<p>I realized that the schools that im applying to:
Brown
Upenn
Columbia
JHU
RPI
Uconn
Boston U
Penn State
Bucknell
Carnegie Mellon</p>
<p>Are mostly reach schools for me. I am debating with myself which of these schools I should apply to just for safe measure if it helps I am looking to go into engineering, specificially BME but im open to any other area. Also a school that has a moderation of partying and working, and an engineering school that gives out lots of financial aid/scholarships. Also a school where I have potential to stand out (if my grades are high enough) these are what I have so far:</p>
<p>UMaryland
UDel
Lafayette
Lehigh
George Washington U
Swarthmore</p>
<p>^I agree with ricegal, and they also become your FINANCIAL matches and/or safeties as well, if you are not awarded enough merit or need-based money from private schools. </p>
<p>^Without knowing your stats, can not really tell you if it is a “safety”. It is a pretty selective school.</p>
<p>and an engineering school that gives out lots of financial aid/scholarships.</p>
<p>We need to know a LOT more…</p>
<p>What are your stats (including SAT breakdown).</p>
<p>How much will your parents pay? (since safeties don’t usually give much financial aid. But, some safeties give merit, so knowing how much your parents will pay will give us an indication of how much merit you need.)</p>
<p>A safety is a school that you know FOR SURE that you can afford because of ASSURED scholarships, ASSURED grants, small federal student loans, and/or family funds. </p>
<p>SOMETIMES…even an instate flagship is NOT A SAFETY if you’re not certain that you can afford all costs. Many people just assume that their flagship is their safety…until they realize that they can’t afford it.</p>
<p>If the scholarships are competitive and/or financial aid is unknown and you need them to afford the school then the school is NOT a safety.</p>
<p>UCONN seems to offer some merit aid directed at In-State students.
While I understand many applicants wish to leave their home state, sometimes it is more economically feasible to attend their home flagship university.</p>
<p>Your M+CR score is a 1380, which means schools like Columbia and Brown are big reaches.</p>
<p>Can you pay for all of Penn State’s costs? If not, take it off your list. Penn State only gives (small) merit scholarships to its Shreyers honors students…and those are for about $5k per year. </p>
<p>*and an engineering school that gives out lots of financial aid/scholarships. *</p>
<p>What is your situation? How much will your parents pay? Will they pay their “expected family contribution” at schools like Brown and such? (Is Brown good for engineering?? Not sure.)</p>
<p>The University of Pittsburgh is good for biomedical engineering. You might get $4,000 a year from the engineering department, but I don’t think you would get the full-tuition scholarship unless your SATs are above 1450 (M and CR).</p>
<p>And I agree with the posters who say that the out-of-state publics on your list will be really expensive. You do have to firm up with your parents how much they expect to contribute to your education.</p>
<p>So most of you are saying out of state schools like UDel, Maryland and George Washington will offer minimal financial aid to out of state students like me?</p>
<p>Swarthmore is not a safety. I applied there last year as a math major and didn’t get in but I did get into Carnegie Mellon and Bucknell. In terms of other schools… you might look into WPI. It is great with engineering and job placement. They also have good scholarships. I’m at Tulane right now, and honestly there is a great balance of partying and work. The science and engineering school is great. The merit scholarships are really good and you’ll have a great time and have a great education. Plus the app is free Look into your in-state schools for something cheap as well.</p>
<p>Buffalo University of State University of NY, check out their website re:scholarships(not limited to instate applicants) if you qualify for their honors program. They give partial up to full scholarships depending on stats ect ( Presidential Scholarship includes room/board/books)</p>
<p>*So most of you are saying out of state schools like UDel, Maryland and George Washington will offer minimal financial aid to out of state students like me? *</p>
<p>Those schools aren’t going to give you ANY need-based free aid unless you’re low income (which it doesn’t sound like you are). They could offer you a small student loan.</p>
<p>Most OOS publics have little aid to give, so they reserve it for their own resident students.</p>
<p>However, some OOS publics will give some merit-based aid.</p>
<p>The OP says he’s open to areas of engineering other than BME…which is good because BME is not necessary as an undergrad <a href=“I%20wouldn’t%20rule%20out%20a%20good%20financial%20safety%20over%20BME…that’s%20for%20sure!”>B</a>**. Some would say it’s better to major in MechE or EE with some extra bio classes or a bio minor. </p>
<p>What’s your career goal? research? medical school?</p>
<p>Since you say that your parents will pay about $20k per year, is it possible that at a school like Columbia or Penn, that they will EXPECT your parents to pay a lot more than $20k per year.</p>
<p>Just because a school gives good financial aid does NOT mean that it gives more than demonstrated need. Do you know what your likely EFC will be???</p>
Look into your in-state schools for something cheap as well.</p>