Sophomore with Long and Selective College List

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello! This is my first post on here, so here it goes!</p>

<p>Ok, so first some background...I am currently a sophomore in HS in Smyrna, GA, and I have started to look at colleges. I consider myself to be very well rounded, I have a 3.75 GPA (unweighted), and I am in an IB magnet program. I want to major in either Urban Planning (with a focus in transportation) or Architecture, go to graduate school, and then either work for the government (local, state, or federal) or eventually start my own company...anyways...I want to go somewhere really good (I mean who doesn't?), and the location/locale of the school is really important to me (I like urban places). </p>

<p>So here is the list I have so far (listed in Alphabetical Order):</p>

<p>-Cal Poly (SLO)
-Columbia (NYC)
-Cornell (Ithaca)
-Georgia Tech (Atlanta)
-MIT (Boston) [My absolute dream school!]
-McGill (Montreal)
-Miami (Ohio)
-UC: Berkeley
-University of Illinois at Chicago
-University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
-USC (Los Angeles)
-UT at Austin
-UVA (Charlottesville)</p>

<p>SO, I know those are some pretty competitive schools, andy I feel like I need some more back up type schools. I also want to know what people think of these schools, my chances, etc.</p>

<p>Overall, I have a few concerns in general. First, my parents won't let me apply to a school without visiting it first, and they only want to visit about 5, meaning I can only apply to about 5 schools. Second, they don't really care that much about distance, but more about logistics (mainly, my dad is having a hard time justifying going to school in California as opposed to the east coast). And finally, they are concerned about cost. We make enough income that I probably won't qualify for much need-based financial aid (if any), but there's not enough money for me to just go anywhere for anything, and I don't want to start off my adult life with tons of loans. Overall, these are just some of my concerns, and I was hoping the people of this forum could help me in some way or another. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Hey- I’d love to help you out, but it’s a little difficult with the limited stats you’ve posted. Can you give us more information? For example, if you’ve taken the SAT or ACT, SAT subject tests, class ranking, ECs/community service/jobs, summer experiences, etc.</p>

<p>I’m in the same situation as you for financial aid and I don’t want to spoil your dream, but honestly, MIT does not give very good financial aid. I’m guessing Berkeley doesn’t either since you’re not in-state. I definitely recommend studying a lot for the PSAT (you’ll take it junior year) so that you make the National Merit Scholarship semifinalist cutoff. Also, after you’re done applying to colleges, be prepared to do a lot of scholarship applications.</p>

3

<p>Here’s my advice. Don’t limit yourself to just 5 or 6. Apply to as much as you like. Do some research. When you get accepted to the schools you like, just visit them.</p>

4

<p>navie64: I haven’t taken the SAT, but I did just get my PSAT results back. They were ok, I guess. Index: 186, CR: 62, M: 57, W: 67. I plan on doing way better when it actually counts for merit scholarships. I am in several clubs of different variety: habitat for humanity, french club, math team, academic bowl, etc. I also am on the organizing committee for a summer camp for youth, I do community service (part of my IB diploma requirements), and I haven’t had a job yet, but I plan on looking into it. I’ve also applied to some summer academic programs. </p>

<p>averby: I am trying to apply to as many as possible, but my parents are not going to pay for infinite application fees, and I personally would like to start visiting sooner than later, seeing as my choices aren’t exactly close together.</p>

5

<p>"We make enough income that I probably won’t qualify for much need-based financial aid (if any), but there’s not enough money for me to just go anywhere "</p>

<p>This is the single most important factor. You need to have your parents run one of the EFC calculators to get a better idea of what the colleges will expect them to pay. Start with the one here: [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Calculate Your Cost – BigFuture | College Board) Find out if your parents can pay their EFC, more than their EFC, or less than their EFC. If they can’t afford their EFC, then you will have to find cheaper colleges, or you will have to get the grades and test scores that will earn you merit scholarship money. Read up on this topic in the Financial Aid Forum.</p>

<p>The public universities in California don’t award aid to OOS students. Unless your parents can afford the OOS tuition and fees, you can cross UC Berkeley off your list right now. Check the websites of all the other public universities as well, and find out what the OOS tuition and fees are and whether or not they have aid for OOS students.</p>

6

<p>Just FYI, for National Merit, you’re probably going to need closer to the 220 range.</p>

<p>Something that’ll help you out is if you can get leadership positions in the clubs you’re in.</p>

<p>If you can only apply to 5 schools, make sure you have 1 solid safety that you’re 100% sure you can get into and you’d WANT to go there. Then choose among your favorites and what is financially feasible for you. I definitely agree with happymomof1 with the EFC calculators.</p>

<p>It’s kind of hard to tell without standardized test scores and whatnot, but I’d tentatively guess MIT/Columbia as high reaches, Cornell/Berkeley as low reaches. I’m not as familiar with McGill and Georgia Tech, but assuming you can get a 2100+ SAT, those might be matches.</p>

7

<p>Most of the out of state publics won’t give you any need based aid beyond the Federal, even if you qualify. The CA schools won’t give you any merit either don’t know about the others.</p>

<p>Next, some of your schools do not meet your urban need. Neither Cal Poly or Cornell is anywhere near a city. </p>

<p>Most of these are really competitive. You’ll need to work to really bring your scores up. Do some activities related to your interests as well.</p>

<p>I agree with the poster who recommended figuring out what your family can afford now. If you don’t qualify for aid, the $50K schools, and you have several here, may not be realistic as is the case for many. You may have to focus on
schools that offer merit aid. Good luck!</p>

8

<p>just out of curiosity, what summer programs are you signing up for? I’m a sophomore to and I have been looking for a good one to apply to</p>