<p>2) Find out how much your parents are willing to spend each year on your college costs.</p>
<p>I’ve forgotten if you’ve recently taken an SAT or ACT? If not, take them both soon. That will give you an idea of your weak areas so that you’ll know where to practice more.</p>
<p>I have been busy, but will ask my father to fill it out today. The problem is my parents income has become very unstable. My parents <em>made</em> good money (over 100k together), but my father has his own business now for about a year. He hasn’t got paid in a couple months and my mom is taking a year off work to spend time with my 5 mth old sister. With his business, some months are better then others. My older brother is an upcoming senior but will be going to the local technical college. He wants to become a chef. I have no idea how our financial situation will be in two years. </p>
<p>As an upcoming junior, I am very worried considering money. My grades have gone up a lot this semester. I have a chance to get all A’s and my GPA is an upward trend. My GPA will be about a 3.4-3.5 after this semester. It went up two points last semester. Every time I bring up colleges, my parents make it clear that I should get Hope and stay instate or have the burden with a lot of loans. They didn’t save up any money because they weren’t financially well off when I was younger.</p>
<p>I really do not like ANY colleges in Georgia. The only schools that are worth going to is UGA or Georgia Tech or GCSU. All the other colleges are tier 3 and 4 or private. I loathe huge schools and do not want a class size of 100. GCSU is my last resort, but Millidgeville isn’t my ideal college town and my father thinks I would hate it. Flagler in St. Augustine is good for me financially and out of state, but I really would love to go to the Northeast or Cali. I’m from Florida. I was told you were suppose to take the SAT/ACT during the spring of your junior year, not the fall. I also hate Georgia and the South. Is debt worth 4 miserable years? </p>
<p>Does anyone have any other suggestions? Big state schools with lots of greek life isn’t my ideal atmosphere.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestion. Emory is $52,132 a year and with that price, I can go out of state. I would get a couple thousand dollars with Hope, even though it is a private university. Emory is also very hard to get into and would be a reach.</p>
<p>Do you guys think Oxford College would be a better fit?</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter if any of the schools on your list give good financial aid because you’re not going to get into any of them with your stats. The only ones that you even have a remote chance at are New Paltz and IU. You said that NYU wouldn’t be a big deal if you brought your GPA up to a 3.6… HA that made me laugh… the only way you’d get into NYU with a 3.6 is if you got a near perfect SAT score.</p>
<p>You also are asking about schools that “give good financial aid” without considering whether you will qualify for financial aid. It really won’t help you a bit to apply to schools that give excellent need-based aid if it turns out you do not qualify for that aid. You need to run the calculators mom2collegekids linked for you. Use the “institutional method” as most of the privates will use the CSS/Profile.</p>
<p>It does not matter how much your parents are willing to pay when it comes to figuring your contribution - most people are shocked by how much they are expected to contribute, so do not assume you will qualify for need-based aid until you have done the calculators.</p>
<p>early_college… Oxford is an amazing opportunity for many students… In general, it is easier to get into Oxford College than Emory College… but from what I hear, the teaching is amazing at Oxford. Small class sizes, personalized education and professors who deeply care solely about helping students. After two years, student move to the Emory campus where they finish their remaining years. You may want to consider it as an option. I am going to Emory College but I visited both colleges and Oxford was small, but it had a nice, welcoming feel. Good luck.</p>
<p>EDIT: About financial aid, I’m not quite sure. You may want to contact their financial aid office. Also, Oxford College is not for everyone… its more LACish so take that into consideration.</p>
<p>I could get into these colleges with a 3.5: </p>
<p>Loyola Marymount
Chapman
Occidental
Santa Clara U
Boston U
Indiana
Suny New Paltz
Sarah Lawrence
New College of Florida
Flagler
GCSU
American
Fairfield
Clark
Denison
Holy Cross</p>
