@collegeguru2017 thanks for the advice!
@Oregon2016 i would say a city around Pittsburgh’s size or larger
Please ask your parents how much they are willing/able to pay each year, for you and for your twin (if he/she will also be attending a 4-year college). You, personally, may only borrow $27,000 over 4 years ($5,500 Year 1, $6,500 Year 2, $7,500 Years 3 and 4). Your parents would have to cosign or take out loans beyond those limits, which is not a good idea. So you may want to remove those schools on your list that appear too costly. It doesn’t matter if they are “worth the price for the education/location” if your family can’t pay that price (especially if two of you are in school).
Other suggestions are Loyola MD for business (match and you should get some merit there, although you are probably still looking at $40,000+ per year), U of Scranton (not a large East Coast city but a good school with a lovely campus, should be a match), and College of New Jersey (good business program, may well be your lowest cost option).
@LuckyCharms913 can you please tell me where you got this loan information from
Sure, google “Stafford loans”. Your NPC will likely include these loans, so be careful that you don’t count them twice (meaning if your NPC shows a Family Contribution of X, and that’s AFTER the loan has been applied, you don’t want to think you can borrow another $5,500).
Also read about Direct PLUS loans, which are often included in NPCs. They are federal loans made to your parents, for which they have to qualify.
Beyond these federal loan programs are private lenders who might lend money to you (with your parents as co-signers) or to your parents – but this is highly inadvisable as the interest rate and terms will create a burden on your and your folks’ future.
@LuckyCharms913 thanks for the extra info. Even with these federal loans I would still have to take out a large amount to go to Rutgers or TCNJ. I’m probably going to apply to both, but I still wanna apply to these schools in hopes of getting some money. Rutgers/TCNJ do not have much money to give to students so hopefully the price can be balanced out with merit aid from other schools.
I’ve toured a lot of these schools and although it might not be likely that I get a lot of money, I’m hoping something works out.
At least Pitt is good with aid and on the more reasonable side, and a great school. Im starting to think that may be a really good option for me.
OK, I’m confused. I understand that you don’t care for Rutgers, so let’s ignore that for now. But:
TCNJ would be about $28,000 before merit aid (looks like you might get $1,000-$2,000/yr). Financial aid, if you qualify, might bring your cost down further.
Pitt is $44,000+/yr for OOS students. If the NPC shows that you would get sufficient need-based aid there to bring the cost in the range of TCNJ, then that’s great-- but I would be surprised. You will not qualify for merit at Pitt.
If you are comfortable being more specific about your finances, there are lots of parents here that might be able to help you come up with some options. What kind of prices are you getting from some of the other NPCs? What are your parents saying they’ll pay? Do you (and your twin) have savings/job/529 fund?
If your parents will leave the State after you graduate, make SURE that you’ll be “grandfathered” as instate if you attend a public university. If your parents leave and you’re considered OOS, the university will likely become unaffordable.
What’s your parents’ budget for college?
(Remember that you can take 5.5K in loans for your first year. Everything else will come from the college itself and your parents. Since most financial aid comes from the college, you need to pick colleges where the NPC indicates it’s within budget.)
For example, American is a match (beware the 25% acceptance rate) but the absolute highest amount they give in scholarship+ financial aid covers tuition. So, if your budget is lower than the costs of housing, meals, fees, insurance, books, it has to be off the table.
Did you forget to list your foreign language classes?
If you didn’t take any, that will likely bar you from most schools on your list and you’d have to “catch up” by taking a foreign language at a local cc - since you live in NJ, they probably offer Italian, which is the easiest language to pick. (Next easiest would be French.) Italian 1+2 at a CC will match the equivalent of high school level 3, covered in one year (so: intense), and you’d be safe for most colleges on your list.
Assuming you took a foreign language up to level 3 or 4, this would be the estimation, academically:
Fordham University => match
Syracuse University => match
Northeastern University => reach
Villanova University => low reach
University of Pittsburgh=> safety
The George Washington University => low reach
American University => match
Lehigh University => reach
Boston College => reach
Pitt may be an academic safety but unless your parents have 45K/year for your schooling, getting in won’t help since it’ll be unaffordable. Their merit scholarships are pretty much for scores of 33+ ACT/1520 SAT, and they give zero financial aid to OOS applicants.
