Chance me (UMD, JHU, VTECH, UVA)

[allenb123]

US Permanent Resident going to be US Citizen in the middle of 12th grade
Maryland, US
Public school in Rural area
Male/Asian born in Korea

Major: Bioengineering/Biomedengineering

3.73 UW GPA/4.00(did horrible 9th grade year-covid/zoom year. Lots of B’s and C’s)
4.36 WGPA/5.00
No class ranks
1400 SAT

Coursework
AP: Bio(12th grade), Chem (12th grade), BC Calc (12th grade), Env (12th grade), Lang (11th grade-2 on exam), Stats (11th grade-3 on exam), World (11th grade-4 on exam), APUSH (9th grade)

Korean School award (state award): most improved student
Sci Olympiad

• Disease detectives: 3rd place regional award 2023
• Gravity Vehicle: 1st place regional award 2022

Prez+Founder of Asian Heritage Club since 11th grade
Sci Olympiad since 10th grade
SGA since 11th grade
Korean School Teacher Assistant since 12th grade
Free math tutor for elementary/middle school students since summer after 11th grade
Varsity Tennis: ranked #2 on school roster, made regional team, not recruited. since 11th grade
Debate Co Captain since 11th grade
Church community group leader since 10th grade
Church praise team leader (vocals + drums) since 10th grade

Essay: Alright
LOR:

• AP Bio teacher: good (Umd alumni. No idea if thats significant/considered) probably not though
• Hon Prec: pretty good (JHU alumni. No idea if thats significant/considered) probably not though

Im going to be financially independent which means my parents would not be paying for school (working part time most likely)

Household income: 28k-after tax: low income

Schools
ALL SUBMIT TEST EXCEPT JHU AND UVA

• going to be applying for scholarships for every single school if I can

• Safety (certain admission and affordability) UMBC in state (EA)
• Likely (would be possible, but very unlikely or surprising, for it not to admit or be affordable) NA
• Match UMD College park in state (EA), GWU(RD), VTech(EA)
• Reach William and Mary (RD), JHU (ED1), UVA (EA)

JHU is the school I want to attend. I know my stats aren’t good enough, and I’ll prolly get rejected straight up but who knows.
I’ve looked at net price calc for every school on this list, and because I am from a low income background, I’ll likely receive lots of aid.

[Hippobirdy]

You’re an excellent student!

Will college reps visit your high school? Check with your high school counselor.
Be sure to see the online visit opportunities for JHU if you don’t visit in person.

[tsbna44]

Congrats on your upcoming citizenship. Tell me more about Disease Detective - sounds interesting.

Some schools offer special scholarships for rural students.

You might also look at www.questbridge.org . Not sure if you have to be a citizen but you will
Here’s Questbrige - and some have your major - they’re all full rides but it’s not an easy get.

QuestBridge and you’re tailor made for it.

So - I get UMBC.

UMD is not a match - sorry. GWU doesn’t guarantee to meet need- have you runt he NPC? Va Tech - OOS - you can not get enough $$ to be within budget (assuming budget is little) - and it’s a reach I think.

Reach - W&M - doesn’t have your major - they have an extended program with Columbia. JHU and UVA are tough.

I think you have UMBC - and that’s it.

So all these schools in the link below offer Bio engineering of some sort and are ABET approved. The issue - out of state short of UVA and UNC who meet need, you can’t afford.

Some, like Union and Case Western, meet need. Run the Net Price Calculator for Union and Lehigh. Your parents will actually - and see if they show you getting covered.

2. Others may have a scholarship like this - and you’d have to research but Alabama (solid engineering but not your major has the national recognition scholarship which you might get for rural students:

First-time freshmen who are recognized by the National African American, Hispanic, Indigenous or Rural & Small-Town Recognition Programs are strongly encouraged to submit all application materials by the January 15 priority deadline to ensure consideration. If eligible students submit an application and all supporting documents after January 15 but by May 1, they will receive consideration for admission on a space available basis.

