Full need schools do include room and board. Apply and see what happens. Add a school from post #5 as a super safety.
I did some digging into Berea, I ran a net price calculator and it said I can qualify for up to $32,000 in grants/merit money. However, I do not know if the school is need-blind or not, if it isn’t, then I may not be able to get in?
I was also contemplating the gap year, but, what do you think of this idea?
I could apply to ten private colleges such as
Pitzer
Wesleyan
Bowdoin
Wake Forest
Kenyon (I have an interview)
and 5 other need-blind, full-need schools.
If I happen to not get into any of the privates, I can use the University of California as a safety net.
I have a good feeling with a 4.386 UC GPA that I could get into at least UC Davis or Santa Barbara.
@AriShmari, ALL the students at Berea have financial need…in fact, it is part of the central mission of the school to provide the opportunity for a high-quality college education for students with financial need. So, Berea certainly would not reject you on financial grounds if they liked your application. I noticed that their website has a phone number to call to get information. It would be nice if you could visit.
The schools you listed are all known as fine schools, and maybe you would want to try to get in after a lot of study during a gap year. The problem is, all of those schools are so competitive now, they are probably reaches for MOST students, even with high stats. So, you could work very hard during your gap year (and deserve to get in) but not get accepted, just because there are so many other deserving students with strong stats. So, if you could afford your CA safeties and like them, there’s no harm in trying for these schools. Keep in mind that the applications can be expensive!
Another thing you need to be considering is even if you get a full ride to one of these schools, can your family afford transportation costs associated with going away to school?
Unless the school is test optional, your GPA won’t compensate at most schools (except maybe UCs and CSUs)
I’m thinking OP would have to get a summer job (or work during a gap year) to provide transportation and extras if he travels far from California.
Another idea…doesn’t the University of New Mexico have significant merit scholarships? That is a lot closer geographically. Albuquerque is reachable by Amtrak.
@nw2this Denison has good merit aid but not as good need-based aid for low income students. For our family, the NPC showed a $0 family contribution (same as our FAFSA EFC) but a net cost of over $19000, including an estimated $5500 student loan, $11000+ other loans.
U New Mexico has near full rides for 31 ACT and a 3.9 GPA (competitive) .
Look at Colby College. It’s a long way away from your home, but they stood out to me as being one of the few LACs that meet full demonstrated need and yet do not report mid-range SAT scores that are extremely high. You can self-report your scores for admission purposes so that will save you money–they only ask you to send the official report later if you are accepted. The deadline is 1/1 so you’ll need to hurry if you’re interested, but the good news is there’s no extra essay to write she no app fee so if you already have your common app basic application together, you can apply with just a few clicks.
The OP’s SAT score for Colby will be in the lowest quartile and it’s not a test optional school. Worth a try of course, but it’s as much of a reach as the others on the list. They are committed to students whose access to college might be difficult; they accepted 30 students through the questbridge match process, so that could help.
Are you going to be able to afford a UC school? You said your parents can’t pay anything at all. UCs are lower cost than privates, but still more than nothing.
I wish you had applied to some of the lower-ranked UCs as well – you might get some scholarships at places like Riverside or Merced. (This is all conjecture on my part – I don’t actually know anything about what scholarships are available there.)
Did you apply to any Cal State schools? Those are cheaper than UCs.
@AriShmari check out Franklin and Marshall College in PA, a great LAC with a lovely campus in Lancaster, a cute small city, about an hour from philadelphia. It is test optional, need blind, and meets full need. Being male will give you a small boost.