So, you don’t have a “real” safety - a safety needs to be affordable.
I agree that you should add a few universities: TCNJ (if policy will grandfather you into instate rates even if your parents leave the stae), Loyola Maryland, SUNY Albany, SUNY Geneseo (both SUNYs are AACSB accredited), Susquehanna (also AACSB accredited, a good safety, good honors college), Baruch (safety, apply to macaulay), UScranton, Hobart&William Smith, St Lawrence.
@MYOS1634 is gw really a reach? im in the middle 50% for test scores and have a higher gpa than people admitted from my hs, and have visited
A match means you’re above the 50% mark (the bottom 25% are special admits. Athletes, legacies… So your range really is from the bottom 25% threshold to the highest 10%).
Can you afford 70k?
They’re need aware : if you’re full’pay or close to it, you may consider it a match.
this process sucks i feel like every school i actually like i have no chance at 
so much for hard work lol @MYOS1634 naviance lists the range from 27-31 and I have a 30.
I feel like I’ve done everything I can. I’ve gotten straight A’s in higher level classes since Sophomore year, volunteered a ton, gotten awards, and have a leadership position in charge of a class of 550 kids. I still feel like I have no chance though which is driving me crazy bc what more can you do? I’m not good at standardized testing so if that ruins it for me thats really upsetting
You can apply to universities that 'meet need ’ and universities that are need aware but where you rank near the top.
(Start reading Discernible guide, insider 's guide to colleges, colleges that change lives. Then run the NPC. )
Gwu is a low reach. It means your odds of rejection are higher than your odds of admission but they’re okay. It doesn’t mean they’re nil. Your biggest problem is that they don’t meet need (financial aid) and are need aware for admissions.
@myos1634 would you say i have a good chance at american, syracuse, bu, or fordham?
At fordham I’m considering applying as Communications rather than business because they are very into math scores for admissions to the business school. My writing scores are much higher and I’ve excelled in english classes. Would that improve my chances? At this point I’m not completely sold on business so at schools like BU, Fordham, and Villanova Im applying as Com since they offer concentrations like Public Relations
Larger universities are going to be harder to get into with a holistic approach so they have a greater reliance on Course Rigor/GPA and Test Scores.
As a result, high reaches are Boston College with a 30-33 ACT range and Northeastern at 31-34. Lehigh at 29-32 is a reach. The rest are low reaches or matches so lots of great choices - remember that at your match schools unless you are in the top 75% of ACT scores your chances are still at best only 50/50.
Have you looked at any liberal arts colleges?
@Chembiodad yes I have looked at a few but I would like to be in/near a large city. I like the atmosphere of LAC’s and the type of students that go there. I’m possibly considering UVM as a safety since it has a LAC vibe but its a large university in a city. I’ve been interested in Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, and maybe Lafayette. Not many have a business program though. Any suggested LAC’s?
EDIT: oh and Richmond! I’m most likely going to apply there since they have a business program and are near a city. I really like LAC like Wesleyan, Trinity, Lafayette, but I wouldn’t know what to major in at those schools. Possibly Econ and Media Studies?
Those are great choices if you like the vibe of a LAC with a small city feel; while most LAC’s don’t have pure business schools, you can be confident that many LAC graduates get into great MBA programs with Econ degrees so no issues there.
Have you looked at any NE schools or Midwest schools; great NE schools that would be a fit with a 30 ACT would be Trinity and Connecticut College, and Midwest would be Denison and College of Wooster. Midwest in particular will be less competitive for NJ kids - I have twin D’s from NJ so are looking at Midwest as well.
Edit: Richmond is a reach and Wesleyan is a very high reach.
Two amazing Midwest LAC’s that are lower reach choices would be Oberlin and Kenyon; both value demonstrated interest a lot so you need to factor that into the process as campus visits and on campus interviews would be best to ensure that they are good fits.