@BldrDad and @3scoutsmom , I just ran the NPC at Harvard again to verify. Sorry about the income, our income is technically $135,000. My billed price would be just above $25,000. My family does hold assets in investments and college funds(for three) which run around $350,000-450,000 together; however, my family has no way to access them to pay for things like college(besides the college funds, which are, of course, not all mine). I also ran the NPC for MIT also, it came out at $35,000, and the highest of the three mentioned, Harvey Mudd, landed at just under $40,000 which is absolutely unreal. The problem is that my family, being a middle class family, has the assets to boost our EFC but doesn’t have the ability to use them like (I guess?) we should be able to. Jeopardizing my parent’s retirement is not worth it for any degree even from HYP
One of my brothers is at a high end university(using quiet a bit past his college fund. UGH) and has screwed our finances as is so paying another $25,000+ per year just isn’t plausible for now at least. Maybe in two years I guess?
In terms of college fit(I think that is the term), I’d like to stay away from STEM only school. I know MIT and Stanford aren’t only STEM but I’d like to be able to get away from the STEM fields and I really don’t know if I could do that at a place like MIT where STEM stuff is the major focus. Some of the colleges that I’ve toured while traveling were really amazing but I continuously get told either “you’re too good for that school” or “why even bother applying, you’ll never get in” and I really don’t know where I stand between those. I know I don’t have a chance at MIT/Stanford(Not a HYP fan at all after informally touring them, everyone was arrogant and wouldn’t get off their high horses.) with my scores and GPA, but everyone says “you’re too good for a state school” and I don’t even really know what that means. I would just like a college that challenges me academically yet doesn’t put me in an environment that produces people who think they are above others.
Thanks for all of your help! I’d appreciate any more help you can give!