Help me find some safety schools?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am slightly panicking at the moment because I have no real safety schools except for Florida State. I like Florida State but I think I should have some more safety schools so I'll still have a few options if I don't get in to my reaches.</p>

<p>Here are my dream schools: Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Brown, UChicago, Amherst, Swarthmore.</p>

<p>I want a good political science program.</p>

<p>I would prefer a school in the northeast, but would also consider California and possibly the Midwest. Nothing south of Virginia please.</p>

<p>I would prefer to either be in a city, or close to one, or in a really cool and exciting college town. No really rural colleges in the middle of nowhere, unless it's totally outstanding and has an exceptional on-campus environment.</p>

<p>It can't be too big. Between 2000-8000 is ideal, but I'll consider slightly smaller or larger.</p>

<p>It has to have a serious academic environment. No party/sports-obsessed schools. I'd sooner attend a small liberal arts college than a huge university. However, I will consider big universities if they are pretty well-regarded and/or have a good honors program.</p>

<p>I want a college where students are politically active and care about the world around them.</p>

<p>I want a truly diverse student population--not just lip service.</p>

<p>Finally and most importantly, it has to have good financial aid. My family can afford to contribute virtually nothing and my mom has strictly forbidden me from taking out ANY loans. So the school must either meet nearly all need with grants and work study or give out loads of merit scholarships.</p>

<p>I am a strong academic candidate with nearly a 4.0 GPA and projected SAT's in the mid to high 700s.</p>

2

<p>* it has to have good financial aid. My family can afford to contribute virtually nothing and my mom has strictly forbidden me from taking out ANY loans. So the school must either meet nearly all need with grants and work study or give out loads of merit scholarships.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>Safeties often don’t give great FA. </p>

<p>FSU may not be a safety for you either if you’re not allowed to take out loans. </p>

<p>Do you know what your FAFSA EFC will likely be? If not, you need to determine that.</p>

<p>Do you realize that most schools will put loans in their FA packages? how will you cover those loans???</p>

3

<p>We didn’t get a single FA package offer that didn’t have at least a subsidized Stafford loan in it. Unless you get into one of the few “no loan” colleges, you are going to have a tough time! You’d better think about CC just in case…And, your mom can’t “forbid” you from taking loans. You will be an adult when you graduate. When you have your own job, you can pay your own loans…she can’t tell you how to spend your money as an adult…she can advise you, but not dictate!</p>

<p>“I am a strong academic candidate with nearly a 4.0 GPA and projected SAT’s in the mid to high 700s.”</p>

<p>You and every other candidate who will apply to the top “no loan” schools! Have you considered the service academies?</p>

4

<p>The answers above contain some good information but they are harsh.
Between merit aid based on your great GPA and projected SAT’s (what was your PSAT? - it’s a decent predictor) and need based assistance, part time job, and a summer job you will have options!</p>

<p>Our experience two years ago with our son who who had a 3.85 GPA and a 32 ACT was that the “safer”" the school the more merit aid came with the acceptance letter. It makes sense doesn’t it? They want you but realize you will probably be accepted at more selective schools so they offer merit aid as an incentive. The schools were engineering focused so I won’t list.</p>

<p>Your dream school list are reaches for (almost) everyone. Besides “safeties” you also need a list of schools in between.</p>

<p>You should value your Mom’s loan advice but necessarily be of the same opinion. Some loans like the Staffords are made out to you directly and your parents do not participants in the application process nor are they liable. You can make the decision whether to make use of the Staffords on your own and they may make the difference between a school you love or a financial “safety” school. Your hard work as evidenced by your GPA which presumes maturity and the ability to make good choices now also shifts to financial decisions you make for yourself.</p>

5

<p>*And, your mom can’t “forbid” you from taking loans. *</p>

<p>I was thinking the same thing.</p>

<p>Since the parents are going to submit FA paperwork, then that’s essentially the “go ahead” for a school to put a loan in the FA package. If the student decides to decline those offered loans, then that just creates a big(ger) gap…which according to this student, her parents won’t then cover.</p>

<p>So, frankly, the parent can try to forbid, but if the parent isn’t goin to fork over the bucks, then her attempt of forbid will not go far. The parent is going to have to fold on that issue…otherwise the student may end up without any college choices.</p>

<p>Some wrongly think that if you decline loans that a school will replace with a grant…absolutely not…you’ll just have a hole in funding.</p>

<p>And, since this is a thread about safety schools, I don’t think ANY safety schools are “no loan”…and most other schools aren’t “no loan” either. </p>

<p>The mom may wrongly think that she (the parent) is responsible for the student loan. The parent is not responsible and doesn’t co-sign. Maybe the mom is just saying that SHE won’t co-sign or be responsible for any loans…such as Plus loans or private loans.</p>

6

<p>

I think the mother can effectively forbid loans by not filing the FAFSA.</p>

7

<p>^^^</p>

<p>Oh yes…but it looks like the mom has no problem with the child applying for FA. Otherwise, why bother applying to any of these schools?</p>

<p>* My family can afford to contribute virtually nothing and my mom has strictly forbidden me from taking out ANY loans. So the school must either meet nearly all need with grants and work study or give out loads of merit scholarships.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>The mom may wrongly think that you can decline loans and get more grants instead or thinks she could be responsible for them. </p>

<p>I don’t think the mom has thought all this thru. </p>

<p>And, I also think that once push comes to shove and the packages are all in hand…and there’s a loan in every package, what’s the mom going to say? She can’t stop the D from accepting a package.</p>