Emory is not a safety for anyone.
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U Chig, the two SUNY.
Then which interest you most that you have time to do well.
You may delete schools that have both ED and EA because those will be less likely RD.
Ga Tech is a reach, not a safety.
Depends on what mattersâŚdistance, cost or otherwise.
Since your family income is $60k, you should look at the NPC of each school. That will help you determine. Ga Tech and Michigan will likely leave your list.
If you want financial safeties, apply to either Alabama or Arizona. Both are easy appsâŚjust In case âŚ.they may even end up cheaper than SUNY. Arizona can wait as it has a late deadline but youâd miss Honors. Both will give you lots of $$ but youâd still have room/board.
Good luck.
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I agree with everyone else that other than your two SUNY schools, the entire list are reaches.
Prioritize the two SUNY schools first. Then Iâd keep Chicago and Cornell. After that see what you have enough time for.
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Prioritize cost, including need-blind, meet full need, no loans.
SUNYâs include loans, though they tend to be more affordable than many other public universities.
UMichigan may meet full need for in-state but you appear to be from NY.
NYU, Emory, Ga. Inst. of Tech., Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, Cal Tech include loans in aid packages.
That leaves:
University of Chicago
Cornell
Rice
Vanderbilt
Columbia
Brown
Pomona
Stanford
University of Pennsylvania
Yale
Basically Ivies plus Stanford, Chicago, Rice, Vanderbilt, Pomona. A reachy bunch!
You could narrow this down based on location or weather, as well as location in relation to homem academics, âvibe.â Think also about expenses: NYC is costly for everything,
This is very top heavy but with time constraints as well as financial ones, you could apply to 4 of these plus SUNYâs.
In your situation, it seems loans should be avoided. But of course you may feel differently. Unfortunately the schools that donât have loans tend to be very selective.
You might get surprises elsewhere based on merit but itâs late, so I donât really know. Some schools consider you for merit with a regular application. Others can suggest: I just looked at schools that meet full need without loans.
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Ok, first breathe. Take a moment to really see what folks are sharing with you - Somehow your list feels more high high reach than where you were headed at one point in this thread. Only your SUNYs are matches/targets. Look at some of the strands for these other colleges from this week and recent years. These are High high reaches for everyone.
You have time constraints, but hopefully 2 weeks off for the holidays.
Prioritize by due dates at this point. And your financial and geographic reality. Travel to and from school is expensive and adds up. You need to ship things or store things - that costs money that has to come from somewhere, too.
Once you get through 5 to 7 of these in the next 2 weeks, we can revisit some other safeties and reachy targets that meet 100% need or are low cost with later deadlines.
Safety: Yes both. Get these done by deadlines for aid.
⢠SUNY Bing
⢠SUNY Stony Brook
High High Reach - near home - pick 3 and focus most of your time on these 3 this week. If you get them done by next Friday, then you can do a few others in the ones that are further away.
⢠NYU
- Columbia
- Cornell
- Brown
- Yale
⢠UPenn
Do not bother -high reach and not enough money for you.
⢠Georgia Institute of Tech
⢠University of Michigan
I do not think you need this stress - apply after all others are done.
⢠Carnegie Mellon
Pick two of these at the most - High high reaches for all and potential hidden costs to attend due to distance - travel, shipping, storage, etc⌠do not start until your others are done.
⢠Harvey Mudd
⢠Rice
⢠Vanderbilt
⢠CalTech
⢠Pomona
⢠Stanford
- UChicago
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Seconding the above, except switching UMich (meets need for OOS families with income below 95k, although with loans) and CMU (Do not bother, they donât meet need and donât provide decent packages at all.)
Add Williams, or at least look into it.
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I think @Pathnottaken has outlined a great strategy. When you get to the last category of reaches, I would stick with Harvey Mudd and Stanford (good fit for your math skills), and drop the rest.
Keep in mind many of these schools will want an essay about how you see yourself contributing to and participating on their campus (the âwhy usâ essay â why do you want to go here).
Once you have your final list, you will need to spend time on each schoolâs website learning about what makes it unique in areas where you can have an impact. The best written essays will not help you reach your goal if the school cannot tell that you actually know something about its programs/campus/faculty/clubs, etc. and can articulate why it would be a good fit. Maybe try to get your list down to 6 or 7 to make it manageable.
Good luck.
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If it were me, I think I would pick from @Pathnottaken âs categories:
-The two SUNYs
-NYU, Columbia, Penn
-Harvey Mudd, Stanford
I am just basing that off the very incomplete picture I have of your strengths from a few posts and the incomplete knowledge I have about these schools and their typical students, programs, etc. So you may have valid reasons to switch out schools on the list for others, but my gut reaction is that you might get your best results at these schools.