<p>That’s the majority of my list! You must not know NYU very well. Gallatin is known to let students in who have lower stats and looks at the well rounded candidate. And again NYU’s average GPA is a 3.6. I should have a 3.5 by the end of this semester. But it is too expensive, so that’s the problem.</p>
<p>How about Binghamton U, would that be a fit?</p>
<p>Santa Clara offered my D about $4,500 in merit aid. Her stats appear to be better than where yours might end up. It was by far the worst offer she received. If you want California (and merit $$) you might need to dig a little deeper into the choices there.</p>
<p>Many colleges on your list would not admit you with a 3.5 unless your SAT score is much, much higher than your PSAT score. If it’s not going to be, I agree you should look at SAT optional schools or try the ACT.</p>
<p>Schools like Occidental, SCU, Holy Cross and American have become very competitive.</p>
<p>Thanks dig! That probably won’t cut it. I haven’t found any schools which are good financially in California. I really like Chapman because of their unique Screen Acting major. I do not want to major in drama anywhere else. I like film acting better then stage, but I would like to major in Print Journalism/English. I want to act outside of the classroom. I like NYU’s Gallatin because I can create my own concentration which would be Television Writing and Print Journalism. I also like the fact I wouldn’t have to take many math/science classes. My goal is to write for a travel magazine. My future college should have:</p>
<p>1) A nice $$$ tag! I have found many colleges which are fits, but this is what is lacking.</p>
<p>2) I want small class sizes but in a urban/suburban setting. Being close to New York or LA would be the ideal goal. </p>
<p>3) Few General Education Requirements</p>
<p>4) SAT Optional or not as focused on the SAT/ACT. I haven’t taken either yet, but my PSAT results aren’t great. A college which focuses on the well rounded student.</p>
<p>5) Prestige. I want my friends to know where I’m go to. </p>
<p>6) Liberal or at least Moderate</p>
<hr>
<p>UGA would be the opposite of what I want, except the $$$ tag. School spirit has never been big on me and football shouldn’t be the focus of my college. I also do not want a small LAC in the middle of no where.</p>
<p>I will def try the ACT, but I never did study for the PSAT. I have never been great at standarized tests. I got a 3 on the AP Human Geo test and I expect a 3/4 on the AP World test. I will have 7 AP classes the time I graduate and all honors except math.</p>
<p>I have found the SUNY schools very cheap, but I cannot really get a good grasp on them. I have researched them and they all sound very similar.</p>
<p>I would not call SUNYs cheap. They will cost about one-third of your parents’ income, please sit down with them and make sure they are OK with that.</p>
<p>I’m afraid it’s going to be hard or impossible to get everything on your list. For example, most of the SAT optional schools are LACs, and most of those are not urban. They also won’t be well known to your friends. Also hard to find small classes at urban and at cheaper schools.</p>
<p>The CSU schools in CA would be similar in price to SUNYs, you could get into several and they may meet many of your wants.</p>
<p>My dad likes Flagler’s price tag the best and the SUNY’s price tag is fine, but it can’t be more. Compared to NYU’s price tag, they are a bargain. I was always told CSU’s were not worth it and it would be better to stay instate, if one went to a CSU. I would like tier one universities. If I want a tier four university, I would rather stay here and save my parents money. </p>
<p>I’m fine with a LAC. I just do not want to be in the middle of no where. If I move OOS after college, I want companies to be aware of the college I graduated. I most likely want to live in NY or LA. But my parents haven’t heard of most colleges on my list. I do not want to go to a college where I could have got in if I took all college prep courses, the price tag wouldn’t be worth it.</p>
<p>Sorry about my last comment, but it seems like the CSU’s aren’t as bad as I thought. Would Cal Poly San Luis Obispo be a good fit? I have heard that the only people who attend a CSU, are the ones who couldn’t get into a UC?. Does it take more then 4 years to graduate like some UC’s? That would be a problem.</p>
<p>As for the SUNY’s the top 2 are considered to be Geneseo and Binghamton. Geneseo is the LAC and Binghamton is the University. Both are great schools.</p>
<p>Thanks! Does Suny New Paltz have a good rep? I liked it as well, but my father told me it was a party/druggie school and I would not like it. But he hasn’t lived in New York since the late 80’s. I’ve been to Buffalo, New York and didn’t like it at all. I did not visit the Suny Buffalo campus, but thought the city was very dirty.</p>