Class of 2020: Follow My College Process

College Search & Selection
1

Would anyone be interested in this? Another user inspired this idea. I’ll paste my stats below, update you on acceptances, and let you know where I enroll

General

Race: 90% White / 10 % Hispanic
Gender: Female
Financial Need: Very high
State: New Jersey
High School Type: Urban, one of the worst in the state.
Intended major: Social Work

Colleges

Accepted to Eastern Nazarene & Montclair State.
Waiting on Temple University, Catholic University of America, Marist College, & La Salle University.

Top choices are Temple & Montclair.
I visited Montclair & loved it. I’m visiting CUA, Temple, & La Salle soon, so I’ll see how I like them.

Academics:

GPA: 3.2, Standard Classes
SAT 1410 (M 360 CR 490 W 560) They were only sent to La Salle & Eastern Nazarene, since they were required.

I don’t have my full transcript, so here is my senior schedule

Completed Classes:
-Computer App: B
-SAT Prep ELA: A
-Psychology: B
-English IV: B
-Health: B

Current Classes & Grades
-Financial Literacy A, A
-Gym B
-Sociology C, D (We don’t do much work, so I would get two high grades & one bad grade, and my grade would be ruined. I’m trying to improve, I currently have a 99).
-Marine Biology (None yet)
-Forensic Science (Don’t have tests, so I’m assuming my grade will be high)

Extracurricular Activities

  1. Dance, all styles. (Ages 3-11 & grades 11 & 12).
  2. Work as a cashier at Price Rite (grocery store).
  3. Community Service Club (Grade 10 & 11).
  4. Self Defense (Grade 10 & 11).
  5. Volunteered with an animal rescue, ARRUS (Grade 11).
  6. Volunteered with an animal rescue, BARK (Grades 8-11).
  7. Cooking Club (Grades 10 & 11).
  8. Crafts Club (Grade 9).

My extracurriculars are a bit scattered, since I’ve attended three high schools.

My essay is great. I wrote about how I was homeless as a sophomore, and how that experience helped me discover social work. I also included how nearly all of my college research was done on my own, since I’m a first-gen student.

2

Sure! Good luck.

3

You know I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you. Will keep an eye on this thread. :slight_smile:

4

I saw that other “follow my process” post too! I’m interested, and best of luck to you!

5

Wait listed at Marist. I’m surprised, I thought I wouldn’t get an offer. :slight_smile:

6

Did you hear yet from Catholic U?

7

What about Providence?

8

Not yet. I think they send letters next week. @londondad @LBad96

9

Pretty sure I’m in at Catholic University of America!! My mom said they sent me a letter that says I need to submit financial aid documentation, but it says “Congratulations Class of 2020”!

10

Okay, I got my letter and folder. I’m definitely in! @londondad @LBad96

11

Congrats!! I hope they give you some great financial aid. I lived in that area (Northeast DC near CUA) for 9 years and those were some of my happiest times.

12

I got into La Salle University too!! :slight_smile:

13

This is a great day for you!! Congrats!! Keeping my fingers crossed that you get a good financial aid package from both.

14

COngratulations!
It feels good to be wanted, right?
:slight_smile:
I’m very happy for you. The journey’s been so long - I remember you about a year ago, when you thought you could just borrow a hundred thousand dollars and attend college in California… or weren’t all that sure you’d be able to attend college at all! Now, you’re going to college, and 4 years from now, you could be moving to CA for real and without financial shackles. :slight_smile:
So, now, it’s for sure: YOU ARE GOING TO COLLEGE!!!
Celebrate… and then, put on your wisdom-brain-in-dispassionate-head-screwed-on-tight-on-shoulders with the thinking cap on top and look at net price. (Keep in mind that getting scholarships is great… but a $20,000 scholarship to a $50,000 school is worth less than a $10,000 scholarship to a $30,0000 school :smiley: such is the math of college costs! :D)

15

Thank you so much!! Sorry I was so rude back then! I’m just very stubborn, but that’s also a good thing, since it’s gotten me where I am today! <:-P @MYOS1634

16

Rejected from Providence. It’s expensive, and a party school, so I’m not too upset. :slight_smile:

I also got La Salle’s financial aid letter.
It’s $211 a month, for the first year, with Parent PLUS. That adds up over four years! I’ll try to look into NJLoans.

17

Yeah, don’t take Parent PLUS when NJ has NJLoans! And remember: it’s not the amount of scholarship that matters, but the net price you end up with. Net price = (tuition+fees+room+board) - (grants, scholarships).
If (tuition+room+board+fees= 54K, and the scholarships is 24K, it’s “worth” less than an 8K scholarship on a 22K college even though the first scholarship is three times the amount of the second one.(30K vs. 14K!)

With financial aid letters presenting loans packaged with scholarships, or sometimes showing only one semester as to make people believe it’s cheaper, you really have to keep a list on a separate piece of paper, with the name of the college, the calculation aboe, and its result. By having all results on a page it’ll be clear which one is the best value.

Note that best value is not always the cheapest - it’s the college that takes you where you need to go, will support you and help you grow, while being within budget.

18

Thank you! I think the final price was including scholarships. I think La Salle is worth it though, I’ve heard Montclair is going downhill since they became test optional @MYOS1634

19

What happened with Montclair?

20

Without loans what is the net cost of attendance for each of the schools?