<p>Allow me to elaborate :) (And I'm sorry that this may be long, but please read, because this is an important situation.)</p>
<p>I am going to be a senior this fall, and obviously, I'm looking at schools right now. Because my parents are in a tight financial situation right now (only one parent working), they are set on me going to my state school (which is by no means bad- top 50). However, I really don't think that school is the right fit for me--it is also the ONLY school they want me to visit. </p>
<p>There are some other schools that I am interested in as well, and right now, I should be at Georgetown on a campus tour. HOWEVER, I woke up this morning, only to find that my mom was "too tired" to drive me (we live only 40 minutes away). She said that given my stats, I have no chance of getting in and shouldn't even try (by the way, my DAD was the one who called the admissions office and set up a visit). Right now, she just wants me to apply to Univeristy of Maryland CP, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and American Univeristy. She says that if I get into those, I'm going to one of those three (which will all be cheap, with Maryland being close to free). The ONLY one I like out of all of these is American, even if its lower than Maryland on the rankings. </p>
<p>I'm the kind of student that REALLY wants to find the right "fit," and I didn't even care about rankings when I made my list. However, I still have 4 reach schools on my list (out of 10, with 5 targets and 1 safety). My mom doesn't even want me to go on any college visits or apply to any others besdies the 3 that she likes. She tells me that I am being "unreasonable" for applying to the others, and that I am being immature and rude for choosing schools that are in the $30,000-$60,000 range. But the thing is, those schools which have high price tags also tend to give better financial aid.</p>
<p>Please help me, and thank you for reading this.</p>
<p>American Univ would be expensive. Why is that one ok to apply to?</p>
<p>What are your stats? Maybe we can direct you to some schools with merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Your parents know their money situation. They know that they can’t pay a lot. Therefore, they are thinking that it’s a waste to apply to certain schools. They are probably right about some schools. However, if you have high enough stats, there may be schools that will give you merit.</p>
<p>How much will your parents pay each year?</p>
<p>* that I am being immature and rude for choosing schools that are in the $30,000-$60,000 range. But the thing is, those schools which have high price tags also tend to give better financial aid.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Not if you won’t qualify for as much as you’d need. Do you know what your family’s EFC might be? Institutional and federal? Even with only one employed parent, your EFC may be higher than what your parents can pay. Your parents may have assets, or home equity (for inst’l methodology), etc that would cause an unaffordable EFC.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put American University in the list of “cheap” schools–it’s not.
I don’t have great stats, but I have asked my parents and they have said they could pay about $15,000/ year without busting their bank.
I have a 3.6 UW and 4.33 W, with a 30 ACT, and am in my school’s honors program. I have a low GPA because I was unable to get the accomodations I needed until May of junior year–by then my GPA was already set. I will have full accomodations for senior year (thanks to a really expensive analysis at a psychologist’s firm who tested me for a whole day and came to the conclusion that I did need extra accomodations) and hopefully on the ACT as well, which I will be taking again. I have taken 8 APs so far, with two 3’s, and the rest being 4s and 5s. Next year, I have 2 AP courses, along with 2 college courses (with UMD-CP) and an internship. I don’t know if this is enough stats for you, but it’s just a general idea. Compared to others here on CC, I know I am lacking. </p>
<p>Here is my school list (I have picked these based off of my school’s Naviance, which I hope is accurate. And the Naviance (at my school or all schools? I don’t know) shows WGPA on a school’s landing page, so I’m basing it off of WGPA). Please comment on which ones you think I can take off/add. </p>
<p>American- safe (higher GPA, high ACT)
Barnard- reach (low GPA, exact ACT)
Brandeis- target (exact GPA and ACT)
Bryn Mawr- target (slightly lower GPA, high ACT)
Carnegie Mellon- reach (low GPA, exact ACT)
Georgetown- reach (low GPA, exact ACT)
UMD- safe (high GPA, high ACT)- my mom thinks this is a reach for me, because she will not believe Naviance.
