<p>“All of the schools on my list are some of the top universities in the US (USC, NYU, UPenn, UVA, Notre Dame, UMich, UT Austin, etc.).”</p>
<p>Why don’t you have any matches or safeties on your list? What about a financial safety or two? All you seem to have here are reaches, and the ones that are public are very expensive for out-of-state students.</p>
<p>Even more important than your GPA is your EFC. You need to run some of the financial aid calculators to find out what the colleges will expect your family to be able to pay. Start with the calculators at [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>How Much Will College Cost – BigFuture | College Board) When you have that figure, sit down with your parents and ask them whether they can come up with that kind of money, and if not, just exactly how much money they can come up with. Once you know how much your family can afford, you can track down a “True Safety”.</p>
<p>The True Safety is a place that:
- You can afford with no financial aid other than federally determined financial aid
- Has to admit you based on your stats (many state Us have rules about this for in-state students, and most community colleges are open admission)
- Offers your major, or the first two years if it is a community college
- You will be happy to attend if you don’t get into any other place that you can afford</p>
<p>Find that one, and apply early so that you are in line for any special programs or scholarships that you qualify for. Then go find yourself one or two other academic safeties that offer your major and are likely to admit a student with your GPA. Two of my cousins have made successful banking careers. Both of them graduated from places you probably have never heard of, and that I’ve never seen discussed here. Neither of them were finance majors, just plain old business majors.</p>