<p>Umm I didn’t spend ~4 years of my life arduously and ardently working every night to go to a community college or a cal state. Also, I did not get a 2200 just to satisfy my egocentricity, I studied for it on my own to actually have a chance at the schools I was looking at. If I have no other option then to go to UCLA (most people in my school get accepted to UCLA and USC, more so UCLA) then I will just have to get a job and take out some loans.</p>
<p>But in no way I am going to stoop down to a community college where most of the students I know have not even taken the SAT and barely passed high school with a 1.0 something GPA.</p>
<p>I’m probably overreacting (since you did not really state anything about attending a CC, but rather, implied it), but I already go to a community college (dual classes) and I don’t like it at all. Nobody does anything, and my professor thinks I am a genius just because I do all the homework, of which the whole class just blatantly ignores.</p>
<p>^ YES. Thank you. See my desperation? If I applied to all of these schools, then that increases my chances into getting at least one of them. And all of those wonderful schools spew of need based financial aid. So, why not?</p>
<p>This has been talked about to death on cc. It might help you to read some of the old threads. </p>
<p>Use QB, and read up on the schools that you are considering, so that you can write a pointed essay as to why its the right school for you. Spreading yourself out too thin applying to that many schools will likely show.</p>
<p>I had a couple friends who applied to 13-15 schools this past year, and in the end, it just wasn’t worth it. I know it’s hard to knock schools of the list, but I’d try to get down to 7 or 8, tops. Have one or two safeties, a few reaches, and some good matches - but make sure you’d be at least reasonably happy attending all the schools you apply to; no sense sending an app if you don’t want to go there (unless you have absolutely no safeties).</p>
<p>I know two people who applied to about 20-ish schools and they got to accepted to all of them. They also applied to a whole bunch of scholarships and were stressed as hell, but I’m not sure how you would deal with this many applications.</p>
<p>I agree with jym626, some of the colleges are very different from each other. Do you have a preference on the school population? Where it is at? Have you visited some of the campuses? Any preferences on diversity? Do you like competitive colleges? etc.</p>
<p>These questions may or may not narrow down you list, but do beware, the college apps take a lot of time and effort. :0</p>
<p>No preferences on diversity, I’m okay with anything. A large population would be nice, but maybe I would not like it, so medium is okay, which kind of rules out Williams doesn’t it. I’ll be visiting Harvey Mudd and Williams this fall. I already have visited Stanford, Columbia, USC, UCLA,…the campuses all seem very nice, I could definitely see myself in them. </p>
<p>Lol I applied to like 20+ scholarships my junior year, and I was so stressed. But to be honest, I liked it, I had something to do every day.</p>
<p>I’ve talked with my counselor one on one, (which I’m sure you have done, too :)), and he has recommended a set 10 colleges I should apply to.
Choose ten you <em>really</em> see yourself attending and really <em>want</em> to attend and perhaps you can also consider location and college size? For example, I am applying to colleges only on the west coast because I live in Alaska, and traveling is a pain…
So, choose 10 and I wish you luck!! Good back-up choices, by the way.</p>
<p>Just apply to all of the California community colleges, and hope you get lucky! Make sure to meet the deadlines, don’t procrastinate, and keep working at a fairly easy pace-Nonchalantly
JK, Good luck!!</p>
<p>CA Community colleges? I always had the impression that they were very easy to get into. I mean, I go to one that practically accepts anybody. :0</p>
<p>California community colleges are easy to get into because they admit everyone.</p>
<p>However, courses at some California community colleges may be difficult to get into due to budget cuts leaving them to offer fewer spaces in those courses than students want to take.</p>
<p>If you have the time and energy to apply to them all, go for it. The more you apply to, the better chance you have of getting into one.</p>
<p>Just make sure you’d actually want to go to each of the schools you apply to. I applied to like 16 schools and later realized I wasn’t really even considering about 7 of them, regardless of how much money they offered. Typically someone truly interested in a school like Williams would not be truly interested in a school like CalTech, but maybe you are.</p>
<p>By the way, being low income doesn’t mean you’ll be showered in aid and paying for college won’t be an issue.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t apply to more than 10 schools unless you’re applying to direct med programs. It’s a waste of money and effort.</p>
<p>A good bet is one financial safety, one other safety (or a second financial safety), and the rest a mix of matches and reaches depending on your interests and the beastliness of your application.</p>
<p>Speaking of safeties, OP, which of those schools is your true safety? Note well: A safety isn’t a safety if you can’t afford it.</p>
<p>One easy way to cut the list down is to narrow down the super-reaches. For example, do you really need to apply to the entire Ivy League? Pick one.</p>
<p>You really must get it down to 8 or 10. Otherwise, you look like you’re either desperate or indecisive. You can’t possibly turn in that many high-quality applications, and for those schools, your app must be stellar.</p>
<p>@Pancaked: My passion is art history and science which accounts for the interests in Williams and Cal Tech. Well, if I get accepted to a good school who guarantees aid by need, then why should I be worried? I don’t have anything on my name. Look, maybe you come from a mid to high income background and do not realize that there are families out there who make 20,000 a year and below. </p>
<p>@RedSeven: Direct med programs? </p>
<p>@LasMa: I made this point earlier. I obviously can not pay for tuition, and I did not spend my entire high school career to go to some community college because of my inabilities to pay up. I am certainly not obnoxious by applying to the entire ivy league, I just want to make sure that I have a reasonable chance in getting into a school who will abide by my needs. Is it wrong to think like this? I don’t think any of you understand what kind of situation QB applicants are in.</p>
<p>You’re right, I know very little about Questbridge. But just looking at the website, their National College Match program partners with some of the most selective schools in the country to meet 100% of your demonstrated need with scholarship money. If you’ve applied to this program and been accepted, I’m not clear on why cost is an issue. </p>
<p>Something you need to know about the word “aid.” When a college promises to meet demonstrated need for non-QB students, that usually includes loans, sometimes hefty loans. </p>
<p>By the way, this attitude of entitlement:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>… is not going to serve you well. There are many more bright, highly-qualified students out there than there are slots at the top-tier colleges. Those of us who are just a little higher up the economic ladder are bearing a heavy burden to send our kids to college. I don’t begrudge you this opportunity – in fact, I am very glad that you have it. But please, don’t act like the universe owes you an Ivy League education on a silver platter. Have a little humility and gratitude.</p>
