Having a ton of trouble reducing my list...

College Search & Selection
1

<p>so i forced myself to make a reasonable list based on how much i can afford to spend in application fees and how much time I can devote, so I'm posing this question to the experienced among you, is this list appropriate in relation to my stats?</p>

<p>-Male/White/MD/financially needy
-unweighted GPA is 3.9 (one b) and weighted is 4.5ish? don't have the exact stats on that
-ACT:35
-About to take these ACT subject tests: Math II, Physics, US history
-Took these AP Tests: Physics C, Calc BC, APUSH, World and got 5's.
-My courseload for this next year is relatively light compared to my last years, but i am taking college classes at a local (non-community) college.
-semi-weak ECs, had legitimate extenuating circumstances that prevented me from engaging, but it won't really show up on my app anywhere except the essay.</p>

<p>Reach (There's about five more schools i wanna put in this category):
Georgetown University
Swarthmore College
Wesleyan University
Dartmouth College
University of Pennsylvania</p>

<p>Match:
Vassar College
Villanova University
University of Rochester</p>

<p>Safety:
Lafayette College
UMD-College Park
American University</p>

2

<p>Seems good to me! Might want to add a couple high matches.</p>

3

<p>I know Wesleyan will be a match to you, so drop a match and move Wes down there.</p>

4

<p>As it stands, your list looks fine to me. Best of luck!</p>

5

<p>Are you applying for merit aid at American University, Lafayette College, Villanova University, or University of Rochester if not drop them and add one more true safety and more reaches. Only top private universities can offer great need based financial aid.</p>

6

<p>I’ve mostly kept Wesleyan as a reach because even with fantastic stats there’s no guarantee of getting into a LAC of that quality with that many applicants. So even though the caliber is of a high match, I’m treating it as a reach. But I definitely appreciate the input.</p>

<p>And as someone with definite financial need I will be applying for need-based aid everywhere and merit-based anywhere that it is offered.</p>

7

<p>Of the schools on your list, do you have a personal favorite? If every school on your list accepted you, and the cost was approximately the same, which would you pick?</p>

8

<p>Swarthmore or Dartmouth, probably Swarthmore because it’s closer.</p>

9

<p>Bump (10char)</p>

10

<p><a href=“There’s%20about%20five%20more%20schools%20i%20wanna%20put%20in%20this%20category”>quote</a>

[/quote]

Which? You seem well enough qualified to apply to whatever reach schools you want and have a realistic shot.</p>

<p>

Do you qualify for fee waivers?</p>

11

<p>Amherst, Williams, Carnegie Mellon, Bowdoin, Tufts</p>

<p>And I don’t think so, I’m well above Pell Grant level.</p>

12

<p>

Do you want to go to any of these schools more than any of the others under “reach”?</p>

<p>Here are the qualifications for the fee waiver (must meet one):</p>

<p>�� Family receives public assistance.
�� Student is ward of the state.
�� Student resides in foster home.
�� Student is homeless.
�� Student participates in free or reduced-price lunch program.
�� Student participates in a federally funded TRIO program (e.g., Upward Bound).
�� Family income is at or below the 2010 DHHS Poverty Guides listed in the chart below.
�� Other request from high school principal, high school counselor, financial aid officer, or community leader:
Given my knowledge of this student’s family circumstances and after reviewing the suggested guidelines below, I believe that providing the
application fee would present a hardship. Explanation:</p>

<hr>

<p>Form: <a href=“http://www.nacacnet.org/CareerDevelopment/Resources/Documents/AppFeeWaiver10.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nacacnet.org/CareerDevelopment/Resources/Documents/AppFeeWaiver10.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

13

<p>Not really, except maybe Amherst, which was the first college that caught my fire. And I appreciate the information, I’d say I don’t qualify, we can afford to apply, just not to 15+ schools. None of the criteria apply and I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking my counselor to sign that.</p>