I’m looking for colleges to apply to, but I still don’t know which colleges to apply to. What are some colleges to apply to with my stats?
Grades/Scores
99 weighted/95 unweighted average
Sat- 2050
ACT- 30
Subject Tests- 680 Bio, 740 Math II
7 AP classes- Bio(5), Calc AB(5), Macro(4) Senior year- Chem, Micro, Psychology, Calc BC
9 Honors classes and 1 college class
Extracurriculars
Student Government- VP
3 years varsity tennis
7 years piano(lessons and playing by myself, not for a band or school, no awards)
4 years key club(treasurer)
4 years in club raising awareness about drugs
4 years Recycling club(vp)
2 years FBLA
I have a few instate safeties(PA) in mind, but I can’t decide on some reach and matches. I was thinking of Penn State main as a match. Also, price matters. I need colleges that are about 20-30k or have good aid. I’ve used some college search tools, but obviously you can’t take into account extracurriculars. Which colleges should I look at for reaches and matches?
I forgot to put that I am planning on majoring in finance or economics.
What would you prefer with regards to the following:
Size?
Local Area?
Diversity?
Distance from home?
Prestige?
Price?
Sports?
Campus Activities?
Greek Life?
These are my preferences, but I’m not too picky on most of these except price.
Size- medium size(10-20k students)
Area- northeast preferred
Diversity- dont care
Distance- 5-10 hrs max from PA
Prestige- accredited and well respected for business/economics(overall rankings dont matter)
Price- 20k-30k/yr after financial aid(40k income)
Sports/activities- club tennis would be great but not necessary
Greek life- not going to join one but i dont mind a college with it if its not shoved down my throat
Dont sell yourself short. Penn State is a safety for you. You are easily in the top 25% of admitted students and you are a PA resident. You are way beyond a match. Based on College Data just 19% of admitted students did as well or better on the ACT. Your grades are excellent.
I would suggest you look at Bucknell, Gettysburg, the LAC’s in New England, University of Rochester, Hamilton, Colgate, Boston College, and Holy Cross. These schools can be very generous with need based assistance and can be less money than Penn State for some students. You could also try Cornell as a reach.
If your family income is 40k you could go to one of these schools for something as little as work study and some small loans.
One strategy is to apply Early Decision. If the aid isn’t good enough you can always turn the acceptance down.
Pitt seems like a solid match, and Temple is probably safe. Those, and PSU, should all be good, affordable options for you. American might offer you a decent merit award. If you’re serious about Finance, look into Pace. You might qualify for their Honors College and a good merit package. Otherwise, they are fiendishly expensive, but you would have no trouble whatsoever getting in, and they are literally within walking distance of Wall Street with good internship opportunities. Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business is probably a match academically, but might be more of a reach for decent merit aid. It’s worth a try, nevertheless.
Okay, I have to ask. What is the magic way your family with $40K of annual income can afford $20-30K/year for school? Do share.
They were making a higher income a few years ago and saved some money. They value education A LOT.
I didn’t know you could turn down the acceptance because of low aid. By low aid does it mean not matching the family contribution? Or is there a different definition for “low” aid?
Thank you so much for the answers! This really helped me, especially the part about ED. I was initially going to avoid ED because of money but this changed my decision. Some of these colleges are fantastic. Pitt, Boston College, Colgate, and Bucknell seem like great choices. I really appreciate the help.
Being accepted Early Decision is morally binding but legally unenforceable.
When it comes to finances it is not even morally binding. When you apply ED you submit all the information and the award comes with the acceptance. You should of course run the calculators first before you apply just so you pick the right one to apply ED. You might also speak to the financial aid offices and explain you would like them to review the calculation before you apply ED.
If your parents saved the money in retirement accounts then that is great because it isn’t counted against you. Neither is home equity up to a multiple of income.
If you apply ED and get in and for whatever reason decide it would be a financial burden to go there, you simply withdraw. You don’t have to prove anything.
Use ED for a school that is a reach but not a Hail Mary because you get one shot.
You can easily run the calculators now to get an idea.
Look also at merit money from schools like Gettysburg, Dickinson, St. Lawrence because you could get a good combo package. Again if you send transcripts before you apply you can speak to the school and explain you would like to get an idea what you might qualify for.
Also put Lafayette and Muhlenberg on your list.
yes - run the net price calculators on the individual college sites - the standard EFC number could differ drastically from that
Here is an example with Bucknell - https://npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/bucknell