Hello everyone!
I recently took a practice test for the SAT, and it was far beyond what I was thinking. That test is REALLY hard, no doubt. I’m having a really hard time studying for both the ACT and SAT, so do I really need to take SAT? UCLA is my “dream” school so I’m not expecting to get in, but I’m applying to a bunch of other schools in California as well, so as an OOS do I need to take the SAT (I know I might have more chances of being selected, but I’m asking if it’s a requirement)?
Some of the schools I have in mind:
UCLA
UCI
UCSB
Sonoma College
Cal State Long Beach
UC San Diego
University of La Verne
All the schools will accept either the ACT or SAT. There is no preference for either. Depending upon your major, SAT 2 subject tests are recommended for several of the UC’s which you should consider a requirement if you want to be a competitive applicant.
@MYOS1634@GMTplus7 Every time I talk about being an OOS for UC, this is the first thing people tell me haha. I’m not sure if I’ll be accepted or not to begin with, and If I do, then no my parents don’t have enough money to pay for a UC, I would have to take out a loan. However, a good school equals a good job most of the time, right? So I might as well pay that 55K.
@muzzles: As a student you can only take out loans in the following amounts: $5500 Freshman year, $6500 Sophomore year and $7500 Junior/Senior year. The rest will be up to your parents, that is why posters are just warning you about the costs. There is no point in applying to schools that you cannot ultimately afford.
People tell you about costs because students don’t realize how much of an impact an expensive university affects the pocketbook. You won’t be able to get this kind of money on your own. The most loan money you could get the first year is $5500. Your parents, if they qualify, would have to try to qualify for these huge loans.
Paying almost a quarter of a million dollars for an education, will negatively affect your future lifestyle no matter what kind of job you get.
You can’t get a loan. You will “only” get a $5,500 loan as a freshman. So, cross out all UC’s.
What’s in-state for you?
What are your stats (SAT/ACT score, GPA, Honors/APs, highest level of math completed, highest level of a foreign language completed…)? Are you URM, an athlete?
No, a good school doesn’t equal a good job. What YOU do in college is what matters - the name of your school only matters if you’re first gen, URM, an immigant, or lower-income, because the school offers networking or support opportunities you don’t have through your family… but most of all, your involvement, grades, and internships will have much more weight than the name of your school.
Talk with your parents: what budget can they invest into your college education, from any savings or their current income? Get an actual number. There no magic money tree that will give you the money in the Spring so that number + whatever savings you have from a job (if you don’t have one: find one) + your $5,500 loan = total budget for college.
RUN THE NET PRICE CALCULATORS for Sonoma State, Cal State Long Beach (these two would likely cost you about 35K - no financial aid to be expected) and U LaVerne.
Also look into URedlands, St Mary’s of California, LMU, Chapman, Whittier, Occidental, and the Claremont consortium (depending on your grades - the last two are for straight-A students but they also have the best financial aid.)
The real terror of applying from OOS is not the difficulty of getting accepted, as you are discovering on this thread. It is paying for it. You can’t afford UC schools. Do not waste any more time on them.
Do you have other schools in mind? Start with your in-state public options.
Each college has a net price calculator on their website. Run it for each school you are looking at to see what your costs might be. There is no reason to apply to schools without understanding your costs; these calculators give you a picture of your probable costs. Now that you know your loan limits from the posts above, hopefully you can find some options you can afford.