<p>My son is a hs Junior, 4.0 gpa (uw), 4.5 (w), 33 on ACT as a sophomore and will re-take again in the Spring. 2100 on SAT as a freshman, waiting for PSAT scores before re-taking (sophomore year PSAT was a 207). Has good ECs and some leadership at a very large, academically strong hs. He wants to major in biochemistry, minor in Spanish.</p>
<p>So far, we have visited a variety of schools, and his favorites are WUSTL and Emory. He also liked a small school, Franklin and Marshall, in PA. He thought U of IL and Penn State were just okay, and he hated Case-Western. We have plans to visit Notre Dame and from what I can gather, I think that will be a top choice as well.</p>
<p>What we are in need of, is safety schools! And, they need to be safety schools not just from an academic standpoint, but from a financial standpoint. They need to be schools where he can not only get in, but where we can afford to send him if none of the others offer enough money. As my name implies, he is a twin, and like everyone else, our EFC for the two of them is just not realistic, especially considering that we will still have a 3rd child at home. We're from the Midwest, and would like him to consider Ohio State as a safety, knowing that he would automatically qualify for money, based just on scores/GPA. He is resistant to it based on size mainly. We understand his hesitance and agree that he would do better somewhere smaller, but we just aren't aware of many good science programs at smaller universities, where he would also qualify for merit money.</p>
<p>What kind of price limit are you looking at?</p>
<p>$30,000 per year gives a lot of options, as there are a number of schools with list prices at that level or lower (e.g. Truman State and Minnesota - Morris among public LACs and Minnesota - Twin Cities among research universities). But $10,000 per year is more limiting (basically need full tuition plus for assured scholarships or financial aid for a safety).</p>
<p>How much are you willing to spend each year on each twin? Is the amount enough to pay for the full cost of Ohio State for each twin? Will the other twin also get similar merit awards?</p>
<p>Every family has their own way of doing things, but keep in mind that if the other twin doesn’t have “merit worthy scores”, then that twin’s education may end up costing you more. </p>
<p>Some families just budget the same amount “per child,” and some families take into acct that one child’s stats can bring in enough merit money to help the family afford the education of the “good-but-not-big-merit-worthy” other child. Your family may have to do some deciding in that regard if that will be your situation and you want both twins to have the “go away” experience.</p>
<p>Yes, we’re in Ohio. Unless his sister gets significant money somewhere, we really can’t do much more than OSU, so about $20K. I’m thinking one safety option could/should be someplace where he is enough of a standout that he will definitely get offered some money to attend. Obviously, that won’t be the case at places like Emory or WUSTL…</p>
<p>mom2college twins, we anticipate needing to pay a bit more for her, although, she is looking at a different type of college than he is. In our minds, we are saying we could afford OSU for both, so $20K/each. But, the hope is one or the other will get some $$, meaning we can spend a little more on the other. (Even better would be money for both!! ;)) She is a solid student, as well, with a 3.97 GPA (us), 4.33 GPA, and with lower, but respectable test scores (ACT=28) so far. A couple of the schools she is looking at actually do offer merit money for a 28. Our hope is that his stats will bring in enough merit $$ to make college more affordable for her, although, we obviously can’t bank on that.</p>
<p>They both should take the PSAT junior year to see if they can qualify for National Merit Scholar. </p>
<p>Look for schools that will give guaranteed merit for their stats, schools that might offer competitive merit for their stats, and other schools that may be within your families price range without merit. </p>
<p>I do not know the state schools in Ohio very well, but if your son thinks that OSU is bigger than he might like is there a smaller state school in OH that he might like better? </p>
<p>*They both should take the PSAT junior year to see if they can qualify for National Merit Scholar. *</p>
<p>the PSAT was in October, so hopefully they took it then.</p>
<p>Our hope is that his stats will bring in enough merit $$ to make college more affordable for her, although, we obviously can’t bank on that.</p>
<p>Since both are juniors, they have time to get even better scores. Have them take the SAT as well. Have your son help his sis with test practice…he can sit with her as she does each question.</p>
