<p>I have 10 schools on my list now, down from 11 (eliminated Pomona). I'm a borderline candidate for most of the schools I'm applying to (3.81 UW, 4.47 W, with an incredible extracurricular record, including leadership experience and experience with writing and receiving grants), so I definitely feel the pressure to apply to as many reaches as possible. At the same time, it's hard to start on essays when I don't feel confident about getting into even half of them.</p>
<p>Anyhow, here's my list in order of preference:
Dartmouth
Haverford
Amherst
Brown/Cornell
Oberlin
Vassar
Wesleyan/Middlebury/Tulane (don't know much about these two, but the apps are easy)
UCSB (guaranteed admissions)</p>
<p>The other problem is that applying will be expensive. I'll use NACAC waivers, but some schools don't take them. Plus, CSS Profile fees will add up. My parents aren't very involved in the process, and I don't think they expect to pay more than $400.</p>
<p>Paring it down..
-Is there any school on my list with crappy financial aid packages?
-Should I bother with Brown, Amherst, or Cornell, considering my sub-par stats? I dislike the size of Cornell, but I would seriously consider it, because of the Ivies' financial aid, Ithaca, and the course offerings.
-Should I forget about application fees+actual chances of getting in, and just go for all of them?</p>
<p>Tulane is free app, excellent with merit scholarships. I think if your family income is less than $60,000 you don’t pay, but you would have to check that out. You will get in for sure, and while Tulane ranks 50th in USNWR rankings, that is because post-Katrina the peer assessment part of the rankings took a hit, and it counts 25%. A travesty, because Tulane really wasn’t damaged that much. It is in the most upscale part of New Orleans, gorgeous. Anyway, if you go strictly by average SAT scores, it would rank 29th. It is considered one of the hot schools, and the President of the school was just named by Time magazine as one of the ten best, and he also won a $500,000 Carnegie award for the school, one of 3 awarded. Do you know what you are leaning towards for a major?</p>
<p>Middlebury is tough to get into and has no merit scholarships. Wonderful place though, especially if you are interested in foreign languages.</p>
<p>Let me know if I can tell you more.</p>
<p>Hi, fallenchemist! I’m considering a psychology or neuroscience major. All of the colleges have psychology majors, and I’d prefer one with neuroscience, but I wouldn’t eliminate a college from my list because it doesn’t have a neuroscience major. A couple of them also offer concentrations in neuroscience.</p>
<p>What do you know about Middlebury’s need-based financial aid? (Is it comparable to that of the Ivies?) … I might just call them up to check that they take NACAC waivers. If not, I probably won’t apply.</p>
<p>What are your SAT and ACT scores? Just listing your GPA doesn’t tell much.</p>
<p>ACT-34, SAT II-790/740. I haven’t received my SAT scores yet (took them in December), but I scored a 2210 on the PSAT.</p>
<p>My GPA is a little lower than my standardized testing scores would indicate, but I attend a top-ranked magnet school. Not that I have a huge leeway because of this, but I’m hoping colleges don’t assume I’m a slacker with a GPA that doesn’t match her SAT scores. </p>
<p>Thanks for all the help!</p>
<p>Why not? As you’ve already stated that you have guaranteed admission at UCSB… you can afford to apply to all reaches now considering that you will be perfectly fine at UCSB is not accepted elsewhere.</p>