Hi ! I was hoping someone could help me gage what schools I should apply to (safety reach target)
I hve a 3.6 unweighted gpa (4.1 weighted)
My sat score is 1260 but I’m hoping to score higher in the August test.
I do a ton of extra curriculars which I know will benefit me (I’m actually very involved in my community, not some pep club or mandatory volunteer work).
Please suggest schools that would potentially give me money, and schools that would be a good fit.
Thank you!
No one can help you given the limited information that you have provided.
What price after scholarships are you looking for?
Lots of colleges give scholarships but it’s tricky to get a net price below $30,000 on merit aid alone with those stats outside of a in-state public. Sorry.
My D has a 1370 and we are in a similar position. She will probably end up at an in-state public university unless she gets a competitive scholarship at a less selective LAC, which she would choose for the sake of a smaller environment with smaller classes and a better chance for closer relationships with professors and research opportunities.
Generally, for scholarships, you want to be above the 75th percentile of students in a given college.
Is there a geographic area you are interested in?
Here are some possibilities: deSales, St. Vincent in Latrobe, PA, Cabrini near Philly. All of those will appreciate your background, might have environments you would like, and give scholarships for decent stats.
Rider?
I didn’t want to post too much and bombard everyone with information… what information do you want, I would gladly tell you.
Start with finances, since they have the potential to eliminate a lot of schools. How much can your parents realistically expect to pay? If the answer is “I don’t know” then that’s your first job: have the discussion with your parents tonight-- after dinner, when the dishes are done and things are settled for the night.
Next: geography. What part of the country are you looking at?
Major?
School size-- do you have any idea of what you prefer?
In terms of statistical screening, this list can be helpful if used with discretion:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9
Clark (#185), for example, could be an admissions match for you, so you might be able to confidently explore colleges in that numerical vicinity, while reviewing their academic programs and costs with respect to your own situation.
Based partly on your other thread, you might want to look into Wheaton (MA).
A true safety is a place
Have you identified a place like that yet? Provided you like your safety, everything else is just gravy. Find at least one safety, and then build your list up from that base.
To get concrete suggestions, let us know at the least:
Knowing these things, along with your current SAT and GPA, you should be able to get a ton of good schools to consider. Once you have some schools that interest you, you can run the Net Price Calculators for those schools to get a sense of how much financial aid you would get to determine if they are affordable.
New York, pre med/pre optometry, at most $30,000, 3-6 hours driving distance ! Thanks 
In a previous thread you started 2 days ago http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/2012518-narrowing-my-list-p1.html you wrote that even at a school that costs $60K your EFC was 0. And that you wanted a smaller size college.
Big scholarships are to top students a college is unlikely to land without a financial incentive. Sorry to put it bluntly, but nobody has to pay to get students with a 3.6gpa and mid-1200’s SAT to enroll. So in your price range you are primarily looking at SUNY schools. Some are small in size; take a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_State_University_of_New_York_units
And if money is really tight you might need to attend a community college for 2 years and then transfer to a 4-year. It might not be all you’ve dreamed of for your college years but plenty of people have followed this path and ended up doing quite well.
Start with the SUNY/CUNY system. They will fit in your budget, and your own guidance counselor should be able to tell you which of them have admitted students with your grades and test scores in the past few years. One or more of those can be your safeties.
3-6 hours from NYC? Or some other part of NY State?
Out of NYC
Is SUNY Stony Brook too close?
SUNY will fit your budget and the schools are good. SUNY Geneseo has a combined program with the SUNY optometry school that you could check out. It’s a combined program.
Old list…The scores are much higher at some of those schools now.
If your EFC is zero, do you qualify for HEOP? Look into it (HEOP is selective and there are limited HEOP spots at NYS private colleges but it’s a really good deal if you’re selected.)
You’d likely be within HEOP range for St Lawrence to Skidmore (ranking wise).
With EFC 0, your best bets at SUNYs (especially SUNY Geneseo for reasons listed above) and meet need colleges. Run the NPC on Muhlenberg, Hobart & William Smith, Goucher, Denison, Clark, LaSalle, Elizabethtown, Juniata?