read: Suggestions on selections, ivies, and ED?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Wats up guys. I just need some advice on college selections I'm about to make pretty soon. Let me tell you a little bit about myself...</p>

<p>I'm a 17 yr old, persian-american, living in va. I go to sort of a magnet high school within a regular high school, which specializes in math and science. I'm the valedictorian of my class with a 5 something (heavily weighted) gpa (no b's ever). I'm really interested in science and technology, and for the past 3 years ive been doing a lot of research in dentistry and ( in this summer's internship) drugs of abuse. I've presented my research city science fairs, states, and the va academy of science and hav won a slew of awards. Aside from that, I also like politics, debate, and this winter i'm actually going to the international model un conference in the Hague, netherlands. I'm not really sure whatmajor I should pursue, because my career choices are really up in the air now --> dentistry or medicine, biz, or law?? I know that your undergrad major doesnt have to pertain to what you want to do afterwards..so may choose biology..but again, i am open to any suggestions</p>

<p>Here are choices so far:</p>

<p>UVA
Georgetown
Columbia College*
UPENN*
U Miami</p>

<ul>
<li>out of these, my top two would be columbia and upenn, on the condition that i get a considerable amount of money to attend. By no means am I going to put myself in 40g a year debt just for a b.s. Honestly I am not of the these guys who is dead-set crazy on going to an ivy league school (unlike some other CCers). I just prefer to attend a reputable school in a big city with nightlife and lots of places to see and do. The only thing that worries me, besides the cost, of going to an ivy is also the rigor and competition. Is it worth it to be a small fish in a big pond? Also, should I apply ED to CC, b/c the admissions rate is lower??</li>
</ul>

<p>-UVA is one of, if not, the best public school in the country, and it is relatively cheap. (4 years tuition is less than 1 year at a private school). My only qualms are that its only an hour away from where i live, and it doesnt look like theres much to do in charlottesville, and a handful of kids in my class are probably going there too (it is everyones dream in my school to go to uva)</p>

<p>-I'm sort of 50% on miami. Obviously its a great place to live...but its not as reputable as other schools. I'd consider it a safety, plus, they offer some good academic scholarships</p>

<ul>
<li><p>and finally, g-town. I've visited, and i thinks its great, but expensive. They were building a new business school and also have a great law school and an up-and-coming science program</p></li>
<li><p>also, california is also an option. if you guys have any recommedation on schools in CA, just holla. I dont want to apply to more than 5 or 6 schools though.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>bump plzzz</p>

3

<p>Northwestern, Cal and Carnegie Mellon.</p>

4

<p>what do u mean by cal??? Caltech?</p>

5

<p>cal meaning berkeley, i'm assuming</p>

6

<p>dude go to uva.</p>

<p>imo the best school on ur list and its instate. its dumb to pass up. you can worry about other stuff when you go to grad school.</p>

7

<p>thanks chaserz..</p>

<p>-can anyone answer my question about early decision??</p>

8

<p>If paying for college is a concern, DO NOT apply ED to UPenn or Columbia. While ED may boost your chances of being accepted it greatly reduces any chance you have of negotiating financial aid.</p>

9

<p>^That's true, but both schools are generous with financial aid (and will not give you less because you applied ED). If you look at their policies (or call and ask to talk to someone in the financial aid office), and are confident that you are eligible for lots of aid (they meet full need), it may not be a bad idea to apply ED.</p>

10

<p>why is it harder to negotiate? </p>

<ul>
<li>btw i received an email from columbia a few months back saying that they would significantly reduce family obligations for families in the 60K to 100K family income bracket (which we fall under), and replace all loans with university grants. Are any other schools doing this?</li>
</ul>

11

<p>^ Quite a few. I think most of the Ivies are, and other top schools are making new financial aid initiatives also. If you fall in that bracket, then it's probably safe to assume you will get great financial aid from Columbia (which may make it safe to apply ED).</p>

<p>The reason it is harder to negotiate, though, is that because if you applied RD, you could compare financial aid offers, and then say to School X, "School Y gave me this much." You have more leverage to bargain if you have other offers to compare School X's offer to.</p>

12

<p>yea your right..i guess thats one bad thing about a binding ED
also, someone from the other forum asked for my test scores so here they are</p>

<p>SAT - 2050 (March)
CR-640, MATH-740, WRITING-670
*shooting for 2200+ in october</p>

<p>SAT II, Math 2 760, US History 780, Chem 780</p>

<p>AP's
Stats (07) - 5
APUSH (08) - 5
CHEM (08) - 5</p>

<p>Senior Courses, AP GOV, AP CALC, AP Enviro, AP Bio, Spanish, English, Shakespeare Studies, and Biomedical Engineering</p>

13

<p>Penn and Columbia are both phenomenal schools. That being said, if you are undecided about what you want, Penn may be a better fit for you. Its "one university" policy means that courses at all 4 undergraduate schools and many of the graduate schools are available to you. Want to try business? Take a Wharton course. Want to try law? Take a real law school class with real law students at Penn Law. </p>

<p>Additionally, you will have more opportunity to explore other fields at Penn ecause you will have more time to do so. Columbia's Core curriculum will sap much of your spare course time. Penn's distribution requirements are more flexible and you can probably get them done in the course of your own exploration.</p>

14

<p>bump please</p>

15

<p>Well, you might be able to call Columbia and Penn and ask them if they can give you an estimate of how much financial aid you'll be eligible for since you're applying ED, but they probably won't agree to your request. And if they don't, I wouldn't recommend applying there ED since you can just go to UVa.</p>

<p>Do send me a PM if you decide to call though; I'm really curious to know what they'll say.</p>

16

<p>bump...any more suggestions?</p>

17

<p>Ay, sup man. Persian-american too ^^. Except..no one in the world would guess I am since I look nothing like a persian.
Cali is tight, and the nightlife is awesome. Berkeley is a weird place, fyi. So if you're applying there and actually want to attend, beware that it's in a boring place and surrounded by hippies. At least they all grow...
A lot of persians at UCLA. Awesome university and it's VERY reputable in cali.
What makes UCLA fun is the nightlife and social life it has to offer with it's academics. Big on greek life too, be sure to check that out.
Apply to Stanford too. You won't regret it.
USC is another reputable school here. Good alum connections for job placement.</p>

<p>And since nightlife is pretty crucial, ever thought of NYU?</p>

18

<ol>
<li>what is your unweighted GPA as this is what the college is going to look at?</li>
</ol>

<p>
[quote]
why is it harder to negotiate?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Because when you apply ED, you lose your ability to compare packages so you have nothing to "negotiate" against. In addition it is the school, not you or your parents who determine how much you can afford to pay.</p>

<ol>
<li> I would suggest running your numbers through a financial aid calculator using both the federal and institutional methodologies.<br></li>
</ol>

<p>Are either one of your parents self employed?
Do you have stepparents?
Does your family have vast assets?</p>

<p>all of these things are considered when awarding FA, not solely income.</p>

19

<p>thanks, now i understand...</p>

<ul>
<li>unweighted GPA is 4.0</li>
<li>parents are not self-employed and don't have vast assets in America</li>
</ul>

20

<p>
[quote]
parents are not self-employed and don't have vast assets in America

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Do that have vast assets any where else? </p>

<p>Please understand that for eligibility for Federal Student Aid funds, you should know that any person who makes false statements or misrepresentation on this form is subject to a fine or to imprisonment or both under provisions of the United States Criminal Code.</p>

<p>In addition you have to repay all monies given to you including penalities can have your admissions/degree revoked leaving you with a worthless piece of paper.</p>