<p>Allo,</p>
<p>I'm currently a junior in high school beginning to search for colleges. In my search I've hit a few bumps and was wondering if any knowledgeable people would be able to offer words of wisdom.</p>
<p>My biggest issue right now is cost; I don't want to fall in love with schools that are completely out of my price range, but my parents are unusually tight-lipped about our financial situation. I was just able to get our income from them maybe six months ago.
The extent of my knowledge is that we have an annual income of around 130k, dad said 70k after taxes. My parents pay 30k annually to have my sibling and I attend a private school that we adore. We're currently in debt, and my parents say that the absolute maximum they're willing to spend is 10k a year. They're really banking on my getting a full-ride scholarship but I've tried to explain to them that those aren't just handed out. My mom threw in though that if I find a career path I'm incredibly passionate about she'd do whatever it takes to get me to my dream school, but I just don't want to put a large burden on my parents.</p>
<p>We're in that position of not qualifying for much financial aid; I've asked them to try to fill out an EFC calculator for me but they've refused to do so. Looking at situations similar to mine while lurking the forums though, I don't have much hope for a good aid package.</p>
<p>Long story short, I'm looking for some OOS colleges with good merit aid for a student like me. Given my situation this will probably come off as incredibly selfish, but I've spent the entirety of my life in the deep south and it brings me physical pain to imagine living near where I am any longer. I know in-state public is probably what I should be focusing on, but I also know I can do so much better.</p>
<p>I'm looking for a school in the north, preferably. I'm not picky about cold weather or rural vs big city areas. I haven't taken the ACT or SAT yet (I can see you rolling your eyes), but I have an unweighted gpa of 3.7, all AP classes, and if the practice tests I've taken so far are anything to go by I'm expecting a 27-31 and 1900-low 2000s. Average ECs. Hoping to major in biology/eventually go into medicine.
Can you recommend any schools? Do you think I should just suck it up and do the best I can near home? Help!</p>
<p>If you get a high enough ACT or SAT score, you may be able to get some of the big automatic merit scholarships at places like Alabama ([Presidential</a> Scholarship](<a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html]Presidential”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html)) and UAB ([Blazer</a> Elite Scholarship](<a href=“Error 404 | Not Found”>Error 404 | Not Found)) that will bring the out of state cost of attendance down to $9,000 (UAB Blazer Elite) to $14,000 (Alabama Presidential) per year. Yes, they are still in the deep south, but if you want to major in biology (not a well paid major at the bachelor’s degree level – but note that pre-med does not require majoring in biology) or go to medical school (expensive), you do not want to put yourself in a lot of undergraduate debt.</p>
<p>Don’t overlook your in-state public schools, as they tend to be more generous with aid than out-of-state public schools. You may also want to consider the community college followed by transfer to an in-state public school as one of the cheapest options. (What is your state of residency?)</p>
<p>Some less expensive schools in the north include Minnesota Morris and schools in the Dakotas, though they won’t be under $10,000 per year unless you get grants or scholarships.</p>
<p>You need to try the “net price calculator” in each school’s web site, but your parents’ unwillingness to provide information may make it hard to use, unless they are willing to try them on your behalf (tell them what schools, they can try the calculators and tell you “affordable” or “unaffordable”).</p>
<p>I think you should keep trying to get your parents to use an on line calculator so that you can get an idea of what you would be expected to pay. $10,000 may be enough, or it may not. The outcome is variable, but a calculator would give you a starting place.</p>
<p>Perhaps your counselor, clergy or another sympathetic adult could help convince your parents that they’re putting you at a disadvantage. Obviously your parents want the best for you, but your list of colleges will depend on how much “need based” aid you can get by with.</p>
<p>Most of the private schools in the Northeast are “need only” schools. For schools that are generous with merit aid, you should look in the South, in the Midwest or if you are female, women’s schools. Some to start with would be Rhodes, Grinnell, Smith.</p>
<p>I’d also suggest that you explore QuestBridge, though your family income maybe out of their range.</p>
<p>I think with a 31 ACT you can get the Regent and Amigo scholarship at the University of New Mexico; basically a full-ride. Check the website to make sure if interested.</p>
<p>[Undergraduate</a> Scholarships :: | The University of New Mexico](<a href=“http://scholarship.unm.edu/scholarships/index.html]Undergraduate”>http://scholarship.unm.edu/scholarships/index.html)</p>
<p>Note that with a parent contribution of $10,000 per year, you may be able to afford a slightly higher net price using summer job earnings, work-study or other part time job earnings during the school year, and/or small student loans (the government subsidized [Stafford</a> loan](<a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/studentloans.jsp]Stafford”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/studentloans.jsp) limit is $23,000 for all four years, but a biology major or pre-med may want to minimize even that).</p>
<p>"We’re currently in debt, and my parents say that the absolute maximum they’re willing to spend is 10k a year. "</p>
<p>Then you need to work with that figure. If your parents will file the FAFSA, you will be eligible to borrow up to the Stafford Loan limit each year ($5,500 freshman, $6,500 sophomore, $7,500 junior, and $7,500 senior). This would give you a working total of $15,500 for your freshman year. That plus your own earnings from a summer job (and a part-time job once you are in college) should make your home-state public U fully affordable.</p>
<p>As for merit-based money, there are a number of threads in the Financial Aid forum on that topic. Scroll down through the threads there to find them. If you have the time and energy to do the research yourself, read through this old thread for unbeatable research techniques: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>“My mom threw in though that if I find a career path I’m incredibly passionate about she’d do whatever it takes to get me to my dream school, but I just don’t want to put a large burden on my parents.”</p>
<p>Your instincts are correct here. Your mom is speaking with her heart and not with her head. She doesn’t want you to limit yourself because of the financial situation that she and your dad are in right now. But the simple truth is that all of us have to live within our own financial limits. Staying realistic about money will help you find affordable schools that you can learn to love.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>
<p>Try looking into outside scholarships. Websites like [Fastweb</a> : Scholarships, Financial Aid, Student Loans and Colleges](<a href=“http://www.fastweb.org%5DFastweb”>http://www.fastweb.org) can help you find them. You could potentially get enough money through outside scholarships so you can bring the total cost down no matter what school you go to. </p>
<p>If your parents are worried about the cost of the schools you are looking at, try to convince them to use the net price calculator. It will give you a good estimate of what you’ll have to pay and that can benefit them too. Otherwise, it might be hard for you to try to find schools that you can pay for because you never know what you’ll get as far as financial aid goes.</p>