@thumper1, I already dropped Toledo off the list. Even though I have the odds to get the full rider, I have plenty others on my list and I can’t afford sending apps and scores to 25 universities, which are ranked much higher than Toledo. Also the cold there will be unbearable for me who’s used to 35°C and above. Another off setter was that if selected, it requires an on campus interview, which is impossible unless it’s my reach school or similar.
University of Dallas - is a catholic school. Means its religiously affiliated. Does this mean there’ll be prayers, theology classes, conservative environment? One of my rubric is I want the school to not be religiously affiliated. Also what’s Mormon influence, Presbyterian, Gothic, etc.? Not that I disrespect other religions, I just don’t want to be bothered by it.
I think you are carving too many off your list without knowing where you can get in. You aren’t applying now, so make the list overly inclusive. Then start narrowing the list based on the best money, or the area you’d like to live. At this point, you should have 20 or so schools. Look at each one and whether you can get a full tuition scholarship. If so, you will probably be able to use a Pell grant and the $5500 loan to pay room and board. You can work to pay for transportation. Soon your list will be down to 10. Because you need full tuition, you’ll probably need to apply to 10 unless you can apply to one early and get a safety in place.
University of Tulsa is very generous with merit aid, for someone with your stats. They also offer a full-ride Presidential. It definitely meets your criteria for excellent internships, solid academics and study abroad opportunities. It is a strong fit for you. Good luck, you have a fascinating list. 
@twoinanddone, I’ve been doing what you just told me to this entire month. I started off with (don’t ridicule me) 126 schools from all over the country. Then brought it down to 68 as some required NCP info on CSS Profile and then brought it further down to 41 after eliminating a lot of CSS colleges with not-so-generous FA. Finally got it down to 28. Now it’s at 25. Certainly I can’t apply to all those schools so I’m narrowing down where I actually want to go and can go. Anyways, I really appreciate your suggestions over this discussion! Cheers!
@Deborahb, thank you! In fact, University of Tulsa was the first ever school I began this hunt with, as I started off researching Oklahoma schools then the others. And guess what, I was immediately attracted to the campus beauty and further overwhelmed with its qualities and on top of that - it’s merit aid! It sure is a strong fit!
Just came across this school - Berea College. Any opinions with regards to my situation and requirements?
University of Arkansas -
COA - $40,162
Scholarships + Grant - $27,118
FWP - $3,000 (really?)
Loans - $5,500
Net Price - $7,544 (as I won’t get the FWP money until the end of the year)
Sophomore year on it’ll be around $5k. (FWP earnings carry forward).
I think it’s a bit on the expensive side. Worth it or drop off?
I haven’t read the entire thread, so bear with me please.
Have you looked into the following:
- U of Alabama
- Ole Miss
- Oklahoma
- Pittsburgh
I did see you have full rides, or expect them, to New Mexico and Toledo. They aren’t Harvard, but they are fully accredited. I don’t know about Toledo, but I’d seriously consider going to school for free in New Mexico, the Land of Enchabtment. That state is gorgeous and they have some really good Tex-Mex food, featuring green chilis.
UA-Huntsville has also been mentioned. It’s solid and quite good in STEM fields.
If UVA and UNC are affordable, well, they are outstanding options too.
You might also look at Temple University in Philadelphia.
And a lot of good liberal arts colleges give strong merit scholarships. Others may know of specific schools, but generally I’d start reading into options at LACs ranked lower than about 30 – there are a ton of quality LACs. Some might waive app fees if you ask.
Arkansas is not known as an academic powerhouse, but it is that state’s flagship, and it has a rabid sports scene. You could visit Hot Springs and Eureka Springs for kicks. There is also a gem pit where people are allowed to dig for gems.
@prezbucky, I have U of Alabama (Tuscaloosa and Huntsville) on my list. Ole Miss & Pittsburgh too. Oklahoma isn’t affordable as it comes to $22,000 after loans, grants & scholarships. But I have University of Tulsa on the list.
I dropped Toledo off the list. Nothing inspired me there and the cold will be unbearable for someone like me who is used to 95-115 F weather!
Temple University seems to be in acute financial crisis as they rescinded many scholarship programs and are very unpredictable now with FA, so I dropped it off as to not gamble with app fee.
I’ll check out the LACs. @MYOS1634 suggested me some of them like Wooster, Gustavus Adolphus, Sewanee, Berea, Lewis and Clark, Ithaca, etc. I’ll have to check if they require NCP info and run their NPC to estimate what they might cost.
Not sure what to do with Arkansas. Not an academic powerhouse but costing $7.5k/year!
I’ve to shorten the list further.
Do you suggest me to try NCP Waivers at some colleges? MYOS suggested me that. Is it worth gambling?
The NCP waiver is not gambling. Either you have the documents the colleges ask for and you send them, or you don’t have them.
