<p>Other engineering schools to look at might be Rice, Tufts and Carnegie Mellon. My nephew had fantastic opportunities doing Bio-engineering at Rice. He was initially not too excited by the thought of going to Texas, but chose it over Cornell. They are all medium size universities. </p>
<p>While I don’t think anyone is guaranteed a place at Harvard, you obviously have a much better shot than average, so if you like it by all means apply. One nice thing about Harvard is that you aren’t accepted by a particular school.</p>
<p>@2collegewego: I probably will not apply to Amherst or Williams because they don’t even offer my potential major. The visit to Williams is completely free though and since I can’t afford to do visits on my own, I’m taking every opportunity lol. Cooper Union gives an automatic full tuition scholarship to every accepted applicant (admission rate <10%!) </p>
<p>@momma-three: I meant the Cornell thing facetiously. I just hear it is extremely rigorous and Cornell students have one of the highest suicide rates. Plus grade deflation and a not-so-ideal location.</p>
<p>@sybbie: My mom usually works as a computer consultant for big companies, usually insurance companies, on a contract (2 years max). Sorry, the word consultant was misleading, more accurate would be ‘computer contractor’. She is currently unemployed, as in, no self-employment, no anything besides unemployment and life insurance money from my dad. It really is $0 as an EFC, any way you slice it. I didn’t believe it when she showed me it because she hides how much she stuggles with finances really well (we rent a nice house in the suburbs).</p>
<p>We know someone whose daughter is brilliant…a student in Chem at Williams, and now that she’s been there a couple of years, she’s realizing how small the school is and felt she would have been better off at a school a bit larger that has more research facilities and larer depts., more prof., more opportunities, etc.</p>
<p>UW-Madison Chancellor’s Scholarship - full tuition for 4 years and a book stipend (but not room and board). Awarded based on merit, regardless of financial need.</p>
<p>You can’t really count Harvey Mudd and Swathmore as matches - no one can!</p>
<p>That said, I think you have a very good chance of getting into all of the schools on your list. Some of your reaches have EA or SCEA options. I’d strongly recommend applying to at least one them EA - it may eliminate the need for all the safeties.</p>
<p>be careful on cooper union, full tuition still leaves room and board and that’s expensive in NYC. You’re best bets are the top schools, Ivies, Cal tech, MIT, STanford etc.</p>
<p>I think Harvey Mudd would love the OP. The president there is a woman, former dean of Princeton Engineering, and has been working hard to improve the “ratio.” Just know that Mudd’s engineering is a general engineering degree. They also offer some full ride scholarships (Presidential Scholarship) and last year at least, the app was due BEFORE the RD deadline (12/15 vs. 1/15 IIRC).</p>
<p>I worked with a young woman last year (BME major) who was invited to FAST at Mudd, accepted RD and got a ton of scholarship and grant $$$. It was the best financial aid package she got. She went elsewhere a bit closer to home with her second-best package, which was still better than her flagship’s offer.</p>
<p>I agree that the OP has a good chance of acceptance at Harvey Mudd, but my oldest was waitlisted there while being accepted at Harvard and Carnegie Mellon SCS. (He was deferred and rejected at MIT and Caltech - great stats, but his essays and personality were pretty average.) I agree though that Cooper Union doesn’t necessarily pay for room and board which in NYC can be a hefty chunk of change.</p>
<p>My one concern is that if your Mom is hired somewhere that there won’t be problems affording a recalculated financial aid package. I know that at least one poster this year got a bit of a shock when their financial situation improved and the school expected them to fork over a lot more than they wanted to.</p>
<p>If you have no intention of seriously considering the LACs which are spending money to fly you in for their diversity weekends, perhaps you could free up a spot so another deserving applicant could be accomodated? Senior year is busy and your time is probably better spent focusing on the schools you are actually interested in.</p>
<p>Be aware that you have probably given out enough information in this thread that someone who wanted to could figure out your identity. Just be careful of what you’re putting out there, you never know who might be reading.</p>
<p>How does your mother pay the rent on a house in a good school district without savings or income? You seem pretty well assured that she will be working again in the future, and travelling to do so. Just be aware this will change your EFC in the future.</p>
<p>I was a computer consultant for over 10 years and know how to play the game. If she is incorporated as a C corp with a partner, she could actually control her salary regardless of the revenue she takes in. It is allowed by IRS and it is a benefit to be on your own.</p>
<p>Sorry, artlover. Not only does it not work that way at Profile schools (most of the schools being discussed are Profile schools), it actually is a disadvantage. Your “business” has a value that is an asset (Sub-C, Sub-S, whatever, makes no difference). Many IRS deductions are added back into income. Now , if you are talking cheating scumbag “hide the ball” fraud stuff, well…that could work for somebody. But if you follow the rules it will hurt you. Honest small business owners take it smack on the kisser. Profile schools don’t give a hoot what IRS allows or what your 1040 says. All business returns (partnerships, limited partnerships, schedule C’s, corporate returns) are required and re-figured.</p>
<p>As a totally service corporation, you have income and expenses, what is leftover is the income to be distributed to the stock holders or taken as salaries. As a consultant, you can write off most of expenses legitmately, whereas a salaried employee can’t. There is no assets in a service corporation and there is no value either. No cheating is needed and I never had a problem with IRS or anyone else.</p>
