Schools With Good Science Departments and Very Generous With Financial Aids?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 unweighted/98 average; 6.6/6 weighted (our district has a peculiar way of calculating GPA - 6.0 for normal & 7.0 for H/AP classes)
Rank: 34/831 (this was at the beginning of junior year with only fresh and soph grades - I hope my ranking has gone up with my junior year grades)
SAT I: 2280 (790-M, 720-CR, 770-W)
APs: 5 - World History, Computer Science A; 4 - Chemistry, USH</p>

<p>Activities:</p>

<ul>
<li>Teacher for 2nd grade Vietnamese class at St. Joseph Catholic School every Saturday (10th, 11th, 12th)</li>
<li>TA for 3rd grade bible class at St. Joseph every Saturday (11th)</li>
<li>TA for Confirmation class at St. Joseph every Sunday (11th)</li>
<li>JAM (Jesus and Me) Core Team (coordinating retreats for the church) (11th & 12th)</li>
<li>Math club (11th & 12th)</li>
<li>MSA club (11th & 12th)</li>
<li>Computer Science club (11th)</li>
<li>TA for my former Chemistry AP teacher after school (12th) - this is iffy, as my teacher said he's not entirely sure if he would be able to offer this position or not, but if he's able to, he'll let me know</li>
</ul>

<p>I realize my activities are very, very weak. I did not join any club during my first two years of high school because of family reasons. (During my first two years, I had 4 brothers, sister, and cousin going to elementary school. As my parents do not get home until late afternoon, I had to be home early and could not stay after school for any club of sort. In my junior year, one of my brothers entered middle school and henceforth deemed "old enough" to take care of the kids for 2 hours.) This is also the reason I had to drop Marching Band. I hope that, if my counselor would explain this to colleges, it would not be held against me.</p>

<p>Projected Senior classes:</p>

<ul>
<li>Government Honors (I'd take it AP, but as I'm taking this Zero Hour - an early class at 6:30, an hour before school officially starts - Honors is the only level offered; however, I'll be taking the AP test for this regardless)</li>
<li>Economics AP</li>
<li>English IV AP</li>
<li>Physics C AP</li>
<li>Biology AP</li>
<li>Calculus BC AP</li>
<li>2-D Arts I</li>
<li>Foundations of Personal Fitness (semester class - part of P.E. requirements)</li>
</ul>

<p>Schools:</p>

<ul>
<li>Rice (ED): I really love Rice, but the chance of me getting in is very, very slim, even when applying ED (I'm in Houston). Plus, I would get a full-ride here if I get in.</li>
<li>UT Austin: I'm thinking of applying to either Plan II or Dean Scholar's Honors Program (both of which are as hard to get into as Rice); this is my ultimate safety school.</li>
<li>Texas A&M: it has better financial aids than UT Austin.</li>
<li>Trinity University (San Antonio): it is a lot smaller than both UT-A and TA&M.</li>
</ul>

<p>As I said above, I really, really love Rice, and would do anything that is not morally corruptive to go there. However, as there is such a small chance of me getting in, I'm looking for a few other schools to apply to in the likely case of rejection.</p>

<p>Mostly, I'm looking for schools with good Science Departments (I'm especially interested in Chemistry) and are very generous with financial aids. Plus, it would be nice if the school is small to medium sized, as the size factor is the major set back I have against UT-A and TA&M. I'm also looking for schools that are reaches and matches, as I already have my safeties.</p>

<p>My parents are very much opposed to me going to a school out-of-state (they balk at me going as far as Austin, even). However, as I have been advised to do by many parents when I posted about this on the parents forum, I'm applying to other private unis and hoping that really good financial aids would convince them to let me go out-of-state. </p>

<p>My family income last year was less than $30,000/year for a family of 6. For the past 2 months, my mom had to quit work because she's undergoing a treatment for Hep C, which makes her extremely anemic. Our family income will go down considerably because of this. So I'm hoping to apply to a few schools where, if accepted, perhaps I'll be able to get full financial aids, because otherwise, there is no chance of me being able to attend.</p>

<p>Please recommend schools that I should look at. Extreme reaches are all right, as it won't hurt me a bit to at least try. =)</p>

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

2

<p>I don't get how you have no chances to get into Rice are slim? You have near perfect Stats?</p>

3

<p>Fsu-uf, Rice places a lot of importance on diversity and class rank, it seems, neither of which I'm a good candidate at (my class rank is rather low in comparision to other qualified applicants, and the fact that I'm an Asian in Houston puts me at quite a bit of a disadvantage). Plus, my E.C.s are pretty bland. In short, I have almost nothing to distinguish me as an applicant. =/</p>

4

<p>Our stats are kind of similar and I got into Rice RD. I think you definitely have a great shot at Rice. Write some good essays and they would have a hard time turning you down.</p>

5

<p>crashingwaves, thanks! It makes me feel a bit better about my chances after hearing so many '06 students from my school being rejected/waitlisted at Rice, and I can't say my stats are any better than theirs.</p>