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I posted info on which schools do not include loans when they meet full need. I understand the strategies suggested by others but some of those suggested schools will include loans.
The only reason to apply to reaches in this case is money.
So again, priority, in my view, is two SUNYâs. maybe a CUNY, then U. of Chicago, Pomona, Rice, Vanderbilt, Stanford, and the various Ivies are best financially. No loans. Pick 4 to start.
Amherst and Williams also have great aid. I would choose Amherst.
I asked about geographic preference. It seems you are drawn to warmer weather. So maybe Rice, Vanderbilt, Pomona and SUNYâs should be the first ones to get through.
The Ivies are all different: donât just apply because they are Ivies. The financial aspect is persuasive but choose two if any.
No to NYU, Harvey Mudd, Cal Tech, Carnegie Mellon, U of Michigan, Emory, Ga. Institute of Tech. due to loans.
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Based on @compmom âs input on loans, I would revise my list above to drop NYU and switch Harvey Mudd for Pomona.
Personally, I think the University of Chicagoâs quirky application may make it too burdensome, but if you think you have the time, go for it.
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Real talk
Your list is way too top-heavy. I donât believe for a second, that you ran this list past your GC (especially since Stuy has a well-oiled machine when it comes to college counseling). The way your list is looking, you could very well be out here without a school to attend in the fall.
Remember even for Bing, Stony Brook, UB, and Albany- the pool may be wide, but the talent is deep.
NYU GA tech and Emory are not safeties for anyone (unless your parents have just given a building, then I am not talking to you).
Your targets are reaches for everyone. Your reaches are reaches (many with single-digit admissions rates)
Even if you meet the income requirements, academically you will not be EOP/HEOP eligible (you are not academically disadvantaged).
Did you run the net price calculators for all of these schools? Can your family handle the numbers that were produced?
IIRC, you wrote on one of your other threads that you had outstanding NX Courses? Have they been reconciled? Are the new grades on your transcript (you can see this in your NYC student account/student profile)?
Is the NX course you need tied to a Regents exam? If yes, with the exception of US history (January only) there are no more waivers being granted. IF you need a Regents, you will need to sit for it in January. Are you ready? If you need the LOTE it will be given in January (see your counselor because schools will have to pay for the January LOTE).
If you have completed all of your Regents will you be getting an advanced Regents?
What is your rank?
Do you fall into the top 10% where you will be eligible for STEM Scholarship at SUNY/CUNY.
Where is your CUNY List?
You should have, CIty, Hunter, Queens, Baruch and Brooklyn, which all have strong computer science programs (these will be the ultimate safeties for you).
We strongly recommend that every student applies to CUNY so that everyone has a financial safety and a school to attend. As a matter of fact, I used to send letters to families where they had to sign to opt-out of applying to CUNY.
If you are meal code A or 1, eligible for free lunch will get a CUNY fee waiver. Use the waiver. It covers 6 schools, apply to 6 schools.
(Yes, I know that the NYC DOE pays for all students to have free lunch, but you still need to file a lunch form to determine your eligibility for free/reduced lunch. )
SUNY
If you are fee waiver eligible, SUNY will cover 7 schools. Have you run your numbers to see if SUNY is an affordable option. If your family makes under 125k, you will get the Excelsior scholarship to cover tuition.
You should minimally have the 4 university centers
Start here to do your research to add 3 more (maximize free)
https://www.suny.edu/attend/find-a-suny-program/undergraduate/
Donât sleep on SUNY Poly and Oswego where you could get a tuition + scholarship
https://www.oswego.edu/financial-aid/scholarships
Your match list should include RIT, Uof Rochester & RPI which could be affordable options with merit and need-based aid. They could be matches for you.
Again, dont sleep on Colgate, Brandeis and U of Wisconsin (both are Posse STEM schools)
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Carrying a large student loan is certainly problematic for any student. However, some of the schools would only include loans in their FA packages for families whose income exceed certain level. In addition, not all loans are the same. I know a student whose generous FA package includes a loan from a school on your list. That loan has no interest while the student remains in college. If the student goes to grad school, a nominal interest (well below 3%) will start to accrue but no repayment. Repayment starts when the student has a job and the amount of monthly repayment is capped at a very low level and that level can be lowered depending on how much the student makes. So I wouldnât necessarily exclude schools simply based on whether or not their FA policies exclude loans.
