NE schools with good merit + financial aid

Parents Forum
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<p>Okay, third time posting this, but with major updates to give more info. </p>

<p>I live with my mom (who might go on her 2nd round of disability/"light duty" from her nursing job) and younger sister. Mom can only contribute about $5,000/year to my schooling. </p>

<p>I am currently a HS JR, and have taken & enjoyed courses in AP Calculus(I love math) and will take AP Psychology, which I look forward to. I would like to be a computer scientist (analyst, programmer, cryptographer, etc) and double major in cognitive science, neuroscience, or psychology (potentially computer engineering as the main major with computer science and one of the sciences as a minor if available.)
My current GPA is 3.97/4.0 UW. Ranked 6/272. I am an under-represented minority student.</p>

<p>My SAT from Cct is 1940/2400, 1290/1600 CR+M, but I am taking it again in May, the ACT in April, and subject tests in June. </p>

<p>My mom wants me to live within a 4-5 hour drive of home and has approved the following list of schools she would like me to apply to (she allowed Duke, although it's out of the driving time window.):</p>

<p>MIT, Yale, Cornell, UMass, Northeastern, Boston University, Wesleyan (CT), Rutgers, Wellesley, Smith, RPI, and Duke. </p>

<p>I would like any suggestions on how reasonable and balanced this list is, particularly to have a financial safety school or two, so I can be sure I will be able to attend SOME school.</p>

<p>Thanks for any help and insights on this.</p>

<p>(thanks to HImom for the template.)</p>

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<p>Are you in Mass? That could possibly make UMass a financial safety, right? If somewhere else, do you have a state school option?</p>

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<p>Is your dad in the picture? The most generous schools with need based aid generally require financial info from the non custodial parent. </p>

<p>Have you considered Questbridge? </p>

<p>Check out this chart if you haven’t already: [Project</a> on Student Debt: What’s the Bottom Line?](<a href=“http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/ncoa_chart.php]Project”>http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/ncoa_chart.php)</p>

<p>If you apply to Wellesley (and I think you should… not that I’m biased or anything) you should do early evaluation. The deadline’s earlier, but it’s non binding, and the acceptance rates are higher for early evaluation than regular decision. Have you looked at Mount Holyoke/ Bryn Mawr? </p>

<p>I don’t know what Rutger’s merit scholarships look like, but they are not going to give a lot/ any need based financial aid to an out of state student.</p>

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<p>Are you male or female and would you go to a single gender U? What state do you live in? Agree that you should check out <a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/;[/url]”>http://www.questbridge.org/;&lt;/a&gt; your HS GC should have more info and be able to help you with this.</p>

<p>Does your father live with you? Are your parents married? These issues can affect FAid applications & expected contributions from you & your family.</p>

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<p>Thanks to all.
We dont financially qualify for Questbridge (too much.)</p>

<p>I’m a female, and I have two single sex schools on my list (vista Moho, didn’t like the area; Wellesley has the MIT connection and smith has engineering, so those are major pluses.)</p>

<p>I live in CT. Did not like UCONN, and it wouldn’t be financial safety because of low scholarships for IS students (will check up on scholarship info.)</p>

<p>For UMass, I’ve seen that my GPA/scores are within the accepted students range (even greatly above sometimes, from students stats on CC and their website.) Maybe I’ll get merit. I qualify for the New England Regional Scholarship ($3k more than in state tuition.)</p>

<p>Father not on picture (never was) I already printer out several schools’ NCP waiver forms. Have a notarized letter from state govt saying they cannot find him either. </p>

<p>It’s just my mom, myself, and younger sister. Parents never married. </p>

<p>I’m planning on applying to Wellesley under EE :)</p>

<p>Thanks again, I hope I’ve clarified some things</p>

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<p>Check out the Jesuit schools.
[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.ajcunet.edu/index.aspx?bid=55]Map[/url”&gt;http://www.ajcunet.edu/index.aspx?bid=55]Map[/url</a>]</p>

<p>I know you want to limit yourself to schools within a 4-5 hour drive, but my son has received some great merit money from the following Jesuit schools: Seattle, Loyola Chicage, Xavier, and Marquette. There are others closer like Holy Cross, fairfield and Fordham. It might be worth the application fee if they give you a lot of money. I think you would be an attractive candidate to any of the tech schools as a female.</p>

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<p>Northeastern is generous with merit aid.</p>

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<p>Mamom- I do not want to limit myself to a 4-5 hour drive, I’d go to California if I could :)</p>

<p>It’s my mom’s rules, which I can’t go against. She only allowed duke because we have family close by. </p>

<p>We live in proximity to Fairfield U, didn’t like it, but I’ll do a tour still. And she said no to NYC/that surrounding area :(</p>

<p>(I had Columbia and Barnard on my list.)</p>

<p>Thanks Vitrac I’ll look into NEU scholarships.</p>

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<p>RE: Northeastern is generous with merit aid. </p>

<p>Well seriously now, NEU your BEST case merit aid is 20K (you don’ have the stats for trustee scholarship). So 20K sounds like a lot but that leave 30K left of which you’ll probably not get much if any financial aid beyond that.</p>

<p>UMass you probably won’t get much FA beyond Adams scholarship (worth 1.7K/yr).</p>

<p>Being URM and decent stats you probably can find best deal at some private school. I’d recommend investing some money into a SAT prep course. You get those SATs up to 2200+ and you’ll be in an great position for free tuition and maybe full rides to many schools.</p>

