<p>What about Northwestern? This school hasn’t been mentioned. </p>
<p>Fine school. It’s a reach.</p>
<p>@"Erin’s Dad" I fully understand it being a reach! I really liked it in an info session I went to, but haven’t thought about it a ton afterwards…how is the feel of the school?</p>
<p>I’ve been consolidating my choices. So far I think the National Scholars Program at Clemson is my top big reach and dream. Following behind it are GT & VT, UVa, Cornell, MIT, UF, [Princeton], [Stanford], [UPenn], [Harvard], [Yale]. I don’t know whether I’ll apply to the schools in brackets or not. The others are 100% chance of applying. Alabama I will probably apply to as well…not sure about Auburn. Any other input?</p>
<p>I love your list!! But just something to think about - OOS for GTech is INSANE, especially for engineering and especially for EA. GTech relies heavily on HOPE scholarships because that is what draws the instate applicant pool. I know this because I am a Georgia resident and a fellow applicant for GT this fall (it is my top instate). Do not make the mistake of banking on GT as a sure admit - not sure if you were or not. </p>
<p>Also, do not under any circumstances give yourself a guarantee for the Presidential Scholarship. Tough is an understatement for the level of competition involved. The scholarship has no application, but rather the admissions committee picks their top students from the pool of admitted students and nominates them for the award based on the application/essays itself. If you get nominated, great, but remember that there is another super-intensive selection process for the money itself. Hence, the no guarantee.</p>
<p>That being said, you may have something going for you in that you are a female going into a STEM field. But just bear in mind that when you apply OOS EA, you will be facing the finest students in Georgia - both students who are applying to GT as a solid match/reach as well as those who are applying to GT as their “safety” while aiming for the Ivies and the like. Can you pay full? That might put you at an advantage. If not, you might want to see if there’s any other way to get financial aid, because as I said the Presidential Scholarship is no guarantee and HOPE is only for in-state applicants. There are very few other opportunities at GTech for OOS financial aid.</p>
<p>Also, remember that you only have 10 slots on the CA for ECs and 5 for awards. Pick a few and make 'em count!</p>
<p>@yoloyng no I would never consider GT a safety, and I fully expect not to get the President’s Scholarship. It’s just a distant dream… And I do know about the common app as well–I’ve been working for about 6 months on my most important accomplishments. Clemson, Auburn, and UAlabama I consider my safeties…my parents will pay but I do have a backup in case the cash amounts are too much for the schools I choose. Any ideas on how to narrow down my super reach schools (the ones in brackets that I’m not sure about)? </p>
<p>See which schools have what you’re looking for in terms of both academic opportunities as well as the social aspect. In other words, look for the school that has the best “fit” for you. For me, it’s Yale - it has everything I’m looking for in a college (location, community feel, down-to-earth atmosphere, plus the housing, like can we just) unlike another school like, say, Harvard. But for you, you might find that Harvard or Penn are much better fits for you than Yale. That’s a very personal decision.</p>
<p>Maybe the place you should start is which schools have the best departments in what you want to study. It’s what I did and it worked well for me - was able to cut my list down from 9-10 reaches to 4-5. No point going to a school if they don’t have what you’re looking for in good quality.</p>
<p>Yes @yoloyng I’ve taken that into consideration…my super reaches are in order of preference. Still trying to decide where I’d be happiest. Honestly probably won’t feel comfortable paying for any of them in the end. </p>
<p>Oh okay, I didn’t know it was in order of preference haha sorry. Maybe try running NPCs for all the schools? Then you can eliminate based on how much your EFC is and how much you are willing to pay. Yale meets 100% need, not sure about any of the others.</p>
<p>If you get into Princeton or Stanford, it’s likely you and your parents will find it “worth it” to pay if they have the means. There’s a reason their yield is so high compared to most colleges in the US 
. (However, some parents simply won’t pay even if they can afford it…)
But this is a bridge to cross when you get to it.
DO run the Net Price Calculators and make sure your parents are aware of the costs. Start talking about it right now, don’t assume anything.</p>
<p>@MYOS1634 Yes, we’ve run the NPCs multiple times…and nearly choked at our EFC for the Ivies+Stanford/MIT… 
But like you said, I’ll worry about that for real if I’m lucky enough to be accepted to any of them :)</p>
<p>Opinions about whether I might like Swarthmore, Lehigh, Lafayette, Clarkson, Stevens Institute of Technology? Trying to decide where I should visit. Please base this off of my previous posts if you can. Thanks!</p>
<p>Swarthmore is a great school but it is in the middle of absolutely NOWHERE lol. are you a big city kind of girl? if so, Swarthmore may not be the place for you</p>
<p>yoloyng, are you serious? Do you know where Swarthmore is?</p>
<p>well i know that its close to Philadelphia but I heard it’s a pretty sleepy town - bad wifi, places close early, etc. this is my source <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/swarthmore/1018591-things-that-suck-about-swarthmore.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/swarthmore/1018591-things-that-suck-about-swarthmore.html</a></p>
<p>sorry if i came across as condescending. i am from a town kind of like swarthmore, PA. while it is close to Philadelphia, what I meant is that it is no Manhattan or LA. i probably should have worded it better. my apologies again.</p>
<p>on the other hand, the quality of education is excellent.</p>
<p>Yeah, Swarthmore is definitely not
…but that wouldn’t deter me either. I’m looking for schools that fit me, and actually I’m more into the suburban/rural scene, but urban wouldn’t be unbearable. Thanks guys! @yoloyng @MYOS1634 </p>
<p>Lehigh/Lafayette - Yes
Swarthmore - eh, I’ve heard of Lehigh/Lafayette for engineering, never Swarthmore. Though going to their website and seeing “engineering with a liberal arts focus” may be for you. However, they just offer a general engineering degree. It is not specialized at all if you are looking to go chemical/environmental for example.
Clarkson/Stevens Tech - no, a tech school so if you’re looking for a broad education, that wouldn’t be the place to go.</p>
<p>I think that Clarkson, Stevens, and Swarthmore are all out for me. Lehigh and Lafayette are maybes, with Lehigh pulling ahead of Lafayette considerably. Clemson, VT, GT, UVa are all still set in stone for applications sent (UVa less so). Of course UF. Princeton, Stanford, MIT still my EA/SCEA options. Harvard and Yale are likely kicked from my list. Cornell I will definitely apply to. UPenn is over on my shoulder as a potential little bit maybe. What do you guys think? </p>
<p>^ You should definitely add USC (the original one 
). They truly embrace exploration across different fields. Plus, it’s fairly simple to switch into engineering, should you decide to apply as a non-engineering major. Make sure to apply by the scholarship deadline!</p>
<p>@Lilliana330 I’m a bit confused because South Carolina is the original USC but based on your profile and such it seems more like you mean University of Southern California? I don’t know. Stanford vs. Princeton vs. MIT EA/SCEA debate? Which seems best for me of my high reaches? Thanks for your input!!</p>