I’m a high school senior from Arizona. I am not one hundred percent sure on my major but it will either be in communications or social sciences. the biggest factor is getting merit aid but still going to a place I feel challenged academically. I would prefer the northwest or northeast but just somewhere THAT IS NOT A PRTY SCHOOL.
my gpa is 3.82 unweighted and 4.23 weighted. I got a 32 on the ACT and I’m in the top 10% of my class. I play the piano, badminton, and have been on student council for three years. I am an NHS officer and have hold church leadership positions.
sorry a lot of random criteria I just need help knowing where would be the best, most financially sound fit
Have you run the NPCs on any schools? How much can you afford to pay per year? How much merit aid do you need?
These schools claim to meet full need: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2014/09/15/colleges-and-universities-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need
For the most part only top schools are on this list, but you have high stats, so I think some of the schools on this list could be matches. Macalester sounds like a good fit, but it’s not in the northeast or northwest. Perhaps Bates or Colby? They would probably be more in the low reach/high match category though.
Look up a few of these schools and think about which ones you like and why. I’d pay particular attention to the LACs because it sounds like that’s the type of environment you want.
It’s all about what you can afford. Without that information, we can’t help much. Remember too that ‘schools that meet full need’ are the ones who decide what your need is. That may not jibe with your parents’ idea of what your need is, so the college search begins with a frank financial discussion.
What I have found even if a school offers fabulous aid, if it isn’t enough for “you”, they aren’t going to work no matter how great other people think it is.
DS pulled schools off the link in post #4. They were the only ones that were “truly” affordable for us.
I have not been able to do the NPC’s fully but my family’s income is probably too high to receive much need aid but I do have two other siblings attending universities. I believe I may get some aid for that reason alone. my parents have set my price range for out of pocket to $15000 to 25000
Since you mentioned the Northeast, and you mentioned church, and you mentioned merit and you mentioned communications/journalism, then St. Bonaventure should be on your list. The Jandoli school has been ranked as high as #5 in the country and the school has produced 6 Pulitzer Prize winners, including Dan Barry of the NY Times, among other acclaimed people in the field. One of the founders of ESPN is a graduate. You will most certainly be welcomed with merit there and will be highly sought after post graduation.
It looks like you’ll need a full-tuition award. See post #4 for the automatic awards.
See here for the competitive awards (start at post #49): http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-p4.html
In your financial case, U Alabama Honors College is a good option, where you qualify as a Presidential Scholar: http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.html
Also check out Clark University’s LEEP Scholarship: https://www.clarku.edu/leep/scholarship.cfm
Bama works.
There are a TON of schools that offer good merit aid, which is where you need to focus. There is a long thread on “Schools that offer good merit aid” here on CC, don’t know how to link it.
There are relatively few schools in the NW and NE that offer merit aid; instead, the good merit aid schools tend to be in the Midwest and the South. Examples: Rhodes; Trinity U; Denison; Wooster; St. Olaf; Creighton Honors off the top of my head. There are many others.
Have you done any college visits yet?
Good luck!