Currently I am a junior with a 3.5 UW and 4.0 W GPA. I got a 26 on my first ACT but I am retaking it until I get a 30, but I will most likely end up with a 28. I go to a top college prep high school in Texas that does not send class rank to colleges. So far I have taken 1 AP but I am taking 2 more this year. I have taken 4 honor class and I am taking 3 this year. Diversity wise I am white, both my parents have gone to graduate school, hard of hearing.
EC
band 9th and 10th
debate 11th and 12th
cat fostering 8th to now
I started up an lgbt+ advice chatroom that has 400+ members and about 60 active people. I have a moderation team and I work on growing the server regularly.
I am looking mainly at state schools in hope of getting scholarships. My goal is around 35,000 or less for cost of attendance. The major I want to do is psychology preferably more along the lines of neuropsychology. Location wise I am looking at the west coast and the Northeastern part of America. I live in Texas.
Out of state public universities on the west coast and the northeast are not merit aid hunting grounds.
In fact, the merit aid in the University of California system for out-of-state students is basically zero. The need based aid is applied to the cost of in-state attendance and will not cover the substantial out of state upcharge. Moreover, a 3.5 GPA is not super competitive for merit scholarships at private schools. You can get some money, but don’t expect the top awards.
Your first step is to find one more more schools where you can get in-state tuition in Texas and apply there. You always need a financial backup plan that is guaranteed affordable in case you do not win a scholarship. Then add schools where you hope to leave the state with financial aid.
Run the FAFSA forecaster to see how the 35,000 budget matches the federal financial aid formulas: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/estimate
If you apply to a school that uses the CSS/Profile, your EFC will be higher than the federal formula.
Every college is also required to have a net price calculator to help you estimate prices. Many of these will ask for GPA, test score, number of AP classes, etc. and estimate your merit aid. Look in the financial aid section of college websites or search on “net price calculator” and/or “freshman scholarship” to find more information.
I don’t know how much you are looking for resources and support for the hearing impaired (assume you meant you, not your parents?) I know two hearing impaired students that went to RIT in NY, very good program there. You could research majors and costs. Both have gone on to great jobs and live in northeast. Another student went to Ithaca College in NY. She enjoyed her four years, but really had to fight for support.
You have time on the ACT tests. Maybe take some practice ACT tests to help increase the scores. That could open more options for merit. Best wishes to you!
Do you identify as female? You may want to consider women’s colleges that are SAT-score-optional, like Bryn Mawr and Mt. Holyoke, and Smith. You might get merit and they would appreciate your ECs.
I am actually a transgender guy but people have recommended Ithaca College to me beacuse they are working on building a reputation in the trans community. As far as ECs go would my lgbt work be viewed as a fluff EC? The chat room I own is the project I am most proud of but I run a blog where trans people can submit bios about themselves to meet other trans pen pals and that has 9,000 followers and about 10 submissions a week. Then I have a personal blog where I write and answer questions people have about the lgbt+ community with a following of 12,000. Should I even include my LGBT+ work in my application beacuse I had a counselor tell me that being trans is still taboo and it would look better just to leave it out.
I would leave the LGBT+ stuff in. You’re better off being rejected by a school that doesn’t want to deal with a trans student than discovering they’re more conservative than you thought after arriving on campus.
UT Dallas for in-state tuition, lgbt groups, gender-neutral housing, and Callier Center for communication disorders (for help with hearing impairment) and it matches your stats.
However, $35,000 or lower should be able to afford the list price of in-state Texas public universities. But not having class rank may prevent you from automatic admission at many of them.
As far as other schools, you and your parents need to run the net price calculator on the web site of each other school to get financial aid estimates.
Look at the website (and book) Colleges that change lives, and run the NPC.
You’d have a shot at St Olaf (they meet need and have merit, first trans official at the white house was from that college), Whitman, Wheaton MA, for instance.
Also, try the SAT, as some stusents do better on one or the other - especially if your downfall in the ACT is the science section.