What schools should I be looking into?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Someone recommended that I post here.</p>

<p>I'm a junior. I had a 2.5-2.6 my freshman and part of my sophmore year(yeah, I know..). Anyways, I've gotten a 3.0 and a 3.4 since then. My overall GPA is still only 2.8. What schools should I be looking into?</p>

<p>I live in Indiana and my guidance counselor said IU and purdue would be a reach. She said I shouldn't have a problem getting into Ball state, but I would still like to have other options.</p>

<p>I've heard that pretty soon I should start visiting schools to see what there like. But here's the thing, I don't want to visit a school that I have no shot at getting into. I feel like that would be a waste of time.</p>

<p>I'm looking for suggestions of schools. Anything??</p>

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<p>It sounds like you have a good start. Your GPA limits you quite a bit. How is your financial situation? Could you pay for a private school? What are your test scores?</p>

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<p>^Yeah, flesh your profile out a bit…SATs/ACTs? Price range.</p>

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<p>*<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/874614-i-would-really-appreciate-some-input-starting-feel-bit-hopeless.html[/url][/I]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/874614-i-would-really-appreciate-some-input-starting-feel-bit-hopeless.html*&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The OP provides more info on her previous thread…</p>

<p>SAT *I took the SAT in January and got a 1530/2400 (writing and reading were okay but I suck at math), </p>

<p>How much can we afford? honestly, nothing. My parents will be making under 50,000 a year by the time I start applying.
*</p>

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<p>OP, if you can’t afford much then you need to look in-state. And frankly, with those grades and scores, you can’t expect to get into any top tier schools. Your GC has given you good advice to look at Ball State. If you do well there you can consider transferring later.</p>

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<p>hmm ok, so even looking at schools or coming on here has gotten really depressing. I know my stats are bad. I had a poor GPA my freshman and part of my sophmore year, but I’ve really worked hard since then to bring it up. </p>

<p>I’m not hearing anything new here. I’m basically being told I have ONE option, Ball state. That’s not a bad option, but I would like to have others. </p>

<p>I thought private schools were more generous with aid. Are they not? I know someone who goes to the university of Indianapolis(private) whose parents don’t make that much more than mine, how is that??</p>

<p>I plan on retaking the SAT in May and the ACT in April to get my stats up a bit. I’m sorry, not trying to be rude, but I really don’t believe all of what I’m being told. I’m looking for actual SUGGESTIONS, not for being told the same thing over and over.</p>

<p>Collegemom, I realize you’re against student loans. But bottomline, when you don’t have many other options how are you supposed to pay for college??</p>

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<p>Private schools are sometimes generous with aid – IF they really want you. That means finding schools where your stats would put you near the top of the incoming class.</p>

<p>If that’s not possible, then you’ll need to find a lower-cost school, probably a public that’s near enough where you can live at home. Or the other route would be to do your first 2 years at a community college and then transfer, although be aware that most schools offer little or no aid to transfer students, no matter what their stats. So you could work and save while you’re at the community college, then use your savings to help fund your final 2 years.</p>

<p>You will want to file a FAFSA in January of your senior year. This at least will make you eligible for some low-cost federal loans, which you can reasonably expect to pay off someday. I’m not opposed to student loans, within reason – but you definitely should not take on a load of debt that will cripple you for decades after graduation.</p>

<p>But those federal loans will not pay for your education in its entireity. As far as using nothing but loans to pay for college – really bad idea. Really. Really. BAD. Bottom line, and I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s true: you need to find a school you can afford.</p>

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<p>I’m not at all trying to put down Community colleges here, but ultimately I would feel like I was being punished for getting bad grades for a year and a half(and for not being wealthy).
Community college, at least where I live, ends up being alot like high school. And that’s NOT what I’m looking for. Alot of people drop out. </p>

<p>I realize that it’s not a good idea to completely depend on loans, but when someone really doesn’t have that many options, what’s a person to do?? Not go to college at all? Everyone seems to be telling me to do what’s cheapest, and hey that’s FREE.</p>

<p>All I’m being told is that I can’t afford college, not gonna argue there. But I feel like everyone is telling me to settle and that I should be perfectly happy going to a community college. I won’t be. </p>