On commonapp and coalition app, the application fee is waived for students with EFC0. Your guidance counselor should check that box (lower income).
So you’d only pay for the public universities’ application and there you have to select colleges with full rides only.
Okay, so here I have a different query than the ones above, as suggested by @gearmom and @MYOS1634 to apply for app fee waivers, I have a few queries - (I’ll be using the CommonApp for most of them)
- I'm a US Citizen but living and studying in a foreign (non-US) school. I'm I still eligible for CommonApp fee waiver?
- Schools here don't have guidance or any kind of counselors. They just have a Principal, Vice Principal, Admissions officer, Fee payment officers. CommonApp says that if I select to apply for fee waiver, it'll send the request to my GC for verification. But on my CommonApp, I've listed my school as - 'Not Listed here' and no GC at my school. How will CommonApp process it, then? I'm very confused over this.
- Is it (the process) same for ApplyTexas?
If you dropped Toledo from your list because of the weather…and really you have the potential for a lot of aid there…
I would strongly suggest you drop Ithaca from your list. It’s quite cold, and snowy in Ithaca NY, and winters are long. Plus, Ithaca has no guaranteed scholarships, and they don’t meet full need either.
Read this again from @happymomof1 . It’s in post 23…and you really need to do this.
@GuessME5 - You should get in touch with the closest EducationUSA advising center. There are several in India. https://educationusa.state.gov/find-advising-center?field_region_target_id=&field_country_target_id=306&field_center_level_value=All
The counselors there can help you work through the steps of the application process. They are familiar with the challenges of applying from India. There are a lot of US citizens in India, so there also is a fair chance that the some of the team at your advising center will have worked with an applicant like you before.
@thumper1, Ithaca was never on my list, at least the new list. Their NPC put me off.
There’s no centre in my city and I can’t travel to those bigger cities right now and it’s not economically viable as everything won’t get solved in one sitting. The majority of the US Citizens in India have families who are quite rich to afford them personal essay ghost writers, private college counselors and send them to anywhere they’d like to go. It’s okay, I’ll figure them out by myself. I know I’m asking too many questions here. Anyways, thank you all for your suggestions and advice. Hopefully, I may not have to post further.
1° Yes. We wouldn’t tell you about it otherwise. The fee waiver is not citizenship based it’s income based.
2°
change it, since you’ll need a person to upload your transcript. Do you have a head teacher? An English teacher? A person who can see your whole transcript, has access to your academic files? A person who speaks English? Check with them and enter their name, phone number, and email address.
- Is it (the process) same for ApplyTexas? Yes, except that fee waivers may be restricted to Texas residents.
DO ask a LOT of questions. That’s what this website is for.
There are adults who can review your essays, people who know how to navigate financial aid… This is a free resource. Use it.
Berea is an absolutely GENIUS idea for you. There is no tuition if you are accepted, and I believe you are exactly what they are looking for – it is in a beautiful part of KY and the town of Berea is beyond charming and idyllic. I am sure you already know that students work to earn spending money and to offset tuition.
I have a friend who graduated from Berea and is completing pharmacy school now. He is an outstanding student, was the captain of their soccer team and will no doubt succeed at anything he tries. I could put you in touch, if you wanted.
@MYOS1634, I really appreciate your suggestion on this one. If that’s the possibility, I can get either my Principal, Vice Principal, admission officer, any teacher to do that. I’ll check over that and see where I can add all that info in my CommonApp.
Two small doubts though -
- Is there any duration or time frame in which I should procure the CommonApp fee waiver? I read that the CommonApp for fall 2019 semester opens this August 1. Do I have to get the waiver only after that date or can I get it ASAP?
- I had to change my high school 3 times (9-10th in one, 11th in another and 12th in another). Can I get the fee waiver from any high school or only the one that I attend currently?
@deborahb, sure, I’d love to get in touch with him. Thank you very much!
@GuessME5 - EducationUSA is a not-for-profit organization supported by the US Department of State. Every sincle one of your correspondents here who pays income taxes in the US is helping pay for their sevices. You can communicate with them by email or telephone if you cannot visit in person. Yes, they might charge some small fees for services provided, but every cent will go directly to maintain that office. No one is making a profit off of it. And you are correct, they won’t ghost-write anything for you, but they almost certainly have someone who can help you edit your own writing. Many of the counselors are expat volunteers - just like I was when I lived abroad. You are not the first low-income US citizen to be referred there. Unfortunately, my personal contacts are on a different continent, or I would tell you who to ask for when you snd an email or make that phone call.
Truly, you do not need to do this yourself. Send the email. Get some advice for your situation.
@GuessME5 If you are going to do Berea, be the FIRST to apply. I think it opens July 1st so check. They save 75% of the spots for kids from Appalachia, 8% is international and the rest is what your fighting for.