I'm planning college visits...

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Okay so the title says it all. I'm currently a junior and I'm planning to visit some colleges I will mostly be applying to tier 2/3 schools because I won't qualify for aid at a tier 1 and my parents are giving me around 10-15k per year (check out my post in the financial aid forum for more info). So, when chancing could you chance for high merit aid? (sorry for the long paragraph lol)</p>

<p>For merit:
Northeastern
USC
Providence College
Scripps
University of New Mexico (Honors, Amigo Scholarship)
Boston University
Santa Clara University
Tulane
Bard College </p>

<p>Reaches:
Harvard SCEA (third gen. legacy)
Stanford
Brown
Georgetown
UC Berkeley, UCLA</p>

<p>Stats:
GPA: uw 4.0, w 4.25, UC 4.33</p>

<p>SAT: 2190 (710 CR, 750 Math, 730 Writing-11 essay). I will definitely be retaking that for a 2300ish.</p>

<p>PSAT: 222, will most likely be a NMSF (crossing my fingers!)</p>

<p>Junior Year Schedule: AP Psychology, APUSH, AP Bio, AP Stats, American Literature, Spanish 3, online Precalc</p>

<p>Senior Year (projected): AP Calc AB, AP Literature, AP Physics B, APES, gov/econ, Honors Spanish 4</p>

<p>My course schedule is not "most rigorous" because I moved the summer between my freshman and sophomore year so I wasn't able to take any AP's sophomore year. Hopefully they will understand it wasn't an option?</p>

<p>EC's
Founder and President Red Cross Club
-100+ hours, red cross workshops at elementary schools, meetings, fundraisers, etc.
-Member of my district's Youth Executive Board</p>

<p>Science Bowl Team (3rd in regionals last year)
-Secretary of the team my freshman year (before moving)</p>

<p>Leo Club (Treasurer 11, most likely President 12)
-Tons of hours, organizing events, etc. </p>

<p>Piano (CM Level 7ish)
-this is more for fun, but I also perform at local nursing homes a lot and I teach private piano lessons</p>

<p>Volunteer at convalescent hospital
-Started this program called Club Connect (founder and president) in 10th grade. Basically elementary schoolers and nursing home residents write back and forth. Hundreds of letters sent.
-around 6 hours per week of volunteer work here
-also extended to a club at my school where we get more high school students to come and volunteer (founding member)</p>

<p>JV Soccer Freshman year, JV softball sophomore year. Most likely will not play a sport this year because I have to work. I realize this doesn't show continuity (esp. because it's two different sports) but when I moved it sort of changed everything</p>

<p>Work Experience (where I spend the majority of my time). My family was hit really hard by the economic crisis, I moved two hours away the summer after my freshman year because my moms business failed, and I now have two jobs to pay all of my own expenses, etc. </p>

<p>Kumon (8 hours per week)
-grading, tutoring, the usual stuff. </p>

<p>I teach private piano lessons (5 hours per week)
-advertising, teaching, etc. </p>

<p>Summers:
After 9th: I moved. Weeks of packing, etc. Also went to CTY Genetics for 3 weeks
After 10th: 7 weeks abroad in Asia doing a research internship. I paid for this trip mostly by myself with money from my job.
After 11th: Will definitely do something meaningful. Applying to some internships or I might do a massive fundraiser thing (it's in the works haha)</p>

<p>Other info:
State: CA
School: top 100 public, usually sends 10ish to ivys/top schools, 30ish to UCB (400 in my class)
Rank: We only release quartiles, and I am in the top quartile
Hooks: Harvard legacy, I'm 25% Mexican but idk if that matters...</p>

<p>I don't know if it's even realistic for me to apply to my reaches, especially because of the whole money thing and also because I don't feel like I'm that impressive lol. So I'm basically looking for advice in where I should visit. Is this list realistic?</p>

2

<p>UCs (if you retake your SAT) should be matches for you. I think GTown is also a good match. The other reaches will definetly be high reaches but good luck!</p>

3

<p>No matter how impressive your stats are (and yours are!) it’s almost impossible to get merit aid in the Ivy League and at those other top tier schools because EVERYONE looks just as good as you do. That said, since those schools all cost an ungodly amount of money, there’s a good chance you’ll get what you need in need-baed aid.
PS. If you’re a legacy at Harvard you have SUCH a good chance at admission - that goes for all of the Ivy League. EX - This girl at my school just got into Columbia. . . Average GPA/SAT nothing impressive at all. . . except both her parents went there. -____-</p>

4

<p>@pologirl thanks! Yeah I had a really bad day when I took the SAT…I had an apush free response and ap bio test the day before and I was sick and really worn out. Most of my practice tests are around 2300 lately so it should be way higher. </p>

<p>@h1lbert The Ivy’s don’t give out merit aid :frowning: I won’t get what I need with need-based aid because my parents actually make a lot of money. That’s why I’m more concerned with the above list of schools for merit money/full rides. I don’t even know why I’m applying to ivys since I probably won’t be able to afford them. I just feel like applying I guess haha. About the legacy, I hope so! That would be great. But it shouldn’t help that much? That is crazy…</p>

<p>Thanks to you both for the advice!</p>

5

<p>It helps more than you think it would. Seriously, this girl should NOT have gotten into Columbia. Not that my whole entire class is bitter. I’d say any school on that list of yours, Ivies excluded, is apt to give you a whole lot of money,</p>

6

<p>At Northeastern and Boston University you would likely get the max Dean’s scholarship of $20,000/year for merit aid. If you are NMF and designate Northeastern as your first choice, you would get full tuition scholarship.</p>

7

<p>Maybe her essays were good? That really sucks. Even though I’m really so glad that I’m a legacy, the idea that I would take a more deserving applicant’s spot is a little unsettling. Thanks though! I’m hoping I don’t have to pay too much for college lol I’ll save the debt for grad school.</p>

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<p>@TomSrOfBoston When you say I have to designate Northeastern as my first choice, does that mean I would have to commit to going there? I will most likely be NM because CA has never had a cutoff above 221, and my score is 222. However, being so close to the cutoff kind of scares me.</p>

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<p>Forgot to say - I know a kid who just got into BU w/ full tuition paid for, and he wasn’t as impressive as you.</p>

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<p>No, it would mean you may not be eligible for special NMF scholarships offered by other schools. It is not like an ED commitment.</p>

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<p>@h1lbert that sounds promising! That would be amazing. </p>

<p>@TomSrOfBoston how would I even go about signing up for that? Northeastern is probably my top choice out of all the schools I am applying to for merit aid, so I definitely wouldn’t have a problem with having that as a full tuition option.</p>