Desperate need of advice/help..

College Search & Selection
1

<p>It is coming down to the end and I don't know what I am doing and feel like I screwed up. I wanted to go for Marine Bio or Animal Behavior and Psychology. I have even considered Pre - Vet and maybe a minor in Psychology or animal behavior. As of now I am applying undecided. I have a 89.90 GPA (out of 100), my SAT's are 1570 , 1580 & 1570 (even with loads of preparation I still can't get out of the 1500's). My rank is 73 out of 379. I work with horses and ride as well as do track and field. Anyway instead of narrowing my list of colleges down it just seems to grow bigger and then I don't know where to go. I know I like the suburban/urban campuses, I am from Philadelphia and would like to be close or in Pennsylvania. I also have to pay for this myself so money is an issue.</p>

<p>Anyway my list looks like this-</p>

<p>Safety: Millersville University, Delaware Valley College, Cabrini College, Kutztown
Matches: Temple University, Penn State, Scranton,Pittsburgh,Westchester, Arcadia
Reaches: Franklin & Marshall, Lafayette, Dickinson</p>

<p>I also looked at University of Delaware, Boston University, University of New Haven, UNH, University of New England. Bowdoin & Bucknell I hear are very good. </p>

<p>I did really like F&M and Temple. Anyway any suggestions would be wonderful! Please I need help here.</p>

2

<p>OP, do you know what your parents’ EFC (expected financial contribution) is? </p>

<p>If you’re in a situation where you need a lot of financial aid, a school like F&M, which offers need-based aid only, might end up being as affordable as some of the state schools you’re looking at. It is likely a reach, however. (Lafayette, even more of a reach, awards mainly large merit awards to top applicants, so I wouldn’t waste an application fee on them.) </p>

<p>Bowdoin is one of the most selective schools in the country (on par with Swarthmore–an extreme long-shot in your situation). If you’re looking for a school in that category (selective Liberal Arts Colleges), why not check out Bryn Mawr? Your stats make you more competitive there and I believe they mainly award need-based aid. </p>

<p>Penn State branch campuses are less expensive than the main campus, but the school in general is expensive for in-state families, especially compared to Temple and the PASSHE schools like West Chester and Millersville.</p>

<p>I would avoid out-of-state schools (just too expensive) in general, unless you think you might attract some significant merit money. If you’re female, check out Agnes Scott College in Georgia or some of the other women’s colleges.</p>

<p>But have your parents run the Net Price Calculators for each school STAT. List prices can be very deceiving–depending on your situation, a Bryn Mawr–if you can get admitted–could be less expensive than much less selective schools. </p>

<p>Keep in mind that, without your parents’ help, you will only be allowed to borrow $5500 a year in Stafford loans. Look for some campuses that are within commuter distance so you aren’t priced out of a viable option.</p>

<p><a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized[/url]”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>. I also have to pay for this myself so money is an issue.</p>

<p>Before you waste a LOT of time and money applying to schools that won’t be affordable, you need to adjust your list.</p>

<p>OOS publics won’t be afffordable.</p>

<p>your stats aren’t high enough for merit and they’re not high enough for the schools that give the best aid.</p>

<p>YOU can’t borrow much. YOU can only borrow $5,500 for frosh year. To borrow more (BAD IDEA) you’d need QUALIFIED co-signers. Sounds like your parents won’t co-sign anyway.</p>

<p>If you don’t have the funds to pay for your list of “safety schools” then they are NOT safeties.</p>

<p>How much money do YOU have to pay for college?</p>

<p>PA state schools are lousy with aid. have your parents run the Net Price Calculators on various PA schools’ websites.</p>

<p>What schools can you commute to from home?</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the responses.</p>

<p>My parents have not run any net price calculators. Neither my dad nor my step mom work. As of now I do not have a job. I was supposed to have money for college but I was told last year I no longer do. I live in the suburbs outside of Philly so I can commute to Temple. I can commute to Penn State Brandywine. I am within a few miles of schools such as Haverford, Bryn Mawr & Swarthmore (But I thought those were not worth trying). I am an hour from F&M. My parents want me to go to a cheap in state school with financial aid without I am stuck with community college which I want to avoid.</p>

5

<p>Umm I forgot to mention this in my post. I don’t know if this means anything however I do take Honors & AP courses.</p>

6

<p>Other than community college, West Chester is probably your best bet financially and admissions-wise, especially if you can commute.</p>

7

<p>I’m afraid you really aren’t competitive for Swarthmore or Haverford; even Bryn Mawr is a huge stretch as your stats fall in the <25% range. Do you have any hooks (URM, special talent–athletic or artistic)? If you do, I wouldn’t completely rule them out, but it’s not likely. Also schools in this category require you to live on campus–there’s no commuting from home.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.brynmawr.edu/institutionalresearch/documents/CDS_2012-2013.pdf[/url]”>http://www.brynmawr.edu/institutionalresearch/documents/CDS_2012-2013.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Commuting to West Chester, PSU Brandywine or Temple probably makes the most sense. You can study the things you’re interested in at any of them. If you’re really an hour from F&M, West Chester and Brandywine are better choices for commuting. (I live in the same general area as you and it was a 90-minute drive to F&M; I don’t think they take commuters anyway.)</p>