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<p>Thanks, yeah I heard NEU was a more merit aid school. </p>

<p>I don’t have $ for a prep course, but I prep on my own and increased my score ~200 points each time</p>

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<p>Foo-I think she will get more from UMass than 1.7.
CPU-An SAT prep is worth the investment</p>

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<p>Thank you Vitrac.</p>

<p>I’ll try and see, but it’s hard to explain when I can’t do things because I literally DON’T have money. Or time because I take classes at community College too. </p>

<p>I’ll try to take one this summer. But I dont know if I’ll be able to take the SAT again because I have to take subject tests in October again, so hopefully the SAT I is in September</p>

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<p>Study for the PSAT and hope you get a National Merit Scholarship. I also suggest you consider RIT. Ask Carnegie Mellon if they have any merit aid (they have some, but it is very limited). Cornell and Penn are known to give good financial aid packages.</p>

<p>I think your best bet is to continue to do your best in school, study for the PSAT which is the first step beginning to see if you get National Merit, start one or two new clubs or become president of clubs at school (leadership is important), find something computer related to do over the summer.</p>

<p>Ours is not the same situation as yours, but younger son took community college courses in the summer which I think helped with the college acceptances.</p>

<p>My point is the best overall application will yield the most merit aid pending availability. Look at all of your state schools.</p>

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<p>Thank you ^ I Am a junior, so I already took the PSATs an did not get NMSF or anything. </p>

<p>I’ll check into other schools (Carnegie like you suggested) but my limits are still northeastern schools, not farther than MA on either side, and not NYC. </p>

<p>I know it’s difficult but they are not my rules and I don’t want to challenge my mother and cause arguments.</p>

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<p>CPU - I think colleges will love you! I also think your attitude toward your mother’s boundaries is great. She has obviously raised a wonderful, smart, and hard working daughter.</p>

<p>I understand that you really don’t. have. the. money for SAT prep course. Have you found silverturtle’s guide here on CC? People swear by it. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/955109-silverturtles-guide-sat-admissions-success.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/955109-silverturtles-guide-sat-admissions-success.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also, academichacker’s guide to scoring high on the essay - <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/645763-how-write-12-essay-just-10-days.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/645763-how-write-12-essay-just-10-days.html&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>You can probably get a practice SAT book (the one from college board) out of the library and do a couple practice tests. </p>

<p>I agree with people who think working on raising your SAT score will benefit you, because your GPA is so high.</p>

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<p>You have a reach-heavy list of prospective colleges. I’d categorize the following schools as reaches: MIT, Yale, Duke, Cornell, Wesleyan, Wellesley and Smith.</p>

<p>You have a decent shot at: Northeastern, RPI, BU and Rutgers. UMASS is a safety IMO. </p>

<p>The problem with Rutgers is that as an out-of-state student you are likely to have to come up with $32,000 a year. BU financial aid is unpredictable. About half the students who apply for need-based aid have their need – or rather what BU says is their need – fully met. RPI and Northeastern might be your best bet for sizeable merit aid, but they are very expensive schools and you’d want that gap closed as much as possible with need-based aid.</p>

<p>In addition to doing what you are doing to improve your academic profile you might look at some good schools where your stats will put you in the 75th+ percentile (Clark University comes to mind) or which are less reachy and claim to meet 100% of need (Trinity?). I would also suggest that you and your mother sit down at the computer and run your income and assets figures through a financial aid calculator like the one at finaid.org. The sooner you know what the government says your family can afford – which may be much different than what your mother says she can afford – the better you can gauge the relative value of prospective financial aid offers.</p>

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<p>CPU… if your mother can’t fund $500 to a SAT prep course then she’s not going to be able to put $5K/yr toward your college. That $500 would return 10 to 100x the cost in increasded merit aid if you get your scores up. </p>

<p>I guess since you can prep on your own and increase 200 pts each time then take it twice more and you’ll be near 2400! (yes I’m being sarcastic, it get exponentially more difficult to increase score the higher you go)</p>

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<p>Have you considered Pitt? I added when looking on cc for schools with great merit (read that thread if you haven’t already) Ds got good merit there - and it has risen to the top of his choices. They are rolling and it seems if you get your app in early (Aug-Sept) you have the best chance at securing merit - up to full tuition and even full ride. PA has a budget crisis like most other states so there is no real assurance that these programs will continue next year but it is an easy app (one essay, your choice of topic).</p>

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<p>How about WPI? And overview of their scholarships is here:</p>

<p>[Undergraduate</a> Admissions: WPI Merit Scholarship Overview - WPI](<a href=“http://www.wpi.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/merits.html]Undergraduate”>http://www.wpi.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/merits.html)</p>

<p>Based on Kei-o-Lei suggestion, I looked up WPI on CollegeBoard and got the following information:</p>

<p>Average percent of need met: 74%
Average financial aid package: $26,411
Average need-based loan: $5,796</p>

<p>So that looks worth pursuing…</p>

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<p>CPU - Have you thought about applying for the NSA Minority scholarships. Here is the link with the requirements.</p>

<p>[Student</a> Programs at the National Security Agency (NSA) - High School Student Programs](<a href=“http://www.nsa.gov/careers/opportunities_4_u/students/stokes.shtml]Student”>National Security Agency Careers | Apply Now)</p>

<p>I think they are full scholarships for EE and partial for CS with a salary and a job requirement at the end.</p>