<p>^ oh… I misread… I thought they were currently sophomores. The fact that the first sentence was “My son is a hs Junior…” should have tipped me off :-/</p>
<p>Hopefully the sentence “2100 on SAT as a freshman, waiting for PSAT scores before re-taking (sophomore year PSAT was a 207)” means the kids took the PSAT again this past October and are waiting for scores.</p>
<p>Yes, they took the test in October and we’re hoping for better PSAT scores this year, especially since they have another year of math under their belts. We will definitely have my son take both the ACT and the SAT again in late winter/spring, as some schools will super score.</p>
<p>I’m hoping that after the PSAT results, we will have a better feel as to whether my daughter is likely to do better on the SAT than the ACT. (As a sophomore, she got a 177 on the PSAT.) Since Science is her weakest area (not sure how I wound up with kids who are such polar opposites - she got a 23 in Science on the ACT, and he got a 35!), I’m kind of thinking she may do much better on the SAT. We plan to have her tutored for one test or the other, based on the results from this fall’s testing, and then have her test again. Her situation is a little unique because she will also be auditioning and submitting scores as a music major, and that could potentially bring money too. But, there’s no real way to know… it’s a little easier to discern merit potential for my son since we’re only dealing with academics.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus - great list! I hadn’t found that one. Fingers are crossed…</p>
<p>I guess I need to do some more research, perhaps using that list as a starting point, and come up with some other small-medium universities or LACs which have quality biochem programs that we can afford!</p>
<p>The science section on the ACT can be tutored. Students often get bogged down in the questions instead of looking for the answers in the charts. Your son could probably tutor her in that area.</p>
<p>Truman State (Liberal arts honors college) - pretty cheap OOS.
University of Michigan - I heard that they have scholarships for Ohio residents just to spite Ohio State, LOL!
Miami University (smaller than Ohio state, more undergrad focused).
University of Pittsburgh - Tier 1 research university, great honors program, lots of merit money. Not THAT big.
University of Delaware
SUNY Binghamton (not THAT big, not THAT far, not that expensive OOS).
SUNY Genseo (Liberal arts honors college near Rochester, not that expensive OOS).
McGill
University of Toronto - breaks down into smaller colleges that make it feel smaller.
Queens university in canada
University of Maryland Baltimore County (Meyerhoff Scholar program - saw it on 60 minutes, looks terrific).</p>
<p>Some great thoughts. Thanks for sharing. Grinnell is of particular interest…I need to see what kind of research opportunities are available to him there, as that is of particular interest to him. As for Michigan…well, his dad and I are Penn Staters, who now live in Ohio… and if I can’t convince him to give OSU a shot,then I don’t think Michigan stands a chance! Couple downsides to Miami, the main one being that it seems to be the destination for half of our hs graduates…plus it’s really close to home…and doesn’t have a great reputation for Biochem. The researcher he shadowed this summer basically told him to avoid Miami if he was seriously interested in pursuing Biochem and wanted to attend grad school. OU tends to probably attract a different type of student and is best known for it’s journalism programs. Really, if it’s going to be a large university in Ohio, OSU is our best bet. </p>
<p>I want to look a little more at Dennison as a potential safety - anyone have specific thoughts on it?</p>
<p>DD1 attended Denison. Beautiful campus, very quaint town, she developed good friends she still sees regularly (even though one moved back home to Washington state). She had problems getting some classes that she wanted (they changed who gets priority while she was there and she was on the short end each time). You can find a dorm for whatever would match your temperament. [Residence</a> Halls & Facilities - Denison University](<a href=“Denison A-Z | Denison University”>Denison University | A top liberal arts college located in Ohio)</p>
Couple downsides to Miami, the main one being that it seems to be the destination for half of our hs graduates…plus it’s really close to home…and doesn’t have a great reputation for Biochem. The researcher he shadowed this summer basically told him to avoid Miami if he was seriously interested in pursuing Biochem and wanted to attend grad school. OU tends to probably attract a different type of student and is best known for it’s journalism programs. Really, if it’s going to be a large university in Ohio, OSU is our best bet. </p>