St. Mary’s- safe (high GPA, high ACT)
Vanderbilt- reach (slightly lower GPA, low ACT)
College of William and Mary- target (slightly higher GPA and ACT)</p>
<p>Please reply, and thanks for replying to the thread.</p>
<p>You need to calculate the EFC. Your EFC might say that you are expected to pay $30,000 towards your college cost. But your parents can only provide $15,000. Where will the remaining $15,000 come from?</p>
<p>I don’t think you are even close to a safe at American. And at American, you don’t have to guess. They actually publish the actual acceptances at various levels of ACT and GPAs (unweighted - they don’t care about the weighted). You are better than 50/50, but safe, you are not.</p>
<p>Your best odds for merit scholarships may be in smaller, less popular schools, so you might want to take a look at some. The ones that you have listed are all pretty competitive schools that don’t have to offer high merit scholarships in order to attract great students.</p>
<p>I have to admit to being baised when dealing with my daughters. The older was an average B HS student. I discouraged her from applying to private schools because there was no point in breaking her heart. If she’d been admitted there was no way we could have afforded to send her. Younger daughter only applied to private schools because her GPA, SAT scores and EC’s made those schools more affordable than the only state school that offered her major.</p>
<p>Your mom isn’t trying to be mean, but realistic.</p>
<p>my parents are in a tight financial situation
right now, I should be at Georgetown on a campus tour
I’m the kind of student that REALLY wants to find the right “fit”
I don’t have great stats
They could pay about $15,000/ year</p>
<p>Ordinarily, what your parents think they could swing and what the CSS Profile colleges SAY they can afford are two different things. It’s often said, on CC, that if they think they can pay $X, chances are the school’s going to go a whole lot higher- based on income and assets, NOT wishes. Even if the Fafsa EFC says one number, the CSS colleges review far more of your assets.</p>
<p>The all-holy “fit” includes “financial fit.” You need some serious reading up on financial aid. Finaid.org is comprehensive. You could be saddled with unreasonable loans. You need to seriously read (and read between the lines) each college’s finaid web pages. </p>
<p>You mention needing “accommodations.” For some kids who do, it helps to have parental or GC help in refining your wishes, expectations, directions, etc.</p>
<p>I think your EFC will really guide your search. There are some colleges that will really offer a lot of financial aid. For my daughter’s search she is only looking at schools that are in-state or offer significant merit aid.</p>
<p>Based on your ACT and GPA I think UMD is probably a target or possibly a safety. Have you considered Honors or Scholars for Maryland?</p>
<p>SMCM is a great school. Definitely check it out. We’ve visited a few times already.</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr is great, but they offer almost no merit aid, so it might be out of reach if your EFC is too high.</p>
<p>When colleges make the finaid package, do they look at your CSS Profile or the FAFSA? If it was the CSS Profile, I think my parents would be a lot better off (although I may be wrong). We spend lots of money (unfortunately) on medicine related things.</p>
<p>MDdad-
My parents really want me to get into the Honors program at UMD, so I will be taking a closer look at that. I’ve been to UMD countless times for camps (since I was 10)+ my parents have worked there before, and I never liked it. But I’ll give it a second chance when I go visit it for real. The only problem I have with SMCM is that it’s a bit too rural for me, and doesn’t really have any programs that I particulary like. But I still need to go visit. My parents really like rural areas, so I think they will like it a lot.</p>
<p>Check out Collegeboard.org to see which schools are FAFSA and which ones are CSS/Profile. After you search and find a particular college, click on the Cost & Financial Aid tab. Scroll down and see which methodology they use.</p>
<p>You need to go look at the colleges’ web pages! That’s where each tells you what forms and info they require and how they give aid. Don’t just shortcut with collegeboard.com- lately, we spotted a few key errors. They are good, but the college sites are best.</p>
<p>How much medical expenses help you get finaid depends on exceeding a cap the colleges set- and, last time I looked, it was pretty high. It’s only about your out-of-pocket medical expenses- your actual payments for insurance and after insurance has paid their portion. It’s not the totals doctors bill you. </p>
<p>If you exceed the $ cap, then the college looks at…well, decides whether to consider that or how much to consider it. Or not. Please go read finaid.org. This is a very real issue. </p>
<p>Also, getting admitted is far more than just whether your stats match. You have to pull together a great application package, incl ECs, essays and LoRs.</p>
<p>Have you looked at any of the other Maryland state options? Maybe Towson would appeal to you more than St. Mary’s, since it’s in a suburb and not out in the country?</p>
<p>What about UMBC? It used to have a commuter school reputation but it’s changed a lot and kids really seem to like it.</p>
<p>I’m guessing you are instate for Maryland…not VA. If that is the case, your costs of attending William and Mary will be high…and if you are a female (guessing you are since you have Bryn Mawr on your list)…I don’t think you are assured acceptance there.</p>
<p>How is it that UMDCP will be “free” for you?</p>
