Need some guidance as I approach the college process.

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I'm a junior in high school who's recently entered the college search and am new to the forums. Basically I have no clue where to start looking, or how to really start narrowing my options down to schools that fit my wants/needs (and that I also have a realistic shot of getting into).</p>

<p>Here's a bit about myself;</p>

<p>-unweighted GPA around 3.8 most likely, once I get my act together this year (I go to a what I believe was ranked ~30th in the country public school, in a very competitive area near Washington D.C.)
-SAT scores around 2200 (~800 math, 700 Reading & Writing)
-My course load is pretty difficult but not killer, per say. I've already gotten a 5 on the AP German test and on the AP NSL test, and will take the AP tests for Psychology and BC Calculus at the end of the year. Next year I'm taking AP Art, AP Spanish, and most likely AP World, and AP Multivariable, among other classes.
-I'm on the varsity soccer team, and it's not just a typical joke of a high school team, we managed to win states last year. I do have a pretty good chance of playing soccer in college as well. So that's another factor I have to take into account. While I'm not exactly the best player in the country, there is a chance I could play D1, and if not I could definitely manage D3.
-Some extracurriculars I do include playing piano for the last 6-7 years, participating in a junior referee soccer program for the past three years, and attending some clubs at my school (both the young republicans and democrats clubs, as well as a medical club)</p>

<p>Well that's basically me in a nutshell. Also I lived in Austria for 2 years before middle school, if that matters at all. I'm not certain what I want to study in college, however I do have interest in premed and architecture. I know I'd probably not like a huge school, or a tiny school, and while I recognize ivy league is probably a reach for me, I'd like to go to the best school I could possibly get into. Oh, and while my family lives in an extreeeemeley wealthy area, we don't exactly fit in, and I will most likely need to look at need-blind schools that will pay the majority of my education. </p>

<p>So basically I don't know what I'm doing, and would like any assistance/guidance I can get on the matter of what schools in general I should be aiming for (or the level of, whether it be borderline ivy league or whatever), after taking all factors into consideration.</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

2

<p>You need to sit down with your parents and find out just exactly how much they are able and willing to pay. Talk with them about whether or not they expect you to have a job during the summers and/or during the school year. Find out how they feel about student loans. I cannot overemphasize the importance of this information.</p>

<p>Then, you need to have your parents run some of the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) calculators for both the FAFSA (this gives access to need-based aid and to federal student loans) and for the CSS Profile. The formula for the FAFSA changes a bit each year, but the calculators at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) and at [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Calculate Your Cost – BigFuture | College Board) will give you decent “ballpark” figures. The colleges/universities that require the CSS Profile each modify that formula as they see fit, so the CSS Profile calculators aren’t quite as useful as the FAFSA calculators. For specific advice about specific colleges/universities, you can ask the experts at the Financial Aid Forum.</p>

<p>I think that you are a bit confused about aid in general because you wrote “I will most likely need to look at need-blind schools that will pay the majority of my education.” A need-blind institution makes its admission decisions separately from the financial aid decisions. You can very easily be admitted to one of them and be only offered the standard Stafford loans that any student has access to. At roughly 6k per year, that isn’t going to make much of a dent in an overall Cost of Attendance (COA) of 50k and up!</p>

<p>Your GPA and SAT scores are good enough to put you in the range for some merit-based scholarships. Take a look at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt; and some of the other threads in the Financial Aid Forum for more ideas.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>

3

<p>^^^^</p>

<p>Follow Happymom’s advice…</p>

<p>Most schools do not meet 100% of determined need. Some schools do meet 100% of determined need.</p>

<p>You need to find out how much your parents will pay.</p>

<p>You need to find out how much “full need schools” EXPECT your parents to pay (often more than you can afford).</p>

<p>Financial aid is NOT based on what your family SAYS it can pay. Your family’s income and assets will be looked at it will be determined how much they SHOULD pay at a MINIMUM. </p>

<p>Schools determine what your need is. Your family does not determine what its need is. Your family may say that it can only pay $10k per year, but the schools may say that your family needs to pay $25k per year (or more).</p>

<p>If you live in a pricey area where a good bit of your family’s income goes to the mortgage, then it’s VERY likely that schools will expect your family to pay a LOT more than it can.</p>

<p>It’s not unusual for a family living in a pricey area to earn - say $125k per year - but they cannot pay much for college. Nevertheless, colleges will say that your family should be able to pay at least $22k per year for college. A school that gives good aid is **NOT **going to cover that for you with need-based aid.</p>

<p>If that is the case, then you’ll have to also apply to schools that give huge merit scholarships for stats.</p>

<p>Did you take the PSAT? Do you think you’ll make NMSF?</p>

<p>And, if schools</p>

4

<p>thank you both for the replies!</p>

<p>It seems I was confused about some aspects of financial aid, especially what exactly need-blind meant. </p>

<p>What I meant to say was that my parents suggested to me that there are colleges that will pay nearly all of my tuition, if I get in, considering our income. They told me that such a college would likely pay all but a few thousand dollars a year, which my parents would have to pay (and would be able to pay).</p>

5

<p>

You have plenty of time since you’re getting an early start. Go to your library or favorite online bookstore and get a copy of a good book on college admissions to understand the process of how colleges make decisions and, more importantly, how to find matches for you. One book I recommend is “Admission Matters” that has some good info on finding colleges that are a fit for you.

Have your parents fill out one of the FAFSA estimators you can find online. That will give you a much better idea of what colleges are going to expect your parents to pay, and its important to get this info now to make sure it matches what your parents are willing to contribute. Need itself is going to be estimated similarly by the FAFSA protocol no matter where you apply. What your parents may be referring to are some colleges, generally more elite ones, that meet need in the form of grants rather than loans if you’re below a certain income level, but your folks are still going to have to come up with their expected contribution no matter where you go (unless you get merit aid).</p>