FInished with Apps...which should i submit?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Ok..this is going to sound dumb. But i filled out more apps than i care to submit. I don't have the financial resources to submit them all, and I also don't want to have 15 choices in april</p>

<p>So..any advice on which to submit? All of them are done, ready to go. I have about $200 put away for fees and i still need to send ACT scores(approx $9/school) and PROFILE ($15/school)</p>

<p>UAlabama-already sent, $ 40 app
Smith-tied for number one choice, free app
Union-LOVED It, free app
Scripps-tied for number one choice, $60 app
Mount Holyoke-free app...doubt i would go over Smith
Wellesley-also free app..good finaid..wouldn't attend over Smith
Amherst-good finaid. probably won't get in. $60 app
Sweet Briar-think it's super cute, $40 app
Tulane-like location, a bit big, free app.
Bowdoin-$60 app, good finaid</p>

<p>thanks!!!</p>

2

<p>Why are you having to pay yourself for college apps? Are your parents going to help pay for your college education? If they can’t or won’t help, it will be very important for you to make sure that you apply to at least one financial safety: a college that you know you will be accepted to, can afford, and would be fulfilled by attending.</p>

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<p>^^my parents are providing no money towards my college education. I have paid for APs/ACTs/apps…everything. My financial safety is UAlabama.</p>

4

<p>Hm, a nice math problem $24 for ACT and profile per school, $160 in fees. 9 schools. Is that $200 in addition to the fee you already paid at Alabama?</p>

<p>Anyway from what I can see you should send in Smith, Union and Scripps for sure. That’s already $132. If you applied to all the ones that are left with no application fee that are left that’s another $72, and you’ve used up all your money. So the question is should you eliminate two or three of them in order to apply to Sweet Briar, or Amherst or Bowdoin? </p>

<p>If you like the idea of a woman’s college perhaps Sweet Briar should stay on your list, but I think it’s more isolated than your other women’s colleges, that wouldn’t be my inclination. However, my niece just visited a couple of weeks ago and it’s rocketed up to the top of her list. (She’s looking for horses as well as decent academics.) My recollection is that your stats are well above average for Sweet Briar, do you think they might be forthcoming with merit money and if they did would it be enough?</p>

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<p>aren’t there fee waivers for some of these fees?</p>

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<p>rocketlouise:</p>

<p>Congrats on getting all your apps done so early!
You have two women’s colleges tied for #1. Apply to them both. That’s $84 (Scripps) plus $24 (Smith). You loved Union (another $24).You have a safety in "Bama (another $24–I’m assuming that the $200 you have available does not include the app fee already sent for 'Bama).
You can afford to go for a reach, such as Amherst if your only concern is not getting in but if you love it ($84). That would bring your total to over $200. $240 to be exact. Adding Sweet Briar instead of Amherst (or Bowdoin) would bring your total to $220.</p>

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<p>I don’t know how this will impact which apps you submit as I’m not familiar with some of your schools, but have another point for consideration. Once you receive your FA package, it isn’t necessarily set in stone. Schools are often willing to match the offer of a peer school. However, a need-based school won’t match a merit offer.</p>

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<p>Rocket, you will have to send in your Scripps application by some date in November (check Scripps’ website for the exact date) if you want to be considered for the JES scholarship. Check if any of the other schools have similar requirements for their merit aid, then fine-tune your math. It is too bad that your parents wouldn’t give you money even for the applicatuion fees. Any chance you could earn more money in the next couple of months?</p>

9

<p>“my parents are providing no money towards my college education.”</p>

<p>Are your parents willing to provide tax info so you can apply for financial aid? If the answer is “no”, then you need to apply only to colleges that you can afford with merit aid and a reasonable amount of loans assuming that you have an adult cosigner.</p>

<p>If your parents are willing to provide tax info so you can apply for financial aid, what’s your families’ expected financial contribution, something you can find out with calculators including the one on CC’s site.</p>

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<p>How is Alabama a financial safety? I notice you live in Penn. What would Alabama provide you financially if they accept you? Often in situations in which parents refuse to provide any financial help for college, the best financial safety is a 4-year or 2-year public college that one can commute to from home.</p>

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<p>Northstarmom: If I remember correctly, r6l is a NMF and Alabama offers full-rides for NMF.</p>

<p>r6l: I agree with definitely sending in Smith, Scripps, and Union. I’d also say Tulane and maybe Bowdoin.</p>

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<p>Actually, I think the Alabama award is for full-tuition.</p>

<p>And I still wish she would apply to Yale given her academic interests and parents’ income…</p>

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<p>I see this is what Alabama offers NM Finalists. It’s a sweet deal, and if the OP is going to be a NM finalist, I see why the OP says Alabama is her financial safety.</p>

