just like we don’t know OPs.
It was Cornell who told me, based on my assets, I had zero chance of getting money from any school.
We don’t know the student’s situation. His parents gave a budget. It may be related to what they can afford or it may be based on what they’re willing to afford.
Clearly OP has no sense of his families finances and that’s most kids - especially when a business is involved. It’s not a knock at all against the student but many parents don’t want their kids knowing their finances. My kids didn’t know mine - I did the FAFSA and CSS on my own.
Anyway - I take the ED commitment seriously and I wish everyone did, but right or wrong, I don’t believe that today everyone does. Everyone is joining the ED race and filling more and more of their classes that way.
And it’s the business aspect of the educational system. I get it but don’t love it.
It’s disingenuous in many ways and unfair to those who don’t take advantage of the system.
But again, I’m only stating this based on the Cornell or any school NPC giving a # and then ignoring that number in the decision as to whether to apply.
I understand your position and I have mine - and we can move past this one.
After all the back and forth on this thread on a variety of topics, I think the OP really needs to step back and educate himself on the entire college application process. Shotgunning questions on CC is probably just muddying the water.
Here’s my two cents…take a break from CC. Go to your local library and check out some books about applying to college. You’re a smart kid, but need to educate yourself on a variety of topics, from financial aid to selecting a major to building a college list. Talk to your siblings or older friends that have gone through the process.
Come back for advice later. Many helpful people here, but you are a fish out of water right now.
Cornell is quite different in July compared to February. The first time that I was there in February it snowed something like 2 feet over a long weekend. We could not even find our car for a day or two. At the time I was still living in Montreal so I did not have any problem with this and thought it was quite beautiful.
To a large extent students get used to the climate wherever they are living. However, it is something for a student from the south to keep in mind.
I may have missed it. Does your high school have a counselor that might be able to help? If not a counselor, maybe talk to an administrator (principal or assistant principal).
Edit: Just saw this at the top
Definitely meet with your counselor. Do they handle both academics and college or is there a separate college counselor on campus?
FAFSA and CSS Profile are financial aid forms that need to be filled out. All schools will require FAFSA (it’s pretty straightforward) and some will also require the CSS Profile, which asks a ton more questions.
The NPCs that the colleges publish ask some of the same questions as the FAFSA and CSS Profile, and thus can give an estimate of what your financial aid package will be IF your family’s situation is not complex. The estimate is less accurate the more complex the financials.
While OP will likely benefit from filing out these forms to see if they qualify for financial aid, to be accurate and for the benefit of future readers, no school requires either form as part of the application process. The forms are only required if an applicant is seeking financial aid.
Take a look at the SUNY universities (Binghamton, Albany, Stony Brook, Buffalo). They give merit, and Binghamton (maybe the others) is actively trying to increase OOS attendance (through merit).
Total cost of attendance is approximately $47,000 a year for OOS, but you can probably reduce that a little (less costly dorm, etc). Between what your parents can hopefully pay, and your $5500 student loan, you might be able to fill in the rest with a scholarship. This is not guaranteed, but I believe you are a good candidate for scholarship money.
Take a look at SUNY Geneseo. The total cost of attendance for the school year that just ended was about $33,000 for OOS students, without merit (the colleges cost less than the universities). I am not sure that the majors will work, but they do have a 3+2 program in engineering with Case Western, Columbia, Clarkson, and possibly others. The website says that any aid will be extended for the fifth year.
I think it’s fine to apply to Cornell, but you also need schools that provide merit or are affordable without.
You have one sibling in medical school, and another who already is in college. Is that correct? If so, please ask these siblings about these financial aid forms. The medical student most likely filled out a FAFSA, and probably filled it out during undergrad. The sibling now in undergrad also likely filled out a FAFSA, and perhaps can tell you what sorts of need based financial aid they received at some college…unless this one only applied to the one school with the presidential scholarship.
However, I will add…the FAFSA won’t become available this year until December. No one knows how this will affect notification and need based aid awards for early applicants.
In any event…you have decent stats, but in rereading your posts today, I noticed that you have 5/10 on your counselor recommendation, and your math teacher hates you so you won’t be asking for a reference from that teacher at all. In my opinion, this makes your reaches reacher because others will have strong LOR from both of these. But that’s my opinion.
I think it’s perfectly fine for you to apply to some reach schools…as long as you would be happy to attend your sure things if it comes to that.
Could you please clarify something. In another post you say there will be three in college when you go. Do you have two older siblings…or one…who are in varying places in their higher educations?
My understanding is that one sibling might be a college senior this year or perhaps has just graduated because she is applying to medical school for 2024-2025. The other sibling will be applying to college at the same time as the OP (for 2024-25). So maybe the OP’s twin or someone who has recently finished high school but not yet applied to colleges.
So…this poster and his sibling who is applying at the same time…perhaps they should ask older sibling if they completed the financial aid form(s) for any colleges…and received any need based aid. This might give this poster an idea of what’s what.
Miami University has its 2024 merit page up. Their Farmer School of business is respected and their relatively new College of Engineering and Computing was built adjacent for easy access for students undecided between business and engineering. They have well developed study abroad programs that incorporate the engineering curriculum so that students can still graduate in 8 semesters and they fix tuition, room & board for 4 years for each cohort. Although it is a public university it feels much more like a private because it was established to bring together students from across the nation to study in Ohio. They would be a very good EA choice, usually notifying students of admission in December, your admission is likely and moving between business, computer science or mechanical engineering is relatively easy.
I think schools like Iowa State, Kansas State, Arizona, WVU and more are potentially options for this student at the budget needed. Some merit would need to be involved and some like Arizona have auto merit FSU is another although engineering is off campus and shared with FAMU.
They aren’t the “name brand” OP seeks but they are super fine schools loaded with very accomplished kids, often also seeking merit - just like his two home state flagship schools, especially the main one (i.e. drawing 58% from OOS - that happens for a reason and that reason for most is likely $$$).
You mentioned that your sibling was paid to go to college. As a National Merit Semi-Finalist (no need to be a Finalist), the University of Tulsa will award you:
Full tuition (excluding summers) for five years or until an undergraduate degree is earned.
Tier I Room and Board
Standard Student Fees
Textbooks
Secured spot in Leadership TU led by President Brad Carson
$6,000 monetary gift per year
If you become a Finalist, you are eligible for an additional $750/year.
Summary of a student’s visit to TU - including the comment, “admissions set us up with a meeting with a professor in the CS department and truly we came out of that meeting dumbfounded. What they do there, in CompSci in general and CyberSecurity in specific, is on another level.”