<p>I'm a sophomore, but will be a junior pretty soon. I already have a list and an idea where I would like to apply. I would like to be a travel journalist, so I would like as little debt as possible. I'm middle class and cannot afford a 250k education. </p>
<p>Flagler College's $$$ would be ideal:</p>
<p>Tuition: 13,860
Meals: 3,880
Room: 3,710</p>
<p>I like Flagler, but it is not my top choice. I can see it as a safety in the future. I can see my parents affording Flager for sure! Georgia College and State's price tag would be ideal too, but staying instate will be my last resort. It's my instate safety. My GPA has changed a lot in one semester, so I'm not so much focusing on match/reaches right now because my grades have changed a lot and will hopefully keep going up. I'm focusing on schools which are a good fit. NYU (Gallatin) has always been my dream school, but $200,000 won't cut it and we all know how great NYU is with aid! </p>
<p>On my list, which schools are known to give good aid? </p>
<p>NYU (Yes, I know)
USC
Northwestern
Loyola Marymount
Chapman
Occidental
Villanova
Santa Clara U
Boston U
Indiana U
Kenyon C
Suny New Paltz
Sarah Lawrence
New College of Florida
Flagler
GCSU
George Washington
American
Fairfield
Clark
Denison
Holy Cross
Yale (I know it has great aid, but it would be a huge reach)
Wesleyan
Vassar</p>
<p>This is just a broad list, FYI. I just want an idea where I may get decent aid. Also, which schools should I expect little to none from? I would rather have merit aid then all loans, lol. I know it is hard because you do not have my stats, but in general which schools should I keep my eyes on? Thanks!</p>
<p>Kenyon, American, and USC are all fairly generous with their merit aid, I think–if they want you. USC has half-tuition scholarships for NMFs.</p>
<p>Thanks. I’m not really a great standarized test taker, so that wouldn’t work. My PSAT scores were not good. I think I may qualify for some scholarships at IU and I am thinking about appyling to Chapman as a drama major because of their screen acting program. Chapman is the only school I want to apply for as a drama major. Are all merit aid based on SAT/NMF/ACT scores?</p>
<p>Most automatic merit aid is based on a combination of test scores and GPA. Competitive scholarships are awarded based on a variety of factors, but generally your stats need to be in the top 25%, probably top 5% if you want full ride-level merit aid, for you to have a chance, unless you have some significant hook that would make you stand out.</p>
<p>This is for academic scholarships, ofc, not arts scholarships and the like.</p>
<p>Thanks again! I have lurked on CC and I read that some people got scholarships from a school; however, their stats weren’t that great. Are any of these schools really bad with aid besides NYU? Which schools could I get the cost down to about 20k overall?</p>
<p>PS- Congrats on Chicago! I’m also in Georgia and I really would like to go the Northeast or California. Do colleges see Georgia as geographic diversity? I’m not in a small town, but mostly everyone here goes instate. I for one do not want to go to UGA like the rest of my class. You do not see many people from Georgia going to California.</p>
<p>Some schools are now tying good aid with good stats. So, if your SAT/ACT and GPA are high for the school, you may get better aid.</p>
<p>Right now…instead of coming up with lists, you need to concentrate on getting high test scores and high GPA…that will help you pay for college.</p>
<p>You also need to find out what your parents likely EFC will be. If they can’t afford their EFC, then even a school that is good with aid, will still be a problem. At that point, you’ll need to focus on schools that give big merit for your stats.</p>
<p>I can’t answer your question in a lot of detail, sorry. They might have had good stats for that school; everything is relative. Or they might have provided some other feature the university wanted. Hmm. Other than NYU I can say that public OOS universities (Indiana, New Paltz) generally don’t give much aid unless you are stellar. Boston U has a grid where the amount of aid you get depends on a combination of your need and stats.</p>
<p>Georgia is–well, it’s not Mississippi, but yes, there are quite a few schools looking for more students from the South.</p>
<p>Thank you! Ha, I know what you mean. I really want to get out of here–I think a lot of kids do–but it’s really hard to turn down UGA/GT with HOPE. I know a few kids at my school who are eyeing colleges elsewhere in the country, but who knows what they’ll decide?</p>
<p>haavain is right about Indiana and SUNY-NP. It will be very hard for you to get much aid at all if you are an out-of-state applicant.</p>
<p>You also need to know that Northwestern and Holy Cross offer no merit aid. All of the aid they give out is need-based – i.e., based entirely on your family’s financial situation. Nearly all of Fairfield’s aid is need-based as well; the only merit aid offered by Fairfield are the 70 Magis Scholarships.</p>
<p>Without a very high GPA and class rank AND outstanding test scores, you are not likely to get enough financial aid to attend $50K per year schools like NYU, USC, LMU, SCU, Northwestern, Holy Cross, etc. Quite frankly, your in-state schools and Flagler are the best bets for you. If you are determined to go out of state, however, you need to look for less expensive schools and/or schools that offer generous merit aid where your stats will put you in the top 25% of applicants. Fortunately, you have lots of time left to do your research and find appropriate schools. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I had a terrible freshman year and right now I am just trying to recover from it. I have a 3.3 cumulative GPA, so my GPA isn’t even up to par with some of these schools but it will be the time I apply. I am in all honors classes, except math. I was in honors math freshman year and I got two D’s. But the good news is my GPA went up two points in one semester and I have an upward trend. I got a 129 on the PSAT (lol) so I am not anticipating 2100 SAT scores. I am not the best test taker to be honest. I got a 3 on the AP Human Geo test last year and I’m in AP World History this year. I should have about 7 AP classes by the time I graduate. I am taking AP US and AP Physics B next year. I had a 90% average last semester. I think my GPA will be around a 3.5-3.6 the time I apply to colleges. I’m in the top 25% of my class.</p>
