SO stressed, VERY low EFC

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So, I am a Mexican American citizen. Junior at a California HS.</p>

<p>4.8 w GPA - AP bio, eng lang, us, etc..</p>

<p>I want to become a registered nurse. </p>

<p>I am looking at CSU's (east bay, Sac, LB, Chico, etc) Dominican, USF, UCLA, mainly.</p>

<p>I do NOT want to go to CC because I feel I am prepared enough to go to a 4-year regardless, and I know that transfer students don't receive aid.</p>

<p>HERE'S THE ISSUE:</p>

<p>My dad has been laid off from operating machinery in the construction industry for several months now, and we are going through a loan-modification right now, which may not be approved, forcing us to short sale.</p>

<p>I am so worried that all of my hard work and diligence will not get me through to a good college, so I can pursue my dream of a career in nursing.</p>

<p>DO you think I will be able to get a full ride to a CSU? a private?</p>

<p>ANY reassurance is welcome, but I don't want to live in ignorance, either.</p>

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

<p>P.s. - CC is my only way of keeping up to date with college admin processes, as my parents have no clue how complex it truly is.. :(</p>

2

<p>CSUs don’t offer much (any?) merit aid, but if you have a very low EFC you should be eligible for Pell, CalGrants and other need-based aid. I think the UCs and CSUs have very good aid policies for low-income students.</p>

<p>With that GPA and decent test scores (plus URM status) you should be able to get into just about any state campus you want.</p>

3

<p>Depending on your SAT, I’d say go for Berkley, kid.</p>

4

<p>Thank you so much for your replies!
Polarscribe, do you think my parents’ current financial situation will come between my education and I, as in my ability to take out any necessary loans m</p>

5

<p>Cont’d</p>

<p>Bzva74
I hate berkeley, have visited the campus numerous times and besides, I am going to become a nurse, remember?</p>

6

<p>if you have very low EFC but are high achieving i would suggest you look at questbridge.</p>

<p>also in general, any top private will give you enough money to extremely low EFC students that it will quite possibly be cheaper to attend a private school than your state school.</p>

7

<p>You could always go to UAlabama if you get a high enough SAT. -.-</p>

8

<p>If you have good stats and low income, apply to the UCs…they are good at meeting need for low income students.</p>

<p>Depending on your stats…UCI, UCR, UCLA, UCDavis, etc.</p>

<p>What are your stats?</p>

<p>If your stats are really high, then also apply to privates that meet need.</p>

9

<p>There are several great nursing schools that will probably offer you aid such as Mount St Mary’s in Los Angeles. You might even get a free ride there. For sure you would get the $18K/year scholarship, bringing yearly tuition to $12K/year. I know this is still more than the CSU’s, but you would most likely graduate in 4 years whereas it might take you 5 at a CSU. Plus, you never know what the final cost will be unless you apply. The HOPE credit is worth $2K no matter where you go, but only for the first year or two.</p>

10

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

<p>Also, mom2collegekids, I am not sure that UC’s offer nursing, as of now, i know UCLA does, but that’s about it.</p>

<p>I am getting a campus tour of Dominican University tomorrow, I am excited.</p>

<p>My stats: all A’s, so far :slight_smile:
Junior
Rank:1, public hs
SF Bay Area</p>

<p>Freshman:
Geometry
Pre-Honors English
Pre-Honors Biology
Ceramics
PE
Spanish 2</p>

<p>Sophomore:
Alg 2/Trig
Pre-Honors English
Chemistry
Photo Arts
Aerobics
Spanish 3
AP World History (4)</p>

<p>Junior:
AP Bio
AP English Lang&Comp
AP USH
Spanish 4 Honors
Pre-Calculus Honors
Foods</p>

<p>Senior…maybe…:
Honors English
AP Calculus or AP Statistics… which one?
(i’ve heard nursing req. statistics, so might as well)
AP Gov’t
Econ
Physics
Psychology (Maybe AP, if I take Stat, AP Exam either way)</p>

<p>CSF Officer (since sophomore year)
Latinos Unidos Officer, since this year
Math tutor
Volunteer at Hospital - 400+ hours (since freshmen year) - leader
Key Club
VOlunteer with other organizations</p>

<p>Work as tutor 4x a week (1.5 hours/day)</p>

<p>PSAT: Junior: 191</p>

<p>SAT: Taken January 22, awaiting results, to take again March 12</p>

<p>Schools I am considering:</p>

<p>UCLA - in CA, top 9% of hs students get auto acceptance :slight_smile:
USF
Dominican (CA)
CSU LB
CSU Sac
CSU San Jose
CSU EB
St. Mary’s
Now…Mt. Saint Mary’s.</p>

<p>How does this look?
Please be honest</p>

11

<p>Perhaps looks at Fresno State also; Presidential Scholarship (which is competitive) through Smittcamp Honors college there covers tuitions, fees and room:</p>

<p>The President’s Scholarship is a defining feature of the Smittcamp Family Honors College. All students accepted to our program receive in-state registration (tuition and student fees) for up to eight semesters of undergraduate study. This outstanding benefit is virtually unheard of among similar honors programs across the country and simply unmatched in California.</p>

<p>Along with full in-state, undergraduate tuition and fees, the President’s Scholarship includes:</p>

<p>Credit for a community style room in a campus residence hall for those who choose to live on campus.
Laptop computer stipend
25-student limit in honors classes
Smaller class sizes mean a more intimate, personal learning environment that encourages discussion and fosters relationships between students and faculty.
Individual study and advising from the university’s premier honors professors.
Priority registration for all courses</p>

12

<p>Are you sure about the auto acceptance to UCLA? I thought it was to ANY UC, which could be Riverside or Merced.</p>

13

<p>UCLA - in CA, top 9% of hs students get auto acceptance</p>

<p>Not true.</p>

<p>The auto acceptance is to a lower UC…not UCLA or Berkeley.</p>

<p>many of those Catholics are not going to meet need. If your family can’t contribute much, you’ll have a large gap.</p>

<p>Also take the ACT…you need the highest scores you can get to increase your chances.</p>

<p>Apply to every Cal State that has nursing…everyone. Nursing in Calif is impacted, so apply everywhere. You may also need to apply OOS to some schools that meet need or give mege merit.</p>

14

<p>UCI does have nursing…</p>

<p>[UCI</a> Nursing](<a href=“http://www.nursing.uci.edu/undergraduate_programs.shtml]UCI”>http://www.nursing.uci.edu/undergraduate_programs.shtml)</p>

15

<p>How sure are you about your career plans?</p>