<p>I really want to go to NYU for sociology and I think I have a decent chance at getting in. However, my main concern is the cost. My mom made only 11,000 dollars last year and there are 4 people in our household, so it's obvious that my mother isn't able to help pay for any of my tuition regardless of what school I go to. My father is unemployed and I don't have a relationship with him anyways, so he's no help. My grandmother is fairly wealthy and will probably be able to pay about 20,000-30,000 a year to help me out plus spending money. NYU doesn't know that though, all they will be seeing is my mother's income. Do you think they will give me enough financial aid for me to be able to attend if I were to get in? Also, do they grant money based solely on need or do they consider your stats as well? If I were to get in I would probably be in the lower tier of students that are accepted (3.8 GPA, 7 AP classes, 1940 SAT but retaking to hopefully get up to at least a 2040, less-than-stellar EC's but great essays and recommendation letters). I don't want my somewhat mediocre stats to have an affect on how much money I will get, as I know they are notorious for being stingy with their financial aid. </p>
<p>NYU doesn’t know about grandma’s money for the upcoming year, but you will be required to report that for subsequent years…thus changing your financial need.</p>
<p>NYU does, in my opinion, preferential need based financial aid packaging. In other words, if you are a very tip top applicant, you have the potential to get more aid than if you are not. At this point, you are not a tippy top applicant.</p>
<p>NYU does not guarantee to meet full need for all accepted students. With an income of $11,000 a year, it is likely that your FAFSA EFC will be $0, but all that will do is give you a Pell Grant and $5500 Dorect Loan…and possibly SEOG. Are you a NY state resident? There are grant funds for low income NY residents.</p>
<p>Sure, apply to NYU, but be prepared to walk away if the financial aid is not sufficient for you to attend.</p>
<p>And make sure you have a number of affordable schools on your list.</p>
<p>@thumper1 that’s true I never thought about the fact that my financial aid would go down once my grandma’s money is reported. It seems unlikely that I will be able go and I’m VA resident so that lessens my chances even more, so I’m prepared for that (even though it’s going to hurt like hell at first since this has been my dream school for quite a while.) The other schools I’m applying to are university of virginia, virginia commonwealth university, university of richmond, northeastern university, george washington university, american university, university of vermont, emory university, and four of the universities of california (not sure which yet, my boyfriend goes to UC berkeley and i’ve given up on my dreams of going there, but i can get fee waivers for 4 of them so what the hell). honestly with my stats and money situation ill probably end up at VCU since its a safety and in state. </p>
<p>Going into massive debt for a sociology degree doesn’t make sense. Go to an in-state public university and save some of your debt capacity for grad school. Your grandmother’s money plus Pell grants will make an instate public affordable. You can take out stafford loans for living expenses. With the money you save, maybe you can afford to spend a summer doing an internship in NYC.</p>
<p>The worst student debt horror stories on this website involve NYU. Also, keep in mind that EVERYTHING is much more expensive in NYC. Visit it on weekends (when many areas are also less crowded).</p>
<p>Um…if you are a VA resident, you might want to reconsider those UCs. Your minimal cost to attend will be the differential between in and out of state tuition…which is $23,000. You will not receive need based aid to cover that $23,000.</p>
<p>Is VCU financially realistic for you? In other words, will you get enough guaranteed aid to attend?</p>
<p>@thumper1 I guess youre right, but i’ll still try since I can get fee waivers for those and im already pretty much finished filling out the application. and the in-state tuition for VCU is 12,000 and with financial aid and help from my grandma im sure it will be fine. its definitely my last choice but I’m not really a good enough or wealthy enough student to attend any of the other places i’m applying to, its just wishful thinking really </p>
<p>You never know about some of those others. There just might be something in your application that an adcom will see. </p>
<p>At least you have a good option in case the others don’t work out. You are so fortunate to have so many fine options in VA!</p>
<p>Everyone is giving you good advice. You really need to do your homework on NYU–and that is something you can do for free. 