If admitted, students who are eligible for the National Recognition Scholarship package will recieve:

• Value of tuition for up to four years or eight semesters for degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate or law studies
• $1,000 per year supplemental scholarship for four years
• First year of on-campus housing at regular room rate* (based on assignment by Housing and Residential Communities)

So see if any other rural scholarships are out there.

LIST of ABET Schools In Your Major.

• Akron, The University of

Akron, Ohio, United States

• Alabama at Birmingham, University of

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

• Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona, United States

• Arizona, The University of

Tucson, Arizona, United States

• Arkansas, University of

Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States

• Auburn University

Auburn, Alabama, United States

• Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

• Former Institution Name

Bridgeport Engineering Institute

Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

Renamed Fairfield University on Dec 31, 1996

• Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island, United States

• Bucknell University

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, United States

• Buffalo, University at, The State University of New York

Buffalo, New York, United States

Formerly State University of New York at Buffalo before Feb 1, 1998

• California Baptist University

Riverside, California, United States

• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, California, United States

• California, Davis, University of

Davis, California, United States

• California, Irvine, University of

Irvine, California, United States

• California, Los Angeles, University of

Los Angeles, California, United States

• California, Riverside, University of

Riverside, California, United States

• California, San Diego, University of

La Jolla, California, United States

• Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

• Catholic University of America, The

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

• Central Oklahoma, University of

Edmond, Oklahoma, United States

• Cincinnati, University of

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

• Clemson University

Clemson, South Carolina, United States

• Former Institution Name

Colorado at Boulder, University of

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Renamed University of Colorado Boulder on Mar 12, 2018

• Former Institution Name

Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, University of

Denver, Colorado, United States

Formerly University of Colorado at Denver before Jan 1, 2004

Renamed University of Colorado Denver on Dec 31, 2007

• Former Institution Name

Colorado at Denver, University of

Denver, Colorado, United States

Renamed University of Colorado Denver on Dec 31, 2003

• Colorado Boulder, University of

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Formerly University of Colorado at Boulder before Mar 13, 2018

• Colorado Denver, University of

Denver, Colorado, United States

Formerly University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center before Jan 1, 2008

• Colorado State University

Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

• Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, New York, United States

• Connecticut, University of

Storrs, Connecticut, United States

• Cornell University

Ithaca, New York, United States

• Delaware, University of

Newark, Delaware, United States

• District of Columbia, University of the

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Formerly University of the District of Columbia-Van Ness Campus before Jan 1, 2008

• Former Institution Name

District of Columbia-Van Ness Campus, University of the

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Renamed University of the District of Columbia on Dec 31, 2007

• Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

• Duke University

Durham, North Carolina, United States

• Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

• Fairfield University

Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

Formerly Fairfield University-B.E.I. School of Engineering before Jan 1, 1999

• Former Institution Name

Fairfield University-B.E.I. School of Engineering

Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

Formerly Bridgeport Engineering Institute before Jan 1, 1997

Renamed Fairfield University on Dec 31, 1998

• Florida A&M University

Tallahassee, Florida, United States

• Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida, United States

• Florida Institute of Technology

Melbourne, Florida, United States

• Florida International University

Miami, Florida, United States

• Florida, University of

Gainesville, Florida, United States

• Gannon University

Erie, Pennsylvania, United States

• George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia, United States

• Former Institution Name

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Renamed The George Washington University on Dec 31, 1999

• George Washington University, The

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Formerly George Washington University before Jan 1, 2000

• Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

• Georgia, University of

Athens, Georgia, United States

• Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

• Harding University

Searcy, Arkansas, United States

• Hartford, University of

West Hartford, Connecticut, United States

• Hawaii at Manoa, University of

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

• Hofstra University

Hempstead, New York, United States

• Houston, University of

Houston, Texas, United States

• Idaho, University of

Moscow, Idaho, United States

• Illinois at Chicago, The University of

Chicago, Illinois, United States

• Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, University of

Champaign, Illinois, United States

• Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois, United States

• Indiana Institute of Technology

Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States

• Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

• Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Ames, Iowa, United States

• Iowa, The University of

Iowa City, Iowa, United States

• Johns Hopkins University, The

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

• Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas, United States

• Kentucky, University of

Lexington, Kentucky, United States

• Lawrence Technological University

Southfield, Michigan, United States

• Lehigh University

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States

• Louisiana State University and A&M College

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

• Louisiana Tech University

Ruston, Louisiana, United States

• Louisville, University of

Louisville, Kentucky, United States

• Maine, University of

Orono, Maine, United States

• Marquette University

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

• Marshall University

Huntington, West Virginia, United States

• Maryland College Park, University of

College Park, Maryland, United States

• Massachusetts Dartmouth, University of

Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

• Former Institution Name

Memphis State University

Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Renamed The University of Memphis on Dec 31, 1994

