Y’alls was helpful before. I am good student but not like genius level. Grades in high 80’s and SAT over 1000.
I want to study politics get into being activist and make change. But I needs a brake from the city life.
Any feedback on this list?
Muhlenberg
Gettysburg
Juniata
Ursinas
Lebanon valley.
Penn state
McDaniel
U of MD
Washington
Randolph Macon
Hampden Sydney
Longwiod
Can you afford all those OOS schools? Right now your best option is a CUNY despite that keeping you in NY. You can always move after graduation
UMD is an awesome school but is not very rural if you are looking for a more bucolic setting.
Aren’t the schools basically free if you are low income?
No, they are not basically free if you are low income. It depends on the school whether or not they meet demonstrated need.
You will need to look at each school’s website to see what their financial aid policy is. For example, Juniata says on average, 92% of a student’s demonstrated need is met.
If you want a more accurate idea of how much those schools might cost you, also run the Net Price Calculators (NPC) on each school’s website.
Out of State public schools usually do not meet need (meaning you may get financial aid but not the full amount that the FASFA calculates), but many offer merit which can close the gap somewhat, however you need top grades and scores for merit. If your parents make under $125K, you will qualify for the Excelsior Scholarship from the SUNY schools, which is the “free” tuition you may have heard about, however, please keep in mind that this is tuition only (about $6K of the cost) and does not include room and board, and is only awarded AFTER other need based scholarships such as the Pell Grant and the TAP (NY State scholarships). You will still be paying about $10,000 a year for room and board unless you commute.
What about out of state private schools? Don’t they want diversity?
Most private schools don’t meet full need. Those that do tend to be highly selective.
As was pointed out when you had the last thread, first you need safety/likely schools that you know for sure you can afford, have the major you want, and you wouldn’t be miserable at. Have at least one, maybe two. Once you have those on your list, you can move to schools that you may need to cross your fingers on that the aid comes through and you can get admitted to.
Run the NPC (net price calculator) on each one. If you go to each school’s website, you should find it on their financial aid page. That will give you a good idea of what each college would expect your family to pay.
I ain’t got that kind of money. My mom sure don’t have any money.
I think I will just try to get some work down south. Save up. Go later.
Why don’t you just look into the CUNY schools. Brooklyn College is supposed to be very good and has a real college feel. Or if you want to br outside of the city, a cc in commuting distance like Westchester Community College or Rockland Community College. The SUNY schools are also doable on a low income with loans and work study. Just realize that it won’t be completely free. There are some teally nice SUNYs upstate. Talk to your college counselor.
Look at Baruch (CUNY) and SUNY BInghampton, Albany, Geneseo and Buffalo for strong Political Science programs. All will be far more affordable than the options on your list.
If you don’t mind living at home, add in St. Johns.
As far as the “free” thing goes, take a look here for info on the Excelsior Scholarship for NYS residents: https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/nys-grants-scholarships-awards/the-excelsior-scholarship.html
Ok. My suggestion would be that you run the NPCs on some private schools just in case. Even apply to a couple, just in case. Especially if you can get waivers for the application fees.
If you are completely set on no CUNY/SUNY then just know if these privates won’t work out financially, you could take that Gap year. If you already don’t mind the idea of taking a year off between high school and college, then you won’t lose anything by taking a chance and applying for reaches.
Before you settle of where to live right after graduation, make sure to look at which states let you apply as instate after one year. Not all states do. For example, California is notoriously difficult. I think Florida is one that is easier. There may be others. After a year, you could apply to 4 years as a resident or maybe even start with community colleges and then transfer later.
Good luck! I really hope it works out.
I am not sure if you qualify with your grades but look into the Questbridge program, which is for very low income students and matches them with top colleges at a full scholarship. You have to be at the top of your class. Possibly if your school is as troubled as you say, you will be https://www.questbridge.org/
You can also Look into hbus. You can find them online. And you don’t have to be AA to attend. And many are down south and would get you out of the north I would look beyond Howard and spellman.
