<p>The guaranteed admission schools (presuming an application is made and senior year classes completed well) for ELC qualifies students are : Merced, Riverside, Davis, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz.</p>
<p>IIRC, ELC students stand a 60% chance of admission to LA, 66% to Cal and 86% to San Diego (per last year’s admission stats.)</p>
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<p>Assuming her rank is high, with a couple more ACT points she’d be in range for schools like Vandy which has no loans. And there are many good need based aid schools that cap loans at a reasonable amount.</p>
<p>If it were my kids I’d rather they take $20K in loans than go to the level of school that would give that much merit aid.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>I don’t think the issue is $20k in loans…I think the issue might be $50-80k in loans or more. For her major, it’s not worth it for her to end up with student loan payments of $600-800 per month for 10 years. I realize that you’re in a different financial situation; you could write such a check without much thought if your kids couldn’t pay off their loans.</p>
<p>Yes, a couple more ACT points would be nice (and heck, 3-4 more points would be better!), but that’s easier said than done at this late in the game. And that’s only if the school would accept a score from after the first of the year because it could take a few more attempts to get an ACT 32. For Vandy’s regular admission, the last preferred ACT test date is Dec 12.</p>
<p>It’s very difficult to raise an ACT by 2 points. There are many kids here on CC that have tried. They’ll get increases in one or two sections, but go down in others. So, they’ll end up with the same composite. Yes, it can be done, but not all can do it. My son helped a kid go from an ACT 26 to an ACT 31, but that is unusual.</p>
<p>An ACT 30 is 96th percentile
An ACT 32 is 99th percentile</p>
<p>While the OP’s D could certainly attempt increasing her ACT score next month for schools like Vandy, she can’t rely on that. At this point, she couldn’t even be sure of getting seated to take the test in Dec. Either way, she needs to also assume that such an increase may not happen and have some options for that instance.</p>
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<p>I wonder how they calculate these stats. Because a student who is eligible statewide may also be eligible ELC and may also be eligible by exam only (a top student at a top school with a top test score). Does this stat include such students? Or does this mean only the students elgible ELC who are not otherwise eligible? Just curious.</p>
<p>If that makes any sense at all.</p>
<p>^^ I haven’t a clue. The UC brochure that S received upon notification of his ELC status didn’t answer any of your above questions. In any event, my S is fortunately at the top 1% of his class of roughly 520, at a reasonable “suburban” HS that sends about 3-5 to Ivies and equivalent each year, and another like amount get accepted to Berkeley and LA.</p>
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<p>Not possible at the schools we’re talking about here that meet need and cap loans. Loans only get that high if the parents can’t meet their EFC and they borrow or have the kids take private loans to cover their share.</p>
<p>The OP sounds like they can meet their EFC.</p>
<p>And actually, OT’s will make a lot more money right out of school than most.</p>
<p>Yes, but that means more loans for grad school. I think the idea is minimalize loans for undergrad, because loans will be likely for OT school. I imagine loans to become an OT would run about $80k-100k. </p>
<p>Not possible at the schools we’re talking about here that meet need and cap loans. Loans only get that high if the parents can’t meet their EFC and they borrow or have the kids take private loans to cover their share.</p>
<p>I don’t know what schools that you’re “talking about here.” I’ve only really seen schools suggested that would require higher ACT scores - such as Vandy. Which other schools have you been talking about here that would be either very low loan or no loan (for undergrad)?</p>
<p>Most of the good private colleges, the ones popular with the CC crowd, cap student loans or no longer require any. Some base the no loan policy on income, and $80K is considered low income at many.</p>
<p>^^^
I think the OP wants names of schools that her D’s current stats would be good enough and wouldn’t require many loans…</p>
<p>[The</a> New York Times > Education > Image > Tuition Free, Loan Free, Debt Free](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/04/20/education/edlife/20essay2.ready.html]The”>The New York Times > Education > Image > Tuition Free, Loan Free, Debt Free)</p>
<p>Reading through this thread, I started thinking about the University of San Francisco - USF - …they have a “University Scholar” program that your daughter’s stats would likely to qualify for…however, I pulled up their sight and the deadline was Nov 15! If interested, perhaps you can call them ask if it’s even feasable to still be considered. It’s about $20,000/yr renewable scholarship. It’s a Jesuit school & they value service to community a great deal. might be worth a call if interested. . .</p>
<p>Cal Poly is an excellent school. My daughter loved it and it was high on her list. The only draw back is the student must choose their major when applying, and it’s particularly difficult to change majors in Engineering and Architecture. My d was a bit unsure of her major and feared not having the option to change.</p>
<p>Excellent advice. She, in fact, applied to the University of Alabama on her own. Had no idea she was doing that until she asked for my credit card number. Very easy app! My husband is not thrilled with her applying to a school in Alabama. Oh, well! She can attend there for around $20,000 TOTAL, with all expenses thanks to a 2/3 academic scholarship.</p>
<p>Then tonight, lo and behold, she finished her USC app. and essays. The website wasn’t working, though, so hopefully, she can get it in tomorrow. AND I think we convinced her to apply to a few UCs. My husband basically told her what you and others have here—it doesn’t hurt to apply, especially if she has a decent chance to get into the ones she applies to. I think getting those essays written was a big issue. Finally she allowed us to brainstorm with ideas and I actually think it helped! So, we shall see! At this point she’s got 6 apps. done. All but one of those submitted. The UCs to finish (if she decides to apply) and two privates to do next month (due January 1.) That should give her about eleven…maybe twelve if she adds another school. </p>
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<p>QUOTE:</p>
<p>Since she’s fishing for a college now, it’s a good idea to cast her net widely and then she can decide later after she sees what she ‘catches’. It’s getting late to apply to some of these colleges - the deadlines are approaching (next week for the UCs). She still apparently doesn’t really know where she wants to go. A good approach might be - </p>
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<li><p>Apply to the UCs. Check the boxes of each UC she might remotely decide to attend between now and when she needs to commit. Relative to the cost of college the extra $70 or so per checkbox is insignificant. It doesn’t take that long to fill out the app. it’s worth the hour or whatever of her time to fill it out.</p></li>
<li><p>Apply to any CSUs she’s might remotely decide to attend.</p></li>
<li><p>Apply to the OOS publics and any privates she might be interested in (within reason on number) including some of those you’re receiving advice on here if they look appealing to her. </p></li>
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<p>Discuss with her that these applications are not a commitment. It’s just an application to see what results. Once all the results are in then she (and you and H) can get more serious about narrowing down what are now her choices. She needs to realize that her outlook on any of these colleges plus or minus can change between now and commit time. It would be short-sighted of her to limit her options too severely at this point.</p>