Feedback on college list

Student Lounge Hispanic Students
1

<p>Hi! I'll be applying to colleges this fall and wanted to know if my college list is reasonable for my stats. The schools I'm applying to are:
Stanford REA
Harvard
Northwestern
Duke
Williams
Yale
Boston University: trustee scholarship
UChicago
University of Washington Honors
Dartmouth</p>

<p>My info:
Puerto Rican, not first generation, no legacy to any of my schools.</p>

<p>Academics:
4.0 GPA UW, class not ranked, but a tough school
11 APs by end of senior year: World History (5), French (5), APUSH (5), Chemistry (5), English Lit (4), Statistics (5, self taught), Calculus AB (5). Senior APs: Gov, Physics B, Calc BC, English Lang
SAT: 740M, 750W, 760R
SATII: 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry
PSAT: 231
National Merit Semi-Finalist, NHRP scholar, Ventures Scholar, AP Scholar w/Distinction</p>

<p>ECs:
Robotics 9-12: Team Captain 9-12, 1st place Worlds Research Award 2010 w/Provisional Patent (didn't pursue for financial reasons), World Champions 2011, State Champions 2012
Community Service 10-12: ~300 hours, mentored children's robotics team, they won the State Championship and 3rd place Research Award at Worlds
Viola 9-12: Principal Violist 9-12, 1st alternate at regional competition, invited to state
Model United Nations 10-12: VP 11, President 12, Letters 10-11. Raised >$5,000 for charity at an event
National Honor Society 11-12: President 12
Science Club 10-12: President 11-12
National French Honor Society 12
Program Delivery Council: 1 of 4 student reps, work with teachers and parents to solve issues in the school community (bullying, cheating, etc.)</p>

2

<p>Great stats + work in robotics that is really impressive.
Your chances are really good, I think, but remember, anything can happen, it’s sort of a crapshoot at this level.
Just make sure that you’d be genuinely happy at your safety schools, just in case.
Good luck for your apps!</p>

<p>Sent from my SCH-I400 using CC</p>

3

<p>Your SATs and gpa look great, and I assume that with 11 APs that your GC will mark ‘most demanding’?</p>

<p>While I think that you will have a good year, at this point, for admissions, your list is made up of high and reasonable reaches with the exceptions of BU (match) and UDub (safety).</p>

<p>Financially, do you require need based FA or merit aid to attend the privates? If so, do you qualify for FA only at the HYS level or also at the other privates? If so, BU becomes a reach for merit aid. </p>

<p>Are you a WA resident?</p>

4

<p>Yeah, I live in WA. </p>

<p>I was under the impression that BU would be more of a safety w/o merit aid, given their median SAT scores and acceptance rate. </p>

<p>I am honestly not sure what type of aid I qualify for. I will need aid to attend the privates, but I know that HYS doesn’t offer merit aid, so I can only hope for the best there.</p>

5

<p>Run the NPCs to get a feel for what level of need based FA you might qualify for, no guarantees, but it’s the closest estimate you will get. The accuracy of the estimate will vary depending on how straightforward vs. complicated your family finances are.</p>

<p>In my experience, HYS can offer substantially more than other privates to families up to about 150k income. Depending on what the NPCs show, you might want to add a few more mid range merit schools. </p>

<p>Would you be happy to attend UW? If not, it would be tough to get into a lot of selective schools but find out that you can’t afford to attend them. Some more matchy schools w/merit could help fill that gap between FA only reaches and safety.</p>

6

<p>If I end up going to UW, I’ll try my best to finish in 2 years, what with all the AP credits I’ll have. </p>

<p>In your opinion, which are the high reaches and which are the reasonable ones? I know that most of my schools are reaches for everyone, but I would think I have as good a shot as most others do.</p>

7

<p>Great job. ;)</p>

8

<p>Have you considered Vanderbilt as a match. They have need based scholarships too.
Also how about Washington St. Louis? Heard good thing about it.</p>

9

<p>OP,</p>

<p>You look like a very strong candidate! It’s up to you if you want to add another safety.</p>

<p>Here are some comparison stats on my son, since he also is Puerto Rican, with his schools (he’s a 2012er) that might give you some more ideas of schools.</p>