<pre><code>"* Value of tuition in-state or out-of-state for 4 years

  • 4 years of on-campus housing at regular room rate* (based on assignment by Housing and Residential Communities)
  • $1,000 per year University National Merit/Achievement Scholarship for 4 years
  • One time allowance of $2,000 for use in summer research or international study (after completing one year of study at UA)
  • Laptop computer**"
    </code></pre>

<p><a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/topscholars/nmpackage.html[/url]”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/topscholars/nmpackage.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Oh, good. I didn’t think housing was included. I’m glad the OP won’t be working as many hours as I thought.</p>

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<p>Well, let’s see.</p>

<p>Available funds = $200</p>

<p>have about $200 put away for fees and i still need to send ACT scores(approx $9/school) and PROFILE ($15/school)</p>

<p>UAlabama - $40 app already paid, cost = $24
Smith - $24
Union - $24
Scripps - $84
-These are the definites, from what I know about your situation. So that means you have $200 - $156 = $44 remaining.</p>

<p>Mount Holyoke-free app…doubt i would go over Smith $24
-> Smith is a low match for you statistically, so you’re quite likely to get into Holyoke as well. And I’ll bet the financial aid won’t be significantly better.</p>

<p>Wellesley-also free app…good finaid…wouldn’t attend over Smith $24
-> Wellesley does have generous need-based policies. If I remember correctly, your EFC is around 10k? Would you attend Wellesley over Smith if it was $5k/year cheaper? If so, apply; if not, don’t.</p>

<p>Amherst - good finaid. probably won’t get in. $84
-> Same boat as Bowdoin, below.</p>

<p>Sweet Briar - think it’s super cute, $64
-> If my memory of your EFC is correct, I don’t think this is worth $40 extra in application fees over Wellesley. But it does give you a women’s college academic safety, financial match.</p>

<p>Tulane - like location, a bit big, $24
-> You’re competitive for the full-tuition scholarship. Do you like the school itself, aside from location?</p>

<p>Bowdoin - good finaid $84
-> Do you have any other reason for liking the school, other than FA? (Not comparatively, but on an absolute basis.)</p>

<p>My personal recommendation would be Wellesley and Tulane; however, if you decide against Wellesley, I would then recommend dropping Tulane as well and stretching to pay for either Amherst or Bowdoin, to diversify your list and have at least one school with excellent need-based aid. (Note that Scripps, if you win the JES half-tuition scholarship, will package need-based with no loans and no work. That’s a ~5-6k discount on NEED-based aid.)</p>

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<p>If your parents can afford to pay for your college, but are refusing to, to have real choices, you’d need to apply to more colleges with generous merit aid. As it is now, you’re likely to gain acceptances to colleges in addition to Alabama, but you’ll probably not be able to afford most them since all except for Tulane and Alabama, I think, provide only need-based financial aid. </p>

<p>Therefore, I suggest applying to Tulane and looking for some other colleges that would give you merit aid. There probably also are some that would waive the app fee due to your NM situation.</p>

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<p>I see Holyoke provides merit aid, too: [Mount</a> Holyoke College :: Merit Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/sfs/7031.shtml]Mount”>http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/sfs/7031.shtml) as does Smith [Smith</a> College: Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/finaid/prospect/aid_merit.php]Smith”>http://www.smith.edu/finaid/prospect/aid_merit.php)</p>

<p>I suggest applying to both since merit aid is highly competitive – harder to get than just getting admitted.</p>

<p>I don’t see a good reason to apply to Sweet Briar. Its being super cute isn’t a compelling reason.</p>

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<p>I checked and the OP would get full-tuition, not a full-ride, at Alabama.</p>

<p>She is an outstanding candidate: 34 ACT, over 1000 hours of community theater volunteering, works 15 hours a week at a Dairy Queen, involved in school activities, 4.0 UW GPA. Given an interest in neuroscience and a parental income of $80,000 I think Yale is up her alley academically and socially and would be the cheapest option of all if she is accepted. The potential financial payoff would be well worth picking up some more work hours in order to pay for the app.</p>

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<p>WOW…thanks for all the responses
2blue-i do have a Yale application and a Brown application done. I just don’t know if i have the guts to actually send them in…</p>

<p>To answer a few questions: My parents will give me tax info, just no money.
I might be able to work a bit more to get some more money. I just don’t know how much exactly. So the 200 is a rough number</p>

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<p>If you’re interested in Yale and Brown find a way to send in the apps. You would have a chance at those schools, a better chance than that of many students who post on CC that they’re applying to such schools. </p>

<p>Another option would be Barnard since you like LACs.</p>

<p>You say your EFC is only $8 k a year and your parents are willing to provide FAFSA info, so it could be reasonable for you to apply to schools promising to meet 100% of students’ demonstrated financial need.</p>

<p>For what you appear to be looking for, Brown and Barnard seem to be better fits for you than Yale. You seem to want more of an LAC environment than a large university environment.</p>