<p>
[quote]
Oh dear, if it is the 1st then give admissions a call, tell them about yourself [ mention you are a NMSF] and see if they will give you an extension. But you will get at least 1/2 off Tuition for being NMSF, plus you would probably get financial aid as well.
Yes I would drop Pitzer.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What exactly should I say? Like, should I just tell them my name, that I'm an NMSF, that I found USC a bit late but really want to apply for scholarship consideration, since I need it, and see if that deadline could be extended a bit?</p>
<p>Also, molliegm evidently found a source that corroborated the tenth, so, I'm rather confused at the moment.</p>
<p>Like, should I just tell them my name, that I'm an NMSF, that I found USC a bit late but really want to apply for scholarship consideration, since I need it, and see if that deadline could be extended a bit?</p>
<p>Yes, it's worth a try. But as I said you are already eligible for the NMSF 1/2 tuition scholarship, so the only one that offers more than that is Trustees. Only 100 of 2600 accepted students are offered that one. But I think it's worth a phone call, don't you?
Get your application in asap. Do part 1 now[ which will take all of 5 min], and then make the phone call.</p>
<p>What is part I? Is that the easy thing where I enter in my name and stuff? When I started the application, I don't remember ever seeing it.</p>
<p>Edit: Also, how much could I expect in need based aid if income is ~80000, and assets are nothing special, with home equity under 200K? If I could get 20-22K in need based grants, along with the 18K scholarship, I would consider the financial situation fine, to the point I could ignore any loans or campus jobs.</p>
<p>You could try a big state school, like Alabama or Georgia and try to get in their Fellows program. It's basically their best 40 kids attending, kids with stats like yours; It's an "Ivy-poaching" type program, you are treated like a VIP all 4 year from what I've heard. </p>
<p>
[quote]
amciw, after learning a little more about what you're seeking I really think you should look at the schools I mentioned above -- Hamilton, Colgate, Bowdoin, Middlebury, plus Williams and Amherst as reaches. Talk about your book, include an excerpt. LACs like that kind of stuff.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>How long of an excerpt? I attached a 700 word excerpt to the Common App in the additional information section for my Stanford SCEA application. Should I lengthen it, or not?</p>
<p>Is that the easy thing where I enter in my name and stuff?
yes
Also, how much could I expect in need based aid if income is ~80000, and assets are nothing special, with home equity under 200K? If I could get 20-22K in need based grants, along with the 18K scholarship, I would consider the financial situation fine, to the point I could ignore any loans or campus jobs.
All I can say is apply and see what happens. I have no idea what USC's actual Fin aid offers are like, other than what I have read over time on the USC forum. But what I guarantee is you won't get anything if you don't apply. And come April 1, after you hear from all your colleges,and have all your financial aid offers in hand, if you then decide to go to USC, that is when you fill out the NM form designating USC as your first choice. You also will get an additional $1000/ year from the NM for attending USC [ that is the actual NM scholarship. The 1/2 tuition scholarship comes out of USC's piggy bank, but is for NMSF's only.]</p>
<p>URochester sounds like a good fit, and a safety for you although it is becoming more selective. As an LAC-loving, anti-urban girl, when I visited Rochester I didn't find the campus urban at all. Grassy quads, beautiful buildings (main library is gorgeous), defined campus.</p>
<p>What kind of FA would you get at schools other than HYP (that is, under standard federal/institutional methodology), and is this EFC affordable? At ~80k, you should expect to pay ~20k a year. Generally merit scholarships will overlap with this, not add on. So if you get a 20k scholarship to a 50k COA school, your EFC will still be 20k--if the school is generous, it will add another 10k in grants, in loans if less generous.</p>
<p>Anyways, Cornell looked to be 34-37 K, Northwestern 37-38K, and Dartmouth 38K-39K. Pomona should be 37-39K as well, and CMC around 35K. This is based on aid estimators and the FA pamphlets. A quick run on the URochestor FA estimator gave me 28K in grants, with 7000K in loans, and the obvious campus job. USC, I'm not terribly sure about, but its FA rating in PR in 96; UR's is 82, so I guess it would be significantly above that awarded by UR.</p>
<p>20K for a regular school? Lets see... 15K a year from the 60K my parents have saved for that purpose should cover 75%, I can chip in 1000-1500 from my accounts, and I think my parents would save enough on other expenses, such as food, electrical and water bills (decreased usage) to cover the rest. Ideally, that would be so. I refuse to get into any loans unless absolutely necessary, because I do not want to be saddled with the debt and interest thereof. I think its unfair and stratifying socially that student loans have interest in the first place, although that is probably a discussion best left out of the thread.</p>
<p>The PR FA rating is largely irrelevant after your demonstrated financial need is fully met--and I believe both UR and USC guarantee that (UR definitely). So no, USC's FA would not be significantly above UR's, unless you received the full-tuition merit scholarship. Some schools do have merit-within-need, where after merit the rest of your need will be met in grants rather than loans/WS.</p>
<p>amciw
One thing you may not know [?] is that colleges such as USC may very well increase your FA award- turning loans into grants for instance, and increasing the total offer, if you show them other FA offers you receive from higher ranked colleges. It is not considered "PC" to call it "negotiation", but that is what it is. Your first offers of FA is only the starting point for colleges such as USC that want to lasso in top students.</p>
<p>You have to remember that if I had other offers of admission and FA packages with which to compare it to, I would most likely be attending that college, rather than USC, so I count count on negotiation to increase the FA award of USC should I need to attend there.</p>
<p>Wait a minute - I have gone to Yale for summers and lived in Harvard Square and Harvard Square in FUN - all young people, lots to do, near Boston with college students all over. Yale itself is great but New haven....</p>
<p>Yale is expanding in the sciences, so applying as a "hard" science major might help. I have friends who have applied to both and many were only accepted at one, so I would definitely apply to both.</p>
<p>I visited USC and loved it, but it is too far from my family. The campus is pretty, the weather is fantastic, and everyone there seems to be having a great time! If I lived on the West Coast, I would love to go there.</p>
<p>Our FA package from UR was laughably bad. Even after a nice merit scholarship. The need-based portion was tiny, leaving us with something like 30K to pay (with an EFC of about 3K).</p>
<p>
[quote]
The University of Rochester is committed to meeting the full demonstrated need of all admitted students. We achieve this through the use of scholarships, grants, loans, and work opportunities.
<p>I don't mean to criticize U of R (it's a great school, my dad got his PhD there, my kids both applied and I think it has a very attractive campus), but if you have financial need, don't expect a great offer.</p>
<p>Getting a scholarship at Rochester simply means the general Rochester grant will be reduced by that amount. Both my kids got scholarships there but neither could even consider attending because of poor financial aid; the loan portion was high.</p>
<p>Rochester offered $12,000 less (including a scholarship) than did the school S attends, where he received NO merit aid.</p>
<p>The only school that offered a worse package to him was Cornell CAS.</p>