<p>One thing you really do want to know is apx. what you might be paying for school based on your income and assets. Run some financial aid calculators on various websites to get an idea. </p>

<p>Here are my son’s general stats (including income level and other scholarship info; it might be helpful for you):</p>

<p>1/2 Puerto Rican
Middle income (apx. 77K for a family of five last year)
SAT: 2320 (800, 790, 730)
SAT II: 800 math II, 800 physics, 730 lit</p>

<p>gpa: 4.0/4.84</p>

<p>6 AP exams: 5,5,5,5,4,4</p>

<p>55 units of community college with 4.0 gpa</p>

<p>19 audited university units, including upper division physics</p>

<p>ECs/Awards: Physics Olympiad semi-finalist 3X
AIME 3X (best score: 8)
ARML 3 X (best individual score: 5)
Physics Bowl team 2nd in country (2011)
National Merit corporate scholarship winner
NHRP
Nationally ranked in chess for age (apx. 38th in country)
Physics research in optics at local state univ.; entered research symposium</p>

<p>Tons of music including professional violinist, symphony, soloist, worship guitar, etc.</p>

<p>Baseball: MVP freshman year, varsity junior year</p>

<p>Community service: lots of math and physics tutoring, violin teaching, youth worship leader, and other church related service</p>

<p>Worked 10-15 hours a week as a violin teacher, math tutor for about 3 years.</p>

<p>College list (all schools accepted him) with f. aid/scholarship info:</p>

<p>Princeton (very generous with their need-based aid); applied SCEA</p>

<p>Vanderbilt (exceedingly generous with aid; he won the full tuition scholarship plus got another 13K in need based aid; they were the most generous selective school)</p>

<p>Caltech (very generous with need-based aid, even more than Princeton)</p>

<p>Penn (pretty generous with need-based aid but included loans in package)</p>

<p>MIT (pretty generous with need-based aid but included loans in package)</p>

<p>Harvey Mudd (fairly generous with need-based aid; he won the full tuition scholarship but aid was complicated by Cal Grant A)</p>

<p>WUSTL (not generous with need-based aid; son did not get merit scholarship here)</p>

<p>UT Dallas (exceptionally generous with need-based aid through McDermott Scholars Program; would have made money from outside scholarships had he accepted this)</p>

<p>Pitt (fairly generous with need-based aid; got full tuition scholarship but was not finalist for full ride scholarship)</p>

<p>Baylor (mildly generous with need-based aid; son chose not to pursue full tuition scholarship)</p>

<p>Son chose to attend MIT.</p>

<p>I was not overly confident that he would be accepted at his schools; thus, he had three safeties.</p>

<p>I hope this helps a little! :-)</p>

10

<p>sbjdorlo,</p>

<p>Physics Bowl Team 2011 second in country. What a great accomplishment. He has a bright future ahead of him. It is wonderful to see such great accomplishments. I am sure you are very proud of him.</p>

11

<p>lapagan: I’m still looking at those two. I like them for the most part, but I’ll probably need to apply for merit aid. I’m reluctant to take on any more essays without eliminating any of my current schools, but I’m open to changing my list.</p>

<p>sbjdorlo: wow, your son is really impressive. His focus seems to be more in the physical sciences while mine is in the life sciences, but it’s good gauge to see what schools give what in terms of aid. I’ve heard Princeton and Yale have similar financial aid systems, so that should be good for me. </p>

<p>Well, thanks everybody! I’ve already started applying but I have a long ways to go! I’m sure I’ll be adjusting my list even in December, so I won’t forget to come back here and read your advice. :D</p>

12

<p>As sbjdorlo’s list demonstrates-even with her son and his great states and ecs/cs and honors; he still had 3 safeties on the list. </p>

<p>One thing to be mindful ryry123 is that the word on the street is that the top tier schools are going to accept even less students because this past year the yields were off the chart. I don’t have my numbers in front of me but both Yale and Harvard had yields over 80% so there is talk that they are going to reduce their acceptance numbers even more to around 5% or less. Same story with Chicago. </p>

