I agree with the choices that @MYOS1634 made and I also believe that Op also should not be afraid of going off the grid to schools like Hamilton, Colgates, Colby, Bates, Bowdoin, Brandeis, Boston College, Northeastern, Vanderbilt, Franklin and Marshall for if @blackspiderman is a young man of color, would be happy to have him. He should also toss an application at Oxford at Emory, perhaps even UVA, and Rice. He should even toss an application at Brown and Amherst. looks like you are going to have a really busy winter break.
OP - are you a minority? What’s your ranking - top 5, 10%? If so, you should apply to some top privates that meet full needs. Based on your stats you may have good chance in getting into some privates. Most public schools do not give FA to out of staters. You still have time to send in few more applications. I really wouldn’t worry too much about giving a deposit to this EA school. Just email them to let them know you still need a bit more time to compare your FA options.
I agree @sybbie719 – young Black men (guessing from “BlackSpiderman”) with ACT 32 are highly sought after, especially at holistic universities (LACs in particular) and young Black women with ACT 32 are very prized too.
OP will be working very, very hard between today and January 1st/2nd but s/he has a shot at lots of meet need colleges.
I’d add Barnard, Wellesley, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Scripps if OP is female. @thumper1 : even if OP hasn’t heard from Purdue, we already know it won’t be affordable.
And OP basically needs a full ride, or at least a full-tuition scholarship, which have become in very short supply in Illinois due to the bankruptcy. UNI may be a possibility but instate Illinois universities are just extremely expensive with very little financial aid. In many other states the state universities would be a decent solution, but unfortunately, nor here. It’s definitely worth trying in order for him/her to have backups.
But that does not mean that he is a lock at all of the top 20 schools because there will be other URM including black males with the same/better competitive stats coming through Posse. Questbridge and SEO. He should cast a wide net, but he will definitely have a better chance of admission off the grid and away from the usual suspects. His best chances and most bargaining power will come from the LACs where he would be in high demand. He just really needs to be comfortable in his own skin
51 : yes that's what I guessed - applied to UIUC and didn't get in for CS or Engineering. So now his/her choices would be the severely-under-budget-cuts directionals, which would make it tough for sufficient merit and financial aid.
Great idea regarding U Arizona and UA Huntsville, as long as OP can get more than full tuition (EFC is $1560).
Cornell COE. I think he would have a good chance. Unless he is going instate I would advise OP to apply to privates rather publics. He could get more FA and better options.
Most privates are looking for more URMs where as publics may not care as much. It is worth at least 100+ SAT points. OP should use it to his advantage.
@sybbie719 To answer your question, I’m actually an over-represented minority. I’m a South Asian, but I’m female. I think my race greatly reduces my chances of getting into a lot of the private universities that were mentioned. I’m happy for the suggestions, but a lot of these schools are not local (in the Midwest), and schools outside of the Midwest are not feasible for me. I saw someone suggested Minnesota, I did apply to there.
Sorry for the late reply. I didn’t know there would be this many responses, and I’m sorry for misleading people with my username and picture. I’m just a fan of Miles Morales. I myself am not a black male.