Holy Cross & Trinity could be great for you as long as New England is doable.
Do you have any idea what major you want to pursue? Or at least a list of majors you’ll be deciding between?
Stop making excuses.
Nevermind. Somehow missed a bunch of posts.
You have a very good ACT score. With a 3.5 and 26 ACT you qualify for a full ride at Prairie View A&M University. 3.5 and 32 ACT gets you full tuition at many schools e.g. University of Alabama.
@MannyG1 - I’m not sure if you are away, but when you apple ED, you, and your parents, have to sign a contract that you WILL attend that school, if admitted. The only want to break the contract, is if you can show that you can’t afford it.
With your background and stats, I think you have a shot at a wide variety of great schools. Just keep working on moving your GPA up. My sons got some boost to their applications by finishing strong, second semester Jr year and first semester, Sr year, (another reason not to apply ED). And you’re on the right track to improve your GPA. My S16 had a similar stats, with upward trajectory, and ended up with a 34, super-scored to a 35 ACT. And he is attending Grinnell College.
Also, in what part of the country do you live? Do you want to be closer to home? Knowing what part of the country you are interested in will help narrow your search. Also, think about travel costs, when you are considering choices as well.
As others have said, use the Net Price Calculators, with your parents’ help, to find out first which schools would be a good financial fit, as well as academic fit… With your family income, you should qualify for a good amount of aid at schools that meet 100% of need. This website provides a lot of good advice about choosing schools and finding ways to pay for college. http://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/
“Would it be worth it to apply ED to a more selective school such as Cornell or John Hopkins?”
That would be a very large academic leap from where he currently is.
Also, he would have to pick one which meets 100% of need and even then it would be an economic risk since the school’s perception of financial need is not always the same as the parent’s perception of financial need.
Thank you all for your replies. I will look into all the recommendations. Any part of the country is doable since I live pretty close to the mid west. Distance shouldn’t be a problem.
Also how many colleges should I apply to roughly? I know there is essays involved with almost everyone but there are quite a few colleges that seem good to me.
It’s really hard to say. If you like your state’s flagship and can get a big scholarship there (most state colleges do not meet full need), then you have a safety lined up. Apply there immediately after the application cycle opens.
Do you know if you will be eligible for application fee waivers? Sending scores and applying can add up in costs. Minimize that to the best of your abilities.
I am going to go out on a limb and say you will need at least 10-12. You are in the category of very high test scores and needing a college that meets full need.
Do look into Questbridge.
@“Snowball City” I can definitely get a scholarship and into the honors program at my state flagship. I think I might be applicable for fee waivers, if not I have some money saved up I could use toward that. I think I’m gonna focus almost all my applications at LAC’s with 100% need met with 25 - 40 % admin rate. I’ll apply to 3 or 4 high reach schools. To finish it off ill apply to 2 safety’s from my state. Ill end up applying to 10 - 12 I think. I looked into quest bridge but my GPA probably takes me out of the running. This seems to be my best course of action, I ran my info through alot of LAC tuition calculators and most cover 90 - 99 % of tuition. Also should I put NHS member all through middle school and high school as an achievement on the common app?
Yes, I would put it on.
I think your plan is solid.
Thank you all for your invaluable help. I seem to have a semi solid plan at least and now all that’s left is possibly raising my act score a point or two and getting a 4.0 first semester of my Senior year.
Ill start my essays this summer and hopefully everything goes well. Thanks again. 
Your ACT is fine. Most private schools will give you bumps for URM status and first-gen status – two hooks. I think this makes reaches low reaches, low reaches high matches or matches, etc.
Your GPA isn’t great for highly competitive schools, so work on that in the time you have left. But, again, the hooks will help.
I think your reaches, matches and safeties will probably be the same as those for an unhooked student with a 3.8+ GPA and 1500+ SAT or 34+ ACT.
Almost every college gathers a set of statistics on a common form. These are called The Common Data Set. You will need to google the college name and common data set.
For example: Vassar http://institutionalresearch.vassar.edu/docs/Vassar-College-CDS-2015-16.pdf
At many LACs guys have a higher acceptance rate than the girls. You will find the breakdown of applications by gender in section C1. Guys had an acceptance rate of 35%; girls had a rate of 21%. Keep this in mind as you look at colleges and check it out.
There is a chart in section C7 where the colleges check off criteria that they consider important. Vassar does not consider the level of applicant interest. Some some colleges do. Also check how important GPA is to them.
Section C9 breaks down score ranges.
Section C21 shows you how many students were accepted in the early decision round. Some colleges are accepting 30-40% in the early round which throws off the true acceptance rate of the regular round.
There is all kinds of good data in there.
With every college you apply to, touch base by email or visit (use the free visits) with the multicultural recruiter. At a couple of colleges my daughter did not get designated Latina. She was still admitted but missed out on some events targeted to minorities.
Did your ACT test include the essay? If not, be sure to have it next time.
edited for typos
@Snowball City my ACT did not include the writing part. I’ll take the ACT again, with writing.
I’ll take a look at the data sets , seems like good info.
I’d like opinions on this. My pre calculus teacher pretty much melted down and his life fell apart. He got fired. However I now have a D on my transcript for a semester of pre calculus. Should I explain this in the extra info part of the common app?
I think that should be addressed somehow but I am not sure if it is better coming from you or the guidance office. Did everyone end up with a crummy grade?
I am not sure if it is considered the polite thing to do- I am going to page a couple of people who I think are knowledgeable and have been here longer than I have.
@doschicos @MYOS1634 What should he do about explaining a D on his transcript?
I don’t want to sound whinny at all since my gpa is pretty bad to begin with but it does look pretty ugly on my transcript. Also everyone had a bad grade in the class.
I’m a bit late, but even if just to reiterate… I was about to post that you’d be an ideal Questbridge candidate, especially if you focus on LACs. If you’re selected, they guarantee you a no-loans full ride for 4 years. Obviously it’s very selective and they only work with top colleges/top students. The difference between your school’s average ACT and your own is also taken into account, as is the fact you’re ELL.
https://www.questbridge.org/