<p>I'm a rising senior and I'd like have a solid idea of what schools I'll be applying to soon. Ideally I'd like to find two safety schools before the school year starts. I know nothing is guarantee when it comes to admissions, but having a few schools where I'm very likely to be admitted, statically speaking, is a little comforting. </p>
<p>My weighted average and ACT score is 96.31 and 30 respectively. I'm within the top fifteen percent in a graduating class of a little over 900. My class rigor and extracurricular activities are nothing amazing. My classes are mainly a mix of honours and regular with an AP and eight years of self taught art and three years of aromatherapy practice are the activities I'm most dedicated to. </p>
<p>The schools I'm already considering :
Reach :
University of Richmond
College of William & Mary</p>
<p>Match :
Sewanee: The University of the South
Univserity of Washington ( Seattle )</p>
<p>Extra tidbits I consider ( they are preferences not requirements -- I'm a bit flexible ) :</p>
<p>large variety of majors ( I'm currently undecided so I'd like room to explore )
overall good standing in terms of academics, retention rates, graduation rates, alumni connections, reputation, etc.
slightly smaller class sizes
coeducational
most students living on campus
racial diversity
close to nature ( mountains, forests, oceans, etc. -- can be on campus or very near it )
good college town with an active nightlife
open minded institutions that are very accepting of liberals, minorities, LGBT, etc.</p>
<p>My parents tell me that they're compare FA when the letters come and although they will not tell me the family income or a specific 'cutoff' price for tuition, we're not swimming in money so I should still keep costs in mind ( though when it comes to education, they're known to be pretty accommodating ).</p>
<p>Thanks !</p>
<p>I dont think you’ll need a backup school(you’ll most likely get accepted to the matches), and btw i noticed that your dedicated to art field- and that ur not swimming in money. So apply to these things and you got a shot at big scholarship money yooooooo
<a href=“http://www.artandwriting.org/the-awards/how-to-enter/”>http://www.artandwriting.org/the-awards/how-to-enter/</a></p>
<p><a href=“Apply to the National Arts Competition | YoungArts”>Apply to the National Arts Competition | YoungArts;
<p>Are you in-state for University of Washington? I ask because my son thought it was a solid match, and he was waitlisted with similar stats to yours. We were quite surprised, because schools that we considered longer shots accepted him. I’d add Willamette, Whitman, and Puget Sound University to your list. </p>
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My parents tell me that they’re compare FA when the letters come and although they will not tell me the family income or a specific ‘cutoff’ price for tuition, we’re not swimming in money so I should still keep costs in mind ( though when it comes to education, they’re known to be pretty accommodating ).</p>
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<p>This is rather scary. You need to have a school or two that will be rather low cost after assured merit…just in case your parents are expecting more aid than you will actually get. The fact that they will “compare FA” suggests that they don’t intend to pay full cost…they expect to receive some aid. So, what if you get NO AID? </p>
<p>At this point, there aren’t any safeties for you since you have NO IDEA if they will pay all costs for your safeties…and safeties HAVE to be afffordable.</p>
<p>You have an ACT 30. Is that from one sitting? I suggest you apply to a couple of schools where your ACT 30 will get a large amount of merit.</p>
<p>btw…you are not an average student. </p>
<p>what is your home state? </p>
<p>@thegrant : Thanks ! I’ll check those out.
@woogzmama : I’m out of state. Congrats to your son – it’s difficult to tell with admissions sometimes I guess. I’ll look into those – thanks !
@mom2collegekids : I understand a financial safety should definitely be considered. I’ll try to discuss how pivotal that is to them and perhaps I can gain some insight in terms of our financial limits.
Yes, the 30 was from one sitting. Do you have any suggestions where it might garner some merit ?
I’m not ? Honestly after seeing some of the people here on CC, I’m surprised I’m not labelling myself below average yet haha
I’m from NY. </p>
<p>The SUNY system is good and are relative bargains for in-state students. Look at New Paltz. UW is going to be too expensive for an OOS student ($48K/year).</p>
<p>You aren’t an average student. You are in the top 5% of test takers and the top 15% of your class. You have many options.</p>
<p>Your two reach schools are very expensive. I would certainly add a SUNY or two to your list to be on the safe side. If you are the first child in your family to attend college, parents are sometimes unaware of the amount of money they are expected to pay. They think there will be a lot of scholarship money and this is not always the case.</p>
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If you are the first child in your family to attend college, parents are sometimes unaware of the amount of money they are expected to pay. They think there will be a lot of scholarship money and this is not always the case.</p>
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<p>This is very true. There is so much hype about FA and merit scholarships, that parents often assume that their “good student” will have tons of money thrown at them. Often, there is little/no merit aid, and the family is expected to pay most/all of the costs. </p>
<p>I would never just apply to a list of schools without knowing the financial situation. The idea of “comparing pkgs” next spring could mean that NONE are affordable…and then what? At that point, you’d have to commute to a local CC and future hopes for a great pkg would be lost unless you took a gap year and reapplied.</p>
<p>At a minimum, apply to at least 2-3 schools where your stats would give you a very large merit award that would put a big dent into the tuition costs. </p>
<p>I would “fish around” for some info from my parents. With both parents present, ask them questions like: “If I get into U Washington, I will be OOS so I won’t get any aid. Can you afford to pay almost $50k per year for me to go there?” </p>
<p>Aside from CUNY and SUNY, are there any other NY state schools I should look into ?</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids : Thanks - I’ll try to do that. Are there any institutions that you could recommend given my stats and preferences ?</p>