I’ve done a thread like this before but I didn’t really have as much information prepared so I couldn’t respond to any of the posters. This time I’ve done my homework and have a lot of the information pre prepared. This is long so I greatly appreciate anyone who replies in advance.
I’m a junior and will be applying to college soon, but I will be heavily dependent on aid in order to attend. I was wondering if any posters would advise me what steps to take or which colleges give generous aid. I live in California.
This is more supplemental info
SAT: 2220
GPA: 4.1W 3.97UW
Rank: 3/217
Extracurriculars: Average to Below average. My school doesn’t have many clubs that interest me so my leadership positions are scarce but I have a job, volunteer a lot at the community theatre, and do outside programs.
Hooks: URM, First Generation
Income: ~40,000
Our expected family contribution seems to vary between 3,000 and 8,000 depending on the calculator and if I’m expected to contribute. My parents might be able to scrape the 3,000 the first year but my brother is starting college directly after me so it’s not something I think will be feasible. I’m especially worried because my father has high rental property equaty despite not receiving much income from them.
I’ll obviously be applying for scholarships and already have about $10,000 lined up from a reginal one that’s guranteed as long as I maintain my grades. But I wouldn’t like to put all my eggs in that basket only to be dissapointed.
I want to go to medical school so loans will eventually be an inevitability but I’d like to avoid undergraduate loans at all costs.
Community college is not an option because the ones communiting distance from my home are not very good (lose accredidation, low transfer rates, etc.) And my parents would not let me move to attend a community college.
@Dolemite I’m actually a questbridge prep scholar already but I’m hesitant about applying for National College Match since I’ve heard some not so good stories.
Do the net price calculators on the web sites of UCs and CSUs indicate that they are affordable?
In general, use the net price calculator on a college’s web site to get an estimate for financial aid and net price. Note that net price is the sum of expected family contribution and expected student contribution (student loan and work earnings).
Is the $10,000 outside scholarship $10,000 for each year ($40,000 over four years), or $10,000 over four years ($2,500 per year), or $10,000 for just one year? But note that many schools will only let outside scholarships be applied to student contribution (i.e. in place of student loans or expected work earnings) before reducing their own financial aid grants.
How much do you work and for how long? Having a job is not an average or below average EC especially for low income. Do you have to take care of younger siblings? That’s an EC also.
You are basically a candidate at any school. Just make sure they meet full need. Check out some schools that have Diversity programs like Amhert’s DIVOH that will fly you out to see the campus so that you can visit some of the schools.
@Bunnylionn What’s the problem with Questbridge? Your options are to apply to schools that meet full need or automatic full ride merit. With your stats I would also apply to some competitive full ride merit at lower tier schools as well.
@unbalumnus I have tried several UC net price calculators and they always seem affordable but there’s also a “grant” they add in, which is always around 20,000. The scholarship is 10,000 in total to be used as needed.
Grants are money that does not have to be repaid.
Loans are money that has to be repaid. Many schools expect you to take the federal direct loans of $5,500.
Work earnings are money that you are expected to earn. Sometimes, work study is offered to give you preference for on-campus jobs.
Loans and work earnings, along with expected family contribution (and unmet need if any) are added to get the net price.
Applying through Questbridge does not mean that you can’t apply anywhere else. So if QB is an option for you, go ahead with that while you are also pursuing others.
@mom2collegekids
Well it’s around 200,000, which seems like a lot to me, but I’m not entirely sure. He makes about 20,000 in income a year. I’m hispanic, specifically Mexican American.
@Dolemite I work ten hours a week. Two hours everyday after school, because it’s at an elementary after school program. Also I’ve never heard of diversity programs before.
@ucbalumnus It’s usually around 3-7,000 but again there’s always an institution grant that’s a lot bigger than what other students with similar stats have told me they got at those schools.
@happymomof1 Really? I was under the impression that if you did match you coukd only do match for questbridge
Sorry for taking so long to reply to all of you, had an issue with the wifi. Thank you for anyone who has replied.
$3,000 to $7,000 should be doable with federal direct loan up to $5,500 and/or some work earnings. Living frugally can also help.
Institution grant is money that you do not have to repay and which lowers the net price. You may be get a bigger one than others who come from higher income families.
Run the calculators with just you in college, then if they ask about sibs in college, run with your brother in college, too, just so you can see if the numbers change.
Apply through Questbridge. Yale has promised to increase its lower-income population, for instance. Vassar is another one that is well-known for its admissions policy toward lower income students. Pomona is another one.
Work is considered a strong EC. Do you work over the summer break, too (another job since the school isn’t in session I suppose?)
Of course you can apply to other places that aren’t in the QB network!
Spend some time here in the financial aid forum and find out about other potentially affordable places to apply to. You need a solid back up plan in case you don’t get a QB match.
Many of these colleges, several of which would be generally appropriate for you, offer well-funded need based: “The Experts’ Choice: Colleges with Great Pre-med Programs” (online).
Apply to WashU! If you get in, with your family income, you will get a full ride because of their 100% needs met and no loans policy for students below the $60,000 range.
No loans under a certain income is not the same as a full ride below a certain income, as some Ivies have (I believe Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton all have something along those lines, others might as well.) That sort of thing is also messed up because it sounds like OP has unusual assets.