Demographics
US Citizen
Michigan
Public High School
Intended Major(s)
Mathematics (definitely)
Piano (if available major)
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.6
College GPA (for transfers): N/A
Class Rank: Don’t have it
ACT/SAT Scores: 1560 SAT (800 Math, 760 Reading/Writing)
Coursework
Mathematics
Geometry
Algebra II
AP Calculus BC (tested out)
Theory of Groups and Rings (dual enrolling 1st semester)
Theory of Modules and Fields (dual enrolling 2nd semester)
Algebraic Topology (dual enrolling 1st/2nd semester)
Real Variables (dual enrolling 1st/2nd semester)
English
English 9
American Literature
IB Language and Literature I
AP English Language and Composition (tested out)
Science
Biology
Physics
AP Chemistry (tested out)
AP Physics C: Mechanics (tested out)
AP Physics C: E&M (tested out)
AP Biology (tested out)
AP Computer Science A (tested out)
Social Studies
US History
World History
AP US History (tested out)
AP US Government (tested out)
AP Macroeconomics (tested out)
AP Microeconomics (tested out)
AP World History (tested out)
Michigan has a law allowing students to just take an exam for a course and get credit for it. I took a bunch of AP tests ad got credit for a bunch of AP classes. Furthermore, our family is upper-class, and has like a 35K EFC. There’s no way I’m getting financial aid, and there’s no way I’m getting more than 10,000 dollars to go to college from my parents.
I just want to go somewhere with a good graduate math program in algebraic geometry that is less than $10,000 for two years of school.
My plan is to graduate in 2 years, because I’m taking a year and a half of college during school.
Also, the $5,000 a year is referring to my family’s actual contribution. The EFC per year is around $35,000 according to all the calculators we’ve used.
A $35K EFC will get need based aid at many schools, but it won’t be enough if your parents don’t contribute what schools expect.
If your parents are paying $2.5K per year, that plus the student loan, will be your budget. Max student loan first year is $5.5K, then $6.5K 2nd year, and $7.5K for each of the last two years for a total of $27K undergrad (for most students).
Obviously, that budget won’t get you far. Is there a 4 year college you can commute to while living at home? Are you thinking you would enter as a junior at certain schools? Perhaps share this thread with your parents?
Not sure I can be much help (I didn’t research schools with good math majors when I applied), but if you’re looking for a lot of merit (which it looks like you are), you may want to look up outside scholarships. Your school may post some that are from your community, and you can look some up online. Apply for as many as you reasonably can given that you also have college apps to think about. You should also research schools that either give a lot of students merit or schools with clear requirements for merit which you meet or exceed.
I will say I wouldn’t count on graduating in two years unless you already know a school or schools where all the classes you have completed will count towards your major. Unless you have been taking classes based on a particular college’s major requirements, they may not count towards your major or graduation. Another hiccup may be transferring the classes, as not all community college classes transfer as a class, some transfer as undistributed credit or not at all.
Also, your classes are impressive, but remember essays are just as important at most schools so don’t forget about them!
Wait. You’re telling me that $27K won’t me far? How expensive are universities outside of the prestigious ones? I thought that I could pay for most places with that much, aside from like Harvard, Berkeley, and similar schools.
Total Cost of Attendance: $32,272 (1st & 2nd years) or $34,302 (3rd & 4th years)
Wayne State’s cost of attendance information (source)
Tuition & Fees Estimate: $14,464
Room & Board Estimate: $11,321
Miscellaneous: $2,672
Transportation: $1,484
Estimated Loan Fee: $80
Total Cost of Attendance $31,337
If you choose to live at home then the room & board costs go down, but transportation costs go up.
I am personally not a big fan of cost of attendance (I usually use tuition and fees + room & board) as colleges will make different estimates about books, personal expenses, etc., whereas the other information is more cut and dry. Either way, though, at two of your in-state publics the tuition & fees are more than $10,000 for one year for an in-state student.
Due to your high GPA and SAT score, you are likely to qualify for some very generous merit aid at various colleges. Did you take the PSAT in the fall of your junior year? If so, have you received any notification that you’re in the running for National Merit consideration?
With your accomplishments, you may be able to get significant merit from some institutions.
While ultra-competitive, you could try for the Stamps Scholarship at University of Michigan.
They haven’t offered that scholarship for the past couple of years, so I don’t know what is up with that. For all I know U of M may have the scholarship next year, but they may not.
Grand Valley State University would give you an $11,000 scholarship, which would make tuition and fees $4000 dollars. They also have a huge scholarship portal where you could apply for a bunch of scholarships.
Will you be a National Merit semifinalist? You could get significant scholarships at a couple of places like Alabama and ASU with it. Your travel costs alone to those schools could be more than your parents are willing to pay, though.
The prestigious ones are often cheaper for anyone who qualifies for aid because they meet full financial need.
You might look at somewhere like Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Their sticker price is reasonable and they give a fair amount of aid, too. I’m not sure that you’ll get it down to what you want/need, but with your stats you should have a good shot.
When creating your college list, you are going to want to find schools that offer a lot of merit, aim lower than your stats would indicate, and show some demonstrated interest so these colleges know you aren’t using them as a safety school.