@invader71 yup, I’ve decided to take it off because it didn’t feel right to apply. And I’m planning on visiting Cornell later over the summer, but now that I think about it more, I think I’m leaning towards UPenn. I’ve already visited and I fell in love with it, the only thing that was holding me back was that other Ivies (like Princeton, Cornell, and Columbia) have much better astrophysics programs.
Hmm the issue I have with University of Maryland is that it doesn’t have an astrophysics/physics and astronomy/physics dep., just an astronomy dep., and I don’t want to get my bachelor’s in astronomy. And I should have mentioned this earlier but I want to stay in the Northeast! (although I’d consider Florida)
I think I’ll stick with NYU, University of Rochester, and Tufts for my matches for now (unless I see something better than the first two). And am I being overly picky??? I feel like I’m being overly picky about this but I want to be realistic about where I’d be happy going to school…
It’s worth mentioning that the top schools that still offer score-based merit scholarships will screw you over in an admissions committee if you put them as your first choice and they don’t like you. For example, a classmate of mine applied to USC with NMF because that’s the best school that still guarantees a scholarship like that. He had 2300+ SATs, had a 3.8 UW GPA from a private-feeder school to USC (they are so biased towards his school (Cate School) it’s crazy sometimes), and a legacy connection. But, he didn’t get in. He was seriously a shoe-in, but because they would have had to give him the scholarship, they denied him. So, if you really want to get into a school that offers automatic scholarships, chasing that scholarship often makes admission much more difficult.
PSAT itself won’t matter but you will probably be a National Merit Finalist which is a big deal. Top 6000 or so kids in country. You are an URM, first generation and very, very smart. You have a ton of options. Probably need some more matches and in your case I wouldn’t worry about the number of reaches
@ThisOneKid soo are you suggesting I don’t apply for a scholarship?? BU and UMass Amherst are my safeties if that makes a difference
@Wje9164be thank you!! 
but actually, I’m not first-generation, my dad got his PhD in Germany and my mom got her masters at Northeastern (still URM though haha)
Yes I agree my matches are sort of lacking. So far I have Tufts, NYU, and U of Rochester, but I’m unfamiliar with the last two and don’t know how much they suit me. I’m actually considering having a Canadian school as a match (either U of T, McGill, or UBC) but I have nooo idea how selective they are and if I’d even be a match. Plus my mom is completely against me going to college abroad 
@lilypippili You should apply to UPenn if you liked it when you visited. Don’t obsess over rankings. Penn is an excellent school and if you are happy and do well you will be on track for the future.
I apologize about the suggestions of Maryland. I don’t know much about astrophysics, actually anything but I saw that the school was ranked fairly high, Can’t you get a BS in Physics with a concentration or minor in astrophysics at UMD?
@invader71 Okay, I’ve added it to my list already 
Hmm I think I could major in physics and minor in astronomy, from what I can see on the website they don’t have any degrees for astrophysics. But I’m planning to take at least one language class, preferably two, would that make scheduling hard and stress me out? (sorry if this is a dumb question I’m not really sure how language classes in college work)
Astrophysics at Penn? That’s so funny, that’s what the classmate I mentioned above is doing.
Anyway, UMass should be fine if you want to pursue that scholarship because it’s generally not TOO TOO selective. BU could be more stingy though. Just generally, if you have a good amount of respect for the university/it has a moderate amount of prestige AND you qualify for a scholarship if admitted, they’ll just make it harder on you. It’s free money at a good university after all, so they look to focus on admitting kids that they really wouldn’t mind forking over several grand for.
Also, if you’re looking abroad, McGill is a fantastic option. So good, yet so cheap, I almost went myself. If you’re pretty set on your major, I would also recommend looking at some European universities as well. A huge amount of Americans go to St. Andrew’s in Scotland, and they’re on the Common App. Trinity College - Dublin is my other personal favorite. If you have a Fiske guide, there’s an entire section devoted to them.
@ThisOneKid Oh wow, what a coincidence haha
Okay, that makes sense. I know the BU scholarship is more competitive, too.
If you’ve already looked into McGill, would you say it’s a match for me? And what about U of T and UBC, if you’re familiar with them? And unfortunately, I’m going to have a really tough time convincing my parents to let me apply to just one school in Canada (not even as my top choice), so there’s no way they’d let me go to Europe
McGill does not do essays, they are 100% stats. They list them under admission standards. If you meet the minimums, you’re basically guaranteed to that program. Otherwise it is unlikely. Pretty much the most black and white admissions protocol out there. https://www.mcgill.ca/applying/admissionsguide/standards/unitedstates
@ThisOneKid Thank you! But after looking into it some more, I don’t think I can apply because I didn’t take a science subject test… anyway, their astrophysics program doesn’t seem to be very strong for undergrads. I think U of T or UBC is better for me… but U of T is way too big, plus reading about UBC’s astrophysics program makes it seem like it’s pretty amazing, so I think that’s the Canadian school I’ll go with. But I can’t find any stats for UBC, is it the same as McGill? (sorry if you don’t know any of this I might make a new thread later on)
@lilypippili I think you’ve got great prospects and a good list of schools, but back in post #4 you mentioned that UMass Amherst in-state tuition is $1,714. I hope that’s a typo, but in case it’s not…Tuition is $14,171, and room & board $11,500.
http://www.umass.edu/umfa/undergraduates/costs
@hs2015mom Sorry, I should have specified, $1,714 is just the tuition itself (not including the fees!)
Thank you anyway!
@ThisOneKid Thank you so much, I couldn’t find this information anywhere!! I think I’ll go with UBC because U of T is just WAY too big for me
Okay, this is my new NEW college list, lol:
Safety:
BU
Penn State
UMass Amherst (financial safety, too)
Match:
Tufts
University of Rochester
UBC
Reach:
UPenn
Harvard
Yale
JHU
And it will stay like this if I can convince my parents to let me apply to UBC 
as expected, they wouldn’t listen… guess it’s NYU instead of UBC then
[QUOTE=""]
Sorry, I should have specified, $1,714 is just the tuition itself (not including the fees!)
[/QUOTE]
So the ‘Tuition and Fees’ of $14,171 is made up of $1,714 tuition and the rest fees?
http://www.umass.edu/umfa/undergraduates/costs
@hs2015mom Yes, that’s what I’m assuming. I’m getting my information from Naviance, which is what my school uses, so I’m sure it’s accurate.
That’s a hellava lot of fees.