need a lot of help narrowing down my list

College Search & Selection
1

<p>i'm an african american female and first-gen and i need a lot of fin aid</p>

<p>there are sooo many schools i want to take a shot at, but i feel like they're all reaches and i don't have enough matches. </p>

<p>my GPA is 3.99 and my school is on a strange weighted scale where 4.33s = A+s. it'll be higher after this quarter/semester, though. and my ACT is 30, but i'm retaking...hopefully it'll be higher. </p>

<p>reaches:
barnard (definitely applying)
boston college
mount holyoke
lehigh
college of the holy cross
fordham (? i hear their aid is bad though)
u rochester
occidental
union college
northeastern </p>

<p>matches:
allegheny
st. joseph's university
marquette
seton hall
beloit</p>

<p>safeties:
mizzou
truman state </p>

<p>boston university has always been one of my favorites but i hear their financial aid is terrible unless your stats are at the very top, so i'm forgetting about it.</p>

<p>please help me weed some out? any match suggestions? i don't know what i want to major in yet, so i can't really go by that...i really like the northeast, though, and i really like major cities.</p>

2

<p>So what is your GPA on a 4.0 scale? What level courses have you been taking? AP,honors or college prep?
BU can be funny, I know a student who get excellent merit aid there, more than she got at Northeastern. Don’t know about FA, but as a URM from the midwest and first gen you may do well. Do try to bring up the ACT score though. What about Brandeis or Clark?</p>

3

<p>Most of your reaches look like matches to me, especially considering your URM and first gen status. And your matches look like safeties. Why don’t you narrow your list by eliminating the ones that don’t meet full need? Or run the net price calcs on each, and toss the ones that won’t be affordable.</p>

4

<p>Agree with the above - run the net price calculators for each, and cut the ones that appear unaffordable.</p>

<p>I’m also noticing that several of your reach schools do not meet full need . . . so why are they on your list???</p>

5

<p>@beantowngirl: my school is strange…my counselor says it’s on a 4.0 scale, but it can’t be because A+ = 4.33 in regular classes. it’s a college prep school, so are all my classes college prep? we have no way of getting our unweighted GPA. i have taken honors, not as many as i could’ve because of scheduling issues, but i did try to get all the ones i was eligible for. i have a really good upward trend, and my schedule has gotten harder every year. i don’t really like clark, but i’ll look a bit more into brandeis. thanks!!</p>

<p>@nova2nola: really? they do? they all seem really reach-y to me. yeah, i know…some of my matches are really safeties, but i can’t really call them safeties because i know i can’t afford them. in reality, i can’t even afford mizzou or truman. after being really disappointed with the NPC calculators for schools like barnard and BU, i’m worried about tossing out ones that i won’t be able to afford because then i’d probably have nothing left. even barnard, a school that meets 100% of need (i know it’s based on what they think you need, though), expects me to pay around $6200. i think, at the most, i could afford $1500-2000…and that’s really pushing it. however, it’s my absolute favorite school, so i’m gonna go for it anyway and see what happens. </p>

<p>@dodgersmom: i would, but i’m scared that would leave me with nothing. i guess i have to do at least some to narrow it down a bit. i heard the calculators aren’t completely reliable…like, what they really offer you could be less or more than the estimate by as much as a few thousand. </p>

<p>and yeah, i know…my counselor knows i need a lot of financial aid, but she suggested fordham and northeastern. i liked them a lot but i knew their aid wasn’t that great and forgot about them, but she got my hopes up again…i think i’m gonna get rid of them, though. </p>

<p>lehigh and union college are there because they meet more than 95% of need, and i thought that was alright. i’m not crazy about them, though. i’m just scared of getting TOO reach-oriented because i feel like i’ll get rejected from my few reach schools and be stuck with an even less affordable match.</p>

6

<p>What you need to do is look at the individual programs each school has to offer. If there are 2, 3, or 4 schools with the similar or identical programs, then you need to pick the best of those. Just because a college is generally a great school, doesnt mean it is the best for your specific interests.</p>

