<p>You definitely need to apply to some UC schools. They have been very generous to instate 0 EFC kids. </p>
<p>Those can be some of your reach/match schools. </p>
<p>In addition, you need to apply to some top elite schools that meet need without big loans…the ivies, Stanford, etc. </p>
<p>Are you a URM?</p>
<p>I’m an ORM, unfortunately. Hopefully my writing EC’s stand out a little from all the other Asians 
I’ll apply to a few top colleges, but it’s a really low chance, because I’m an Asian from CA lol.</p>
<p>I’m trying to fit in a few matches and safeties that I love. I just can’t seem to decide right now.</p>
<p>Apply to U of Pittsburgh early. They have rolling decision and gives out automatic full tuition scholarship to anyone with SAT over a certain point. I can’t remember what the exact cutoff is but I think you definitely made it with your SAT score. Pittsburgh also make the admission decision relatively quickly so if accepted, as you most likely will be, you’ll be able to have a financial safety in hand as you apply for more selective schools. If not Pittsburgh, you can pick any of the other colleges that give out automatic full ride scholarships.</p>
<p>Also, apply to Harvard as well :)! My family is kind of low income as well and I was offered almost full ride financial aid (Parental contribution 0, student contribution 1500 which I will be able to cover with scholarship, and a 2500 work study)- the best financial aid package out of all of the schools to which I was accepted.</p>
<p>You will probably be awarded Regents at most (if not all) of the UCs. With an EFC of $0, that means you will probably get a free ride.</p>
<p>Make sure you apply to some of the mid-tier UCs such as UCD, UCI, UCSB along with UCB, UCLA, UCSD.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read, there is a program at Duke that allows you to go to school there for free if your annual income is below 50k. I don’t know all the details, but you can look into that.</p>
<p>Your stats are a lot higher than mine. My parents’ made about 80k and Carnegie Mellon gave me about 36k in FA. I think thats pretty good and they may give you more</p>
<p>Looks like OP is in the Yale class of '15.</p>
<p>Yes, I was accepted to Yale :)</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice.</p>