My DD is a junior who has recently started her college search process.
Stats
-4.25 W GPA (will likely be around 4.4 by the end of the year)
-School doesn’t calculate unweighted GPA but she has mostly A’s with a couple A-'s. She’s doing well so far this year so it looks like she will maintain her grades.
-Class rank is just barely top 5%
-Two AP’s last year (AP Psych (4) and APUSH (4))
-Five APs this year: AP Calc BC, AP World, AP Spanish Language, AP Physics A, AP English Literature
-She has taken a fair number of honors
-She has taken the ACT twice and got 33 both times. Super scores to 34.
-She hasn’t taken subject tests yet but probably will.
Extracurriculars:
-Varsity soccer and softball (Will likely be captain next year for at least one, if not both)
-School newspaper (Will likely be editor)
-School literary magazine
-Math club
-She’s white and attends public school
-We live in Washington DC so we don’t have a particularly good in-state option but we do qualify for DC Tuition Assistance Grant which means that we get $10,000 a year off any OOS school.
In terms of cost, we might qualify for some financial aid, but if we don’t we’re willing to pay full tuition if she really likes the school. That being said, it would be nice if we found a public school she likes.
So far, she has decided that she wants a school in (or with easy access to) a city but wants the campus to feel separate from the city. She says she doesn’t care too much about size but has a slight preference for medium-sized schools. She’s not a big partier and would like a school where greek life doesn’t dominate the social scene. Really likes a sense of community and collaboration. She’s not entirely sure what she wants to study but she likes math and English.
How about Georgetown? Also look at BC, Villanova, William &Mary, Richmond (a little small but great school right next to cool city), Vanderbilt. 5k-10k students other than Richmond which is 3k. BC has no greek life, W&M pretty small. Vandy pretty big (not sure about Villanova). All great schools with close knit community and school spirit. A lot of focus on undergraduates so most (all at Richmond) teaching is done by professors, not TAs. Generally small classes including freshmen yr.
Thanks for the suggestions! I think Georgetown is a little too close to home for her but we will definitely look into the other ones. I have a niece who goes to William and Mary and loves it so DD is definitely applying there.
Your budget isn’t clear, you say your income may be low enough for FA but you can still afford to pay 40K/year for oos tuition at a public? savings?
Perhaps try publics with automatic or competitive merit scholarships: Alabama, Ole Miss, Pitt, Ohio State, U New Mexico, U Wyoming, Michigan State, U Colorado - Colorado Springs, etc.
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/
If you can talk her into taking the ACT again to reach for a solid 34 she stands a better chance at merit at Pitt. They do not superscore the ACT and so far the ACT 33 kids haven’t been awarded much merit. I would expect they will get 5-10L per year. 34 puts her more in the range of a possible $15K per year. So that with the 10K from the DC program would be solid.
Pitt does not have a dominant Greek scene but any kid looking to party will definitely find a way. Lots of other stuff to do though.
I would spend a little more time on making sure that you AND your DD understand your max acceptable out of pocket cost (including loans). Anything that you look at that is over that sticker price - her DC grant, must have a reasonable chance of getting merit or financial aid to considered. Bad thing happen when people fall in love with a school and then try to figure out how to pay for it. If you don’t believe me, go read this thread: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/2037733-pitt-or-alabama.html#latest
I second Pitt. I didn’t realize it was getting tougher for 33s, but if she can get the 34, that would be great. Tulane might also give her merit money, but shoot, is the DC tuition grant just for public schools? Miami University in OH would give her merit for sure. But it’s not in a city. The Barrett honors college at Arizona State is like a school within a school, both program wise and physically. They have their own compound, lol. It is highly ranked. Her costs would be @$25-26k BEFORE the $10k.
I think the DC TAP is only for OOS public schools. They may have changed it, but it was only public schools. Push William and Mary!
Tufts or Emory may fit her location criteria and Greek life isn’t dominant at either one. Also BC, UNC (very difficult OOS but she has good stats). Tulane might give her substantial merit but if she’s at all interested be sure to visit the school; some love the area and some hate it.
I meant to say that DC TAG is only for public schools. Sorry for any confusion.
Pitt looks like a really good option. I will suggest she take the ACT one more time. 15K in merit + DC TAG for a school that fits most of her criteria is very appealing. (I showed her a picture of the Cathedral of Learning and she was very excited because “it looks just like Hogwarts.”)
I’ve heard William and Mary is very competitive for OOS girls which makes me nervous but I really think it’s a good option for her.
I will definitely sit down with DD and her father to discuss finances though I have made it clear to her that she shouldn’t get excited about any one school.
I’m thinking public school honors colleges might be a good option for DD since they provide the small, close-knit community she likes. I’ve heard U South Carolina and ASU (as mentioned above) have good honors colleges.
A friend suggested UVM and College of Charleston which seem like good safety options for DD. This friend’s son got 15K a year at Macalester (and is happily attending) so I’ve been looking into it. Seems like it’s the type of school that would appeal to her. Not sure if her stats would get her much merit aid at Mac though.
Tufts and Emory seem like really good options. I will sit down with DD’s dad to run the net price calculator at each.
I will look into the rest of the schools. Thank you all so much for the suggestions.