<p>Also, dont forget to take the environment into consideration as well. If the school is in the middle of nowhere, but you prefer a busy city center, then you should consider taking that off the list (though this should by no means play a major role in your decision).</p>

7

<p>Hmm… I would pick the ones that you know will help you. If you can’t get rid of any just apply to all of them and see what they give you in the Financial Aid packet. And choose from there. That is what I would do.
~Fox</p>

8

<p>Okay, hold on a sec . . .</p>

<p>Lehigh: It’s not my favorite school either, but Lehigh does meet 100% of need, with no loans for its lowest income students. See here:</p>

<p>[Project</a> on Student Debt: Financial Aid Pledges](<a href=“http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php]Project”>http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php)</p>

<p>Union: Now here’s where you’re making an assumption that you shouldn’t. Union is listed on the Princeton Review website as meeting, on average, 98% of need. That’s an average, though, and it’s based on matriculating students only. So, all the kids who got really crappy offers from Union, and couldn’t afford to attend, are not included in that figure. The 98% figure does not mean Union will meet 98% of your financial need!</p>

<p>Moving on, you should be looking at two kinds of schools: those that meet full need (preferably without loans) and those that will award significant merit aid based on your stat’s. Go through the schools listed on the “no loan” website above and see if any of them might be matches for you. (Keep in mind that not all the info on the list is current . . . a few schools have cut back on their “no loan” policies.) The advantage to the “no loan” schools, by the way, is that you can still take out student loans, if you need to, to cover the parent contribution portion of your budget if your parents can’t afford it. Or, you might be able to graduate with no loans at all!</p>

<p>Then look at the following two lists to see about possible merit aid schools:</p>

<p>[Colleges</a> That Change Lives](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/]Colleges”>http://www.ctcl.org/)
[The</a> Women’s College Coalition](<a href=“http://www.womenscolleges.org/]The”>http://www.womenscolleges.org/)</p>

<p>And you might want to look at these, as well: [Work</a> Colleges](<a href=“http://www.workcolleges.org/member-colleges]Work”>http://www.workcolleges.org/member-colleges)</p>

<p>You have a lot of options . . . but not a lot of time. So get busy doing your research!</p>

<p>And if you’re not familiar with the [Questbridge[/url</a>] program, you might want to take a look at that also. If you have questions, there’s a CC forum devoted to it: [url=&lt;a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/questbridge-programs/]Questbridge”&gt;Questbridge Programs - College Confidential Forums]Questbridge</a> Programs - College Confidential](<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/]Questbridge[/url”>http://www.questbridge.org/)</p>

<p>Good luck!!!</p>

9

<p>thanks so much, everyone!! your advice is extremely appreciated. </p>

<p>@dodgersmom: yeah, i know, i don’t have much time! i have to tell my teacher all the schools i’m applying to before she writes my recommendation, and i’ve been struggling with this for months. </p>

<p>i don’t really like lehigh’s location, but i like the school. not as much as barnard, i guess, but i really do. i had no idea that it had a no-loan policy. i’ve looked at the no-loan list a million times and somehow i missed it! i’ll definitely apply there, then. i originally put it on my list because i remember reading an inside the admissions article from them and how they really deliberated students holistically put them in my favor. plus, the school is gorgeous. </p>

<p>i guess i’ll cut out union. it was kind of at the bottom of my list, anyway. </p>

<p>and about questbridge—i took a good look at that a few weeks ago but i felt like it was out of reach. my ECs are less than stellar and i don’t have a boatload of APs like most of the finalists (my school only offers three and they’re all senior classes), so i felt like i would have no chance. i’ve tried to find the answer to this a million times, but i can’t—does a teacher or counselor have to “sponsor” you when you apply to questbridge? do they have to know you’re applying and everything? the deadline is pretty soon, too…</p>