<p>Since you need merit I would add two matches and two safeties to your list and check the common data set for each school to see how generous they have been in the past. Last year there were many reports of students who applied to only reaches or close to reaches with good stats etc and they got accepted to none of their schools. I do not want that to happen to you. It is simply a numbers game. there are many students with stats similar to yourself that apply to those schools-most of the schools on your list do not give merit money. BU is getting harder to get into and unless money is guaranteed in the scholarship you list; I would not assume you will get the scholarships. Good luck. Put the time in to refine your list and you will be better off next April. You should run the net price calculator for each school as others have suggested.</p>

13

<p>ryry123, if your focus is life sciences then if you want to pick one Vandy might be the better match for you. They are top notch in that area and Nashville complements them very well too. They go thru the common application so if any of your other schools uses the common app then it should not be much of hassle to try. Vandy will meet 100% of your need plus with your stats you can compete for the top scholarships without a problem.</p>

14

<p>itsv,</p>

<p>That’s valuable information. I figured 2012ers had the toughest year and it would get a tiny bit easier but your stats indicate a different story. I heard that MIT’s yield was 70 or 80%, as well (I’ve forgotten which).</p>

<p>Yes, OP, Yale would be good for you as their f. aid is comparable to Princeton’s. If medicine is the ultimate goal, I would still consider Princeton, as well. Definitely add Vandy to the list, too. But yes, I concur with itsv that having a few more safeties/matches is the way to go. I’m not sure how my son got accepted to all his schools, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the norm, so a good balance seems like a sound approach.</p>

<p>We wish you well! Keep us posted. :-)</p>

<p>Thank-you, smileygerl. My son’s a neat young man (not perfect, though, that’s for sure! LOL) and I think he’s found a good fit in MIT. We’ll see how it goes this year.</p>

15

<p>Would UCLA, USC, or U of Miami be considered matches/safeties? I’m also a legacy at UMiami.</p>

16

<p>UCLA has about a 33% OOS admissions rate:</p>

<p>[Profile</a> of Admitted Freshmen, Fall 2011 - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/Frosh_Prof11.htm]Profile”>http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/Frosh_Prof11.htm)</p>

<p>Why so high considering that the IS rate is about 10% lower? Because those admitted will be paying the full OOS tuition; COA for 2012/13:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.fao.ucla.edu/publications/2012-2013/Budget_Figures.pdf[/url]”>http://www.fao.ucla.edu/publications/2012-2013/Budget_Figures.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>52-54+k/yr</p>

17

<p>My counselor told us that us OOSers would be popular in the UC system. :slight_smile: My understanding, though, was that UCLA, USC, and UofMiami all offered merit aid, which was why I considered adding them.</p>

18

<p>

</p>

<p>As is typically the case, the devil is in the details. The inclusion of a school based on possible merit scholarships will vary by student and depend upon: 1) the amount of money the student needs; 2) the competitiveness of the student based on academic, EC and/or other factors; and 3) whether or not the student fits the criteria of the scholarships offered (including financial need and residency).</p>

<p>You and your family need to determine if UCLA offers a viable merit aid option for you:</p>

<p>[University</a> of California - Los Angeles](<a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/paying-for-uc/scholarships/los-angeles/index.html]University”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/paying-for-uc/scholarships/los-angeles/index.html)</p>

<p>[UCLA</a> Scholarships for Entering Freshmen](<a href=“http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/src/due/donors_freshmen.html]UCLA”>http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/src/due/donors_freshmen.html)</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.fao.ucla.edu/Publications/2012-2013/Fin_Aid_Handbook.pdf[/url]”>http://www.fao.ucla.edu/Publications/2012-2013/Fin_Aid_Handbook.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

19

<p>I am a California resident and have read a ton about our UC’s. UCLA will not give merit aid to you especially this year with our budget hurting even more. As others have said OOS were accepted at proportionally higher rate then in-state because those schools need the extra money paid by OOS. Since you do not fall into that category and will need some money for school I would not put the UC’s on your list. </p>