Do you want an out-of-the-box gap year idea? Apply to work at Xanterra or Delaware North or Aramark in a national park! These companies are concessionaires who staff hotels, restaurants, shops, etc. in national parks. You can go to their websites to find posted jobs.
Why do this? You can live and work in Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, or many other parks. Nature is great for everyone; we don’t get enough of it. Many of these locations are very isolated, and the concessionaires provide subsidized food and housing, so you don’t have to deal with landlords, rent, utilities, etc. Housing can be dorm style, small cabins, even houses for senior employees. Larger parks actually have large communities with many different kinds of people. You can learn a lot, spend some time in nature, save some money for college, maybe even change your state of residence (you’d have to research that). It might give you a great story to tell admission reps next year. It gets you out of the city, which was a goal.
Note that they typically don’t just hire for the summer but want employees who will stay longer. Research the places. For example, Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim is above 7000 feet. They just got snow a couple of days ago, in Arizona.
In terms of applying for next year, as I suggested in your previous thread, finding a good-fit SUNY/CUNY will be your best bet to find a school that works financially.
Privates will have high sticker prices. It is POSSIBLE to get aid though. As some advised, run the net price calculator at some of the schools on your list to see what kind of numbers you get. These will be GOOD estimates.
What can you do to improve your chances of getting accepted AND getting sufficient aid? I think you can tell a good story about yourself. Try that. Email the admissions rep for NYC at a couple of the private schools on your list. Right after the school year ends is a good time–you have time and the admissions reps have completely or largely filled their classes. Tell them a little about yourself and why you are interested in the school. Maybe ask if the school has any informational events in NYC this summer or fall. Sometimes schools will send admission reps to market the school and meet students.
I have no idea if Ursinus will work out for you in terms of admissions or financial aid. But let’s use that as an example. You can go to the Ursinus admissions page and find a link to “Contact Us.” Here you can find the admissions rep for your area (see link below). There is info about him, and he seems like someone who’ll listen to you. See if you can strike up a conversation or find a way to learn about the school in NYC, maybe even arrange a visit. I think this type of thing gives you a chance to improve your chances of making it work.
https://www.ursinus.edu/live/profiles/3140-david-babb
Do a good job with the email. Double and triple proofread it. Spellcheck it. Have someone check it for you. Your counselor might be a great person to help you with it. You want to make a good impression. Be positive. Be enthusiastic. Let your ambition show through. Let them see that you’d be a positive addition to the school’s community. This might not work, but I think it a good approach for you.
I was you 40 years ago, but with better stats. They didn’t get me enough scholarship money, so I sucked it up and went to CUNY Lehman, studied poli sci and history, did the best I could and got a full tuition scholarship to law school. Like you, I needed and wanted a break from the city, but I didn’t get it and, you know what, those 4 years passed and I went to law school in the city and now I am nearing retirement and, as I look back, I see that my life turned out the way I wanted it to in the long run. Don’t take a gap year, go to a SUNY school or a CUNY school.
The absolute most important thing you must do is register for the June SAT asap (you should get a fee waiver) and study for it using Khan academy. You can also register for the act (get. Fee waiver for that too).
A high score is your ticket out because at colleges that don’t “meet need” scholarships are awarded according to high scores, including HBCUs.
HEOP colleges (private colleges, mostly in the country - look at St Lawrence and Hobart&williamSmith) will want to see high scores too.
Colleges that provide excellent financial aid and recruit lower income students want high GPA and strong test scores. All students are fully qualified, no one is admitted without showing they have the potential to succeed in their environment.
You already have a very strong GPA. Make sure your test scores match.
Have we established that the OP is low income? Obviously not all kids from NYC public schools are.
Based on other thread op has EFC0 but perhaps @therealtyquan can tell us his/hrmer EFC.
(To find EFC, use FAFSA forecaster)