<p>BTW, I was more interested to know what schools I could get into based on my stats than I was to have others debate my financial situation.</p>

9

<p>Oh dear.</p>

<p>First, an education paid for with loans is NOT “FREE”!!! You will have to pay them back, with interest. Do you really understand what that means? Someday you’ll want to buy a car, buy a house, heck, buy some new shoes – and you’ll look at your budget and see that you can’t, because all of your disposable income is going to pay back loans. Being in debt means that YOUR money – the money YOU work for – doesn’t belong to you. YOU will have to deprive yourself of all kinds of things YOU want while you pay it off, for years and years. Don’t do that to yourself, you will bitterly regret it.</p>

<p>Second, get your head out of the sand, and understand that the “debate” about your financial situation is completely relevant to your question. Expensive schools are for two kinds of students: Wealthy students whose families can afford to pay for it, and stellar students who have the grades and scores to attract large offers of aid. I want a 5-carat diamond ring, and yet I don’t have one – because I can’t afford it without going into massive debt. I’m not being “punished;” that’s just how life works. Cost ALWAYS a factor in these matters – often, the deciding factor.</p>

<p>Third, stop being a snob and understand that community college is a perfectly honorable way to begin your college career. If you apply yourself to your schoolwork, and if you also make some money and put it aside, then transferring to a university will be a real option for you. Many many people have taken this route to a college degree; there is nothing wrong with it. </p>

<p>Fourth, you are not entitled to college; no one is. You need to lose the attitude that the world owes you. What you should be asking yourself is, “What’s the best way for me to accomplish my goal?” Jeopardizing your future with a ton of debt is not the answer to that question. Being willing to buckle down and work hard, make some sacrifices, and be smart about the long-term – that’s the answer.</p>

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<p>Collegemom, I realize you’re against student loans. But bottomline, when you don’t have many other options how are you supposed to pay for college??</p>

<p>I’m very much against big loans for undergrads because of the difficulty to repay. The most I think most young adults can afford to borrow(in total for 4 years) is about half (maybe 3/4) of what they’ll likely be earning when they get their first real job. </p>

<p>If I remember correctly, you want to go out of state to a big public with all the full campus experience. The problem is this…Out of state publics are not going to help you meet the huge OOS costs. Your stats are not high enough for scholarships.</p>

<p>I thought private schools were more generous with aid. Are they not? I know someone who goes to the university of Indianapolis(private) whose parents don’t make that much more than mine, how is that??</p>

<p>I would guess that that student had stats that were high enough to warrant a generous aid package. Perhaps that student is a URM. You don’t seem to understand that financial aid is NOT awarded just by need. Schools are not charities. They give their money to students that help THEM look good. Students who have high stats and/or help with diversity numbers are highly desired by the school. </p>

<p>So, if a school has 2 applicants from low-income families, and one child has high stats and one child has modest stats, then the student with that high stats will likely see bigger grants and scholarships in her aid package. Conversely, the student with the modest stats may see more loans or even a big gap in her aid package. </p>

<p>Typically, the private schools are generous to students with strong stats. </p>

<p>I’m looking for actual SUGGESTIONS</p>

<p>You have a choice…expect realistic advice or expect “pie in the sky” suggestions. We’ve tried giving you realistic advice, and you’re not happy. So, will giving you unrealistic suggestions make you happy? OK…here’s some…Harvard, Stanford, UChicago, Yale, Notre Dame. </p>

<p>I’m trying to show how absurd it is to give suggestions that aren’t reasonable. It’s just as unreasonable for me to suggest super reach schools as it is for me to suggest schools that will not be affordable.</p>

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<p>But bottom line, when you don’t have many other options how are you supposed to pay for college??</p>

<p>You do have options that don’t involve taking out big student loans. </p>

<p>1) Apply to in-state Ball State. It’s a good school with big sports and will provide a full campus experience. </p>

<p>2) Get a summer job and work as many hours a possible. Start saving some money towards college, a laptop and/or car if you’ll need one. </p>

<p>3) Continue working to improve your GPA</p>

<p>4) Also, during the summer, practice for the SAT & ACT. If you can’t borrow or buy the practice books, get them from the library. Take both tests in the fall.</p>

