<p>OK, I am new to this site but I figured I really need help in my college decision process.
I am currently a junior in high school. I have a 96 - 97 GPA, I have a 2130 on my SAT, a 31 on my ACT and I have quite a few extra - circulars (varsity Field Hockey- captain, Varsity lacrosse-captain, Girl Scout- earned my gold award by publishing a book, Local church youth group, working part time at a kickboxing gym, snowboarding, golf, and I like to think I am pretty crafty). I will also be graduating high school with 10 AP credits.
What I am trying to get to is my college decision.... MY PARENTS WILL ONLY LET ME GO TO SUNY (State University of New York) SCHOOLS- cost reasons... which should I go to!!! I am so confused, I feel like they are restricting me so heavily. My friends keep telling me I should apply other places to try and get a full ride... which schools could I get a full ride? PLEASE HELP ME! P.S I am thinking Engineering and Business. I don't feel like any of the suny's fit me well- I have visited almost all of them</p>
<p>Don’t let sticker price scare you off. It is not unusual to get $20,000 to $25,000 in merit aid at private school with your credentials. Add in any financial aid and private schools can be cheaper than SUNY road.</p>
<p>Binghamton is screaming your name. It’s a great school, there’s a quasi-business school, and I know tons of people doing engineering there. Best part is with your stats you’re basically guaranteed a spot.</p>
<p>Would they let you apply to one of the state supported schools at Cornell? Otherwise I’d go with SUNY Binghamton and SUNY Geneseo as the top choices of SUNY schools. If you look at schools where your stats are in the top 25% you might get a large enough merit scholarship to bring the price down to where a SUNY school would be (ex. Fordham to name just one). I know it is frustrating, but a ton of people would love to be in your shoes of knowing they will be able to afford a four year college.</p>
<p>And maybe if you explain WHY none of the SUNY schools feel like a good fit and what you are looking for then people can give you more specific suggestions.</p>
<p>I’ve seen a lot of people go down the road of SUNY or community colleges thinking it will be cheaper than private, and that is not always the case! If your parents can afford a SUNY tuition, ask if they would be willing to look at private schools if financial aid makes the costs comparable. Run the net price calculator to get an idea of what you might have to pay and compare it against SUNY.</p>
<p>There are dozens of SUNY schools - which have you visited? What is factoring into your decision criteria? You are very smart to be thinking about this early.</p>
<p>As a young lady with an interest in engineering and good schoolwork, test scores, and ECs, I bet you’d have engineering schools offering you merit money. In no particular order, Clarkson, WPI, RPI, and Stevens Institute might be worth a look. The male/female ratio at these schools and the desire to get more young women into STEM fields could work in your favor.</p>
<p>As a parent, I understand the cost concerns. My D1 had vey similar numbers and I was pushing Geneseo until a private school came up with over 36k so I will repeat some of what has already been mentioned. SUNY has some great schools. Geneseo, Binghamtom and Stonybrook all sound like potentials for you, but take a look at at schools with good merit aid and at the net price calculators. RPIalum has some good ideas. I would add RIT and Univ. of Rochester to that mix if you are staying in NY. WPI in Mass is worth a look. Also, if you are interested, the lacrosse and field hockey hooks can help. If you are a captain as a junior, you must have some talent. Some of those schools have D3 teams that are always looking for women to play. The coaches have some pull with admissions and Fin aid departments. That goes for the SUNY’s too BTW. Coaches might be able to get you some extra $ even at those schools.</p>
<p>I understand your parents’ concerns. As a parent, looking at schools with $50+ pricetags was nerve wracking at best. I love NYs state school system…Bing, Stony, New Paltz…we’re so lucky to have such great choices. But I can say from personal experience that state schools don’t always end up being the most affordable option. My son applied to 4 state schools and 11 private schools. 3 of the state schools ended up being more expensive than his cheapest private school option after FA packages were set. Buffalo ended up being the only one that offered enough aid to make it comparable…and for the record it still would have been about $1000 more a year than his current school which costs about 62K a year.</p>
<p>What’s your EFC?
Would your parents qualify for need-based aid (ie., they make less than $120-150,000/year)? Then, look at
[100%</a> Meet Need Colleges | CollegeGreenlight](<a href=“Colleges with Need-Blind Admission for U.S. Students”>Colleges with Need-Blind Admission for U.S. Students)
These colleges are very selective, but they look for accomplished applicants - such as you. And if they admit you, they will cover need, and in some cases may very well cost less than SUNY’s. If you’re a girl, do apply to the women’s colleges since they’re very generous. Smith has Engineering and Bryn Mawr has a 4+1 program whereby you study CS or Physics there, then you can get a Master’s in Engineering in ONE year only and from UPenn (Ivy League).
Of course if you’re a girl all the tech schools would LOOOOVE to have you so look into Rose-Hulman, RPI, RIT, WPI, etc, as was mentioned above. As a reach, why not even apply to Olin? They said they want a 50/50 class meaning it’s easier to get in as a girl and all admitted applicant automatically get a half tuition scholarship not counting the need-based financial aid.
Are your parents too well off to qualify for need-based aid? Then you need to look into merit aid. For this as Happy1 said, look for schools where your stats place you in the top 25%.
In addition, you automatically qualify for the college of engineering’s full tuition + $2,500 scholarship +Honors College at UAlabama, on SAT score alone.
LOTS of possibilities.</p>
<p>Now, within SUNY’s:
apply to all 4 “Big 4’s”: Geneseo, Bing, Stony Brook, Albany. Add Buffalo because they have good merit aid. Then add a couple schools based on the merit scholarships they offer so that you have a financial safety.
Do explain to your parents that depending on their income, they may be better off with some private schools, considering your stats. In fact, some schools on the “100% need” above even provide you with financial aid that does NOT package loans so you’d graduate debt-free.</p>
<p>Also look at the guaranteed full ride/full tuition schools in the financial aid forum list. They are mostly NOT in the NE but would make good backups if any interest you and a lot offer engineering.</p>
<p>Getting merit at a private school, esp tech school as said, or getting need-based aid (if you qualify) could bring a lot of schools down into SUNY range.</p>
<p>Your parents also may want you to stay close by?</p>
