<p>Hello, I'll make this short
African American Female
From New York City
SAT: 1320/1600 2000/2400
EFC: About 3,000$
GPA: 3.77
Rank (school doesn't rank)</p>
<p>Want to go into STEM majors.</p>
<p>List as of now:
Swarthmore (oddest school on list, I've been kind of "recruited" by them)
Denison (one of my financial safeties)
SUNY Binghamton (in-state safety)
Vanderbilt
Duke
Rice
Case Western Reserve
University of Rochester (my match)
Emory</p>
<p>Ultimately my guidance counselor stated that my list was fine, however, I need financial safeties just in case things go horribly wrong (so she wants me to pursue schools with merit aid and generous need-based aid). Can anybody think of good ones for me?</p>
<p>Generally I am looking for schools that are not too big, not too small and not too homogenous and as a city dweller not too far from a city. </p>
<p>Also what do you guys think about my list as of now? Too many reaches? Not enough matches? Etc?</p>
<p>While I expect you’ll get into SUNY-B, I’d apply to another couple of SUNY schools that are truly safeties (New Paltz, Stony Brook, Oneonta?). Fordham gives a good amount of merit aid so may be worth considering.</p>
<p>A Financial Safety is a school that you can pay for without any aid other then guaranteed federal aid, guaranteed state aid, and/or guaranteed merit-based aid offered by the school itself. </p>
<p>You need to spend some time in the Financial Aid Forum reading up on those things. Some of the parents there are experts on TAP in NYS in addition to being very knowledgeable about the federal system. </p>
<p>Perhaps UAB [Blazer</a> Elite Scholarship](<a href=“Error 404 | Not Found”>Error 404 | Not Found)? But they do say “first come first served as funds are available” and it is already somewhat late in the application cycle.</p>
<p>You may want to add other SUNY schools; Stony Brook has a good reputation in some STEM subjects (which ones are the ones you are most interested in?).</p>