<p>Shina - I think you have an excellent chance at Rice (although they may be more selective with the in town students they accept).</p>
<p>Overall, your best bet will be the generous 100% need schools - the HYPS, MIT, Amherst, etc. Something you should consider carefully is transportation. 100% need schools will give you an allotment for transportation, but at your family income, there will be little money for extras. You should be able to get good flights out of Houston on Continental, and stretch your travel funding.</p>
<p>Williams would be a great idea but, W and Amherst are a little off the beaten path. I would suggest Swarthmore (major airport with public transport to the school), Univ of Chicago, Carleton (yes you have to take a bus from Minn/St.Paul, but there probably is a direct flight to Minneapolis.
LSU might deserve a look as a safety, they have a pretty good chemistry program, and should give you merit aid if they are not too cash strapped from Katrina - also an easy trip from Houston.
Trinity is a great school, but I'm not sure that they will cover your expenses as well as the 100% need schools. Rhodes College is a peer of Trinity, and is known for giving good FA, although they also give generous merit, and may not meet all your need.</p>
<p>Be ready to send out a lot of apps, apply for fee waivers, you should qualify easily, and if you are denied, then that school may well not come through with the money you need to attend either. Since you will probably get the most money from the schools that are the most selective, you will need to send in a more apps.</p>
<p>Consider using some of your experiences caring for your sibs in an essay. You can make it clear in a creative way that your child care duties were a family necessity - that will explain your financial situation without making excuses, and set you apart from the general crowd of applicants.</p>
<p>Also, can you afford to apply ED to Rice??? Do they guarantee to meet 100% of need??? If they have made the "Harvard offer", which would cover the expenses of a person with your family income, then it probably won't matter if you apply ED, but I would discuss this with a GC or other adult. DOes your family own any property, or a business?? Ownership could mean that despite the low income, you have a higher EFC.</p>