<p>Hi, I'm a high school junior deep in his college search. I am currently wondering if anybody could give me any suggestions to look into.</p>
<p>Desired college qualities:
-must be at least somewhat mathy/techy; I am looking to major in something like a double of CS/math (not too sure about what in particular, just a STEM type major)
-must be relatively affordable (current budget is 20 a year but will take out some loans/look for scholarships/aid
-need good post-graduation job opportunity
-academically challenging preferred
-near a city preferred
-size not too important as long as not excessively large/small
-really not a fan of liberal arts areas - want to focus on STEM
-I live in NYC. Distance is not too much of a factor if the college cost is doable</p>
<p>My stats:
-4.0 gpa uw
-hardest classes in school (8 APs by graduation, school doesn't offer a massive amount)
-770M/750V/720W
-awaiting SAT IIs
-cross country/track all year - hope to be a decent runner next fall but injuries have impeded progress
-eagle scout and altar server
-worked as a pizza guy (idk maybe it will)</p>
<p>Current College Ideas:
-MIT - favorite
-Caltech - second
-RPI
-U-Mass Amherst
-looking into Carnegie Mellon now
-GA Tech - don't know much about, but my parents' friends talk about it a lot (both parents are actuaries)
-Stevens I of T
-Rutgers
-SUNY Binghampton</p>
<p>^^^^ very uneducated list, I have much research to do</p>
<p>Look at the other [Association</a> of Independent Technological Universities: AITU](<a href=“http://theaitu.org%5DAssociation”>http://theaitu.org) schools. You have some of them on your list already. The smaller ones often give some reasonable merit aid which will make them more affordable.</p>
<p>Stony Brook has a good reputation in CS and math at in-state cost for you.</p>
<p>Run net price calculators on each school. Out of state public schools are unlikely to be in your price limit on just need-based aid, though some may have big merit scholarships (e.g. Rutgers and Georgia Tech from your list).</p>
<p>MIT has heavy general education requirements in science, math, humanities, arts, and social studies.</p>
<p>You are too good for state Universities like Stony Brook and UBuffalo. They are ultra safety’s. </p>
<p>Look at UIUC, UMinn and UWisconsin.
Binghamton isn’t that great for STEM majors. Its mostly for Business.
Add Stanford, Case Western and Cornell to the list.</p>
<p>Stony Brook is generally considered very good for CS and math, even though it is a state university (like a lot of other schools considered very good for CS and math).</p>
<p>There are two types of financial aid - merit-based and need based. Check the net price calculators of these schools and/or do a practice FAFSA to see what your expected family contribution (EFC) will be. If the schools deem you wealthy enough to pay, but you only have access to $20K / year, you’ll need to look at schools that offer merit aid, and be the top of the heap at those schools. If your EFC is lower, you want to look at schools that meet need. As a general rule, MIT/Caltech and other top-20 colleges offer need-based aid only, and the slightly lower-tier schools offer merit aid to try to entice you away from the top ones.</p>
<p>If your EFC is low, you’ll get your best deal at MIT and Caltech. </p>
<p>Case Western and Rose Hulman both give merit aid and some need-based aid.</p>