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I agree with @1NJParent
The total $27,000 over four years in federally funded Direct Loans should not (in my opinion) be a deal breaker especially if it will make some colleges that meet full need more accessible for admissions.
No loans would be terrificâŚbut these schools tend to be the most competitive.
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Agree with the loan aspect. Some student loans may be needed, but not additional parent plus loans to make up any differences. That cuts the categories easily and helps the OP focus.
The geography limitations are just an honest reality in this. I know there are fabulous success stories with this, but I sense from talking to some college folks it is a bigger issue than many want to openly discuss. I have a few former students with similar financial constraints struggling with the realities of being 1500 to 3000 miles from anyone they know. It is not just the cost of travel round trip once or twice a year. A 19 year old can not rent a car to take stuff to a cheaper storage option for the summer. Parents canât afford to fly to help. And services that come and pick up and deliver back the next semester can be pricey.
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Most colleges that meet full need for all only give info about Parent Plus loans so they can be used to pay the parent contribution. I donât think these should be taken either, and especially since this student could have better options.
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To check in before you go further. Here are some previous to do items with additional thoughts/concerns. Info on these will help you prioritize.
Did you get the FAFSA and CSS done with your parents a few weeks ago? What was the EFC? I could not find it in the thread.
Did you run the NPCs at the schools on your list with the same info used in the CSS so you have a handle on where you may land?
Did you talk to your parents about the realities of paying back large sums of money in loans - from government related lenders, banks, family, friends?
Does your school guidance counselor or college counselor know to look for communication from you over break if you add schools with deadlines before you go back in January? Where else did they recommend? I know they can get annoyed sometimes with kids who have procrastinated to this pointâŚbut they still need to help you. Are there deadlines you have missed with them that may cause some of the transcripts or letters of support to not arrive by deadlines?
All the best!
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This OP needs to prioritize and no loans was one way to weed out some schools, as long as good schools remained on the list. I am very aware that subsidized loans do not have to be paid while in school. I tried to parse out the ones that only did loans above a certain level of income.
This is a long list and âno loansâ is just a way to simplify it.
I included SUNY and CUNY schools and then just 4-6 others, given the time constraints. I got the feeling OP prefers warmer weather so included Rice, Vanderbilt and Pomona in the list I suggested, along with one or two of the Ivy schools or Amherst.
For some people $27k loans are burdensome. It would be for my kids.
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I want to agree with Pathnottaken. It costs money to go to school far away from home, and in your case money is scarce. Even SUNY Buffalo is a long way from NYC. Stony Brook, Albany, and Binghamton make far more sense.
You live in an area that is packed with great schools, so why be looking across the country for your choices. In addition to Columbia, NYU, CUNY, and SUNY, a school like Stevens Tech is right across the River in New Jersey and would offer an excellent opportunity if they provide financial support. Same with RPI and Union College, both of which are no farther away than SUNY Albany and RPI has a policy of continuing financial aid through masterâs degree studies. In the city, a school like Manhattan College has an excellent School of Engineering and caters to first generation college students. Lafayette College, just a bus ride away across the Delaware River from NJ is another liberal arts college with a School of Engineering and computer science opportunities. With the right financial aid, any of these private colleges would become a great option without gaving to fly half way across the country.
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If you take away the categories (safety/target/reach), what this list says to me is:
âI like SUNY Bing and Stony Brook, and I know they will be affordable, so Iâve decided that thereâs no point in applying to matches or safeties outside of the SUNY system. I will apply to all reaches, because those are the only schools Iâd actually choose over a SUNY. If I donât get into any of them, I will be perfectly fine going to Binghamton or Stony Brook.â
If thatâs the case, and you have fully vetted the finances, that is completely fine.
However, the fact that you are calling some of those schools targets and safeties sheds doubt on your clarity about your overall strategy. Theyâre all reaches, and some of them are wildly unlikely to be affordable even if you get in. Have you run the NPC on every school?
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Keep in mind that UB runs buses from campus to NYC and back during breaks, It is a nominal fee. In addition, there is both bus, Amtrak, and plane service out of Buffalo.
I am not 100% on board with this, because no teacher or GC is obligated to look for communication from OP when they are off the clock. No one can guarantee that GC or teacher is going to be available over the break. This is a part of interdependence, self-advocacy, and knowing that there are deadlines for a reason.
While it may sound nice in concept, nowhere should it be an expectation. GCs already have their plates full dealing with updates from the situation room daily about COVID close contacts and tracking students to need to pivot to remote and keeping track of their colleagues who are out of the building.
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