What are some good premed colleges for my financial situation?

College Search & Selection
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<p>I didn't know whether to put this in the financial aid forum or this one, but I'm not looking at financial aid as the only factor.</p>

<p>My parents are divorced. My mom makes 85k (but she made a lot more this year from investments) and my dad makes 120k-ish? (My dad lives in the OC while we live in Ohio though. Do colleges consider the cost of living?) </p>

<p>I thought only my mom's income counted for financial aid, so the top schools & Ivies would be relatively affordable, but I recently discovered that most top private schools look at the noncustodial parent's income too.</p>

<p>What are some good schools that don't look at noncustodial income, have good merit-based aid (3.9 UW GPA & 2340 SAT), or just have great financial aid even for upper income brackets? We don't want to spend to much on undergrad because we'll have to spend lots of money for medical school.</p>

<p>I know many people say that the school you go to for premed itself doesn't matter, as long as you have a good GPA & MCAT score. But research, volunteering, shadowing, etc. are also important, so I'd like to find schools that have many opportunities for undergrad students. (Are any LACs good in this regard? I've always assumed they don't have research opportunities because they don't have grad students, but I never looked into it.)</p>

<p>Personally, I want to be challenged by both the teachers and the students. I mean, I guess an easy school would be good for my GPA, but challenges motivate me. I like schools with a work hard play hard vibe.</p>

<p>I'll still apply to Penn and Duke, which were my top schools before I found out that we would probably have to pay full tuition, but I want to include some colleges in my list that are more affordable. For example, Vanderbilt seems really good right now. What other colleges should I take a look at?</p>

<p>Thanks for your help. (:</p>

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<p>Would an in-state school like Ohio State be affordable even with a low estimate on non-loan financial aid?</p>

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<p>There are a number of threads on merit-based aid in the Financial Aid Forum, some in the Parents Forum, and more scattered throughout the others. Start with this one:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>You can apply to schools like UPenn and such, but as you know you won’t qualify for much/any aid from them.</p>

<p>Even a school like Vandy will expect a good contribution from your mom since she has a nice income AND she has investments. </p>

<p>How much will your mom pay each year? It is VERY important that you know that.</p>

<p>Are you a likely NMF? What was your PSAT?</p>

<p>Schools like HYP give “super aid,” but with your mom’s income/assets…and your dad’s income/assets, it’s very likely that they will expect your family to pay more than they will want to pay. </p>

<p>Happymom’s link will be very useful to you. Be sure to apply to some schools that will give you ASSURED BIG scholarships for your stats as financial safeties.</p>

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<p>Ohio State is very affordable, even with no aid. I would probably qualify for some good merit-based aid too. I don’t really like it though (it’s too big, and I don’t like the atmosphere). It’s on my safety list.</p>

<p>Thank you for the link, happymom!</p>

<p>I am a likely NMF. I scored 223 on the PSAT, and the cutoff in Ohio is about 112.</p>

<p>If I really wanted to go to a college where I had to pay 50k/year, my parents (both of them) are capable and would be willing to pay. I definitely don’t want to put that burden on them though, especially because they have their own retirements to save for. I’d say 20-30k/year is good. With that in mind, would Vanderbilt be a good option? (I’ll also probably get 5k/year for NMF at Vandy.)</p>

<p>Does UVa have decent aid for OOS students? They only look FAFSA, right? Also, is USC good?</p>

<p>Some more info: At most schools that don’t limit the amount of AP credits you can use, I have enough AP credits to start as a sophomore and graduate in 3 years. I would prefer not to, but it’s an option.</p>

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<p>UVA requires CSS Profile.</p>

<p>I’d say 20-30k/year is good. With that in mind, would Vanderbilt be a good option? (I’ll also probably get 5k/year for NMF at Vandy.)</p>

<p>Vandy is costing about $60k per year. The NMF scholarship would get applied to “need” …not to EFC. </p>

<p>Much will depend on your mom’s assets. If they are substantial, that could mean little or no aid.</p>

<p>Protect yourself by applying to a few financial safety schools that you like, in addition to your top choices.</p>

<p>If I really wanted to go to a college where I had to pay 50k/year, my parents (both of them) are capable and would be willing to pay.</p>

<p>As long as you’re absolutely certain that both your dad and mom are willing to pay, then you’re fine. Ask each parent how much they each contribute.</p>

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<p>Try looking in the FA forum for Keilexandra’s thread on NMF scholarships. Denison gives you full tuition.</p>