<p>Hey guys! I'm a senior in california now and I'm sad to say that I haven't been looking too closely at colleges yet. I've heard of the ivy leagues and UCS of course, but I want a broader view and scope on things. Please give me some advice so I can narrow my choices to colleges that really fit me and be a place where i will learn and grow in the next 4-8 years. Point me in a direction on what colleges to look at :D
Some background: Im looking into business and marketing, but to be honest I'm not even 50% sure what I want to do yet like many high school students. I'll start by saying I like business/finance/marketing because I'm a social person and I like looking up economic trends and understanding policies of different nations regarding economics. My parents are real estate agents and I do get to see some of the pros and cons to business-related jobs. However, I want to put that aside and just tell you about myself. I like to read, and write. I'm a very comprehensive thinker and I tend to learn things quickly and see situations from different angles. I really enjoy being the district governor of Interact district 5150 and the previous president of my school interact club, because of obvious and subtle reasons. For one, my club was very successful because of a lot of the work i put in and I like success. I'm a great leader and socializer, yet I have a vision that I follow and these qualities make events I plan with my board popular with our area. I also enjoy helping out people overseas by sending supplies and building wells, etc. This summer I travelled to Nicaragua with Global Glimpse for 3 weeks, attended CA Boys State, and am now in the Norcal World Affairs Council, which has exposed me to issues that I'm pretty interested in. As a member of MUN, I like to debate on these issues and propose solutions as well (i've won 3 awards). For stats (because everyone thinks it's important): i have a 4.3 overall over the 3 years, have taken 7 ap tests (4 5's and 3 4's) including calc bc, us+world+euro history, chem, etc. I'm 2nd in my class and have a 2190 SAT as of now. I really want to be in a middle-large sized campus near a large city. I also have to consider my financial situation because my parents make under 80k a year, so I will need a lot of aid for college. Give me some advice please :)) </p>
<p>sorry for such a long post LOL i just wanted to give you guys a holistic picture </p>
<p>Well you need to do the research, not just have people pick colleges out of the air for you. The fact is that most colleges choices are dictated by finances. So you also have to learn how financial aid works. </p>
<p>For you, the obvious choices are the UCs and CSUs because of the instate affordability and reputation. So those are the first colleges to make your picks from. </p>
<p>You neglected to include your test scores from SAT/ACT/SAT II. Stats are important because schools make admissions decisions based on them in large part. </p>
<p>After that I’d recommend that you see if any ‘meets full need’ colleges appeal to you. </p>
<p>But you have to figure out what colleges will expect your family to contribute and it isn’t going to be small. Run your family financials through a few Net Price Calculators for a couple colleges you are interested in to see. The college isn’t going to give you anything until you pay your family share. UNLESS you get a rare ‘full ride’. You won’t likely get that from Ivys or UCs because they don’t give them except based on need. </p>
<p>Do some reading in the Financial Aid forum, see the threads pinned to the top.</p>
<p>750 SAT II Chem, and 2190 SAT I as stated above. Aren’t UC’s unlikely to give financial aid. And I’ve heard differently about private schools, seeing that many of my friends received generous scholarships attending UPenn, Panoma, etc. I don’t mind taking a loan out for my education. Thanks for the advice on what to research!</p>
<p>sorry its actually *100,000 a year</p>
<p>750 SAT II Chem, and 2190 SAT I as stated above. Aren’t UC’s unlikely to give financial aid. And I’ve heard differently about private schools, seeing that many of my friends received generous scholarships attending UPenn, Panoma, etc. I don’t mind taking a loan out for my education. Thanks for the advice on what to research!</p>
<p>*pomona</p>
<p>Panoma. David Lee Roth and Manuel Noriega were students there, for a time. Both were expelled. Some folks think the Girl from Ipanema went there too, but she went to a Catholic university in Rio.</p>
<p>The UCs, Tufts University, Georgetown University, Wesleyan University, Macalester College, Boston College. </p>
<p>Dickinson College is not urban, but it’s in a great location (equidistant to NYC, Philly, and Washington), offers plenty of aid, is a “Likely” for you from a selectivity standpoint, and prides itself on global study/engagement (as do all of the schools listed above).</p>
<p><<<
I’m 2nd in my class and have a 2190 SAT as of now. I really want to be in a middle-large sized campus near a large city. I also have to consider my financial situation because my parents make under 80k a year, so I will need a lot of aid for college. Give me some advice please</p>