<p>IF I get a 3.6 GPA, I will def not be in the upper 25% of applicants. Also, I have had my list for a while now. I probably concentrated too much on college last year because I wanted to attend Simon’s Rock. I am way more focused this year and my effort is paying off. I have a feeling my family’s EFC will be a lot higher then they can afford. I have an older brother who is a year older, lol. </p>
<p>I know a lot of kids who want to get out of Georgia, but can’t because they cannot afford it. I am actually from Florida, but I really want to go to college somewhere I have never lived. But I honestly do not like the atmosphere of Georgia and the “South”. I love the weather here but the people, not so much. I’d really hate to spend another 4 years somewhere where I would have a terrible time. I do not want to go to school like UGA where everything is about school spirit and football. That is how my current high school is. I don’t want frats either. IU is the school which probably is most like UGA, but I just wanted one big school in case I change my mind. I have acted since 6 and would love to go to LA or NY and act while in college. There is not much of a entertainment industry here. I have researched many schools and honestly the price tag is all the same for the most part. GCSU or Flagler may be my only choices unfortunately because my parents cannot afford a 50k education when they have three other kids, one who is a new born.</p>
<p>My top choices are NYU, USC and Northwestern. Does anyone have any suggestions? I think test optional schools may come in handy.</p>
<p>I forgot to add Suny New Paltz OOS tuition isn’t that bad and may be a possibility.</p>
<p>New Paltz is a very good school but you’ll need to make sure your SATs are pretty good. The 25/75 span for SATs is 1560-1840. A 3.6 GPA would be good. I think NYU, USC and Northwestern are all BIG reaches.</p>
<p>If you need good aid, then you need good stats.</p>
<p>NYU, USC and Northwestern are reaches now. BUT I don’t think NYU would be a big reach if I get my GPA to a 3.6. The average GPA of NYU is a 3.6 and Gallatin is usually easier to get into then CAS. I also researched and found out that Gallatin looks at your essay a lot and likes to see quirky students. It isn’t all about GPA and SATs for Gallatin as much as it is for CAS. Northwestern will always be a big reach, but that’s because it is so competitive. Also, I think my 7 AP classes and my academic growth will be noticed. </p>
<p>Momofthreeboys- I personally KNOW I have good stats, without the 3.6. Just because I do not have a 4.0 and 2400 SAT scores does not mean I have bad stats. My stats are better then 75% of my class and some people who are ahead of me aren’t taking the same course rigor. There are people who have a better rigor then me, but lots of CP kids have better GPA’s. I do know for scholarships you need to have FANTASTIC stats. I try very hard and my teachers and parents notice it. A “C” is techinally average and a “B” is above average and I have a B plus average. </p>
<p>My main problem is money and I need help on finding cheaper schools.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>There probably aren’t “cheaper” schools out of state - unless your stats are strong… OOS schools are either going to be private ($$) or public (with OOS fees).</p>
<p>When we speak of strong stats for good aid/good scholarships…we’re not talking about 2400 SATS…we’re talking about 2000+ or so. </p>
<p>Forget about NYU…they don’t give good aid…they give horrendous aid…it’s a school for the wealthy. What difference would it make to get accepted if they expect you to take out $30k+ loans each year?</p>
<p>Flagler is out of state and private, while its tuition is pretty decent. Appalachian State in NC also has decent OOS tuition and so does Suny New Paltz. If these schools are OOS and are a good deal financially, there must be more schools in the Northeast or Cali like them. Or am I wrong and these are just out of the ordinary schools? Also, the only school in Georgia I can see myself going to is GCSU and even that isn’t ideal. Is another four years of misery worth it for cheap $$$?</p>
<p>Thanks! New College is on my list. U Minn and UNC- Chapel Hill have resemble OOS tuition. But UNC is very hard to get into OOS. How is UMinn’s reputation? Is it a party school with a lot of frats? I like that it is urban, but is it true it is a commuter school?</p>
<p>Right now resemble OOS tuition include:
Flagler
New Paltz
New College of Florida
U Minn
UNC</p>
<p>U Minn and UNC- Chapel Hill have resemble OOS tuition.</p>
<p>Are you saying that UMinn and UNC have reasonable OOS tuition?</p>
<p>What is your college budget? How much will your parents pay each year. While UNC-CH may have decent OOS tuition, the cost of attendance is about $36k per year. Is that ok?</p>
<p>UNC is prob too much, but U Minn is a good price. I must have over looked UNC’s tuition. I would say around 20k overall (including room and board). But $26,052 is UM’s overall price and I think with some outside scholarships and summer jobs, it can work.</p>
<p>PS- Sorry for the typo</p>
<p>UNC is one of the two publics that fulfills need, even for OOS students. Do you think you’ll qualify for FA?</p>