I can’t go and visit, its very far away from where I live and I have no car (no one in my home does either). Also, I have a job (30hrs), I would love to visit but I can’t.
That’s great advice from @MYOS1634 .
Please contact the regional rep at Swat and send an email. Say what you just said above: you’d love to visit,but can’t due to no car and 30 hour work week. You can say how it’s your top choice, and you’d love to talk to a first gen or URM student to get more insight into being at Swat.
Yes, just did that, hopefully I get a response.
I would also call the admissions office if possible. Swat considers interest. https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/institutional-research/2018-2019%20Common%20Data%20Set%20Swarthmore%20College.pdf
Go to section C7 of the linked doc. You will see what they view as most import, important, and considered.
I see, yes I’ll try to call them.
Don’t be dismayed with section C7. They view ECs as important, but they will be very aware that your job is a huge and important EC. As for talent, I’m sure you have some talent that might be as yet undiscovered, but you may not have had the money or time to indulge your talent in the way that many of their applicants have. So don’t stress over that. You simply present the best version of yourself and whatever you have to offer.
Thank you for the support!
Out of the NJ publics, Rowan appears more likely to be affordable based on their NPCs.
@ucbalumnus If student is commuting from home to any of the state colleges, including Rowan, his tuition is most likely $0 with Pell grant and the generous state based TAG program.
However, if room and board are included, then Rowan may likely be more affordable.
When I run NPC for NJIT, I can’t seem to get rid of the room and board costs, even when I check the commuter option.
OP is still waiting on official financial aid letters and has also applied to the honors colleges, which may give him more awards for room and board.
I fell a bit worried about Swarthmore because it only offers General Engineering, so it might not be perfect for me.
If you are looking for perfection, you will never find it.
You do realize that getting a degree from a school like Swarthmore will open many doors for you? Your interest in things besides engineering leads me to believe that you definitely need to apply somewhere that offers more than engineering. It’s great to want a well paid job, but there are many other paths to well paid jobs and they aren’t all engineering.
@firstgencollege Swarthmore’s engineering program is a small one and, yes , it is a generalist program. Lafayette has the different departments as in a traditional engineering school.
And as pointed out, there is no “perfect” choice, and Swarthmore is a prestigious institution which will give you varied opportunities.
Lehigh is highly ranked for engineering as well and has ED 2.
250 words, a free application, and a phone call might be all that’s needed to secure your future.
Google “similar colleges to Swarthmore” and tell me what comes up. That’s the kind of company it keeps, and it’s an LAC to boot. The people you want to hire you know about LACs, trust me.
With your low EFC, you should focus on instate universities because you would get an NJ state grant in addition to the Pell Grant.
With your high stats, you might get merit at Rowan or Stockton.
Otherwise, focus on schools where you might get high merit.
You could put Bucknell on the list. Try the net price calculator, they should meet full need. Lafayette might be a better choice than Lehigh.
Apply through common app where possible, since you are low income the app fees should be free. If you used an SAT test fee waiver, you should have an additional 4 free application fee waivers through collegeboard.
You should also have 4 free score reports and I believe CSS profile fees can be waived for up to 8 schools for low income student.
Have a strategic list, at least one automatic merit school, some possible merit schools, and some instate publics where Pell, state grant, merit and student loan would cover costs.
Harvey Mudd College, a highly selective STEM school, also offers general engineeing only. Their engineering students have no problems getting jobs or going to graduate school for specialized areas of engineeing. So do the Swarthmore engineering students. If you are very sure you want to study certain kind of engineering, you can choose Lafayette, Lehigh etc. Lehigh has a first engineering course designed for students to be exposed to the differnt branches of engineering to help them decide their specific engineering majors for the school knows that most high school students have little experiences of specific engineering areas.
My child applied to college as an EE major but later switched to CS. At high school my child didn’t know she would be interested in CS because of lack of exposure . Many of her high school classmates changed majors in college. Good teachers/mentors are important to help students identify interests and develop abilities. Support for 1st generation students should be a major concern in addition to financial affordability in college choice for OP.
@firstgencollege Wherever you land be sure seek out resources that will help you succeed. Years ago I was a first gen student in engineering from a depressed, rural area. I chose engineering because I was good at math and it seemed like the thing to do.
I wasn’t prepared academically for the rigor of engineering classes. Everyone is smart in engineering classes. The difference was that some were prepared better than others because they went to good high schools and had mentors to help them through the process. They knew what to expect and knew where to get help. I didn’t.
It all worked out in the end. I had to work twice as hard to keep up. Eventually I figured out how to work smarter, not harder. It just took some hard knocks to figure this out which could’ve been avoided had I known how and where to get help. I eventually switched majors to more of a math/econ/cs interest once I was exposed to other disciplines. It worked out well.
Good luck. We’re rooting for you no matter where you land.
Yes, I think I want to double major (I know it will be extremely hard at Swarthmore, but I will not let myself fail) in Engineering and Stats/Econ/CS, hopefully minor in Mathematics or English Literature.