Wow - very impressive. Your list are reaches - because they are for all.
But you have a shot - you are super impressive. Bard is a safety for you, btw.
I disagree with your parents - there is a ton of money to be had at public schools - but they are large state flagships. Still, you can use Honors Colleges to get a “smaller” aspect - meaning smaller classes, dorms with similar students. Many an Ivy league level goes to these.
Alabama, South Carolina, Arizona, Florida State - all would be inexpensive for you - especially Bama and Arizona. College of Charleston - you could be a fellow and it would be cheap. Smaller schools - like St. Marys of Maryland or UNC Asheville (not that small) might work. There’s other publics as well you would score (Arkansas, MS State, etc) - and you may even do well at UMD - and they have Honors.
I assume, looking at your list and your parent’s comments, that they ran the net price calculators - because lower middle class doesn’t necessarily get money (depends on how one defines that). And those schools only give need aid.
So assuming your parents are correct, depending on their expected contribution, you may do better at a public school - but it won’t be that same small experience. W&L has the Johnson Scholarship - a total full ride - but it’s a different type school than you’ve listed - heavy Greek, etc. but an excellent school.
You might look at Tufts, Rochester, Wake as target/slight reaches (especially Tufts) - and schools like Dennison, Macalester, Kenyon, Wooster as safety and matches that will have aid.
Did you take the PSAT as a junior? If so any chance of being a national merit finalist?
Have your parents run the net price calculators on all these schools and they look affordable?
Your list is too reach heavy…Bowdoin (sub 10% acceptance rate) and BU (sub 20% acceptance rate) are reaches. Are your state safety schools affordable?
I second many of the above school suggestions, especially Denison and Macalester. Adding U Richmond, Lafayette, Bucknell, and Lehigh.
Have you checked the cost at all of these schools, using the NPC? For instance, Tufts and Brown may not have the same level of financial aid as, say. Harvard, Princeton or Yale (though they have gotten rid of loans). How about Amherst (great financial aid) as a reach?
The aid at some privates can be a pleasant surprise, so definitely check predicted cost before applying, and avoid debt.
You might want to check out the Colleges that Change Lives website for ideas as well. Your list is definitely full of reaches but you may have a shot at some of them, yes.
From you list it seems that you prefer smaller liberal arts colleges to universities. Have you considered some of the other NESCAC schools such as Bates, Trinity, Hamilton or Colby? Trinity would be a match and the others high match/low reach as they have very low acceptance rates. Colby has a great program called the Fair Shot Fund that caps parental financial contribution at $15K for families earning $150K or less. You may want to look at LAC’s
that offer merit aid in addition to financial aid. I have linked a thread from a few years ago that addresses these schools. Good luck!
I would like a public school if it wasn’t one of the ones you listed haha, I’m not a big fan of the south!! but I do like UMD and the honors programs! I might apply to UMass as well!
I am a national merit finalist!! I will be adding Lehigh but I don’t really like the locations of some of the other schools. NPCs show most of these private colleges costing around 10-12k per year which my family and I can do!
I really do want to end up at a top LAC (esp Swarthmore) and/or a great pre-med school though like BU, Brown, Tufts near cities!!
You might add St Mary’s as an in state public safety. William & Mart has the 1693 scholarship but would be hard to get. But if you had space for a flyer.
You’d likely get Commonwealth Honors at UMass, which, as great as it is and strong the university is (my daughter attends) AFAIK they offer limited merit of 16k / year for out of state students. Possibly factoring in FFA the price tag would be manageable. Still, UMD would probably offer academics at least as good at likely lower price.
However if you’re considering Amherst College at all and got that reachy admit, you would likely end up taking courses at UMass through the Five College Consortium as UMass sciences are world class with top facilities. You’d also be able to use meal plan at UMass which is rated 1st in the nation for food. It’s a nice perk. Amherst college has no Merit based aid but great need based assistance, and is a small LAC in the North which you mentioned being the preference. Best of luck!
Amherst college has no Merit based aid but great need based assistance, and is a small LAC in the North which you mentioned being the preference. Best of luck!