Reach/Match/Safety Schools: Evaluate My Choices?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi! I’m a rising seniors applying to some schools. Can someone look at my reach/target/safety schools and tell me if I’m on the right track? I’m worried I’m aiming too high.

SCHOOLS: Reach: Yale, MIT, UPenn | Target: UNC- Chapel Hill, Tulane| Safety: NYU, UF

MY HISTORY:
-SAT I (breakdown): 2100/2400 (planning to retake)
-ACT (breakdown): Composite: 30 (planning to retake)
-SAT II: none (planning to take)
-Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
-Weighted GPA: 4.8
-Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/603
-AP: Chemistry, Psychology, Biology, Statistics, Calculus AB, English Language, English Literature, US History
-AICE:Classical Studies, General Papers, English Language, Psychology, Sociology, English Literature
-Senior Year Course Load: DE French 1+2, DE Anatomy, AP Psychics, AP Microeconomics, AP Government, Journalism, AICE Literature A-Level, DE College Algebra
-Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AICE Diploma, (hopefully) National AP Scholar, Yale Book Award, National Merit Commended: locally, Palm Beach Post Student of the Year (journalism award with $500 scholarship), Character Counts Student of the Year
Subjective:
-Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NEHS (3 years), NHS (3 years), Chemistry Honors Society (3 years), Hugs and Kisses (treasurer, president, 4 years), Spanish Honors Society (2 years), Math Honors Society (2 years), Art Club (2 years), Literary Magazine (2 years, multiple leadership positions, including head editor), Newspaper (3 years, editor-in-chief), singing, piano (9 years)
-Job/Work Experience: acting in a haunted house, retail, tutor
-Volunteer/Community service:Hugs and Kisses (5+ years), local zoo (3 years), vet internship, neurology (major) internship
Total: 500+ hours
-Summer Activities: volunteer, work, study

State (if domestic applicant): Florida
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic (Cuban)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): <35,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, low income, first generation

Took out the yelling in the thread title
ED

2

Probably you should remove NYU from your list. They are famous for their terrible financial aid package. If you need lots of aid, you should not apply there.

As you noted yourself, I think you are aiming too high for your stats. It doesn’t seem like you don’t have a true safety either.

3

Do you have any recommendations for a safety? My major is neurology. @HiToWaMom

4

I wouldn’t consider NYU a safety, especially if you’re low-income. NYU gives very little financial aid.

Safeties would be UAlabama & Temple, since you’d get full-ride.

Definitely re-take the SAT or ACT. Those reaches are nearly impossible with your current scores.

What’s your EFC?

For possible merit, look into:
-College of Charleston (S)
-Florida State University
-Syracuse University

Reaches:
-Boston College (Low reach)
-University of Virginia (Raise your scores)

5

Thank you so much! @newjerseygirl98 and my EFC is undecided

6

OP is hispanic, so while the test scores won’t work for ORMs, they might work for her.

Still, you should definitely retake both tests. But I agree with Hitowamom above, you need a true safety and another match or two. Your two awards for student of the year (Palm beach post, character counts) are good, so I would list those before the others. I think overall you have strong resumé and a good shot at many of your choices. Be sure to show interest in Tulane, they care about that.

7

Your EFC is not undecided. It may be undetermined. Try running the FAFSA calculator. Better yet, run the Net Price Calculator on all of your schools’ web sites. Will your Bright Futures cover your costs at UF? ALl your reaches are super reaches. UNC out of state will be a reach.

8

I ran the calculator and got just about $5,000. Bright Futures would cover my cost at UF. Upon consideration, I think I’ll do FSU as my safety @“Erin’s Dad”

9

Tulane’s midrange ACT is 29-33 and its acceptance rate is under 30%. Likely to be more competitive next year, since it’s adding ED. It’s a low reach.

UNC is a big reach since you’re OOS.

As has been said, NYU is awful in terms of cost and not a safety.

