not exactly but i prefer the NE because the schools tend to be in more progressive areas. i have checked out william and mary, but was very thrown off by reported lack of diversity, along with grade deflation and unorganized teachers.
We are middle class in NJ, family of 7, 1 income, have had 2 in college at the same time, for the next 4 years will have 3 in college, we have yet to qualify for FA. Therefore, my kids have either attended in state public universities (Rutgers and TCNJ), for a total cost of around $120,000 each, or got enough merit at a public OOS university bringing the cost down to in state (my current sophomore at UD gets $17,000 a year, 34 ACT, 4.2 gpa, 9 AP’s). Please run the numbers at these schools to determine the COA. If you aren’t eligible for free lunch, don’t count on FA. My current seniors are applying to in state and safeties out of state, they can’t apply to reaches because we can’t afford them. There are also schools (not in the northeast) who do give automatic merit for good stats.
i have run the COA for all of the reach schools on my list and am currently looking into merit aid some of my target and safeties offer. i have also used the fafsa4caster to calculate my expected contribution.
as i have said to other commenters, i have personal reasons for not wanting to attend schools not in the NE. in state schools do not offer environments i know i will be comfortable in, especially seeing Rutgers and their inability to handle anything related to covid.
What is your EFC per fafsa4caster?
Of the schools you listed, here’s my opinion for a “chance me.” Again, this is only my opinion and others will certainly disagree.
Columbia: I don’t think this school is going to happen, even if you try to fix those core deficiencies within the next year before you apply. Columbia has a prerequisite chemistry course that students take freshman year, and the fact that you haven’t had AP Chem, or an equivalent higher level course in chem, will certainly come up in discussions about your file and hurt you most likely.
Barnard: This is a better fit, but again, with some of your core deficiencies, this is probably going to be a bit of a stretch for you to get in next year.
Colby: Ditto my comment for Barnard with this one.
Bryn Mawr: I think you could get admitted here if you write the heck out of the application and find a way to discuss your Hispanic background in the essays. While all these schools look for URM, Bryn Mawr could really use more of them, so I’d use that to my advantage.
Middlebury: They aren’t going to like that language deficiency stuff, methinks. Unless you fix some of that by taking an outside language course online (for a grade) or at a local community college over the summer, this could be problematic with getting in here.
Ithaca College: I think you won’t have a problem getting in here.
CUNY JJ: I think you will be competitive for this program with the stats you’ve mentioned.
The main issue for your reaches will be your lack of some core stem areas when you are intending to pursue an environmental science field. Even if you haven’t been able to take them through your school or whatever, admissions will still ask about your readiness. It will be brought up and discussed.
If you can’t find a way to fix some of those existing deficiencies outside your school by the time you apply, I’d suggest also looking at places outside the NE area too. I mentioned William and Mary, but I’d also look at Tulane.
it was approximately 29k/yr. i ran most of my reach schools though, and it was much lower. columbia/barnard’s calculator estimated my EFC to be around 15-22k. bryn mawr was somewhere in the middle.
girllll you got it you’re definitely getting in! best of luck!
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The fact that a school “lacks diversity” is exactly the reason why you should apply there and give it a shot! They need you, and therefore your chances will be increased.
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@cupidsushi Given your interest in social justice, diversity, and merit aid, you should consider Macalester in Minneapolis/St Paul, Oberlin, 45 minutes from Cleveland, and Grinnell, as @GoldPenn suggested. Don’t discount the Midwest.
Just so you are aware, the majority of NE colleges have dealt with Covid in similar manners, those in the south have not been as conservative. FAFSA does not factor in COL, which is why so many middle class families in the NYC metro area get hosed. The median household income in the US is under $69,000 a year.
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thank you for your honesty, it’s very much appreciated. i really want to be as realistic about this as possible.
is an SAT subject test for chemistry considered to be a good substitute for the fact that AP chem was not offered at my school?
as for middlebury, i was planning to self study for either the italian subject test or take the easy way out and take the spanish one.
i rushed my original post but i did graduate from a stem program at my local community college over the course of 3 years. the course load included basic computer science, 3 levels of physics, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and math up to what is covered in AP calc AB.
haha, thank you for your support !! i’m certainly going to try my best C:
you make a good point actually, i will definitely revisit and do more research, i just get a bit worried as i have heard about students of color attending schools with low diversity and having to switch schools because they felt unwelcome.
i am trying to keep an open mind : )
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You wrote:
“i rushed my original post but i did graduate from a stem program at my local community college over the course of 3 years. the course load included basic computer science, 3 levels of physics, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and math up to what is covered in AP calc AB.”
Okay, the last thing you wrote seriously changes this up now. That’s why it’s important to give us all the info. Be sure to describe ALL of this well on your application next year. If a course you took is just called “MATH IV” or whatever, for example, be sure to explain to the colleges you’re applying to that the class entailed X, Y, and Z so they don’t have to go digging for that info or wondering about it.
SAT subject test would be great, but as someone pointed out, not all schools are taking those. If you haven’t taken the higher level of chem, I’d take a community college class or online AP Chem over the summer. That way, you would be covering your bases at all the schools you’re applying to.
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aaah im so sorry! i will be sure to thoroughly describe it when i apply next year.
thank you for the help with the subject tests and patching up the gaps in my academics. the loss of AP chem affected a lot of students at my school. i will go over what schools accept what subject tests.
thank you so much again C:
Also remember, by fixing that deficiency, you’re making yourself a better and more competitive applicant over the classmates at your school who haven’t taken it! There’s no reason not to find a way to take that course! It will only be a win for you, and you’ll learn the stuff, which is always good regardless of where you end up.
I’m an URM too. There aren’t many of us living in the Ivory Tower, so it’s important for us to be at these places to stand our ground and give other perspectives. If you aren’t accepted by your classmates and/or faculty, that’s their problem and not yours. Especially in the climate today, we need to be heard. It’s time for some stuff to change. Get it, girl!
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I think Rutgers is in the top 10 when it comes to diversity, my oldest loved it, and appreciated the diversity factor. Most of her friends were not white (she is).
Oops, edited to add rutgers is #1.
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Can your parents afford the net prices coming from the colleges so far?
YOU can only borrow $5-7k per year… plus you have any earnings if you have a part time job.
Are your parents contributing the rest comfortably without taking on any additional loans for themselves? Answers like ‘we’ll figure it out’ are not good enough. You need actual $$$ amounts from them before you apply.
Have you got one, ideally two, safety schools which you can get into, are affordable without parent loans, and that you would actually attend? If not, I would start here and build up from there.
Hoping for merit to make a school affordable does NOT make it a safety, even if you have the grades/ stats.
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It’s surprising that schools’ NPCs would be that much lower than your forecasted EFC.
Can your parents afford the EFC of $29K? Can they afford what you are seeing on the NPCs?
I see that no one has answered your question about how getting married would affect financial aid…that would make you an independent student whose parents’ financials wouldn’t be used in FA calculations. But there may be complexities and big disadvantages to that strategy, and I will ask @belknappoint, @kelsmom and @thumper1 to weigh in on those.
I will say only this about getting married to increase chances for need based aid: Don’t.
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