<p>Okay, so searching for colleges has become a bit overwhelming for me. I've looked at so many, that they almost all seem the same at this point. So I really need help picking out colleges that fit me and what I want. Here's kind of what I'm looking for in a college:
1. Good pre-med/biology program
2. private, medium sized
3. give out a lot of merit-based aid
4. Preferably on the east coast/larger city </p>
<p>Now that I'm looking at that list, it seems pretty generic...but do you guys have any suggestions?</p>
<p>*1. Good pre-med/biology program
2. private, medium sized
3. give out a lot of merit-based aid
4. Preferably on the east coast/larger city *</p>
<p>“A lot of merit” doesn’t tell us much. To some people, getting $10k of merit for a $55k per year school is a lot.</p>
<p>We need to know how much your family will pay each year. For instance, if your family will only pay $15k per year, then that means that you’d need a full tuition scholarship so that the 15k can pay for room, board, fees, books, and misc. Full tuition scholarships are harder to get. There are some, but we need to know more.</p>
<p>What is your GPA? </p>
<p>What is your SAT/ACT scores…include SAT breakdown.</p>
<p>Some schools give out HUGE merit, but we need to know YOUR stats. Those schools don’t give HUGE merit to most students…only to maybe 1-5% of students would get the big money.</p>
<p>Use Kiplinger’s tables to find merit aid statistics:
[Best</a> Values in Private Colleges, 2012-13](<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/privatecolleges/]Best”>Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts)</p>
<p>Whether you get merit aid and what amount depends on whether you are stronger than the average candidate at the school.
Personal experience with Case Western, RPI, WPI, B.U., Northeastern - but it depends on your stats etc.</p>
<p>Mom2collegekids: </p>
<p>My parents make over $100 thousand a year, so for the most part, I’m going for merit based aid. If it helps at all, my parents would like to pay around $30,000 a year, but of course that number isn’t set in stone. </p>
<p>My GPA is a 4.03 weighted, but I’ve taken seven honors classes and five AP classes throughout high school. </p>
<p>As for my SAT its a 1900
CR 630
M 620
W 650 </p>
<p>But I just took the ACT in Oct. and I’m hoping for a 31 or higher.</p>
<p>BeanTownGirl: I was looking into North Eastern, but what deterred me was its co op program. While it is amazing, I heard that the four year graduation rate is extremely low due to it. Do you know anything about that??</p>
<p>With a realistic amount of “self help” aid (student loans and jobs), in addition to your parents’ $30K contribution, your total budget might be about $35K or a little more. Look through the Kiplinger “best values in public colleges” table to find schools that fit this budget.
[Best</a> Values in Public Colleges, 2011-12](<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/]Best”>Best College Values, 2019 | Kiplinger)</p>
<p>I’m afraid your stats are not high enough to expect the $15K or more in merit aid you’d need from a private school to meet your budget. Take Case Western, for example (a school often recommended for relatively generous merit aid). In 2011-12, average merit aid was about $18K, which would bring net costs down to the upper edge of your budget. However, even at CW, merit aid only went to about 19% of freshmen last year. Presumably, your stats would need to be about average for the top 19% of entering students to get average merit aid. That would put each of your SAT scores well into the 700-800 range. Other private schools with relatively generous merit aid include Tulane, the University of Miami, American University, Boston University, and the University of Richmond. You might have a shot at enough merit aid from one of these, if your scores go up significantly.</p>
<p>
Absolutely true. The coop program pretty much guarantees a five year program, but the coop program also does a great job of guaranteeing a job after graduation. And the coop allows you to save $ to pay for school.</p>
<p>Co-op is not required at northeastern:
"Are students required to participate in co-op?</p>
<p>A: 90% of students participate in the co-op program, since it is the cornerstone of a Northeastern education, but it is not required. Undergraduates who choose not to pursue co-op can fulfill Northeastern’s experiential learning requirement by participating in research, service learning, or study abroad programs."</p>
<p>This quote is from [Co-op</a> at a Glance - Cooperative Education](<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/coop/how-co-op-works/co-op-at-a-glance/]Co-op”>http://www.northeastern.edu/coop/how-co-op-works/co-op-at-a-glance/)
Also look at their pre-med advising program:
[PreHealth</a> Advising Program | Northeastern University](<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/prehealth/]PreHealth”>http://www.northeastern.edu/prehealth/)
and this specifically about co-op and pre-med: [Premed</a> - Cooperative Education](<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/coop/areas-of-study/premed/]Premed”>http://www.northeastern.edu/coop/areas-of-study/premed/)</p>
<p>I can see why a pre-med would be focused on getting out in 4 years rather than taking longer, but people who do co-op programs swear by them!</p>
<p>Susquehanna University(not so big of a city)
Muhlenberg College</p>