• Memphis, The University of

Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Formerly Memphis State University before Jan 1, 1995

• Miami University

Oxford, Ohio, United States

• Miami, University of

Coral Gables, Florida, United States

• Michigan - Dearborn, University of

Dearborn, Michigan, United States

• Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan, United States

• Michigan Technological University

Houghton, Michigan, United States

• Michigan, University of

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

• Milwaukee School of Engineering

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

• Minnesota - Twin Cities, University of

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Formerly University of Minnesota-Minneapolis before Jan 1, 1980

• Former Institution Name

Minnesota-Minneapolis, University of

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Renamed University of Minnesota - Twin Cities on Dec 31, 1979

• Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States

• Missouri - Columbia, University of

Columbia, Missouri, United States

• Montana State University - Bozeman

Bozeman, Montana, United States

• Nebraska - Lincoln, University of

Lincoln, Nebraska, United States

• Nevada, Reno, University of

Reno, Nevada, United States

• New Hampshire, University of

Durham, New Hampshire, United States

• New Jersey Institute of Technology

Newark, New Jersey, United States

• New Jersey, The College of

Ewing, New Jersey, United States

Formerly Trenton State College before Jan 1, 1998

• New York at Binghamton, State University of

Vestal, New York, United States

• Former Institution Name

New York at Buffalo, State University of

Buffalo, New York, United States

Renamed University at Buffalo, The State University of New York on Jan 31, 1998

• Former Institution Name

New York at Stony Brook, State University of

Stony Brook, New York, United States

Renamed Stony Brook University on Dec 31, 2007

• New York, City College, City University of

New York, New York, United States

• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Greensboro, North Carolina, United States

• North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

• North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

• North Dakota State University

Fargo, North Dakota, United States

• North Texas, University of

Denton, Texas, United States

• Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

• Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois, United States

• Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan, United States

• Former Institution Name

Ohio State University

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Renamed The Ohio State University on Dec 31, 1999

• Ohio State University, The

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Formerly Ohio State University before Jan 1, 2000

• Oklahoma State University

Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States

• Oklahoma, University of

Norman, Oklahoma, United States

• Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon, United States

• Pacific, University of the

Stockton, California, United States

• Former Institution Name

Parks College of Engineering and Aviation, St. Louis University

St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Renamed Saint Louis University on Dec 31, 2003

• Pennsylvania State University

University Park, Pennsylvania, United States

• Pennsylvania, University of

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

• Pittsburgh, University of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

• Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States

• Purdue University at West Lafayette

West Lafayette, Indiana, United States

• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, New York, United States

• Rhode Island, The University of

Kingston, Rhode Island, United States

• Rice University

Houston, Texas, United States

• Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, New York, United States

• Rochester, University of

Rochester, New York, United States

• Former Institution Name

Rose Polytechnic Institute

Terre Haute, Indiana, United States

Renamed Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Dec 31, 1970

• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Terre Haute, Indiana, United States

Formerly Rose Polytechnic Institute before Jan 1, 1970

• Rowan University

Glassboro, New Jersey, United States

• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

• Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States

Formerly Parks College of Engineering and Aviation, St. Louis University before Jan 1, 2004

