I know kids are often referred to their Naviance. But many of us always encourage hopeful to also look at what the colleges themselves say, recent figures, as things can change. You can look at the the UMass Common Data Set or 2012-13, search for gpa and SAT: <a href=“http://www.umass.edu/oapa/publications/cds/common_data_set_2012.pdf”>http://www.umass.edu/oapa/publications/cds/common_data_set_2012.pdf</a> (That’s actual freshmen; of course many kids are accepted, then choose to go elsewhere. For comparative purposes, you can also look at previous years. And run through this for all your targets. I am not trying to discourage you, just encourage you to get as full a picture as you can.
UMass does not apper to be need blind, an you say your family can afford the tuition, room/board and fees. But understand that colleges may note that your essay is about hard circumstances. Just try to be aware of the various factors different schools look at.
@lookingforward thank you for the helpful tips! I’ll be sure to look at the whole picture. Also, I need to look at which schools will give me the proper services I need to succeed. I’d have to prove a need for it, though.
FSU is not a match, but a reach, because it’s very difficult to get into from OOS.
Bing is more residential than Stony Brook and less party-prone than Albany but less residential than Geneseo.
Can you find better safeties than Rider and Stetson?
BIG UPDATE #2:
After having some time to rethink my list, I realized that Florida State was the odd school out. Since I’ve yet to send my SAT scores to those three extra schools, I figured it was time to make a big change. UNC-Wilmington is back on my list! It has all the perks of any Florida school without the downsides, and it’s just a far better fit than FSU. I’ll be more than happy to send them my SAT score
Pace University called me a few days ago, explaining the differences between their two campuses and going in depth with their International Business major. It was completely out of the blue, and I was flattered by the fact that they took time to call my number, but they’ve been an afterthought for several months now. I’m afraid that their call wasn’t enough for me to consider sending them my SAT score.
FINAL college list:
University of Massachusetts Amherst (match, EA)
Northeastern University (reach, RD)
Bentley University (reach, RD)
University of North Carolina Wilmington (match, EA)
Syracuse University (low reach, RD)
Quinnipiac University (low match, RD/Rolling, Priority Status)
Hofstra University (low match, EA)
Stetson University (low match, Rolling, Significant Student Status)
Rider University (safety, EA)
So, with the application season only a few days away…any predictions on where I might end up? I’d love to hear everyone’s opinion
You should consider whether your family situation will affect where you go.
Can your family afford to send you out-of-state? Do you plan to work while attending college?
I wish you the best of luck, but be careful about the “being homeless” vs. “but I can attend an out-of-state school and live on campus” dichotomy. (I do know some students who get on-campus housing and have their families live with them by the way)
So impressed Ibad96. My daughter was cranking along on the application until she got to all those supplemental essays. Can’t believe you got it all done!
@rhandco surprisingly, my family’s financial situation actually has zero bearing on whether or not I can go out of state full pay. My dad used to have a very well-paying job in NYC when I was a toddler, enabling him to have a HUGE college fund stored for me (in the hopes that I’d attend an Ivy). My apologies if I wasn’t clear enough previously.
@Momzie Thank you!! Although it must be said that I was expecting a short personal statement to appear on the Common App for UMass. It wasn’t there. Still patiently waiting for UNCW and Hofstra to release their questions.
^what about “my family used to be homeless due to the financial crisis but we’re coming back strong and I have a college fund”? Would a kid with dramatically different circumstances at two moments in his life write about it in the “additional info” or should the guidance counselor write about it?
@MYOS1634 forgot to write it in additional info when applying to my first three schools. I’ll either let the GC write about that or contact the schools myself.
OP, this is a bit confusing – nearly homeless yet HUGE college fund (enough for an Ivy)? Reading your posts it did strike me that very little attention was being paid to financial aid. Unless you have $200,000 in your college fund, money will be an issue. Besides, when spent, it will leave you nothing for grad school.
UMass and Bing will charge you out-of-state tuition.
Your stats are not high enough for merit aid, not that I know of (others may have more info).
Why don’t you retake the SATs? You would still have time.
I appreciate the fact that you are allowing us to enter this process with you. Good luck!
@momcinco yes, we were homeless despite my large fund. We had a struggling business (family salon/barber shop) that wasn’t bringing any money in to us, and we eventually had a large debt from it. It became so much that we struggled to pay the rent at our most recent apartment before suffering eviction in early 2013. And although my parents haven’t yet told me how much is in my CF, they have assured me that I don’t have to worry about aid.