<p>USC is not a match or safety. I talked to the USC rep back in April and here is USC’s situation which has bearing on my statement. USC went to the common app this past year. They received 20K more applicants and saw their acceptance rate got from around 26/25% to 17/18%. The rep hated that this happened to students and attributed it to the school’s switch to the common app. Whenever you have a rate under 20% even if you are over with a 4.0 gpa and SAT’s over 2000 the school really is a reach. Remember there are about 40K high schools in the US so you have many students with great stats. </p>

<p>Instead of “guessing” about merit money do the research to find actual data. Some of my suggestions such as research on [CollegeData:</a> College Search, Financial Aid, College Application, College Scholarship, Student Loan, FAFSA Info, Common Application](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com%5DCollegeData:”>http://www.collegedata.com) (see money matters section and look for non-need aid" and the common data set section on merit will help you in that research. The big futures function on collegeboard.org is another search/research option. See this article for more info in regard to that point. [Checking</a> the Generosity of Your Child’s College Picks | The College Solution](<a href=“http://www.thecollegesolution.com/checking-the-generosity-of-your-childs-college-picks]Checking”>http://www.thecollegesolution.com/checking-the-generosity-of-your-childs-college-picks)
Read the book “The College Solution” since a money issues discussion takes much more time than can be discussed in posting here on CC. </p>

<p>Using collegedata.com info Miami is very generous with merit money and 24% of freshmen receive merit money averaging around $24K. This still leaves a bill of around $30K so you need to ask your family if they can afford that amount assuming you get the average merit aid. Also Miami’s average acceptance GPA is 4.2 with a less than 50% acceptance rate so those stats would move it to the reach category. </p>

<p>If you are looking for generous schools that provide a good education I would look at the schools that are part of the “colleges that change lives” group. [Colleges</a> That Change Lives | Changing Lives. One Student at a Time.](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org%5DColleges”>http://www.ctcl.org)</p>

<p>If you want to make a good list focus on about 14 colleges (no more since apps are tough) have about 5-6 reaches since your stats are good and then equally divide the rest between matches and safeties. A safety is where you are above the average acceptance stats for the student freshmen accepted population-basically at those schools you need to be in the top 25% to 33% of students who apply to those schools. </p>

<p>SBDJorlo’s impressive acceptance this past year was due to several factors. He was an incredible applicant in addition to being an URM. He had national awards-impressive EC’s and community service-high test scores and he was home schooled with great college stats. I have the scoring sheets from a few ivies-and sbdjorloro’s son falls into all the high score categories (and I will not post the scoring sheets since they were given to me in confidence). Combined those factors with the fact he is adopted and from an income needing lots financial aid-I bet he fits the bill of being “unique contributor to the college community”. His success is because there are probably no other students like him in the schools applicant pool. His success in his college classes as a high school student really made it a “no-brainer” for accepting his. His situation is not the norm and ryry you should not assume you are going to have the same results. I am sorry I am not being more positive because I really do like encouraging high school students. Rather I am trying to make you more realistic. One problem I typically face in the students I help is the high-achieving student who doesn’t want to put match/safety schools other than 1 on their list. These students have worked very hard and have had success in high school and it is hard for them to even consider that a top school may not accept them. Putting more match/safeties on your list is not a reflection of your value as a student but rather an acceptance of the numbers reality of college admission. Trust me having been there with my own DS-nothing takes the sting off of a reach rejection then a full-ride at an accepted safety. With my DS on track to graduate with no loans at his safety that he loves-he tells me all the time that he is thankful his reach schools did not work for him. He loves his school and is a very happy college student. We followed the methodology discussed in this posting and my DS ended up with close to $750K in merit money and 2 full-rides. We make $1 too much for financial aid but do not have a pot of gold for a full-pay school. If I remember your original posting you have NHRP status so look at those schools that are generous to NHRP (such as Alabama or Ohio State) and put some of those schools on your list. </p>

<p>Now while you are working on refining your college list be sure to also be working on your applications. Merit money in most cases always requires an early deadline for applying to colleges-some as early as October 15-do not get tripped up by not meeting the merit aid deadlines. Good Luck.</p>

20

<p>ryry-did you apply to the WOW program at Williams? I don’t know if the deadline passed but be sure to follow-up on any diversity fly-ins especially for those offered by safety/match schools. It will help at getting on the schools’ radar for merit money.</p>