I'm sorta lost...

So right now I’m in 11th grade and I don’t really know what colleges I should be looking into. Sorry if there is some kind of guide somewhere that I missed but any advice at all would be really appreciated.

PSAT: 700 math, 730 reading, 1430 total. Will probably get commended merit
Unweighted GPA: 3.8
Weighted GPA: 4.8
Extracurriculars: Science olympiad (8th-11th, secretary 10th and 11th), science bowl (9th-11th, got 3rd place regionals in 10th), quiz bowl (occasionally 9th-11th), started USABO in my school (9th-11th), chamber orchestra / orchestra / level 5 NYSSMA violin. I draw as a hobby and i’m good at it but nothing really professional or anything, if that counts for anything. I specialize in biology related things
APs: seminar 4, world history 4, human geography 4, biology 5. Currently taking chem, research, lang, apush
SAT II: biology E 780
Jobs: none
Volunteering: help middle schoolers in science olympiad once in a while

Legacy at cornell
I’m East Asian, female, and household income is ~80k, have one father and mother isn’t really present.
What should I improve? I’m interested in doing biology, or cell / molecular biology, or neuroscience. And how much of a boost does legacy give me? And does anyone have suggestions for summer programs that I could get into?

Sorry forgot to mention the legacy is grad school not undergraduate, and I’m probably going to be ranked 4th out of ~200 kids in my grade, and I’m also in national honor society and in a quartet, and extracurricular programs I’ve attended are schoolnova at stony brook, MIT / columbia splash, visited a research symposium at cold spring harbor, also did a summer program at cold spring harbor twice.

For additional reaches and perhaps some matches, look into schools such as Swarthmore/Haverford, Mt. Holyoke, Colby, Pomona, Reed.

If divorced, please read http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/2083835-faq-divorced-parents-financial-aid-and-net-price-calculators.html for a general overview of the (unfavorable) financial aid implications.

Don’t worry about parents income and fin aid right now. You will get heavy merit at a number of schools and if cost is an issue then just look for that.

Wow, you have done a lot really great so right now commend yourself for all the hard work and use the next few months to enjoy the process of researching schools.

Check out lists (niche was good) where you can specifically focus on schools that are good in the majors you are interested in and narrow it down to 25-50 or so. Then really read more and look at merit aid, details, etc and cut it down more.

You WILL match to the right school, I promise.

Since you are in NY, you should make sure to apply to some SUNY schools just in case the merit/FA numbers don’t work out at the private schools.

You may be aware of the WISE program at Stony Brook and you might be a good candidate for it.

You may qualify for the Excelsior scholarship as well.

I don’t agree with the comment above about not worrying about parental income or financial aid right now. Have the money talk with your dad. What is he truly ready, willing, and able to pay? That information will help inform your search for places that will give you good need and/or merit-based aid. Too many students think that merit aid will just fall from the sky no matter where they end up studying. If you need merit-based aid in order to make your education affordable, you need that information now so you can conduct your college search accordingly. Pop over to the Financial Aid Forum, and spend some time reading the threads there.

Cornell tends to like legacies, but I don’t know how much a grad school legacy fits into that picture. CALS and HUMEC would be good places for you to look as a NYS resident. In the past, HUMEC was a bit easier to get into. That may have changed. Also, Cornell has very strong relations with the NYS community colleges and takes a lot of their transfers - especially into CALS and HUMEC. Your own guidance counselor should have a good notion of your admissions chances at CAS, CALS, and HUMEC.

Wishing you all the best!

@platypusomelette

I agree with the above post wholeheartedly.

Not sure if you’ve taken either the ACT or SAT as you didn’t list those composite scores, but if you end up with a 34+ ACT and/or 1520+ SAT then you should consider making a run for some full (tuition+room+board+…) merit scholarships. Be aware of application deadlines, test score, GPA and other requirements, and I would strongly urge you to have an adequate financial aid safety school.

Some schools that offer full merit scholarships are (verify for current information):

REGION: EAST/NEW ENGLAND

Providence College (Providence, RI) offers the Roddy Scholarship. This scholarship covers full tuition, fees, and room and board. The scholarship is awarded based on academic achievement in high school; no separate application is required. However, it is only for students who are hoping to have a career in the medical field.

The University of Delaware (Newark, DE) offers the Eugene du Pont Memorial Scholars program. This scholarship covers full tuition, room and board, and a $2,500 enrichment stipend for academic activities such as study abroad. Application is by invitation only, with invitations going out in January each year.