I’ve decided to not apply to Bing; I chose Syracuse as its replacement. I am also perfectly content with my SAT score as it is. But thank you for your comment! Stay tuned
Hi OP, thanks for checking in. Sorry to hear about the difficult time your family went thru, and so glad to know that things are looking up. I cn say from experience that when a family has had a hard time and then a kid goes to school with great financial aid, it will give your entire family so much hope for the future.
Just a thought – since you are entering senior year, you might want to talk numbers with your folks. It can be surprising how high colelge costs are, once you figure in books, fees, etc. Even $200 K will not fully cover 4 years at many private schools! I am thinking that as you do net price calculators and start dealing with hard facts, it would be helpful to have your financial info as precise as possible.
The reason this is so crucial is that your strategy might change depending on whether need-based or merit-based aid is your best bet.
BIG UPDATE #3: I was on the phone with my regional rep for UNC Wilmington a few hours ago. I talked to her about lots of things. First, I told her welcome back after she had been sick for a while. She said that my application (thankfully) wouldn’t be affected by the link that somehow slithered its way into my Why UNCW short answer (my app had become corrupted after I sent it), but she’d call me telling me to email that part of the app if it didn’t get through.
She said that interest is indeed considered at UNCW and they love to see that a student really wants to attend, but it wouldn’t be a massive determining factor. At UNCW, visiting, calling, emailing, and checking the app online is considered interest. She detailed that they look at GPA, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, and the two essays. She stated that OOS students tend to have lower GPAs because NC has a lot of grade inflation. She detailed everything about the campus life; the warmness and affection of the students and faculty, the smaller class sizes which make it ideal for professor interaction, attention, and accessibility, the wonderful campus food (she’s still on a meal plan), the school sports and spirit, and of course the location. I said that it all seems absolutely fantastic. I also gave her and the rest of the university my condolences on the recent death of one of their staff members to colon cancer.
Lastly, she mentioned that a great time to visit is Seahawk Saturday on 9/20, which offers a more in-depth tour than a regular visit. I told her that UNCW is one of my top choices, and that I definitely plan on visiting as soon as I possibly can, preferably Seahawk Saturday, and she said that she would love to see me on campus that day to put a face to my name on the application. This was my third call to UNC Wilmington in as many weeks, and my first mutual interaction with my regional rep. I hope that I’m going about this the right way
It is to your benefit to go on campus and check out what is going on, and talk to alumni reps as much as possible. My son was considering both UMCP and UMBC, and when he went to the campuses, he hated them and crossed them off his list early junior year. He also crossed another college off his list based solely on the alumni rep who creeped him out…
Be careful though - although some schools are big into personal interactions, do it only for your own edification because when it comes down to it, you don’t know who makes the ultimate admissions decision. I went on a job interview with a big pharma company, and the interviewer and I hit it off extremely well, we talked about the job opening, the company, my background, and everything was great. Too bad I didn’t get a second interview. Point being, do what you think is best, but the same strategy may not work everywhere.
I would not mention that you have a big college fund when you are talking to colleges. There are most definitely colleges that will tell you anything you want to hear if you can pay them in full without FA.
PS - <em>please</em> make sure your parents have enough for at least some of your choices. If they won’t tell you, you may be very sadly surprised. It is very hard to wrap my mind around, as a parent, that we will be paying $200,000 for four years of college. To have been able to save that much money is nigh impossible. Another thing to check with your parents - what is the college fund? Is it a 529? If it is NOT an approved college fund, it may get your parents into some trouble if they were “saving it” yet otherwise were taking losses on their business (or not paying rent to your relatives who took you in).
or similar searches may help. The money really needs to be in your parents’ name or in a specific college savings program for you to get any help you might need.
BIG UPDATE #4: After much deliberation, contemplation, and coercion, I have decided to apply to my in-state flagship, Rutgers-New Brunswick. My dad and a close friend were both trying to convince me to apply nearly endlessly, and I finally began considering it this week before officially deciding to apply there on Friday. I figured, if I’m applying to an OOS flagship, why not apply to my own? Besides, I always said to myself that if I were to stay in-state, I’d attend Rutgers. It debuts as my sixth choice, and I’m definitely applying Early Action.
I also applied to Quinnipiac last Saturday. Crazy how it entered April as my first choice, now it’s slipped to seventh!