10

NYU is definitely out of the running. Do you have any suggestions for more match/safety schools? @usualhopeful

11

Any geographical constraints?

Judging by your current list, are you looking for a medium-sized school?

Any other preferences about schools?

12

BF doesn’t cover the cost of UF.


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my EFC is undecided <<<

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No, it’s not. It sounds like it would be 0 or close to 0

Which calculator said $5k? Is that net cost? Or estimated EFC? Or what?

Do you have a non-custodial parent?

What is your career goal?

Some safeties could be UCF or FIU or FAU …schools that will give you merit

13

Nothing in the far west. No size preference. I am looking for a somewhat urban area. Thanks for your help, by the way @usualhopeful

14

I was informed by my guidance counselor it would cover the cost. I used the Yale calulator for net cost most recently. Both my parents have custody (they are married). I want to be a practicing neurologist. @mom2collegekids

15

A school with similar admission rates to NYU but with good aid is URochester. It’s known for sciences and medicine-related majors.

16

Given your income, I would add more low reaches with great financial aid. Many LACs have low acceptance rates, but mid range ACTs of 28-32 or 29-33 or that sort of range which will make them fairly achievable reaches. Vassar, Colby, Mt. Holyoke, Trinity CT, Conn College, Grinnell, Wellesley, St. Olaf, Wesleyan (which, btw, is really focused on a diverse class, and, while one of the more competitive examples, might give a larger advantage to a low-income URM student), etc. There are about 60 of these schools. Most of the schools which meet need and are more achievable from an admissions standpoint are liberal arts colleges.

Some of the need met schools might be matches rather than reaches.

The complete list of these schools:

http://blog.prepscholar.com/colleges-that-offer-complete-financial-aid

Do you have an intended major?

FSU or another public besides UF might be a safety, but I don’t know so much about FL-specific scholarships and state aid. Florida A&M, depending on your major, might be a safety; I think you’d get an automatic full ride.

There are some admissions safeties (like Eckerd or, as more of a low match, Earlham) which have good merit but not great need based aid, and may or may not be affordable. I guess I’d call them low matches overall.

ETA: The price from Yale might have included * your * expected contribution, which includes work study and a summer job.

17

<<<<
was informed by my guidance counselor it would cover the cost


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Your GC is either very wrong or you misheard her. Bright Futures will NOT cover the costs of UF or any Florida public.

The MAXIMUM that BF awards is $103 per credit. You’ll likely take about 30 credits per year.

Your award would be about…$3,100 per year from Bright Futures.

University of Florida costs about $22k per year for an instate student. Being low income, you might qualify for a Pell Grant of about $5700 as well. Maybe UF will give some aid.

But…Bright Futures will NOT cover the costs of UF.

18

Please do NOT use this as your measure of EFC. That estimate is Only good for Yale and Y is one of the most generous with grant money. Run the Net Price Calculator on EACH School’s web site. Each one will be different.

19

Hopefully you’ve already ran the NPC for UF:

https://npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/ufl

UF will offer you a package of grants, loans and work study. They will not be as generous as Yale or one of the Ivy schools (of course!), but it should find it doable. UF also offers some competitive need-based scholarships (they consider stats+need+EC’s)…

If you can’t get your test scores up a bit, you may find that some of the other in-state schools (and their honor programs) will make better financial safeties/u, than the OOS schools, They will likely offer $4K to $5K a year (or more) in merit scholarships, plus, being in-state you still get Bright Futures*. On the other hand, they may offer less grant (free!) money than UF. It’s always good to have a few schools to compare when making your final choice.

Good Luck

*The state legislature will be considering increasing the amount awarded for Bright Futures, next spring. That would be a nice bonus, if you’re attending a Florida school. If they do decided to increase it (over the current $103 a credit hour), you’ll hear about it in March or April.

EDIT: note that the UF competitive need-based scholarship also consider EC’s/Leadership/Etc.