<p>This is going to sound harsh…your parents have some criteria for your attending college and it sounds like finances are ONE of them. You certainly can apply to wherever you want…but you need to realized that you will ONLY be able to enroll where your family can pay the bills. So…make sure that there are schools on that list that can fill the bill.</p>
<p>Georgetown (reach for sure) gives need based aid only…as others have noted…will your family be eligible for need based aid?</p>
<p>GW does give some merit awards BUT they don’t come close to the OVER $50,000 per year cost of attendance.</p>
<p>You have four (but I think there are perhaps 5 or 6) reach schools on your list. Maybe we’re mean parents but we only let our kids apply to ONE reach school…ONE. DD did not get accepted…DS did, but didn’t enroll.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not always TRUE. IF (read that IF) you qualify for need based aid at a school that meets full need it is POSSIBLE that they will give your more aid than other schools…POSSIBLE. These schools will NOT cover your EFC (family contribution) using financial aid money. YOUR FAMILY will be required to pay that no matter WHERE you go to college. AND for schools that do not meet full need…their sticker prices have NO relation to the amount of financial aid you will/might receive. American, Brandeis, Carnegie Mellon, UMDCP, St. Marys, and William and Mary do NOT meet full need. UMDCP and St Mary’s are your instate public universities with lower costs. The others would approach or exceed $50,000 a year and do not meet full need.</p>
<p>The schools that MEET full need on your list (Barnard, Georgetown, Vandy ) are all reaches…and personally I don’t think you are a shoe in for Bryn Mawr either.</p>
<p>As noted…you need to put your family finances into an online financial aid calculator…and run the numbers. Get an ESTIMATE of what your family MIGHT be asked to contribute annually.</p>
<p>Use the Scattergrams tab on Naviance to see how kids from YOUR school fared. School’s weighting systems are very, very variable. </p>
<p>(I know one school that gives an extra point for honors and two extra points for AP. My kid’s school gives 0.5 extra point for honors and 1 point for AP. Another school I know of gives 1 point extra for either honors OR AP. You get the picture.)</p>
<p>That can help you identify schools where you are well ABOVE the stats necessary for admission, which is what it takes to be a candidate for merit aid.</p>
<p>Remember, though, that at a lot of schools, the top merit award is just enough to bring the cost DOWN to ~$30K. If they will layer that on top of some need-based aid (if you qualify), you might get the price down further, but often they don’t.</p>
<p>DeskPotato-
My mom says she will flip out if I go to Towson or UMBC (because according to her, both UMBC and Towson are worse than UMCP. However, I don’t want to go to UMBC because it does not offer my major). Towson offers a plethora of majors, and has ones I like, but my parents are against it.
The schools I listed, along with their safety, target, and reach designations, are based off Naviance and its scattergrams. </p>
<p>Question (for everyone): Naviance just lists the average GPA of the accepted students–minus recalculation, right? If my GPA was recalculated, it would be quite low. (This is also assuming those who were accepted did better in electives than academic courses). </p>
<p>Thumper1-
Thank you for your input. I knew that William and Mary was in VA, but I decided to put that there because they accepted quite a few people from our school. It’s actually one that I am considering taking out.
I probably should have elaborated more when I said that UMDCP would be “free.” Basically, my parents have bought a UMD Education Fund (or something like that), where they started paying my tuition since I was very young. If I go to another college, this money will just be passed on to my siblings or (I think it was something like this) the college will let me pay the price which UMD is currently at, even if the college’s current tuition is more. My parents haven’t really told me a lot about this fund, so I am confused about it myself…but I know for a fact that if I go to UMD, it’s close to free (that’s just the tuition though, not room and board).
I think I’ll be taking out some of the reaches as well…now I just have to pick which ones.</p>
<p>lookingfoward-
Thank you for the information; I will be reading the website.</p>
<p>Top colleges tend to ignore non-solids. They can also focus on UW because every hs out there has it’s own way of adding something for AP and Honors classes. So, it’s not par. One kid’s 4.33 isn’t necessarily comparable to another’s.</p>
<p>You can google for info on the UMD Ed Fund. Are you at one of the highly competitive hs around DC?</p>
<p>I will look up info on the fund. Doesn’t each school have to send a profile as to how they do their weighting scale, though?
Yes, my school is one of the more competitive ones (I think it ranks in the top 100 nationally).
Do you know of any schools which care more about stuff that’s not grades (ECs, personality, essays, etc.)?</p>
<p>If you are looking at scattergrams from your school, those are weighted GPAs based on your school’s weighting. If you are lucky enough to be at a school which uses Naviance, those data are the most relevant to your “chances.” Unfortunately, they are cumulative over several years and may not reflect the increasing competition at some schools.</p>
<p>National numbers, it’s impossible to know what they are. Colleges vary in what they report. AU, for example, reports out the “school-reported GPA” whether it’s weighted, unweighted, however it’s weighted…</p>