I know you commented on my other thread, that shows my current uni offer of financial aid (and they aren’t meeting full need). We did the same non-custodial parent fill out there and got that offer. I don’t live with my mom nor does she contribute to my college in any way whatsoever. As long as the cost of attendance isn’t more than what Syracuse is charging me, the college is acceptable for my budget, according to my parents.
Here’s a list of colleges that claim to meet 100% of demonstrated need:
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2015/09/14/colleges-that-report-meeting-full-financial-need
LACs on the list that seem to meet your criteria,and where you might have a shot at admission, include:
Bates
Colorado College
College of the Holy Cross
Grinnell
Macalester
Oberlin
Occidental
Pitzer
All of these would be reaches, I think, due to your GPA and rank.
Occidental Median uGPA: 3.68
Occidental Median SAT: 1940
Bates Median uGPA: 3.70
Bates Median SAT: 2043
Colorado College Median uGPA: 3.66
Colorado College Median SAT: 1996
Grinnell Median uGPA: 3.72
Grinnell Median SAT: 2017
Macalaster Median uGPA: 3.74
Macalaster Median SAT: 2062
Oberlin Median uGPA: 3.65
Oberlin Median SAT: 1991
Pitzer Median uGPA: 3.69
Pitzer Median SAT: 1997
I don’t think that these schools are absolute reaches… I mean I have SAT score 100-150 above their average and a GPA .2-.3 below their average. I feel like I’d be an average student at most of these, albeit below the bar at a few (Grinnell and Macalaster) but does that mean I shouldn’t try or that they’re not matches?
The issue is that for an unhooked applicant the bottom 50% doesn’t apply. YOUR average is the top 25 percentile because your comparison group is the unhooked group only.
They’re reaches, even big reaches for some. So, you should try but be aware odds are low. You need to find two affordable safeties you like (50%+ acceptance rate, your GPA is above top 25%) and 3-5 affordable matches (ie., acceptance rate above 40% and your GPA is around the top 25% threshold) .
Run net price calculators on all colleges.
What you’re missing in the above post is the acceptance rate. None of these schools are totally out of reach but they aren’t necessarily matches either. Pitzer had an acceptance rate in 2014 of 14% - it could have dropped to single digits by now. Similarly Colorado College has an acceptance rate in the teens. That would make these two school reaches for you. They will have received many more applications from stronger students. Grinnell, Bates and Oberlin probably have acceptance rates in the 20s - that also make them at least low reaches. They are reasonable reaches but I hesitate to call them matches because (unfortunately) of your GPA. Macalester may have higher acceptance rate (30s?) but it also looks like that school has the highest median score/GPA. Occidental appears to the the sole solid match because of your higher than median SAT score and acceptance rate over 40%.
Macalester, Kenyon, Holy Cross, Connecticut College, Bates. I wouldn’t be worried about the Greek life factor at Kenyon - the vibe there is very balanced and decidedly not “animal house”/“frat-y”. It is, obviously, however in a very rural environment.
A number of applicants get a boost for being legacy, recruited athlete, or URM. Those boosts are especially good for ED applicants. Most of these schools consider need, so financial need is also going to hurt you. So as an “average” for an accepted student with financial need and no hook means you will be held to a higher standard, or you’ll have a smaller chance if you’re a borderline applicant.
I would check out Colleges that Change Lives schools, as your financial need is great and your GPA is less competitive. Either go to their website ctcl.org or get the book by Loren Pope. These are intellectually vibrant places that are geared towards developing the B/B+ student. Your stats would be on the higher end, therefore increasing your chances of obtaining some merit money. Lawrence, Beloit, and Clark might be good choices if you don’t want to be in a tiny isolated rural town. Denison (small town but close to Columbus; has frats but less dominant than in the past) and Dickinson might be worth a try (smallish county seat in Central PA). Dickinson is very good for politics and study abroad. College of Wooster is a good school, small rural town but certainly no smaller than Grinnell, IA.
Kenyon, Oberlin, Grinnell, Macalester, Connecticut College, Colorado College, and Bates are all likely to be reaches for you. A match is someplace that has an admit rate of 50% or higher and where your statistics fall above the midpoint of their admissions pools. If you’d like an idea of the kind of students that are accepted/rejected, do a search for the college name plus RD and you can get a decent idea of your chances.
Be sure to factor in transportation costs from TX in your financial calculations.
Is your GPA at graduation likely to be higher than that 3.4? If so, that might expand your options.