Please suggest some schools after reading my stats/info

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey guys!
I need urgent help in deciding which colleges i should apply to that would give me the most merit aid. Here are my stats:</p>

<p>African-American male
SAT: 2110 (M 740 CR 660 W 710)
ACT: 31 (M 35 S 30 R 28 Eng 29)
SAT II: Math Level 2 790 US History 750 Spanish 680 Physics 630)
GPA: 3.9 unweighted 4.25 weighted (9 AP classes, one B)</p>

<p>ACTIVITIES AND STUFF:
· Model United Nations- 2003-2005
· Key Club- 2003-2004
· Diversity Awareness Team- 2003
· Junior Statesmen of America- 2003-2004
· FCCLA- 2004, 2006 (Computer Consultant both years)
· Spanish Club- 2003-2006
· SOTENI- 2005-2006</p>

<p>Every summer since the ninth grade, I have volunteered and interned at a hospital. I interned with a cosmetic dermatologist and a surgical oncologist, shadowing them and gaining insights about medicine. I also volunteer there, helping out in the reception desk, following nurses, delivering papers, and transporting patients. I especially enjoy volunteering in the Cancer Patient Support Center, where I keep kids with cancer company by reading to them and playing with them. (20 hours a week, all summer)</p>

<p>Operation Smile: Operation Smile is an organization that raises money for first-world surgeons to travel to third-world countries and perform reconstructive surgeries free of charge. My sister was president of the University of Cincinnati chapter, so I volunteered through UC even though I was not officially a member. I raised money and helped plan and set up a fundraising banquet that was attended by race car driver Michael Schumaker.</p>

<p>SOTENI: Clothing drive for poor AIDS-affected villages in Africa. Made the AIDS ribbons and helped make a presentation to give to other schools to encourage them to start their own SOTENI club in their school</p>

<p>AWARDS:
· Red Award of Excellence for 4.0 GPA (2003)
· Scholastic Achievement in Spanish (2004)
· Spanish National Honor Society (2005)
· Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award (2005)
· Silver Award of Excellence for 4.0+ GPA (2005)
· National Honor Society (2005)
· Scholar Athlete (2003, 2004)
· Sportsmanship Award- Tennis (2003, 2004)
· Ventures Scholar (2003-Present)
· AP Scholar with Honor (2005)
· Coach's Classic 2nd Doubles city Junior Varsity runner-up-Tennis (2003)
· Coach's Classic 1st Doubles city Junior Varsity Champion-Tennis (2004)</p>

<p>WORK EXPERIENCE:</p>

<pre><code> YMCA Summer Camp (2003-2004): I was in charge of the tennis section of the camp. I taught kids how to play tennis, and supervised them as they swam and played with each other
</code></pre>

<p>·<br>
Private tutoring (2004-present): I tutor twice a week in subjects such as Spanish III, Advanced Algebra II, Biology and Chemistry.
·<br>
Kumon Math and Reading Center (1999-Present): Kumon Math and Reading Center (<a href="http://www.kumon.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.kumon.com&lt;/a&gt;) is an after-school tutoring program that focuses on building the fundamental building blocks of Math and English. I have been involved with Kumon since seventh grade, but it wasn't until tenth grade that I officially began working there. Over the years, I moved up to title of Head Assistant/Head Tutor, my current position. I not only tutor the children, but I have to plan the worksheets the students will complete, analyze their progress, and determine in which areas of Math or English the student needs extra help in.</p>

<hr>

<p>My essays are pretty solid. It talks about my passion for medicine and what has made me want to become a doctor. My teacher really loves it. I can PM it to anyone who wants it, just lemme know in your reply.</p>

<p>So basically i need a list of colleges that will give me the most MERIT based aid (i do qualify for need-based, as our adjusted gross income is 17,000 and there will be 3 of us in college). I am not necessarily looking for a top 20 school, although that would be great; just a good, big school with good academic standing in a BIG city with lots to do and good social life.</p>

<p>THANSK FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!1 I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!</p>

2

<p>If you want some excellent merit-aid with a city atmosphere to get an excellent pre-med education, I'd look at the University of Pittsburgh. It's in the heart of Pittsburgh with a great med school and excellent prep for med school. With your stats, you'd be very competative for merit scholarships there too.</p>

3

<p>Your stats are competitive for regular decision at Northwestern (in Evanston, adjacent to Chicago.). Northwestern also has a highly competitive 7 year pre-med/med school program that you should look into.</p>

4

<p>"So basically i need a list of colleges that will give me the most MERIT based aid (i do qualify for need-based, as our adjusted gross income is 17,000 and there will be 3 of us in college). I am not necessarily looking for a top 20 school, although that would be great; just a good, big school with good academic standing in a BIG city with lots to do and good social life."</p>

