<p>well said GELINO and essentially true.</p>
<p>Is Santa Clara expensive? What are the chances of getting into engineering for 3.68 GPA, average SAT, AP classes</p>
<p>Santa Clara (like many private Us) costs about $45,000/year. They do give some merit awards, particularly if you're a NMF, but not that much otherwise. Most top tier (or even near top tier) Us require considerable academic work, even those which may be considered "party" schools.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt and USC.....great social atmospheres and very good-looking students</p>