Does Miami U (Ohio) have OOS scholarships, by chance? Though not southern, it has a charm and character similar to southern schools and I think it would possibly be a nice match school for OP.
(I suppose, if it is a match school and not a safety, that would preclude a scholarship…sorry if this isn’t a practical suggestion…just trying to leave no stone unturned in case it might be workable.)
Sorry, I posted without somehow realizing there were three (not two) pages in this thread. I just read the part about OP’'s parents saying she can go anywhere she wants but it’s best if SHE doesn’t go in debt.
OP, your parents really aren’t being fair. It seems to me, unless they level with you, that anything that’s not an automatic free ride, or doable through work/study, scholarship + the student loans that YOU can legally take out yourself (something like 6500 per year) is not safe for you to bet on. Even if your parents can’t/won’t give you a monetary figure, they really need to clarify to you whether they think YOU will be taking out all loans needed for college or are they expecting to help with anything? Are they aware that you cannot take out more that 6500? Are they planning to cosign bank loans (in the tens of thousands) that they expect YOU to pay back? Are they aware of the cost of some of these schools? I think you need to try to get the answers to these questions even if if they can’t give you a dollar amount that they will contribute. Because even though you have nice stats that may get you into some of your more prestigious match/reach school, I don’t see much likelihood of getting major scholarships from them. Please don’t cosign with your parents loans for tens of thousands of dollars per year for a more prestigious school, as enticing as that idea may seem now. That would be a future nightmare in the making, especially on a teacher’s salary.
Those fees do include the meal plan (dorm students get a meal plan adjustment because they eat most of their meals at the sorority house), and at least for some houses the badge and all social costs. Those fees are still really high compared to the rest of the country. I have one daughter who paid about $400/sem for dues (a house with a few kids living in it, no meals) and one who paid $4000/sem for living in/full meal plan/dues. That was cheaper than the dorms and the school meal plans.
@Aquapt. You sure UNL is a Midwest College Exchange school?
It’s listed on the MSEP website…
Can’t post screenshots here but I just looked at it…
Sometimes there are restrictions on what programs are included, so it’s a good idea to check, but the campus in general is on the exchange: https://msep.mhec.org/institution/university-nebraska-lincoln
Here’s one in the South (well… Florida) that is probably a match or high match for you:
U of Miami
If it might appeal, check it out and run the NPC.
Even though my parents won’t tell me what we can afford, they have kind of been making it seem like they would prefer if I went to UIUC, so I’d assume we could at least afford that. I could be wrong though. They just seem like they don’t really care that much about this whole process and would prefer if I figured it all out on my own.
So, is that a proper summary: your parents are hands off, are ok if you go OOS even if they like UIUC best, and probably have a 30-35k budget for you, but if that turned out to be a wrong assumption you could commute to a cc or take a gap year to reapply to more colleges?
@MYOS1634 Yes
@inthegarden Yes, Miami U does have OOS scholarships available.
http://miamioh.edu/admission/merit-grid/
Thank you, @Erin’s Dad! @extra21 if you haven’t checked out Miami U Ohio ( and U Miami FL), you might be pleasantly surprised.
You seem to want “prestige”, specifically Vanderbilt, but do not have quite high enough stats to 1) gain admission to a prestige school, or 2) earn a scholarship to a prestigious school that will bring said school into an a financially feasible range.
You don’t really want to attend UIUC (which we are assuming is affordable, but we can’t confirm that)
U of Alabama in on your target list, it is affordable, you are likely to get in and you would be happy to attend.
Your parents are either unwilling or unable to help you with your college admissions. (Have you spoken with your HS guidance counselor at all?)
You want to know if your list is feasible. Multiple posters have given you their opinion. Only you can decide if the advice given is accurate and should be heeded.
You specifically asked if it is a waste of time to apply to Vanderbilt. Multiple posters have given you their take on the value of applying to Vanderbilt. I say you should apply (assuming you are able to cover the cost of the application fee) you will spend the rest of your life wondering “what if…” if you don’t apply. HOWEVER, if you are accepted, be prepared for your parents to say 1) We can’t afford it 2) We can afford it, but we aren’t willing to send you there for a degree in education that you can get for less money at our well regarded in-state public. The real question is… Are you willing to accept the heartache now and not apply; or defer the high potential for heartache until next spring when admissions decisions are released?
Let Brown and UVA go. I’d let Baylor go too, too expensive and the prestige value doesn’t justfy the cost. ( I am from Texas and frankly just don’t like Baylor). Florida and Georgia are going to be too expensive if you are looking to stay around $35k. I know nothing about Wake Forest.
Select one more safety (one that is an academic & financial safety) because you will want to have a choice come next spring.
Take a look at Loyola Chicago, they often offer generous merit scholarships and that will bring it into the $35k range. It is close to home and affordable (should make parents happy) and carries a bit more prestige than UIUC.
Unless and Untill you get some straight answers from your parents you are going to be floating on the wind with your list. It may mean that you need to get tough with them and specifically say “I need to know X, X & X to make an informed decision about my college applications”. If you don’t get a straight answer your choices will be made for you. Good Luck!
Thanks! I now have Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, and Florida State as safeties on my list, Penn State as a match, and Wake Forest, Sewanee, Richmond, and Vanderbilt as reaches. Does that seem like a better list?
And if it’s unclear whether or not Vanderbilt is affordable, should I not apply early decision?
My parents really don’t like to talk about money with me at all, so I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get clear answers from them.
Will they even answer a yes/no question like: “Will you contribute $31,000 per year for four years (total $124,000) for my college education?” (this is the cost of Alabama after the scholarship you will get, though it does not account for price increases, though you could probably cover those with federal direct loans and work earnings)
^ According to collegedata the cost of UIUC in-state is about the same as Bama ($31K). If the OP’s parents are willing to pay for UIUC then I would hope they would be willing to pay the same for Bama.
Seems like people will always advise here that if you want to pursue a career in education, you should go to the cheapest local school possible. I’ve never seen this advice given for other career aspirations. No, you will not become wealthy as an educator, either in the classroom, or in research or policy. However, I would think a person in education should feel free to pursue an enriched, prestigious undergraduate experience as much as anyone, to the extent that resources allow. Be proud of your career choice. We need bright, motivated, innovative minds in education.
@SDConty3Mom I generally think the same thing…except for students with very uncertain financial standing. OP can’t even get a conversation with her parents about this. Because her parents won’t bother to answer or to figure ot a ball-park figure about finances…such as, we can give you nothing…or we can give you $5000 or 30,000 per year, or we will pay for UIUC but nothing for any other school…OP will have to spend a lot of money and a lot of time and effort casting a very wide net…with the possibility of heartbreak if she pins her hope on a prestigious dream school.
I got into debt for my master’s degree, for a low-pay/high altruism career…and it was tough paying off the loans for even that 18 months of school. Paying off four years would have been a disaster.
Local schools are sometimes favorable for those going into K-12 education due to aligning their curricula with local teacher credentialing requirements and expectations.
Apply to Vanderbilt ED. Just be prepared for your parents to say “OH, you got in? Well, we can’t afford to send you”. Just prepare yourself. If that doesn’t happen, rejoice and thank them 
The rest of your list makes sense. You can even add one to round out a list of 10 