<p>Why in the world are you looking for merit aid schools, when your need-based situation would provide you a full ride absolutely everywhere, and you are a viable candidate at every college and university in the country, bar none?</p>

5

<p>mini, i did the EFC calculaor on the college board, and our EFC was 12,000 dollars. I find that really wierd because my sister filed a FAFSA last year, and our official EFC was about 640 dollars. If the college board was correct, my family cannot afford 12,000 dollars, so i do not want to rely solely on need-based aid because since the colleges compute it themselves, i might get the shaft and have to pay a lot. plus, that 17,00 gross income may be a little misleading, because my dad works overseas. his wages, salaries and tips is 98,000 US dollars, but the foreign income exclusion is 80,000 dollars so they subtract that from 98,000 to get the total income. So i dont know how foreign income is used in financial aid calculation</p>

6

<p>Hey, I work at Kumon too. =P
And I also run the front desk, tutor, pack, record, etc, etc. gotta love the hours and I like kids. =)</p>

7

<p>haha cool BCC</p>

<p>our instructor is pretty much incompetent, so i basically run the place. our Center is in the same place as the midwest headquarters; they always come to me when they have questions about the progress of our center and stuff in the computer and stuff. I find it qute humorous lol</p>

8

<p>Oh, okay. Got it. Income is $98k, and it is a matter of the methodology for computation. (Obviously it worked for your sister - where is she in school?) </p>

<p>The usual suspects would be Hopkins, Emory, Rice, Washington U., Northwestern, Chicago, etc. All fine - differences are a matter of individual preference. Miami would be a good safety, and you'd be well up in their pool for merit aid; same is likely true at Vanderbilt. Are you a serious tennis player? The reason I ask is because the Ivies have an interesting habit of finding more need than would otherwise exist when they really want an athletic candidate, or desired URM, so you might be pleasantly surprised.</p>

9

<p>Another good choice might be Macalester. A URM with your stats, and a tennis player to boot, would be a great candidate for merit aid - and it's a very fine school.</p>

10

<p>Northwestern does not give merit aid.</p>

11

<p>Northwestern "says" they don't give merit aid, and then on the very same page on their website that they say that, they include the following:</p>

<p>"Northwestern University Scholarship
Northwestern University is proud of its commitment to help families meet the cost of private higher education. As a result, the University awards more than $50 million of its own funds to undergraduates each academic year in the form of NU Scholarships. All NU Scholarships are awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need and availability of funding at the time the student applies for aid. Additional funding is also provided via gifts by generous University benefactors. These NU Endowed Scholarships are awarded to those students who, in addition to being eligible for need-based NU scholarship assistance, also meet the donors' other selection criteria. Approximately one-half of all Northwestern undergraduate students receive NU scholarship assistance, with individual awards ranging from $250 to over $33,000 annually. Recipients come from families with a wide range of income backgrounds. Northwestern Scholarship is generally the final component of an aid package, meeting any remaining need after other forms of aid have been applied."</p>

<p>In other words, you won't get merit aid if you don't have any need, but if you do have need, they will see if you meet the "donor's criteria". Hmm.</p>

12

<p>i have applied to emory, hopkins and miami already... i dont think i am good enough to be a tennis athlete for any school. i just play for fun. any one else got any more suggestions?</p>

13

<p>I think Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania is a good school for you. It isn't very expensive and it is a very good school.</p>

14

<p>Also, instead of going to U of Miami, go to U of Florida instead. It is much cheaper and is a better school.</p>

15

<p>anyone else have any suggestions? i need lots more :S</p>

16

<p>Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. They typically award a lot of merit money...and with your record you may even qualify for a full ride. It's a preppy school though..don't know if that's an issue for you...but if they offer you a ton of $$ who cares? It's a very solid liberal arts school, with a great pre-med program. Unfortunately, it's not in a big city though...it's in upstate NY. Might be worth the trade-off if the money offer is good!!</p>

<p><a href="http://www.hartwick.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.hartwick.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

17

<p>Oneonta hardly qualifies as a "big city". (Nor does Gainesville.)</p>

18

<p>univ of rochester</p>

19

<p>thanks mini, u've been a big help.</p>

<p>i recieved the bausch and lomb award from the the university of rocheter, which is only worth about 7000 a year, but the tuition is about 40000</p>

20

<p>Check out the merit awards at USC in LA. They also have financial aid awards and were very generous with my son. They gave him a full tuition scholarship based on need. I think their deadline is December 15th.</p>