<p>What did you get on your PSAT? Are you a likely NMF?</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids: I’m a semi-finalist, I don’t know if they’ve determined NMFs yet. I got a 225.</p>
<p>@JohnAdams12: The current seniors, that are graduating this year (the class above me) and are college-bound, are all going to schools in NC (mostly divided between UNC (top 10%), NC State, and ECU) with one exception.</p>
<p>Semi-finalists have not yet been named. They get named in Sept of senior year. You will make semi-finalist. You will be given a packet in Sept from your school. Follow all instructions. Send your SAT score to NMCorp…code 0085. Keep your nose clean at school because your school writes a rec. 
Most make NMF…those get announced Feb of senior year. </p>
<p>For financial safeties, you need to apply to some schools that will give you big merit for National Merit status. </p>
<p>You have a good chance at Cornell.</p>
<p>Please don’t take any offense, but why are your parents (who both graduated from Cornell) low income? That seems unusual to me.</p>
<p>I’m a grad of the #4 ranked LAC with graduate work at a top 10 university and my H has an MBA from Stern and other professional certifications that are not easy to acquire and are normally held by people making 6 figures. We have been “low income” for a while. (Although we finally seem to be emerging…) Stuff happens in life. Surely you’ve learned that by now? If not, I hope you never have that experience. She may not take offense at your question, but <em>I</em> do on behalf of her parents!</p>
<p>m2ck, That’s like saying if you go to a big name school, you’re def. going to have a well paying job. We all not that’s not so. Being from eastern NC myself, I can safely say there are not tons of well paying jobs to be had. Many counties have a pretty high poverty rate including the one I am from.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>I realize that, but i would think that 2 parents with degrees from Cornell could find decent jobs somewhere - even if it means relocating.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids: No offense taken, I guess I should have clarified my situation. My family is not low income as in, struggling to put food on the table, living paycheck to paycheck, etc. It is enough, however, that my siblings and I qualify for free lunch from the school cafeteria…my parents do have “decent” jobs; my dad teaches college chemistry after leaving a higher-paid management position several years ago. And yes, we did relocate so he could take the professorship. In general, the term “low income” seems to really relate to oversimplified salary numbers.</p>
<p>You should still try to get an estimate to see what your EFC will be to see if you qualify for any free fed aid. </p>
<p>FA Calc<br>
[FinAid</a> | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Calculator - Finaid)</p>
<p>Do both the federal method and institutional. Many privates use the both methods. </p>
<p>BTW…an EFC is not the most you/your family will be expected to pay. Most schools do not meet need. Most schools “gap”. And…most OOS publics don’t help with high OOS costs - unless they award a merit scholarship for high stats.</p>
<p>If both parents work, you may find yourself in that frequently found position of the middle class - earn too much for free fed aid, but not enough to pay for college.</p>
<p>However, since you have great stats, you can capitalize on that and apply to schools like HYP that are extra, extra generous with FA and to schools that will give you big merit for your stats. :)</p>
<p>I told me my EFC was a three-digit number…are a couple zeros implied in that or is that the real price??</p>
<p>clarinetgurl, your EFC <em>could</em> be less than a thousand dollars, although if one of your parents is a college professor it seems unlikely. On the other hand, if you qualify for reduced-price lunch, it is quite possible. </p>
<p>I am familiar with the situation of a high-stats kid for whom $20-30K merit money applied to a COA of $50K is NOT going to make college affordable. That was my S’s situation. That is why I recommend that you apply to the schools that really meet need as well as financial safeties, with a few of the merit schools thrown in just in case. Just keep firmly in mind that although virtually every college talks in its materials and on its web site about how it is dedicated to making college affordable for everyone, the majority do not have the funds to do so. Many students are accepted and “gapped.” It is more advantageous to most schools to give $5K merit money to 5 students who will be flattered into coming and paying the remaining $45K–thereby raising the school’s yield–than it is to give $50K to one student and meet their full need. It’s called yield management. You can read about it.</p>
<p>@Consolation: Yield management does make sense, it seems, although it might not be the most advantageous to the student. 
Thanks for your advice, I’ll definitely take it into consideration!</p>
<p>The University of Richmond and Washington and Lee both offer large numbers of full merit scholarships, and they are fine institutions not too far from you. Definitely give those a shot!</p>
<p>I have heard of kids getting great scholarships from Case Western Reserve and Carnegie Mellon. Swarthmore meets full need and you could take classes at Upenn, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr. </p>
<p>One advantage you definitely have is that you’re a girl who wants to study science. So go for MIT or any school you want and you have a good chance.</p>