<p>Word of advice: Apply ASAP to West Chester. They are the most difficult PASSHE school to get into these days, and I know of a lot of kids who were shocked to get rejected. I don’t think their stats were as strong as yours, but West Chester is not the safety it once was for most kids.</p>

8

<p>Penn State: if you are applying to the college of Agricultural Sciences then you may have a shot (reach), otherwise it’s a high reach. See if you can attend a branch campus first for a 2+2. It’s still quite expensive.
Bowdoin or Bucknell are out of reach unless you have a serious explanation for a SAT score in the 1500s.</p>

<p>Are you a boy or a girl?</p>

<p>You can’t pay for college on your own. You’re only allowed to borrow $5,500 for your freshman year, plus if your family’s low income Pell Grants (which are really low).</p>

<p>Are you low income or are your parents unwilling to pay?
If you’re low income, you should focus on 100% need school (regardless of state) and on your state schools, which I assume are PA’s.
If your parents are unwilling to pay, you may be able to get some merit aid at some schools but you won’t be able to stay in PA - I think only Prairie View and Troy? Check out the sticky threads at the top of the financial aid forum on this website.</p>

<p>Also, there’s a significant discrepancy between your GPA and your test scores: are you attending a low-performing school or have you been tested for a learning disability that might explain this?</p>

<p>Since you’ll need financial aid, scratch off UDel, UNH or out of state public universities.</p>

<p>Beside Millersville and Westchester, look into CAUP, IUP, and Slippery Rock. The SUNYs might be affordable options, they should cost about the same as Penn State. Look to see which ones would have your major (anything animal related would work). Check out Albright, Elmira, and Alfred, too.
Apply to Westchester ASAP since they’re the hardest PASSHE school to get into.</p>

<p>Marine biology isn’t a good major for an undergrad, a better preparation would be straight biology, with marine bio courses added. However, you can check out UWisconsin-Superior, Eckerd, and UNC-Wilmington. You probably wouldn’t qualify for aid at the latter, so probably not doable financially even if it’d be a match academically. UWisconsin-Superior has an OOS fee waiver, I don’t know if you’d qualify.</p>

<p>Have you tried the ACT? Some students do better on it than on the SAT and vice versa. You can still register for the Dec 14 test, it’s by Nov 8. And PREPARE seriously before you take it - use sparksnotes
<a href=“SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides”>SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides; and Number2 <a href=“https://www.number2.com/[/url]”>https://www.number2.com/&lt;/a&gt;, both are free and should help.</p>

9

<ul>
<li>Hmmm as far as EC go I made varsity for the track team however even then I am not great. I am an equestrian as well but I do not show. I do take Studio and am in the art club (where we paint murals at the local elementary schools). Still that would not get me into any schools such as Bryn Mawr, haverford etc.</li>
<li>I am a girl. </li>
<li>Both of my parents do not work. I was told I had money saved up for college but I no longer do. So now I am left on my own. </li>
<li>My SAT is in fact higher for my school. I took a lot of prep courses an even with that I could do no better. I do intend to take the ACT. Learning disability? besides having to repeat 2nd grade & being in “special classes”. nope. I am actually taking all AP’s & Honors and doing well. </li>
<li>Out of state schools were only on my list due to the fact they offer marine bio. </li>
<li>I am applying for scholarships, FAFSA & will have to work of course.</li>
</ul>

<p>Please any help will be great! Suggestions, tips anything. I have to go to college its a must for me. My parents never went. Only one of my siblings out of 9 has ever went to college. The rest went to community college and all drop out within a few months. I do not want to follow the same pattern by staying here.</p>

10

<p>I know I do not test well. We had problems with that last year in some of my courses.</p>

11

<p>Ok, if you’re attending a low-performing school, bring a bullet point list to your (overworked) counselor with your achievements, including your SAT score in relation to the school’s average.
This will help colleges see it in context.
As a girl, you can apply to women’s colleges. Fill out the “request information” form from Agnes Scott College, Simmons College, and Chatham College. If you could be interested in a HBCU, there’s also Spelman.
Out of state private colleges are actually interested in students who bring “geographic diversity” (that means: who come from cities or States from which they have few applicants, so that they can claim that their students come from “all 50 States” or “from 30 States and 15 countries”…)
You also sound like the exact candidate a college like Berea wants. It’s a very competitive college because all admitted students get free tuition, and on top of it their generous donors and alumni provide enough for work-study and a small loan to cover room&board. Only students with a low EFC can even apply.
It’s a very good college and if you get in, they won’t let you fail as long as you do your part.
[Home</a> Page - Berea College](<a href=“http://www.berea.edu/]Home”>http://www.berea.edu/)
They even have a major similar to what interests you!
[About</a> the Program - Agriculture & Natural Resources Program](<a href=“http://www.berea.edu/anr/]About”>Agriculture and Natural Resources - Berea College)</p>