<p>Im applying to a lot of top tier schools and for most of them I'm in the mid 50% range or lower quartile so I doubt I'll qualify for a merit scholarship. The thing is, my parents make way too much (over 250K) for me to recieve any aid. The problem is the cost of living is extremely high where I live so its necesarry to make that money. It just doesnt seem fair to me that someone could be living in say,Texas, have a house twice as big as mine and live the same type of lifestyle but due to the low cost of property there, their parents make less and they recieve aid. A house with the same square footage as a house here on the outskirts of DC is appx. 1/5 the cost in Texas. I simply can not afford to pay full price for top tier schools without getting some form of a grant. Can anyone help me?</p>
<p>Also, Ive been applying to a lot of outside scholarships but most of them are like 500-1000 dollars so only enough to pay for books and other small expenses.</p>
<p>I live in the outside suburbs of DC btw. My parents work for the federal government so no, moving is not an option.</p>
<p>Many parents save over the years so they do not have to pay for their kids’ education all out of current income or loans. Doesn’t sounds like your parents have done this, though. You are going to need to look at some schools that offer merit aid for your stats – there is no way you are going to get need based FA with that kind of income regardless of where you live. If you are a senior, you need to hustle, as deadlines are right on top of you for applying. </p>
<p>Not sure what your major is, but some schools to consider that offer merit aid and still have application dates in the future: Lawrence, Macalester, Mt Holyoke (if you are female), Dickinson. However, merit aid can be based on how much interest you have shown… Dickinson’s RD deadline is Feb. 1, so you have a chance to hop over for a visit if you haven’t yet, since it is close to where you live. I am sure others can suggest schools in the northeast that offer good merit aid.</p>
<p>You need to QUICKLY apply to some schools that will give you merit for your stats or you may end up with no affordable schools…</p>
<p>THEN what would you do???</p>
<p>How much will your parents pay each year?</p>
<p>You will not qualify for ANY aid at any college with that income…not likely even at HYPS.</p>
<p>Well, first of all, no one said life is fair!</p>
<p>You must live in VA or MD, both with great public schools.</p>
<p>Did you apply to your state flagship (I assume UMCP or UVA/VT)? I’m not going to get into the rehash of fairness based on income in different locations. There ARE adjustments in the EFC formula for different state taxes. Beyond that your living location is a choice. I saw from another post that you have merit $ from Clemson. Congrats on that. You seem to have a very workable option. And there is a regular poster on CC who attends Clemson and loves it.</p>
<p>OP, we’re in the same boat as you. We live in the DC suburbs, and household income is similar. I don’t disagree with you, but it is what it is. My D is looking at a few top-tier LACs, for which we will pay full sticker price. But she is also looking at less selective schools (but still VERY good ones) where she will probably get merit aid. Dickinson is one of them. Intparent gives good advice. You might want to check out Muhlenberg and Denison as well. If you’re in MD, deadline for St. Mary’s has passed. Not sure about William and Mary if you’re in VA.</p>
<p>*Ok so Im a black female pursuing a civil engineering degree. Im a senior in high school and I’ll try to keep this brief.</p>
<p>SAT 2010
ACT : Awaiting scores but im guessing around a 30</p>
<p>GPA 4.265
(my school does +.5 for honors and +1 for APs</p>
<p>Im around the top 5% in my class. Probably slightly higher</p>
<p>Honors classes
Biology
Alegbra I and II
World history
English(all 4 years)
Geometry
Precalculus
Physics</p>
<p>AP classes
World History
US History
Government
Physics C
Environmental Science
Micro and Macro Economics
Calculus BC</p>
<p>I have TONS of extracurriculurs but here are some leadership positions
3years of volleyball (captain)
Black Student Union (Founder and Officer)
Model United Nations (Officer)
Math Honor Society (Officer)</p>
<p>I’ve also been a volunteer volleyball coach for 3 years and I had an internship this summer.</p>
<p>I know Duke is a reach but their civil engineering program is really small (due to lack of interest not competitiveness) and I was hoping that could give me a leg up. Also being an URM but I dont think it will make a huge difference.*</p>
<p>You’re setting yourself up for huge disappointment unless your parents will pay for those schools. </p>
<p>What are your financial safety schools? This are the schools that you know FOR SURE that you have ALL COSTS covered??</p>
<p>Once you tell us how much your parents are SAYING that they’ll pay, then we can help you. Don’t guess…if you’re not sure, ask them. You need to deal with facts.</p>
<p>I bet St. Mary’s would take a late application if you asked… possibly no merit aid, but if you are in state it isn’t too expensive (even OOS isn’t as bad as a lot of colleges). It is a sweet little school, I loved it when we visited w/ D2. Remote, but a very “summer camp” feel. However, I wonder from the OP’s name if they need a college with an engineering major. That would change the list…</p>
<p>edit based on the info above regarding engineering: What about Smith? App deadline is 1/15, they do give some merit. As a URM you might get some. Bucknell would be another school to consider that gives merit scholarships and has engineering. Their deadline is also 1/15.</p>
<p>Great suggestion intparent about Smith, I second it. Sounds like a great idea.</p>
<p>Yes, the student should apply to some schools with unknown merit in hopes of getting some. However, the student also needs to apply to some schools that FOR SURE will give her enough merit.</p>