REGION: MIDWEST

Miami University (Oxford, OH) offers a Presidential Fellows scholarship to 15 students. This scholarship covers full tuition, fees, room and board, and a one-time $5,000 stipend for enrichment purposes. Select candidates will be invited to campus for a competitive selection process in February with notification in mid-March. Application deadline is November 1.

Indiana University (Bloomington) offers the Wells Scholars Program. This scholarship covers the full cost of attendance for four years. Potential recipients can be nominated by their high schools, the admissions office, or an IU faculty member. Each year 18-22 students receive the award.

Michigan State University (East Lansing) offers the Alumni Distinguished Scholarship. Awarded to the top 15 candidates based on intellectual performance and participation in the MSU Alumni Distinguished Scholarship competition. Invitations to compete in the examination are sent to the most outstanding students who apply for admission by November 1. Renewable over eight semesters, these scholarships include tuition, fees, room and board (double occupancy in an MSU residence hall and silver meal plan), and $1,000 annually. Four of the 15 awards have special designations:
Baldwin Foundation Alumni Distinguished Scholarship
James E. Nordberg Distinguished Scholarship
Hanna M. Rasmussen Memorial Scholarship
Guy G. Speeker Alumni Distinguished Scholarship

The University of Pittsburgh offers the Chancellor’s Scholarship. Recipients receive full tuition, fees, room and board, a $500 stipend for books, and $2,000 for study abroad or research. Applicants must be nominated by the scholarship selection committee.

The University of Pittsburgh also has Diversity Scholarships. The university offers four named scholarships to applicants from underrepresented groups: one in engineering, one in arts and sciences, one in business, and one in nursing. Scholarships cover full tuition, fees, room and board, a $500 book award, and a $2,000 scholarship for research or study abroad.

The Ohio State University offers the Eminence Fellows Scholarship. This scholarship covers the full cost of attendance for four years, plus a $3,000 enrichment grant accessible after the first year of successful study. Recipients typically rank in the top three percent of their graduating classes and have an ACT composite score of 34 or higher or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing + Math score equivalent of 1520 or higher. Applicants must meet the November 1 early action deadline.

Carthage College (Kenosha, WI) offers the Lincoln Scholarship. This scholarship covers full tuition in addition to room and board. Applicants must complete the separate Presidential Scholarship application (usually available in October) and write a personal statement. Three scholarships are awarded each year.

Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago) offers the Duchossois Leadership Scholars Program. This scholarship covers full tuition, room and board, summer educational experiences, a fall retreat, and mentoring. You will need to have a GPA of at least 3.5 and standardized test scores in the top 10% nationally to be eligible. Students from households with income levels over $200,000 are ineligible. The application deadline is December 1.

Drake University (Des Moines, IA) offers the National Alumni Scholarship. This scholarship covers full tuition, fees, and room and board. To be eligible, students must have ACT scores of at least 31 or SAT scores of at least 1430, be in the top 5% of their high school classes, and have a GPA of 3.8 or above. A maximum of two scholarships are given out every year, and the deadline for submission is December 1.

@platypusomelette

REGION: SOUTH

UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University offer The Robertson. This scholarship covers full tuition, fees, and room and board, as well as funding for up to three domestic summer experiences. It is awarded to students who show purposeful leadership, intellectual curiosity, strength of character, and collaborative spirit.

UNC-Chapel Hill also offers the Morehead-Cain Scholarship. This scholarship covers full tuition, fees, housing, books, meals, books, a laptop, supplies, and funding for research and summer opportunities. It is open to students from a designated nominating school.

North Carolina State (Raleigh) offers the Park Scholarship which covers full tuition, fees, room and board, books, supplies, travel, a laptop, and personal expenses.

UNC - Charlotte offers the Levine Scholars Program. The four-year scholarship includes full tuition, room, board, a grant to implement a service project of the Scholar’s own design, and four summers of experiences that will develop leadership skills, social awareness and an international perspective. Students must demonstrate a commitment to community service, hold an academic record that reflects a sustained passion for knowledge, and possess a capacity for ethical leadership that elevates fellow students to a higher standard. The Levine Scholars Program awards scholarships to approximately 20 incoming freshmen each year. Students must be nominated by their high school counselors to apply.

Davidson College (Davidson, NC) offers the John M. Belk Scholarship. This scholarship covers full tuition, fees, room and board, and up to $3,000 in special study stipends. It is awarded to students who have demonstrated exceptional promise in academics, character, leadership, and service. Students must be nominated by a counselor or administrator. A maximum of eight awards are given every year.