• San Jose State University

San Jose, California, United States

• South Carolina, University of

Columbia, South Carolina, United States

• South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota, United States

• South Florida, University of

Tampa, Florida, United States

• Southern California, University of

Los Angeles, California, United States

• Stevens Institute of Technology

Hoboken, New Jersey, United States

• Stony Brook University

New York, New York, United States

Formerly State University of New York at Stony Brook before Jan 1, 2008

• Syracuse University

Syracuse, New York, United States

• Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

• Tennessee Knoxville, University of

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

• Texas A&M University

College Station, Texas, United States

• Texas at Arlington, The University of

Arlington, Texas, United States

• Texas at Austin, University of

Austin, Texas, United States

• Texas at Dallas, University of

Richardson, Texas, United States

• Texas at San Antonio, The University of

San Antonio, Texas, United States

• Toledo, The University of

Toledo, Ohio, United States

• Former Institution Name

Trenton State College

Ewing, New Jersey, United States

Renamed The College of New Jersey on Dec 31, 1997

• Trine University

Angola, Indiana, United States

Formerly Tri-State University before Aug 1, 2008

• Former Institution Name

Tri-State University

Angola, Indiana, United States

Renamed Trine University on Jul 31, 2008

• Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts, United States

• Tulane University

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

• Union College

Schenectady, New York, United States

• Utah State University

Logan, Utah, United States

• Utah, The University of

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

• Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

• Vermont, University of

Burlington, Vermont, United States

• Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia, United States

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

• Virginia, University of

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

• Washington State University

Pullman, Washington, United States

• Washington University

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States

• Washington, University of

Seattle, Washington, United States

• Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan, United States

• Wentworth Institute of Technology

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

• West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia, United States

• Former Institution Name

Western New England College

Springfield, Massachusetts, United States

Renamed Western New England University on Nov 19, 2013

• Western New England University

Springfield, Massachusetts, United States

Formerly Western New England College before Nov 20, 2013

• Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas, United States

• Widener University

Chester, Pennsylvania, United States

• Wisconsin - Madison, University of

Madison, Wisconsin, United States

• Wisconsin - Milwaukee, University of

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

• Wright State University

Dayton, Ohio, United States

[AustenNut]

Congratulations on starting your college search! You have some varied interests, and that’s great.

If you were to only calculate your GPA for 10th and 11th grade, what would your GPA be?

@allenb123

LOR:

• AP Bio teacher: good (Umd alumni. No idea if thats significant/considered) probably not though
• Hon Prec: pretty good (JHU alumni. No idea if thats significant/considered) probably not though

It’s generally recommended to have one STEM letter of recommendation and one from a humanities/social science teacher.

@allenb123

Im going to be financially independent which means my parents would not be paying for school (working part time most likely)

There’s usually a pretty high bar for a student to be considered financially independent. I don’t know all the ins and outs, but perhaps @Mwfan1921 or @kelsmom do.

@allenb123

Household income: 28k-after tax: low income

@tsbna44’s suggestion of QuestBridge is a great one, but if you’re interested, you need to get on the ball very quickly as I believe the application is due by the end of this month. The financial packages for people matched through QuestBridge are even better than students would get just applying directly to the university. Additionally, even if you don’t match through QuestBridge, being a QuestBridge finalist could be a very attractive item to mention on any RD applications you might need to do.

Also, how many people are in your household? You may be eligible for the Rawlings Guaranteed Access Grant, depending on the before-tax income and the number of people in your family. The Rawlings Education Assistance Grant might be able to be used if you don’t qualify for the Access Grant. These are both for Maryland residents to be used at Maryland publics.

@allenb123

Major: Bioengineering/Biomedengineering

Financially, if you don’t get a QuestBridge school, a Maryland public is probably going to be your best financial option.

The only Maryland schools that are ABET-accredited for biomedical & bioengineering are U. of Maryland-College Park and Johns Hopkins. UMBC is not, though it is accredited for chemical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering. Thus, if bioengineering is really your interest, you may need to consider the need to transfer to College Park to finish your degree.

Some other schools that you may want to consider that are ABET-accredited for bio(medical)engineering are:

• Gannon (PA ): The net prices come out looking much more affordable here than at many other institutions. You may also be competitive for one of their full tuition scholarships, which could perhaps be combined with a Pell grant or other need-based aid. Gannon also offers scholarships for participants in academic competitions, debate, members of diverse groups, etc.

