Recommendations for colleges

College Search & Selection
1

<p>My scores are </p>

<p>SAT) 2270 (M 800, CR 670, W 800)</p>

<p>ACT) 35</p>

<p>UW GPA) 3.59</p>

<p>W GPA) 4.077</p>

<p>Rank) 37/513</p>

<p>APs) </p>

<p>Junior Year) World History (4) and English Lang (5) </p>

<p>Senior year) Psychology, Physics B, English Lit, Biology, Calculus BC</p>

<p>Freshman year I was in IB program</p>

<p>ECs)</p>

<p>Volunteer at local animal shelter for 1 year</p>

<p>Volunteer at local library for 1 year</p>

<p>Member of church youth group</p>

<p>Volunteer at high school art department for 1 year</p>

<p>Tae Kwon Do for 2 years</p>

<p>National Merit Scholar Semifinalist</p>

2

<p>Cost constraints?
State of residency?
Academic and career interests?</p>

<p>If you don’t specify the above, you will get a random-looking list of others’ favorite colleges.</p>

3

<p>I live in Colorado and plan to major in computer science. I also need a school with good financial aid</p>

4

<p>State universities in Colorado.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-20.html#post16451378[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-20.html#post16451378&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html#post16224918[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html#post16224918&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation-56.html#post16465904[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation-56.html#post16465904&lt;/a&gt; (some are for NMSF)
If ~$35,000 per year is affordable, perhaps schools like Minnesota, Virginia Tech, NCSU, Stony Brook, Cal Poly SLO, New Mexico Tech, South Dakota Mines.</p>

5

<p>In that case, a good idea might be to apply to some in-state publics (maybe CU-Boulder, Colorado State, Colorado School of Mines) - although unfortunately publics aren’t that cheap in Colorado; a couple of the automatic scholarship schools on the list ucb posted; and then one or two reach East or West Coast/Midwest schools that are need blind and meet full need.</p>

6

<p>I was thinking more about out of state schools rather than in-state ones</p>

7

<p>Consider colleges that claim to meet 100% of demonstrated need (assuming you can cover the Expected Family Contribution for these schools).
[Colleges</a> That Claim to Meet Full Financial Need - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2013/09/18/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need-2014]Colleges”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2013/09/18/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need-2014)</p>

<p>Universities on the list with especially strong CS departments include Brown, Caltech, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, and UPenn. All of these are highly selective. The University of Southern California is a tad less selective, and seems to have a good CS rep.</p>

<p>More than half of the listed full-need schools are small liberal arts colleges, some of which may not offer enough CS courses to satisfy you. Check course listings. Grinnell, Macalester, and Oberlin are 3 small, highly regarded, but somewhat less selective LACs that should be able to cover your CS needs. They are comparable to Colorado College (in size, curriculum, and selectivity) but with slightly better aid. </p>

<p>Some OOS public universities (Berkeley, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland) have excellent CS programs. Unfortunately, their need-based aid to OOS students generally is not too good.</p>

<p>If you cannot cover the EFC at the full-need schools, then you may want to consider schools with guaranteed large merit scholarships for your stats. Typically, these will be less selective state universities (offering more or less what you’d get at Boulder, perhaps.)</p>

8

<p>Based on my stats (rather than financial aid) which schools would you recommend?</p>

9

<p>^ The more important questions at this point are:

  1. what is an appropriate financing strategy for you (one emphasizing need-based aid, one emphasizing merit aid, or one emphasizing a low sticker price)?
  2. what kind of school are you looking for (with respect to size, location, atmosphere, etc.)?</p>

<p>Your stats alone aren’t a very good basis for differentiating the kinds of schools I listed. They aren’t strong enough to ensure admission to the crap-shoot schools (almost nobody’s are), but they aren’t so weak that they’d necessarily keep you out. However … your class rank, and the fact that you only pursued IB through freshman year, might make the most selective universities (Caltech, MIT, Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and UPenn) very unlikely. </p>

<p>I suggest you consider Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Rice, USC, and Vanderbilt (assuming you can cover the EFC at these schools). These are all reaches. For target schools, consider the LACs I mentioned (Grinnell, Macalester, Oberlin). As a safety, add UC Boulder (if the NPC indicates it is affordable) or a less selective school that guarantees a large merit scholarship for your stats.</p>

10

<p>For need-based financial aid, run the net price calculator on each school’s web site rather than making assumptions about what is or is not too expensive. If none come up affordable, you need to focus on schools with large enough merit scholarships.</p>