Georgia Tech offers the Stamps President’s Scholars Program. This scholarship covers full tuition, fees, room and board, books, and $16,000 in enrichment funding. It is awarded to the top 1% of students at Georgia Tech who have also shown a dedication to leadership and service. To be considered, students must apply by the early application deadline, October 15.

The University of Georgia (Athens) offers the Foundation Fellowship. This scholarship covers full cost of attendance, several study abroad experiences, mentoring, and research and conference grants. The scholarship application is due in early November. To be eligible, applicants must have an unweighted GPA of at least 3.9 and an SAT score of 1470 or an ACT score of 32.

The University of Louisville offers the Brown Fellows Program. The scholarship pays for full tuition and housing; it also gives an allowance for books and up to $6,000 in enrichment funds. Selection is based on academics, well-roundedness, and leadership potential. Applicants need to submit supplementary materials, including an additional essay, and should have at least a 31 on the ACT or a 1420 on the SAT, as well as a minimum 3.5 GPA. Each year 10 scholarships are awarded.

Washington and Lee (Lexington, VA) offers The Johnson Scholarship. This scholarship covers full tuition and room and board, as well as $7,000 for summer experiences. Selection is based on academic and personal accomplishments, essays, and a performance at an in-person scholarship competition (travel expenses are paid by the university for all finalists). This scholarship is awarded to about 10% of each year’s incoming class.

The University of Richmond offers the Richmond Scholars. This scholarship covers full tuition, room and board, and faculty mentoring. In addition, it offers eligibility for priority course registration, tickets for cultural events at the Modlin Center for the Arts, and one-time eligibility for $3,000 in enrichment funds. Selection is based on several factors, including outstanding and engaged scholarship, commitment to the creation and discovery of new knowledge, leadership skills, service, excitement about learning from different types of people, and exceptional artistic talent. All applicants to the university who apply by December 1 are considered for the scholarship. A maximum of 25 awards are given out each year.

The University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA) offers The Jefferson Scholarship. This scholarship covers full tuition, fees, room and board, books, an enrichment program, and personal expenses. Students are nominated by his/her school directly (and must also attend an eligible school). A maximum of 36 scholarships are awarded each year.

Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC) offers The Richardson Family Scholarship. This scholarship covers full tuition, fees, room and board, a monthly stipend for books and miscellaneous expenses, a laptop, summer internships (one overseas), and a January travel experience.

Rollins College (Winter Park, FL) offers the Alfond Scholars Program. Every year this program awards up to 10 full-ride scholarships to incoming freshmen to the College of Liberal Arts. Each scholarship covers full tuition as well as room and board. Scholarships are renewable for up to four years. If invited to compete, you will be reimbursed for travel expenses up to $600; 1 night of lodging, and food for the day of the competition is paid for by Rollins. Application deadline is November 1.

I agree with looking at Mt Holyoke. Beautiful school and super strong academics. It would be a solid match/target for you. Not a reach at all.

@platypusomelette --Now that the current 12th graders have (presumably, for the most part) gotten the majority of their applications out, it might be a good time to set up an appointment with your school guidance counselor.

Your GC should be able to help you identify your preferences and sort through the enormous number of options you will have with your strong credentials.

My daughter is also an 11th grader and has just been officially assigned to her college guidance counselor. I believe she gets a sit-down appointment with this GC within the next month or so.

Until you get that opportunity, you might want to spend some time thinking about what is most important to you in a college and what kind of college you would ideally like to attend.

Best wishes to you!

Rice University as you are likely to get a full tuition scholarship as financial aid–no loans–if admitted.

Based on your current achievement, I think that some of the listed scholarships are out of reach for you. For example, Univ. of Georgia Foundation Fellows minimum standards stated are a pipe dream when compared to reality of to whom the scholarships are awarded. Georgia Tech Stamps has extremely high standards. And there is no indication in your posted info. that you would be a serious contender for the Robertson or Moorehead Cain awards. Great info. to have, but you need to be realistic as well as these scholarship apps often require a substantial time commitment in the application process. Also, the Belk Scholarship is unlikely.

Besides Rice University, consider large state university honors colleges which supply standards for automatic awards. The University of Alabama, South Carolina, Arizona State University Barrett Honors College, etc.(Ohio State University awards a lot of merit scholarships.)