• Marshall (WV): You would qualify for a $14k scholarship which would still leave about $6k in tuition, but Marshall has amont the lower costs for room & board at less than $12k. If you qualify for a Pell grant, get work-study, and perhaps combine with a subsidized federal loan, this school could be a financially feasible option. I think that participants in the Honors College get additional money, and there may be other scholarships that can stack, making the costs even more within reach.

• Widener (PA ): I’d inquire what their max scholarship is (they indicate a minimum, but not a maximum). If it’s less than full tuition, then this school would unlikely to be affordable, as their net price by income does not seem as though their need-based aid will be sufficient.

• West Virginia: This school is having some serious financial difficulties, but it is the state’s flagship college, so…it’s something to keep in mind. You’d get a $17k Climb Higher scholarship as a base, plus $2k Innovators Scholarship if you stick with engineering, and I suspect you’d be a strong candidate for the $2500 Diversity scholarship (source), and there are other scholarships you could apply for. So you might be able to cobble together an affordable acceptance here which is helped by lower room & board costs here, too (less than $12k).

Some other schools for biomedical engineering that you may want to investigate that might be able to work depending on what kind of scholarship/aid you’d receive (and would be likelier than Johns Hopkins) are:

• George Washington (D.C.)
• Lehigh (PA )
• Rowan (NJ)
• New Jersey Institute of Technology

Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to admissions/finance folks at the universities to ask what max merit options are and how they combine with the school’s need-based aid.

If you’re willing to go further from home, I’d also give a good look at some of the Ohio publics (particularly Akron, Toledo, and Wright State, as you may be more competitive for the most generous scholarships at those schools). U. of Cincinnati is also an interesting choice as it is really focused on co-ops and makes it easier to do, which could bring in some extra money. But co-ops can be done from any school, so remember that, too. And Ohio publics freeze tuition for four years at the price you entered, so you won’t have 4-5% increases every year that could be a factor at other schools.

[kelsmom]

Students who are dependent for financial aid purposes will only be considered independent if there are very specific circumstances at play. If the OP has parents who choose not to provide financial assistance for college, that is not a valid reason for a dependency override. The question is, do the parents have the means, as determined through the FAFSA, to pay for college? I don’t know this student’s financial situation. @allenb123, you stated that you are from a low income background. A dependency override isn’t needed for a student whose parents are low enough income that the SAI is 0 (or close to 0) … in fact, that can backfire for low income students who work a lot, because their income may be ignored if they are dependent but taken into consideration if they are independent.

You will want to focus on schools that promise to meet need, schools that have automatic merit, and schools that have scholarships targeted toward low income and/or first generation students.

[Hippobirdy]

I hope you’ll check this site, Maryland Higher Education Commission, MHEC.

As a backup plan, your community college may have scholarships and and auto admit path to University of Maryland.
See Office of Undergraduate Admissions | Maryland Transfer Advantage…

And the state delegate and senator offer small scholarships, if you stay instate for college, info also available at MHEC website:

Maryland Higher Education Commission

There is a Guaranteed Access Grant, for example, for low income, just requires FAFSA.
“ The Guaranteed Access (GA) Grant is a need- based grant that
provides financial assistance to eligible applicants enrolled at postsecondary institutions. The amount of the GA Grant equals 100 percent of the student’s financial need and a student may receive an award for up to $20,700​ .”

[thumper1]

@allenb123

Im going to be financially independent which means my parents would not be paying for school (working part time most likely)

What will make you financially independent for financial aid purposes? There are specific criteria you need to meet. Unless they have changed, they are:

In guardianship before age 18

In foster care

Married

Have dependent children you support

Are an armed forces veteran

We’re an emancipated child before age 18

Already have a bachelors degree ( not certain about this one)

Over age 26 during the academic year for your financial aid

@kelsmom is this accurate

[kelsmom]

Look at 5, 6, and 7 on the attached link: https://www.nasfaa.org/uploads/documents/Draft_FAFSA_2024_25.pdf. This has detailed information on who is considered independent. Also, 8 allows the student to skip providing parent information in order to get loans (no other federal aid is available in this case, and typically neither is institutional aid).