What schools would be a good match for me in Texas

If the college is going to cover full cost, as Princeton, Harvard, and Yale would, you don’t need them to accept your college credit. You can do a 3 or 4-year full degree. Incidentally they accept some limited number of APs to let you finish in 3 years (at least Princeton does, but it is a narrow set – like AP Physics C E&M, AP Physics C Mech, and AP Chemistry – if you have 5s on all all these, and you meet some other constraints, you can shave off a year at Princeton. Probably also Harvard. But really almost nobody does that, especially if they get full support – tuition, room and board, which you would with a 60k annual family income. You want to spend as much time as they allow you to spend at no cost to you, and learn as much as you can to fully add to your skills.

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If you are interested in English, look at UT-Austin’s Plan II.

Look into Trinity. It’s a liberal arts college and see if the English department interests you. There was a parent on here whose daughter was awarded a significant scholarship for this upcoming school year.

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You have a real shot at full ride scholarships. I wouldn’t worry too much about “match” and apply to as many of them as you can, since you’re considered low income. You’ll need to apply for scholarships school-by-school. Also, keep an open mind about your potential major. Doing what you enjoy, is one thing, but more important, you need to have something marketable you can support yourself with.

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I second Rice as an option. Don’t write it off until you see your financial package and potential AP credits. Rice has very comprehensive need based aid. While Rice is known for its STEM majors, it also has an excellent humanities department. My daughter graduated in 2021 with a double major in English and Psychology. I don’t think Rice takes dual highschool/college credits, but it is very liberal in accepting AP course credits. Usually a 4 or 5 will get you class credit. See the list here. Advanced Placement (AP) Credit | Office of the Registrar | Rice University As others have said Rice’s aid does not include loans.

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This link would probably be pretty helpful for you: https://studentloanhero.com/featured/colleges-no-student-loans-policy/

The schools in that link either offer financial aid with no loans for all students, or no loans for students from families below a certain income level.

Some of the schools in particular that I think you may want to look at are these need-blind schools, primarily liberal arts colleges, as I think that the more intimate environment might be beneficial in making sure that you get all the support that you need:

  • Amherst (MA)
  • Bowdoin (ME)
  • Davidson (NC)
  • Grinnell (IA)
  • Pomona (CA)
  • Vanderbilt (TN)
  • Rice (TX)
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I’m assuming you’re asking for Texas schools for a reason, so I’ll focus on those.

As valedictorian in Texas, you will receive your first year of college free if you meet the requirements: Highest Ranking Graduate | Texas Education Agency

As top 6%, you’ll be auto admit at the flagships, UT and A&M, as well as any public university and we have some great ones that aren’t flagships like UTD, Tech, UTSA, UTH. I wouldn’t just focus on UT and A&M if your heart isn’t set on them. A full ride at UTD or Tech might be possible and if you’re a big fish in those ponds, you’re well set up for grad school if you’re interested. Your dual credits would be accepted at all these schools.

For private schools, I’d also look at Rice, Trinity, Baylor, TCU and SMU, all of which can provide big merit.

For all its problems, Texas has a number of terrific opportunities for in-state high achieving students.

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