6

<p>Your chances are decent, but being from Houston is what hurts. At my high school in College Station, about 10-15 people applied and 2 got in. Outside of the state its more like 1 in 3.</p>

<p>Not to bring bad news, but especially in Houston, it is very competitive. This is just because everyone knows of Rice and everyone applies.</p>

<p>That being said, you do have pretty good stats and are applying ED. If you show a lot of interest in Rice, you do have a decent shot.</p>

7

<p>misterme2009, yes, being from Houston is what hurting me the most (a lot more so than being Asian, lol). Rice is the best school in Texas, so everybody applies. Just from my school alone, there'll probably be dozens of people applying just because. Some of them have better stats and E.C.s than I. I'm just really hoping that, by applying ED, I will manage to get in. If it comes to RD, there's just no chance of me getting in. =/</p>

8

<p>Davidson, Furman, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Sewanee, Rhodes, U Richmond, and Emory, if you prefer to stay in the South.</p>

9

<p>Thanks, warblersrule86! Except for Emory, I haven't really heard of the others, so I'll definitely look into them. =)</p>

10

<p>Try Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA. Even though it is a little far for your parents, it has world class sciences, and by the way, 80% of our chem majors get Ph.D's (I'm not joking, 80%).</p>

11

<p>I'll definitely look into Harvey Mudd - thanks, tiyusufaly! :)</p>

12

<p>If you don't mind a jaunt north for a few years, Case Western Reserve in Ohio is great at financial aid and you'd probably get a nice chunk of change with your stats. They're great in chemistry too. :)</p>

13

<p>If your actual need and your demostrated need are petty close, then HYP are good schools to apply to because you have a shot and they give cash. If your parents earn a bit too much to get good aid, but not enough to pay 50k a year like most people you can also try Michigan and other state schools that do give money to OOS applicants. Caltech also gives good money. The problem with looking for aid is you have to apply lots of places to find the one that gives you money.</p>

14

<p>Shina,</p>

<p>First, you have an excellent academic record, and I think your chances for any college would be solid, including at Rice. Though you don’t feel your EC’s to stand out, you have an extenuating circumstance that is every bit as valued to college adcoms. I think they will evaluate your familial obligations with some scrutiny in a holistic review process to assess your potential for academic success. I suspect that your personal circumstances (e.g., challenged to meet obligatory family contributions) are intrinsically linked to your motivation to succeed, and expressing this in a personal essay may prove a compelling factor in your favor. Letters of recommendation by those teachers who understand your situation will be corroborative to adcoms, as will a personal interview if available.</p>

<p>One thing you mentioned is that you feel that you would be assured a “full-ride” if accepted into Rice. I’m curious as to how you arrived at that conclusion – while there can be no guarantee, I will say that based on the information you provide that your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) would be very low, perhaps only nominal. Rice states that they are committed to meeting 100% of a student’s demonstrated need, based on CSS PROFILE, FAFSA, and federal tax returns. Your financial need parameters would hold true for all colleges who are consistent with a philosophy of meeting 100% of demonstrated need. This said, you may want to reassess your overall applications strategy.</p>

<p>You mention that you want to apply ED to Rice, but because acceptance to ED carries a binding commitment to enroll, you may not be fully exploring all your financial package options. If accepted to Rice, you will also be obligated to withdraw your other college applications, you will not have good negotiating leverage to secure an acceptable financial aid package. A “full ride” at Rice if accepted is an assumption that is not an absolute given. This is an important consideration that you may want to discuss with your H.S. guidance counselor before deciding on ED to Rice. You may also want to check with Rice’s admissions department, but I am not certain that applying ED will give you any advantages to being admitted. I do think your chances are good even if you decide to apply ID or RD.</p>

<p>Lastly, let me suggest Emory University as a viable option, because they are able to provide both merit and need-based financial aid. Emory has one of the largest financial endowments in the country. Any combination of merit/need-based financial aid could very well provide a “full ride” potential. With your academic stats, consider the Emory Scholars Program. Following is a clip from an earlier post of mine:</p>

<p>The Emory Scholars Program offers one of the very best merit scholarship opportunities in the country, with merit awards ranging from partial tuition to full-ride at Emory. I have known students to have turned down Harvard, Yale and other Ivies to benefit from this opportunity -- and it wasn't necessarily a difficult decision. If you are interested, you will want to do some planning now and check with your H.S. Guidance counselor in the fall, when you return to school. Each H.S. is allowed up to 4 nominees -- and you will need to be nominated by your school. It is a very competitive program, but the awards are worth the effort. (Consideration for this merit program would likely preclude ED applications to other schools because a student will have had to confirm enrollment to the ED college before notification of finalist status by the Emory Scholars Program.)</p>

<p>Emory Scholars Program Info. (with embedded links to Emory Scholars Program website and ESP Fact Sheet):
<a href="http://www.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/admi...y-scholars.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/admi...y-scholars.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Good luck to you!</p>