<p>I am a junior in high school. I want to start deciding where I'm going to apply and money is a huge factor. I'm probably going to end up paying for college on my on with very little help, so I need a college that can give me as much as I can get. I would prefer colleges in the northeast and I am a resident of Pennsylvania. I am planning on a major in writing, journalism, or history. Here are my stats as of today.</p>
<p>GPA: 97 UW 99.58 W
Class Rank: 19/350
ECs: Basketball 9-11
Baseball 9-11
American Legion Baseball 2 Years
Altar Server at church 7 years
National Honor Society</p>
<p>I am looking for suggestions for schools that would allow me to do what I want and help me in my career aspirations to be a sports writer and also allow me to attend school for nearly nothing.</p>
<p>Your cheapest options will either be a state college or university in Pennsylvania, or a school for which you might otherwise feel you would be “overqualified.” Colleges and universities use merit aid to attract students who might otherwise not consider their school. For example, at the University of Alabama, an out-of-state first-time freshman student who meets the December 1st scholarship priority deadline, has a 32-36 ACT or 1400-1600 SAT score (math and verbal scores only) and at least a 3.7 cumulative GPA is selected as a Presidential Scholar and receives the value of out-of-state tuition for four years. At Troy University, also in AL, the Millennium Scholar’s Award pays full tuition, room and board if you have a 31 ACT and/or 1380 SAT 1 and 3.7 GPA (4.0 scale) or are a National Merit Finalist. Troy’s Chancellor’s Award pays full tuition if you have a 27 ACT and/or 1220 SAT 1 and 3.5 GPA (4.0 scale).</p>
<p>don’t rule schools out just on cost. remember that every college will offer you a financial aid package. You’re Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) will vary little from university to university. Unless there’s extenuating circumstances, don’t worry about cast, financial aid will even most of it out.</p>
<p>Whether you are eligible for financial aid depends not just on your situation but on your family’s. The way I read the OP’s post, it sounds like the family may have assets and/or income, but refuse to use those funds for college. If that’s the case, the OP may not be able to get sufficient, non-merit financial aid.</p>
<p>If you are male, consider some LACs that are looking for well-qualified male applicants, such as Goucher near DC, Quinnipiac in Connecticut,Lake Forest outside of Chicago, etc. If you have qualifications that put you towards the top end of their applicant pool and you are male, schools are a bit more generous with their merit aid . Also if you are from an area where they receive fewer applications, it can also be a good thing.</p>
<p>I think your decision will have to factor in your test scores and essays, but I think the University of Pittsburgh is another good school to consider. It is in-state for you, so that’s a plus, but they also have quite a bit of money that they offer to strong students. I applied and got the full tuition honors scholarship… disclaimer: I have a 4.0/4.0 and a 34 ACT, 740 SAT II Bio M, and 800 Math IIC, applied as an engineering student, and am from Oregon. One more thing: if you apply to U Pitt, definately provide an essay, especially because you are thinking about journalism and writing. They say it is an optional essay, but if you want to increase your chance for a scholarship, definately write an essay</p>
<p>Of course consider PA state schools, which would be much cheaper. </p>
<p>I applied to UPitt and was accepted, and it is a relief to know that at least one of my schools will be [easier] to afford, and should financial aid at other places not work out, I have that option.</p>
<p>Check out St. Mary’s College of Maryland! I applied and I’m really excited about it…it’s a public honors college in Maryland. Out of state tuition is still pretty expensive (about $20,000) but for a good, liberal arts education, that’s really not bad compared to other prices. Check out the site: [St</a>. Mary’s College of Maryland](<a href=“http://www.smcm.edu%5DSt”>http://www.smcm.edu)</p>
<p>Lots of schools have good merit aid, so make sure to check those out.</p>
<p>Harvard/Yale/Stanford/etc for very generous financial aid if you think you have a shot.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh/PSU for cheap and good schools.</p>
<p>If you make National Merit, you basically got a full ride to a slew of state universities, they will be spamming you your senior year (especially Alabama)</p>
<p>We’re in PA, and are also looking at cheaper schools. I don’t know your stats, and have noticed that so many of the posters on CC are at the top end of the curve. One of my kids had a 32 ACT-640/640/700, but the other two are going to be lower. Based on my exp. so far, I agree that applying where your credentials are better than the identified averages increase your chances of significant aid. Being male is also helpful right now, and you may get a little more aid from schools where there are more girls than guys.</p>
<p>I don’t think PSU is a great deal for in-state students. It’s costing me $21K a year for one kid, with no grants. Pitt is a little better financially. Eliminating room and board costs is always a help. I assume you’re not considering ROTC (one of my kids’ friends got a full ROTC scholarship, with an 8-year commitment). </p>
<p>These recs are based on merit grants instead of loans, on the assumption that your goal is to limit loans as much as possible. I have a kid at SUNY, which was extremely generous with grants so that the net cost is less than IUP, which is a best-value in PA. OSU gave one of my kids grants to match the cost of PSU. Kent State is known for offering a lot of aid. Ohio U offered a grant that matched the cost of Pitt. We’re taking a road trip to check out Marshall in W-VA, due to its cost. I understand that Salisbury and Towson in MD are fairly reasonable too.</p>
<p>Someone recommended Quinnipiac. This is a very nice school, but I believe that merit scholarships top out at 16k. The cost of attendance is 44,900. If I remember correctly Quinnipiac only meets an average of 65% of financial need. My son was admitted, but could not afford to attend. </p>
<p>About Towson-The OP’s stats are probably higher than my son’s. I will tell you that my son did not get any merit aid or financial aid grants from this school. We are out of state. This is also a very nice school, but was not affordable for us.</p>
<p>In PA both Temple University and Penn State are accredited. Don’t overlook Temple - you should be offered a nice scholarship.
If you will need and qualify for financial aid - staying in-state will maximize your PHEAA grant. If you go to NJ, NY or MD you will not get any PHEAA grant at all.</p>