<p>my parents are real estate agents</p>
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<p>Ok…I can tell you right now that schools that use CSS Profile will not likely work for you. There have been earlier threads from students and parents where ONE parent was a Realtor, and the CSS schools added back in a TON of their deductions making the family income MUCH higher. With two parents as Realtors, the CSS schools would really go to town. That 80k income would likely soon become 140+</p>
<p>Your parents income is likely that modest after they deduct the heck out of everything, because as independent contractors they are allowed to do that on their taxes. however, CSS schools are going to take a good number of those deductions and add them back in…such as, but limited to: cars (leases/purchases), gas, car insurance, car repairs, cell phones, restaurants, portions of home used for business, computers. If I remember correctly, even the so-called employer-contribution of FICA got added back in (self-employed folks pay that part)</p>
<p>A couple years ago, a dad was upset when his ED Cornell D’s FA pkg was tiny because Cornell added back in a big chunk of Realtor mom’s deductions. And, that isnt the only example found here on CC.</p>
<p>If you want to apply to some CSS schools, just to see, that is fine. But your best pkgs will likely come from UCs and FAFSA schools that give HUGE merit for stats. Be sure to apply to a few schools that give HUGE assured merit for your stats (like full tuition or more).</p>
<p>Ask your parents how much they will pay each year…you need to know that.</p>
<p>edit…
since your parents are realtors, do they own any properties other than your home?</p>
<p>also…is that $80k earnings their net after paying taxes?</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids Thank you so much for this info! I’m sorry but what are CSS schools? Privates? Do ivy’s give big scholarships if I can get in as well?</p>
<p>My parents haven’t been doing well after the recession, so 100k gross income is what they make total, and we have a family of 6. We only own our home and there still is a mortgage on that</p>
<p>Any other advice guys?</p>
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<p>Instead of making guesses and assumptions, go to each college’s web site and try the net price calculator there.</p>
<p>CSS Profile is an additional financial aid form (in addition to FAFSA) which most schools with good financial aid use, so that they can eliminate some income deductions and consider non-custodial divorced parents. As noted above, real estate agents’ income may be subject to adding back many of the deductions, so you may want to run the net price calculators with both the usual income, and the gross income before the profession-related deductions, to get an idea of the potential worst case financial aid at CSS Profile schools.</p>
<p>UCs and CSUs are exceptions, in that they only require FAFSA, not CSS Profile, which giving good in-state financial aid.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus thanks for that. do most sites have calculators?</p>
<p>You should be able to search for “net price calculator” on each college’s web site.</p>
<p><<<<
Thank you so much for this info! I’m sorry but what are CSS schools? Privates? Do ivy’s give big scholarships if I can get in as well?
<<<</p>
<p>I think some clarification is needed.</p>
<p>Technically, the ivies give grants because their aid is always need-based, not merit-based. </p>
<p>Schools that give scholarships give them based on test scores/GPA…often income is not considered.</p>
<p>So their aid is based on their evaluation of your parents income…this is what I was talking about. They will likely add back in a good number of your parents realtor deductions. </p>
<p>The NPCs wont work for you because your parents are independent contractors. </p>
<p>The UCs may give you more aid. </p>
<p>Do you have 3 younger siblings? </p>
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<p>Someone whose parents have a lot of income deductions that tend to get added back by CSS Profile schools may still be able to make use of net price calculators at such schools by running them with the gross parental income (without the deductions) as well as the net parental income (with deductions). The results will give a range estimate of financial aid and net price; of course, the worst case based on gross parental income would have to be used when assessing whether a school can be a safety.</p>
<p>I live with 2 aunts and one sibling. I see that makes sense. @mom2collegekids do you think paying more for privates would be worth the education?</p>
<p>Assuming that private versus public automatically means a better or worse education, or a higher or lower price, is not an accurate assumption by any means. You need to compare specific schools and their net prices to evaluate the choices you have.</p>
<p>How old are those aunts? do they work? </p>
<p>I dont think you can count them in your household.</p>