<p>You sound like a great person overall … keep us posted as you whittle the list down and especially as you get some answers. I agree with you … the ACT (or SAT) definitely does not tell the whole story.</p>
<p>^Area does not really matter to me if the school’s econ program reputation is good. I just want to get into the best school I can. I pick Lafayette because I saw that it had high ranking in the academic portion and I match the 50% for scores. </p>
<p>I think College of the Holy Cross is a safety. Will apply to 8-9 of those school. If all else fail community college or public schools.</p>
<p>I do not mind a high price for a college if I could find a respectable job out of college.</p>
<p>anyone else? How would you rank the schools?</p>
<p>FYI, for a financial safety, you may want to make sure your scores are at the 75% mark or higher. Some schools associate their willingness to match EFC with GPA and scores combined.</p>
<p>So far I took out Kenyon College, Macalester, and Occidental College.</p>
<p>I applied to Univ. of Chicago already</p>
<p>My back up college is states schools around and I believe all will be paid for or most.</p>
<p>If you’re seeking considerable aid or if you’re going to need some big time loans, don’t bother applying to OOS schools and especially do not apply to NYU. Based on your ACT score most of these schools would be considered very reach-ish anyway, especially NYU, UCLA, UNC, and maybe UW-Madison.</p>
<p>Why do people tend to over estimate scores? For UW-Madison average is 28 however my GPA is .3 above the norm. Also, 5% Asian/ 67% acceptance rate.</p>
<p>Is ACT the only reason for NYU? 2 point away.</p>
<p>I always wondered is 2 points (on the ACT) away from the average really going to affect my chance? Most of these schools are 2 point away.</p>
<p>exactly what I was thinking! I think most schools would be impressed with your dedication to family and support of your mother. I hope you stress this info in your app somewhere.</p>
<p>Have you tried the “net price calculator” or “financial aid estimator” on each school’s web site to get an idea of which schools will be affordable. (NYU in particular has a reputation of poor financial aid, so it should be viewed as a reach at best for any student needing substantial financial aid. Many public schools also give little aid to out of state students, though UVa and UNC supposedly to meet need for out of state students.)</p>
<p>Be sure that you have at least one safety which you will get into and you will be able to afford without excessive loans. Often, in-state state universities are the more obvious safeties, or low cost community college for two years followed by transfer as a junior to a four year university to complete a bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>2 points on the ACT = ~120 points on the SAT. NYU’s middle 50%-tile is 29-31, with 29 being the something like the 25%-tile of admitted students. Assuming that your applying to CAS, being below that threshold puts NYU in reach category.</p>
<p>State schools generally expect their OOS applicants to be on the higher end of the spectrum. A 28 on the ACT for an in-state resident in Wisconsin would generally put UW-Madison in match territory, the same can’t be said for a non-resident.</p>
<p>Generally speaking a high ACT/SAT goes in hand with a high GPA. There is rarely any actual “compensation” if one is much relatively lower.</p>
<p>In any case I’m not sure if it’s in your best interest to pursue admissions at these schools given the financial picture you provided. They are likely not going to give you a lot of money, and I’d think anyone would advise against taking out significant loan money to pay for your tuition fees.</p>
<p>I will reconsider NYU because of the points you pointed out. It is kind of confusing when looking at ACT average. College books have different scores. The scores fluctuate randomly. For example, I was looking at two different catalog for the same school and the score were considerably different. </p>
<p>I understand your point for UW-Madison. I did some research and found that 32% are out of states 6% are international. So 62% are in-state. </p>
<p>@ucbalumnus If I were to go to a in-state to get my degree why should I go to a Univ for 4 full year vs 2 year community college then 2 year Univ?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The community college and transfer route is usually less expensive (but not always, if you get a good financial aid and scholarships with a freshman admission offer at a four year school).</p>
<p>The other pros and cons of starting at a community college versus going directly to a four year school as a freshman:</p>
<ul>
<li>Usually more accepting of part time enrollment (e.g. if you need to work to earn money while in school).</li>
<li>Less financial and institutional pressure to decide a major quickly (primarily an advantage for an undecided student).</li>
<li>Cannot take junior and senior level courses as a freshman or sophomore.</li>
<li>In financially strapped states, may have worse over-full class problems than four year schools.</li>
<li>In some majors, may not have all of the prerequisites needed before transfer, so taking “catch up” courses after transfer may be necessary.</li>
<li>Need to make two transitions to a new school instead of one.</li>
</ul>
<p>The best source of info is the college’s own website. The “college books” are just a starting point. You are taking schools off your list- is this because of info the college produced or some outside source?</p>
<p>Does your school have a resource such as Naviance? Can your GC offer advice?</p>
<p>And, lulu: one has to be careful about not over-emphasizing one’s “dedication to family and support of” them, It can make it seem that the applicant would be less inclined or less able to leave his/her home area. One has to strike the right note.</p>
<p>Some colleges try to boost their prestigious so I do not believe much in what they claim. Also, I am taking colleges off if the college average norm is 2 points above me. </p>
<p>No to Naviance. I do not think GC could offer much advice.</p>
<p>I already know my major which is econ. But I did take 4 community college classes already so I am practically done with 2/5 done w/ Freshman year. </p>
<p>BTW is UCSD a reach for me?</p>
<p>All UCs are reaches (or out of reach) for out of state students who need significant financial aid for the ~$50,000/year cost of attendance.</p>
<p>I want to respond to your comment that “I do not mind a high price for a college if I could find a respectable job out of college.” I think you need to keep in mind that given the current economic climate (which is likely to continue for quite some time), there are really no guarantees that a good education will translate into a good job after graduation. Obviously, it is your choice as to how much debt you are willing to incur, but for the not-top-tier schools that you are [realistically] considering, I think you should be very cautious. </p>
<p>Two suggestions - choose cities where you would like to end up after you graduate from college and look into schools there that, while not necessarily nationally ranked, have a strong local presence and alumni network. Also, consider schools that have the program you want (most schools have an econ dept.) where your record puts you in the top 10 - 25%. These will be the safeties that I agree with other posters you don’t have on your list, and they are also more likely to give you merit aid. </p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>*Some colleges try to boost their prestigious so I do not believe much in what they claim. *</p>
<p>And, the “college books” are published to make profit for the publishers. </p>
<p>I think you are missing some of the sage advice being shared here. If you can’t turn to a GC, please re-read some of the posts, check other forums. No one who needs aid can simply look for a school that offers the right major. No one can guess from median stats. You have to learn what the college values in it’s admits and the very best source is the college- not some pithy blurb in a college guide. </p>
<p>And, unless you choose schools that wants you as much as you want them, you may not get merit aid or enough financial aid money. Some of the schools you listed are “meet full need.” Others are not. Some won’t offer merit to a low score. </p>
<p>Despite your confidence about your way of researching and that you will get a great job, if you end up with say, 80k debt, your family’s monthly loan payments could be pushing $1000/month. With a BA/BS, many grads don’t walk into a very high paying job inless you go to one of the schools those jobs are most often recruited from. And, you will be working, paying those loans for 10 years, AND trying to get an MBA and find a way to pay for that? </p>
<p>There is a piece of this thread that sounds too unrealistic.</p>
<p>I do not plan on getting a MBA as soon as I get a job. I will wait a few years and take care of loans before I go to get a MBA. College guide are misleading but so are the college themselves. After all college is a business.</p>
<p>If a school offer a BA/BS econ degree but not any master/doctorate should I take it off my list?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It depends on whether you anticipate wanting to take graduate level courses as an undergraduate. While this can be a concern for math majors who enter already advanced by two years in math, it is rarely a concern for other students.</p>