<p>Okay so I'm currently a sophomore, and I'm always so wish washy on what schools I am in league with. Im ranked 3rd out of 700 from freshman year (big chance it'll either go to 1 or 2 or stat at third for sophomore year). Some of my other stats:
SAT (9th): 1820
GPA: UW 3.95, weighted is 5.1 out of 6
ECs: a ton of community service (feeding homeless, picking up trash etc) , I'm going for the gold level presidential service award thing (250 hours of community service), president of a service club, in math honors society, and NHS, I'm in student council (will be for the next 2 years), member of the national arts honors society with a probable honorable mention in ceramics for scholastic, I'm supposed to be getting nominate for governor school next year (for art), a member of beta club (academic club)... </p>
<p>Course rigor: definitely taking the most rigorous courses (AP Physics B, and Calc AB as a sophomore)</p>
<p>I'll most likely get good recommendations (I have good connections with some teachers, and also the superintendent)</p>
<p>I'm a black female whose looking to go into computer programming/software design (something technology related), first generation, and my mom makes too much to get any financial aid but she can probably do 15,000-20,000 a year on her own.</p>
<p>Should probably mention I live in NC so it's alot cheaper instate... But in your opinion, what schools am I good enough for?</p>
<p>It’s really hard to tell halfway into your sophomore year where you will be by the end of your junior year, but so far, you are on a great track. You should definitely try for UNCs, as your stats look (at the moment) good enough for that. You’ll want to up your SAT score, and maybe try the ACT but if you did that well freshman year you should do much better next year. But beyond that, you need to figure out what YOU want. Do you want a big state school, a small liberal arts school (you can get great financial aid if you aren’t shooting for the biggest names)? Do you want closer to home or further away? Check out some of the books on colleges from the library and browse them to see what interests you and, most of all, try to visit as many schools nearby as you can to get an idea of what you do and don’t like. Good luck!!</p>
<p>Is there a non-custodial parent in the picture? If so, is he able and willing to contribute?</p>
<p>If you are ineligible for need-based financial aid, but your family cannot contribute more than $15K-$20K/year, then you need to pick schools that either fall within this limit (such as North Carolina state schools) or that offer enough merit aid to close most of the gap. Don’t count on loans to cover the $30K or greater balance it will take to pay for selective private schools.</p>
<p>Many selective, private universities do not offer merit aid at all. A few very selective private schools (such as Duke and Chicago) do, but your chances would be slim for getting that much merit aid given the competition. Try to identify schools that offer a lot of merit aid but where your stats would put you in the top 25% or less of enrolled students. Possibilities: Brandeis, Case Western, George Washington.</p>