What are reach schools for me?

College Search & Selection
21

<p>Sorry, then. Thanks for your help.</p>

22

<p>@intparent I just ran the NPCs for both UNC Chapel Hill and UW Madison. UNC was less than $1,000 more than UW Madison. UVa was about the same as the estimated net price as Syracuse, which is about $22,000. </p>

<p>I haven’t seriously talked to my parents about this, and my mom just gave me a rough estimate. Once we seriously go through paperwork and my parents figure out what they can actually afford, I’ll have a better idea of what I can look at.</p>

23

<p>Are you sure you put in your status as an out of state student? OOS cost of UNC and UVA are both about $45,000. I know UVA does not give much need based aid to out of state students, and assume UNC is the same (most public universities are). </p>

<p>You should have “the money talk” sooner rather than later with your parents so you know what your real parameters are. Not much point in applying to schools you can’t pay for.</p>

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<p>I’m sure I did. I’m planning on having them go through everything when AP testing is done.</p>

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<p>@intparent Isn’t UVA a meet-need school? I assume they’d have to be to qualify as a Questbridge partner…<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/virginia-overview”>http://www.questbridge.org/virginia-overview&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

26

<p>Technically they are, but it is need as THEY define it. Which often gives a higher EFC than the FAFSA EFC that the OP has indicated she may not be able to meet. Admission from OOS is also more difficult.</p>

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<p>@intparent Ohh, I see. They do replace loans w/grants, so wouldn’t that make up for it? The EFC would be higher, but the net cost would be lower than at a typical loan-giving college…</p>

28

<p>I didn’t really read the comments, but you could look into USC (Southern Cal). Your ACT is in their range, and you would have decent chances of getting in if you write solid essay, have good letters, etc. They also have strong programs for everything you are interested in. It is a larger school with tons of spirit too.</p>

29

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<p>Seems like you would be looking mainly for large merit scholarships or very low list prices.</p>

<p>On the large merit scholarship front, see these lists:
<a href=“Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #300 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #300 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums; (safety candidates)
<a href=“Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #50 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #50 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums; (reaches/matches)</p>

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Actually those two colleges are the ones which meet full need for all students, including OOS. Yes, they get to define need, but they DO give significant aid.</p>

31

<p>Try CWRU. It has a very strong biomedical engineering program. Your stats are probably very close to average for the university. They have gotten more selective in the last couple of years. It is expensive, however, they offer very good merit scholarships and if accepted might meet your need (you still have that $12k/year to deal with). They are a CSS profile school so they may determine your need differently than the FAFSA. Good luck.</p>