<p>and there is no sub-c corp at all. you have a c corp or a Sub S corp that is all.</p>
<p>Run the online calculators for institutional methodology using your mom’s gross business income just to see what the maximum a school might expect. </p>
<p>Any school that uses the College Profile (and all the ivies do) will not go by your federal efc but will compute one of their own. There are a lot of things that are allowed on taxes that aren’t allowed in Profile. If you and your mom figure out what the high number could be (and the efc won’t be as high as if you used her gross business income-- but that gives you a ceiling), then you have a best and worst scenario. </p>
<p>Anyway, yes, my concern was about the entire COA at Cooper Union-- not just tuition. If your institutional methodology efc is low, you will likely get better aid at some of your other schools. </p>
<p>I agree with electronblue. Whether you realize it yet or not, this year will probably culminate in a wonderful acceptance for you-- if not at school A, then at school B. Many, many of your classmates-- even brilliant ones-- will not have those opportunities. Try to be gracious now. If you have no desire to attend a school where there won’t be any engineering, then decline now. Don’t waste your time or theirs and let a student who really wants a LAC the opportunity to attend. Remember: one man’s safety is another man’s dream college.</p>
<p>Sorry, OP…for the OT. (BTW. OP. You’ve got a good shot everywhere. I’d seriously think about Questbridge, generous need-only’s, and the top merit schools with your programs, and your financial safety.)</p>
<p>artlovers, sorry to be blunt…but IMO you are giving really bad advice. That’s just not how it works for Profile schools. I have created 20-30 corporations some years for clients (but not as many lately). I’m not a noob. </p>
<p>Many “service professionals” have had their “service businesses” evaluated as an asset by Profile schools…including posters on this board…like me. Depreciation? Add it back in. Section 179 Expense? Add it back in. Business loss in Business A, profit in Business B? We’ll add in B and ignore A. Contribution from the corp to your retirement? Add it back in. All these things can and do happen. But the grass is always greener on the other side…</p>
<p>If your financial situation changes the schools will certainly expect you to pay some or all of the tuition. It has happened to us and we have multiple kids in college. Unless your mother is certain that her income will never exceed what it is now don’t count on the bill being the same every year.</p>
<p>If you are concerned about future aid, test those calculators to see what the contribution would be in a good year. (Just put in best case scenario numbers, likely numbers, etc-- and see what the outcome is.) If there is a possibility that your mom’s income will increase dramatically, you may be able to guarantee good aid: 1- by choosing a school that gives you merit (not need-based aid) and 2- by choosing a school with very deep pockets (like Harvard, Stanford, Yale).</p>
<p>Thanks people.
I realize that my EFC will change once my mother is employed. Just hoping to go to a college where I can still afford to go even when she has a job. She still makes under 60,000 a year though when employed. I know Harvard covers full tuition room and board for incomes under 60,000.</p>
<p>@ electronblue: I’m trying to be selective on what I say here. I think it’d be pretty difficult to figure out my identity seeing that my location in my state is unknown, my school is unknown, my name is completely unknown (my username has nothing to do with it lol). You’re right though…
We can afford rent and stuff do to unemployment and my father’s life insurance and pension.</p>
<p>@2collegewego and electronblue: I’m not trying to waste the resources of LAC’s, but I can’t visit colleges any other way. I don’t view any of them as safeties in any way. If I really fall in love with it, I would apply. I could picture myself majoring in Chemistry or Biology instead. I don’t see why I should give up a spot for another applicant who probably has the resources to visit colleges on their own. I’m very thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given and just want to take advantage of them all.</p>
<p>you are a URM with incredible academic stats and 11 AP plus amazing ECs and year around employment history.</p>
<p>If you are not a perfect candidate for a Harvard, Yale, Princeton with 100% need based financial aid, I don’t know who else would ever qualify. Even if your EFC changes, HYP are very generous with their aids. For instance, H has been touting that under $185K family income, students still qualified for fin aid (maybe not 100%). If your mother income is $60K, you still qualified for near 100% of total cost of attendance at fin aid generous schools like HYP. </p>
<p>Do go for some EAs (such as U Chicago, MIT, Yale, Stanford: note: Yale and Stanford are single choice early action schools, so choose one of them, not both). Then go for HYP for RD. OK, If you are rejected by all the EA schools (I highly, seriously doubt it), then throw in a few safety schools for RD.</p>
<p>I bet you will get admitted to all/most of these schools AND near 100% need based fin aid from most of them (provided your mother certainly become well paid executive), especially HYP (they have lots of money, and I couldn’t imagine anyone better qualified to receive it).</p>
<p>Of course, for whatever reason, if you want to be at your state flagship, no problem, it’s your choice, but it shouldn’t be because you couldn’t get the full fin aid from some really prestigious and terrific schools.</p>
<p>You have the whole world in your palm. You are in an envious position. Good luck.</p>
But if you follow the rules it will hurt you. Honest small business owners take it smack on the kisser. Profile schools don’t give a hoot what IRS allows or what your 1040 says. All business returns (partnerships, limited partnerships, schedule C’s, corporate returns) are required and re-figured.</p>