Why not Truman State?
If it were closer, it would be in our list.
I think it should be affordable and you would get a great education.
Thousands and thousands of hard working kids with solid GPAs and at the upper end of their hometown schools all come to the realization at some point in jr and senior year that there are also thousands and thousands of other students just like them. That moment comes when you realize you aren’t as special as everyone has told you and you also realize college costs will drown you if you aren’t careful.
Take a deep breath. Reconstruct your list. Go to the school that fits you best—and fit should be decided by both affordability and the academic environment. Be proud of yourself but be realistic.
There are many years in front of you. Get your degree and THEN follow the $$. Otherwise the $$ will own you.
What do your NPC numbers look like for your schools of choice? And your FAFSA EFC?
Nothing wrong to want to go out of state.
But unless you have the money/stats for FA, then you have to be smart in where you apply.
Your current list isn’t realistic: these schools are either too hard for you to get into, or too expensive.
Use the link happymomof1 gave you in #19. Start reading through it, check the suggested schools’ websites to see if their FA policies have changed. (It’s not a new list.)
And good luck!
@thumper1 because her family is high income. She won’t qualify for need-based aid.
Does your county or community have a foundation? Most cities and/or counties in Ohio have one that offer merit aid. Ex. https://columbusfoundation.org/students/scholarships These usually serve students within their geographic location, and students use the funds wherever they go. Google your city name + foundation + scholarship or the county name + foundation + scholarship. Ours offers lots of merit aid to a variety of students graduating from area high schools. Your local Y, Rotary, Credit Union or other civic organizations may offer merit aid. There may also be contests (poetry, art, math competitions) that reward with a scholarship in your area.
This is the best article I’ve read on understanding financial aid, you and your parents should read it. It will come in handy filling out the financial aid forms. Most schools require these are filled out as part of the application process and won’t provide merit aid unless you’ve submitted them. Our local foundation also requires these. https://www.forbes.com/sites/troyonink/2017/01/08/2017-guide-to-college-financial-aid-the-fafsa-and-css-profile/#63e52d094cd4
This system has changed significantly since I was in school (so if your parents are college educated their understanding of how this works and being “not eligible” may be based on past experience and outdated). As college costs have soared most families are eligible for financial aid, even millionaires with six figure annual incomes.
Lol, you sound like almost in the same exact boat as me. Have you calculated the Net Cost at any of these schools? That is most crucial to see how much aid you will actually need. Look up “Net Price Calculator” followed by your school of choice, and fill out the form. You need your parents tax forms, but it is very helpful, as they sometimes show which university grants and scholarships you will automatically qualify for. Also check out the main thread here in Fin Aid & Scholarships, for “Auto/Full-Ride Scholarships”, some of those are with HBCU’s (historically black colleges and universities), and the stats are generally lower. If you find a good biology program from those on that list, and the full-ride is guaranteed, by all means give it a shot!
If this student family income is high enough that they would not qualify for need based aid…then these schools will be unaffordable if her family can’t or won’t pay.
This student needs a new list.
Have to ask…who crafted this lost of colleges?
@Thumper is right. I also want to know who helped craft this list- it is filled with academic and financial reaches.
OP please consider a new list- you have been given excellent suggestions.
I totally understand wanting to leave Missouri for college. It’s a fine goal, but you need to go about it differently. To be clear, it won’t happen if you apply to the colleges you listed.
Op, have you run the NPC on the colleges you listed?
What’s your EFC?
Have you talked to your parents about how much they’re willing/able to invest in your college? If not, run the NPC on Vanderbilt, Rice, and NYU. Can they afford any of these?
WashU loves high scores, and despite 29 being a terrific score, it’s not what they call high.
All of the colleges you listed are high reaches and they won’t work if you need merit aid, because either they don’t have any or you wouldn’t qualify since you wouldn’t be top 1-5% for them (at this level of schools, those are the only student getting merit aid because the college doesn’t need to incentivized anyone but students who are also admitted to Harvard).
My best guess would be for you to apply to Cornelius Vanderbilt if you get your act to 32 (a very hard feat).
Apply to Mizzou and Truman State as safeties, and apply soon to benefit from scholarships - apply to the Honors college and all possible scholarships.
Once you’ve assured that, you can look at OOS schools that would admit you with scholarships.
What do you want in a school? What majors are you interested in? People here can provide you with advice on OOS colleges that meet your criteria and would be more reachable than the ones you listed.
Do you own a Fiske guide?
Central State (HBCU) in Ohio offers a biology degree and is very affordable (non resident surcharge is under $1000) so OOS is $9,015 per semester (tuition, room and board). http://www.centralstate.edu/current/bursar/details01.php?Schedule-of-Fees-6 and you can probably get a Freshmen Scholarship of $4,000/yr for your gpa of 3.9 http://www.centralstate.edu/prospects/financial_aid/details.php?num=7 That would put you at about $14,000/yr before any other aid in an out of state school.
This a nice school that would offer your stats some great financial aid and should be on your list since it’s affordable and out of state.
http://www.utoledo.edu/admission/freshman/scholarships/2018/out-of-state.html