<p>How much merit would Smith might give for a M+CR that is below 1400? (610 CR + 750 M) $15k? $20k? if so, then the question is would the parents pay for the remaining $40k+? If not, then Smith wouldn’t work either.</p>
<p>She seems to be hoping for GT (OOS) or Duke. Both would be expensive w/o any aid…and if her parents won’t pay, then that will be an issue.</p>
<p>I do think she has a chance of getting ADMITTED to both because of her math score on her SAT I. But, getting accepted isn’t her principal concern.</p>
<p>Be thankful you live in a state with good, affordable public options. I don’t think St. Mary’s offers engineering, but last year it was one of the many excellent schools that failed to meet their admissions targets during the regular admissions season. Peruse the list here and see what schools might be a good match for you; they might be more inclined to offer you merit money.</p>
<p>[Tuition</a> Discount Alert: 50 Great Colleges Desperately Seeking Students - Forbes](<a href=“http://www.forbes.com/sites/schifrin/2013/05/14/tuition-discount-alert-50-great-colleges-desperately-seeking-students/]Tuition”>Tuition Discount Alert: 50 Great Colleges Desperately Seeking Students)</p>
<p>And check out Trinity University in SAT. They’re a FISKE “best buy,” have ABET engineering and offer good merit money.</p>
<p>[Trinity</a> University - San Antonio, Texas](<a href=“http://new.trinity.edu/]Trinity”>http://new.trinity.edu/)</p>
<p>Agnes Scott in Atlanta offers good merit money, too, and has a engineering program with Georgia Tech: </p>
<p><a href=“Physics | Majors & Minors | Agnes Scott College”>http://www.agnesscott.edu/physics/majors-minors/dual-degree-engineering.html</a></p>
<p>Thank you ALL for your help. My parents have been saving up for my college education since before birth so I would most likely be able to pay full tuition for a lot of these schools. I just dont want this to be a huge financial burden to my parents and I feel that they could put the money to better use other than my college education. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what colleges I get into and see if I get offered any money. Duke and Georgia Tech are just my top schools but if I dont get any aid I guess I would have to decide to go to some less expensive options. And yes I’m from VA and VA has great public schools so I guess I need to have a serious talk with my parents about where I want to go. thanks again!</p>
<p>I make these comments not to be cruel or mean but I want you to understand how some might look your situation…</p>
<p>As a parent I say this… after paying all the monthly bills and having savings for emergencies… and maybe in some situations funding retirement…I don’t think there is anything more important than funding your kids college. I want them self sufficient and too succeed. </p>
<p>If your parents make 200-250k and have done this for a while or so they should have well over 150k in at least two kids 529s. It doesn’t matter where you live in the country…If not then your parents chose to buy expensive houses, cars and took expensive vacations, and bought unnecessary things - like keeping up with the Jones…Some parents believe their kids have to pay for their college and some think its their responsibility to pay or at least help. </p>
<p>Its kind of late in the game to be trying to determine what you can afford, but your parents need to give you a number for college…then pick a college… Bottom line I bet your parents have the money for Duke… the question is are they willing to sacrifice and pay…</p>
<p>Look at the sticky threads at the top of this financial aid and scholarships section for lists of automatic and competitive full tuition and full ride scholarships. Deadlines are approaching quickly for some (e.g. Alabama), and some have first-come-first-served automatic merit scholarships (e.g. Howard).</p>
<p>Also consider in-state public schools. Some public schools have relatively low out-of-state prices (e.g. Minnesota, NCSU, Virginia Tech, Iowa State, Stony Brook, SD Mines, NM Tech).</p>
<p>Collegetiger, my D was enrolled in private school thru 7th grade (and her brother thru 2nd grade). Education is important to us and sending them to private school was important to us at the time. Since moving her to public, we’ve been able to save in a 529, although nowhere near the amount you suggest. We don’t live in an expensive home, don’t take expensive vacations, and don’t buy unnecessary things. We also live in a very expensive area of the country, near where the OP lives. Every situation is different.</p>
<p>You added to the equation…and paying for some private school can put a dent in the college saving plan, especially with two or more kids. We could talk all day on that topic…but what good is the private schooling if you cant close the deal with a good college.</p>
<p>I am guessing a lot of parents in similar situations live in a 400-500k plus home, drive expensive cars instead of buying a 250-300k home and drive 20-25k vehicles and keep them longer than 5 years…</p>
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<p>Collegetiger, how is this gross generalization helpful to the OP, who is a high school student with little or control over how her parents spend their money? If you want to rant about how wasteful it is for non-wealthy families to send their kids to private school, start a new thread.</p>
<p>I agree, I’m sure there are many parents who have their priorities a bit mixed up, and I have little sympathy for them. I have friends who insist on sending their kids to private high schools but look at me like I’m crazy when I suggest I might pay $55k+/year for my D’s undergraduate education. Luckily, in our case, we live within our means, and can pay full sticker if we have to.</p>