Definitely read “NYU Debt Stories” as suggested above. Then really open your mind to schools that are good for your interests AND likely to be more affordable. Good luck.</p>
<p>what is your combined Critical Reading/ Math score on the SAT? </p>
<p>Have you considered applying to a wider group of VA schools… including JMU, George Mason, ODU, and Christopher Newport on you list? </p>
<p>VA has many terrific in-state options!</p>
<p>@KatMT my combined reading and math is 1220, which isnt great. my strongest subject was writing (720) but no one cares about writing really. but i am retaking it and have been studying nearly every day so hopefully i can get a much better score. im thinking about JMU and VT maybe but im not crazy about the rest. definitely not ODU because ive lived in norfolk my whole life and i couldnt handle being here any longer. i really, really just want to get our of virginia but it doesnt seem possible anymore so I guess i should give up on most of the schools I was thinking and substitute them for less selective in-state schools.</p>
<p>Don’t give up. Are you a guy? Liberal arts colleges need male students to balance out their student bodies. Try hard on your test retake and again, do some homework on other schools that have what you need. You might be surprised at what you find.</p>
<p>I understand wanting to go to new places and experience new things. You do not have to give up on the thought of going out of state for undergard, but, as @sally305 states in post#10 look for schools that might give you significant merit for your stats. There is a pinned link on the top of the financial aid forum that will give you more information. Many schools that give large merit have upcoming deadlines, so look quickly.</p>
<p>Ultimately, attending an affordable undergraduate school with little to no debt will be more likely to set you up to be able to move somewhere else post graduation. </p>
<p>There are so many wonderful options in VA for lower cost undergraduate education. </p>
<p>If you live in Norfolk apply to Christopher Newport and ODU. I know you want to go to school outside of Norfolk, but these both could be good financial safeties if you can commute from home. </p>
<p>VA 4-year universities also have articulation agreements with community colleges. If you complete your AA at a CC you could transfer to a 4-year university in VA to complete your degree.</p>
<p>Apply to 4-year universities in VA outside of the Norfolk area like UVA, VT, JMU. George Mason, VCU, Mary Washington, and Radford in addition to your more local options. In addition apply to a few out of state/ private universities… some that will give you guaranteed need based aid/ merit for your stats, others with competitive merit that combined with need based aid may offer enough money to attend. Cast a wide net… including affordable in state and out of state options in order to have the greatest choices come April. You already mentioned University of Richmond… maybe also look at Emory & Henry. </p>
<p>I really don’t understand the allure of NYU with its awful FA history when UVA is an in-state option.</p>
<p>agreed… UVA is a great, and VA has so very many additional wonderful in state options.</p>
<p>I think your gpa with 7 AP is very strong and there are plenty of students that get accepted to NYU with those test scores and lower grades. You won’t be the bottom, but you won’t be the top that will likely get the big money. It can’t be emphasized enough that NYU is not a ‘meets full need’ college. So likely you will be gapped (the difference between your family contribution expected, any aid and the total COA.) Once your grandmother starts kicking in money they can completely alter your package and you could be forced to drop out. So it would not be worth paying freshman year at NYU and not graduating there, having to transfer. I agree forget NYU, only if you were instate do you have a chance at a big package maybe as a low income. </p>
<p>You know you will have to provide your father’s information for colleges, like NYU who require the CSS Profile form for noncustodial parents? Will he provide that info? He can fill it out himself from a link so your mother and you don’t see it if he wants. It is just FAFSA-only schools that you only have to give your mother’s info for. There are some better ways to handle grandparent contribution but I can’t recall.</p>
<p>I agree it is not worth it to try for UCs. They will just gap you hugely. You will pay the 23,000 OOS fee plus at least 8,000 in self pay in the form of loans, work and summer earnings. So that is 30,000 best case scenario. Not worth your time on their application and the special 2 essays. Spend your time on colleges that might give you money. </p>
<p>Your retake of the SAT means real money for you, visit the SAT prep forum and read the advice by Silverturtle. Xiggi has advice too. Khan Academy have math section prep.</p>
<p>Now you might have a shot a Barnard. Barnard meets full need, but you will have some loans in the package and some work study. If you get accepted it seems you will get everything covered. That would be an excellent place for Sociology and you can and will take classes across the street at Columbia. </p>
<p>Collegedata shows avg gpa 3.8, middle range for M 620-710, CR 620-730</p>
<p>Perhaps grandma can pay off your loans as a graduation present and give you a bit extra spending money.</p>
<p>So while you have really great options in VA that you really shouldn’t be reluctant about (think study abroad, summer internships-maybe even in NY) you can look over the list of ‘meets full needs’ schools, they are all top notch, and see where you stats make you viable and what looks appealing to you about these colleges and locations.