<p>but again, thank you!!</p>

10

<p>No, I don’t believe you have to be sponsored to apply to Questbridge . . . but it is a daunting application. Really a personal choice whether or not you want to do it.</p>

<p>And I’m not saying you should necessarily drop Union . . . just that it’s a crap shoot. You could get fantastic aid, or it could end up being unaffordable. And the only way to find out is to apply.</p>

<p>I just wanted you to understand that that’s the risk you’re running with any school that meets less than full need. Some students will get more, and others will get less. And, yes, you might kind of, sort of, be able to predict the results based on your stat’s, but you can never really know for sure. And people are surprised all the time by the amazing good aid they receive from schools reputed to be stingy.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, students who need significant financial aid can’t count on much of anything being predictable. Yes, there are schools that offer great need-based aid . . . but many of them are also hard as heck to get into! The solution? Cover your bases and apply to as many good prospects as possible. It’s all you can do.</p>

11

<p>I see you are considering Occidental. You should look into Scripps in Claremont, CA. Meets full need. All-women, but on a campus with 4 co-ed schools. Really the best of both worlds. My D just started there and loves it.</p>

12

<p>thanks again, everyone. i tried lehigh’s NPC calculator, and it met my need with a $7500 loan… :frowning: i know it’s just an estimate, but that’s still way more than i wanna take it in one year, especially my first year. i still want to apply there, but it seems like i’m gonna have a rough time with aid wherever i go, unfortunately. i’m not as poor as i thought! i’m just gonna keep looking for full need schools, apply to my favorites, and see which ones offer me the best aid. you’re right, it’s all i can do!</p>

<p>and thanks for the suggestion, nova2nola! scripps was on my list a couple months ago but i took it off because i didn’t think i had a chance. i’m going to look into it more because i love the idea of a consortium, which is why i took a second look at barnard and mount holyoke. thanks!</p>

13

<p>

You need to reevaluate this. The vast majority of schools will expect you to pay a fair share of your own which can be from $3-5K, usually an amount you can earn with a summer job. Also, you can borrow $5.5K as a freshman through a Direct Loan.</p>

14

<p>well, i meant the most my mother could afford. i don’t have any money. do you mean a summer job the summer before college and each summer after? </p>

<p>the NPC calculators i went through already included work-study and loans in the aid packages, ranging from $5000-7500…do you mean i would get a summer job and take out $5,500 on loans on top of the loans they give me? or did you mean the loans already in the package (which i what i think you meant)?</p>

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<p>Maybe I’m being overly optimistic but I think you have a good shot at a lower tier Ivy such as Cornell( especially colleges other than Arts and Sciences and Engineering) and the Ivies will meet 100% of your need. Penn and Columbia are more urban of course but usually more difficult unless you are interested in the Penn school of Nursing.</p>

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<p>@nervedoctor: haha, i really think you are. i guess i didn’t make this clear enough, but my GPA is NOT 3.99 on a standard 4.00 scale. also, my ACT is low. i wish!</p>

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<p>I think that you should spend some time reading through the threads on merit scholarships that are at the topof the Financial Aid Forum. You may find affordable safeties there.</p>

<p>You also need to consider finding a part time job now so that you can save some money to start college with. You will need money for your books and for transportation from your home to college at the very least.</p>

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<p>You should be able to get a summer job each year, starting the summer before your freshman year. That should give you about $2,500 in summer earnings. Add in a school year job (if your package doesn’t already include work study), and that might be another $2,500. Then add in $5,500 in federal student loans (yes, these are the ones included in your financial aid package at some schools). And, no, you can’t borrow more than that in most cases. (The one notable exception is if your mother applies for a parent PLUS loan and is denied, in which case you can borrow an addition $4k-5k/year in federal loans.)</p>

19

<p>if it came to that, would i really want to take out $10k in loans per year? i really hope i don’t have to…</p>

20

<p>And I really hope you don’t have to, also. But if you had to do it once, to meet expenses, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Doing it all four years would not be good, though.</p>