Just more excuses to lord it over the OP, mathyone. What’s that thing posters always tell other students entering college? “They wouldn’t have admitted you if they didn’t think you could do the work”?
Have you made a decision yet?
Hofstra just isn’t Princeton, Yale or Duke. I know of no U.S. student whose application list would look like this, especially for a science major. (A Hofstra applicant is more likely to be a local student who is interested in business, teaching, etc. Their list is more likely to include Pace, Adelphi, Brooklyn, St. John’s.) Just about any state flagship would likely have more science research opportunities than Hofstra. Were you thinking of sharing housing with your sibling? In NY, most of the major colleges (Columbia, NYU, CUNY and the nearby SUNYs) would have been much better choices. You are unlikely to have received more money from Columbia because it is financial aid only and doesn’t have pockets as deep as P or Y. NYU is very expensive but has some very generous merit scholarships and, if you were accepted to P and Y, would have had a shot at them. CUNY and SUNY Stony Brook have lower costs; I’m unsure of what merit aid possibilities there are for international students there. I am not familiar with Fordham’s science programs.
I have to think that if you received such little aid, your parents have quite a bit of money-- either in income or assets. But if they have a hard time coming up with the money, you should realize that your financial aid is likely to decrease substantially or evaporate when your sibling graduates in a year, even if your parents decide to continue helping him out financially. (I am thinking it is unlikely he will be on his feet after graduating with a film degree from a foreign country.)
Why don’t you run the NPCs for each school based on just one student in college to see how it would change next year? Remember that college costs go up every year-- first, because they normally increase and second because students’ contribution increases every year. So you can easily expect a $1,000-$2,000 rise per year.
If it were my child and I could pay for it, we would be talking Princeton. If money were a problem, I would push for King’s College. It is a highly respected university at a lower tuition, lower flight costs and you would graduate in 3, instead of 4 years. If that is not acceptable and your family cannot pay for Y, P or D, I think you should take a gap year and apply to schools where you are likely to get merit: generous state flagships, Case Western, U of Rochester, etc. There are a lot of schools with a science focus that offer merit.
You are getting similar advice from many of us, and we are not rabid Ivy seekers, believe me!
- Princeton (or Yale) if affordable by parents who seem to have resources
- King’s College because more affordable with 3 years and lower tuition
OR - gap year and applications to more schools of high quality for science, who give merit aid