11

<p>I would defiantly look at GWU they have a great computer science program and they try to meet 100% of someone’s demonstrated need.</p>

12

<p>^ GWU’s computer science is nothing special (ranked #79 by USNWR) they just got caught out on lying about need-blind admissions for years:</p>

<p>[George</a> Washington University Has for Years Claimed to be ?Need-Blind.? It?s Not. - ProPublica](<a href=“http://www.propublica.org/article/george-washington-university-has-for-years-claimed-to-be-need-blind.-its-no]George”>George Washington University Has for Years Claimed to be 'Need-Blind.' It’s Not. — ProPublica)</p>

<p>[Best</a> Computer Science Programs | Top Computer Science Schools | US News Best Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings/page+4]Best”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings/page+4)</p>

13

<p>According to GW’s 2011-12 Common Data Set, section H.2.i, the average percentage of need that was met of students who were awarded any need-based aid was 90%. That’s pretty good, but not outstanding for a strong student with other options (esp. considering how expensive GW is).</p>

14

<p>Can you clarify?</p>

<p>Do you need very large merit because your family can’t/won’t pay the amount that colleges will expect you to pay?</p>

<p>Or, are your parents low income?</p>

<p>How much will your parents pay each year? </p>

<p>If you need very large merit awards, then apply to the schools that will give you HUGE merit or NMF status.</p>

<p>For a Financial SAFETY…
As a Comp Sci major and NMF, Bama would give you…</p>

<p>Tuition for FIVE years (including a year of grad school classes if desired, or use for add’l summer abroad funds - which would be about $11k towards a summer abroad program!)</p>

<p>Housing for 1 year - including Bama’s super nice Honors super suites with private bedrooms that are in 4 bedroom suites with livingroom, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchenette.</p>

<p>$3500 per year stipend</p>

<p>$2000 towards a study abroad or summer program</p>

<p>iPad…whatever is the latest one…usually a keyboard is given as well.</p>

<p>Admittance to the Honors College.</p>

<p>PLUS…an add’l $2500 per year for Comp Sci (or engineering).</p>

<p>(so, $6000 per year in addition to the free tuition)</p>

<p>This is nearly a full ride. A small parent contribution or small student loan could cover the rest. </p>

<p>This is a good financial safety for you. the app is super easy…no essays, no LORs…takes like 5 minutes to do. Admittance is by test scores, GPA, and high school curriculum.</p>

<p>Bama has a GORGEOUS campus and a brand new state-of-the-art Science and Engineering Complex…900,000 sq ft of new academic and research space. It’s beautiful as well as amazing. </p>

<p>for the past couple of years, Bama’s frosh classes have been over 50% OOS students, so soon the entire school will be 50% OOS. It has students from all 50 states.</p>

<p>Here’s a video and pics about the school…
[The</a> University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences “This is How College is Meant to Be” - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>

<p><a href=“Titanium Chef | Home”>http://acresummit.ua.edu/store/store_files/Jason_Walker-207.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Pics of the new Science & Engineering Complex begin on page 6, Student housing pics begin on page 12.</p>

<p>Alabama forum on College Confidential is VERY active.*
[University</a> of Alabama - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/]University”>University of Alabama - College Confidential Forums)</p>

<p>For the other top schools that others have suggested, have your parents run the Net Price Calculators on each schools’ website. If they can pay what they’re expected to pay, those would be good reach and match schools.</p>

<p>IF your parents can’t pay what schools expect them to pay, then don’t waste too much time applying to a bunch of those unless merit at those schools is likely.</p>

<p>Ok…just saw on another thread that your parents are low income…likely EFC of around 0. </p>

<p>So, in addition to all of the above, you’d also get about $5600 per year in a Pell Grant.</p>

<p>Don’t bother with many OOS publics UNLESS you’d get huge merit. Schools like UIUC, etc, aren’t going to meet need and you’re going to be largely gapped. They’re not good with merit.</p>

<p>At Berkeley, they will give some aid, but they will still expect your family to pay about $22k per year…plus give you full loans. :(</p>

<p>Target schools that either give HUGE merit or meet need.</p>

15

<p>might try Holy Cross-top25 LAC with good computer science program. Holy Cross is need-blind for admissions-meets 100% of demonstrated financial aid. HC would probably be a safety and offer good financial aid plus they have a fantastic alumni network for jobs. The Holy Cross website is informative.</p>