<a href=“List of Colleges That Meet 100% of Financial Need”>http://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/</a></p>
<p>NYU should automatically be considered a reach for students who need significant financial aid. NYU’s financial aid is notoriously poor (try its net price calculator to see), although it has a few hard-to-get big merit scholarships and may give a few more in the form of preferential packaging of nominally-need-based financial aid. You would be aiming for those big merit scholarships, not merely admission – admission with a typical NYU financial aid offer would be like a rejection since you would not likely be able to afford it.</p>
<p>@BrownParent thank you so much!! that is a very good list and while im still going to apply to NYU solely because I already finished the application still want to try and see if the finances work out, im seriously thinking about Barnard. I would apply to Columbia if I thought I could get in but I know its close to impossible, but if I get my SAT score up I do think I have a chance at Barnard and I could possibly go for free which would be spectacular, plus from what I can tell its so integrated with Columbia that its not too different from actually going there. I’ll look over the list more and see if I can substitute some of the more expensive colleges I was considering with some of those. And I will ask my mom about my father’s info, but I know he is unemployed and has been for a long while. As for Virginia schools I’m definitely apply to UVA, VCU, and UR, possibly VT or JMU. But if I can get away from Virginia I definitely will (unless I get into UVA, then I might stay.) and @ucbalumnus, I did try the net price calculator and the estimate of how much I’d have to pay per that financial aid wouldn’t cover was about 23,000, which is actually doable with my grandma/other family member’s help. But still, I know its just an estimate. </p>
<p>It doesn’t matter if your father is employed or not, the schools that want noncustodial parent info will want his tax return or a nonfiler form filled out. Otherwise you have to ask the school for a waiver and they may not accept it, those are for no contact for extended period, maybe all your life, or problem situations like jail, abuse etc.</p>
<p>Also the 23k only for UC doesn’t make sense. They put loans and workstudy in so you should have at least 8k additional. Loans are not funny money, they are a cost to you that your will regret dearly when you graduate. Also if you want to work in sociology field you likely need a master’s that you will have to self pay. I would save the money on undergrad because you don’t need a big name school you just need to get your master’s. I would tell grandma you will go low cost for undergrad and see if you can get some help with the MA, otherwise it is going to be very painful to be paying your MA loans for 20 years.</p>
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<p>You are getting fee waivers, right? The NYU application fee is $80.</p>
<p>You seem to be a bright, motivated student but keep in mind the stats for some of the schools you are interested in. Here’s Barnard’s: </p>
<p>Middle 50%
SAT CR (630–730)
SAT M (620–710)
SAT WR (650–730)
ACT Comp (28–32)</p>
<p>Are you getting any college counseling at school or in your community? One thing you could do is start another thread on this site requesting ideas on match/safety schools based on your interests. There are a lot of people here who could help you refine your list. Right now it seems a little random and impractical.</p>
<p>BrownParent gave you the suggestion of having grandma pay off loans after you graduate. First…is anyone in your family a qualified cosigner for these larger loans? If not, then this idea can just die there. Second…if you have a cosigner and can take $30,000 a year in loans, make sure there is some VERY firm financial agreement that will guarantee that grandma will be paying these loans. What happens if grandma dies? What happens if grandma needs the money for other purposes such as her health? If you can’t get some firm legal agreement drawn up…then the idea also dies. </p>
<p>Grandma can gift your parents an amount each year that your parents can use help to pay your college costs. That might be a better plan.</p>
<p>Just make sure you have some affordable options where you have a very strong likihood of acceptance. More than one…it’s nice to have choices.</p>