<p>5) Apply to any other in-state publics that will likely want your stats.</p>

<p>6) If your scores and GPA improve enough, you can apply to some other schools that will likely give you a generous FA package with small, affordable loans.</p>

<p>Also…find out what your family’s likely EFC is… </p>

<p>[FinAid</a> | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml]FinAid”>http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml)</p>

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<p>You should definitely apply to some private schools. A lot of the don’t even have application fees. I’m sure you would get into some with great financial aid, especially if your grades are improving. Ball State is not your only option. Are you just looking at schools in Indiana?</p>

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<p>I’m sure you would get into some with great financial aid, especially if your grades are improving.</p>

<p>The “great financial aid” part is very optimistic. Many schools use a a financial aid grid model (or software) when determining financial aid. Improving GPA may help for acceptance, but it won’t likely matter for FA purposes. The final GPA and the best SAT/ACT will likely determine aid.</p>

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<p>mom2collegekids is right. It is highly unlikely that the OP is going to get any significant aid in the form of grants and scholarships. </p>

<p>He/she should still file FAFSA, though. This will make him/her eligible for some low-interest federal loans. But again, these loans will be $5500 max for the first year, and will not come anywhere close to paying for an expensive college.</p>

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<p>To clarify my last post…I should have said, seeing an upward trend in GPA may help for acceptance, but if the overall GPA ends up around 3.0, then that won’t help much for FA…especially if the SAT stays below 1800.</p>

<p>LasMa is right…yes, submit a FAFSA next year. In the meantime, find out what your likely EFC is. If it’s too high for Pell or any state aid, then you might discuss some options with your parents. Is it possible that they could earn more money? Do both parents work full time?</p>

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<p>I agree, mom2.</p>

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<p>I wasn’t calling loans free, I was saying not going to college is free. </p>

<p>Please don’t call me a snob, I’m not, not at all. I do understand that community college can create opportunities. I’m not ignorant, but that’s just not what I’m looking for. I realize that nothing is OWED to me, I really do get that. I’m trying to figure out the best way to get where I want to be.</p>

<p>Both of my parents do have full time jobs. My dad has worked for the same company for nearly twenty years, with the economy his hours have been cut so much that their income is almost half of what it once was. We weren’t always so bad off, but honestly we just feel lucky he has a job at all. I work too, but I’m not able to get much hours lately. I run track and cross country, so time is an issue.</p>

<p>I’m not expecting unreasonable suggestions. I’m starting to second guess everything I thought I wanted now</p>

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<p>Basically, you have two options:</p>

<p>1) Ball State or a comparable in-state institution. A less prestigious school than you would like, but the best academic and financial match for your situation.</p>

<p>2) Community college, then transfer to a more prestigious school. This is financially savvy and could get you into a better college two years down the road (assuming you apply yourself and get a good CC GPA), but you’ve attached this huge stigma to CCs.</p>

<p>Take your pick. We’re not trying to bring you down, but to give you realistic options so you can make the most educated decision. Times are tough for everyone financially, especially for colleges who have seen their endowments/state budget slashed, so you have to realize that in-state or CC is going to be your best bet. It’s really only the tippy-top tier privates that provide comprehensive finaid, and they use grants rather than loans, but since you’re not in that range, privates would probably be an unwise decision.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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<p>Both of my parents do have full time jobs. My dad has worked for the same company for nearly twenty years, with the economy his hours have been cut</p>

<p>This doesn’t make sense. If your dad’s hours have been cut so much that he’s now earning nearly half of his previous salary, then that suggests that he no longer works full-time…Does he now work part-time? From what you’ve said, it sounds like he’s working a lot less hours.</p>

<p>I don’t mean to sound harsh, but your dad may need to find a second job (if possible) to attempt to make up for his loss of hours and pay.</p>

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<p>ok I’ll clarify(what I can at least). Their total income is about half of what it once was, he works 40 hours a week(full time) where as he used to work 60+. My moms hours have been cut slightly less but her hourly pay reduced significantly( I don’t really feel like explaining her job/ finances. Thats alot of personal info to be putting on the internet. Too much for me to be comfortable with.)</p>

<p>And for my dad getting a second job, good suggestion. Easier said than done though.</p>