<p>I need help! I don't know where to start. I know what kind of college I want to go to, but I can't narrow down my search.
Some of my stats:
GPA (unweighted) 3.82
SAT reading-700 math-710 writing-700
IB Diploma Candidate and I've taken a lot of AP tests.</p>
<p>I'm looking for a school that is:
In a larger city
Not religiously affiliated
Co-ed
A liberal arts school or program
Has a good English program (really important)
Is affordable
Has an intellectual atmosphere</p>
<p>I've been looking at Reed College in Portland but I don't know if I can afford it. I like the intellectual feel they've got going, but it's so expensive! Any ideas?</p>
<p>Many private schools that offer significant need based financial aid and/or merit scholarships can fall into the range of what many people consider affordable, even if the original sticker price was not.</p>
<p>Maybe under $20,000? I plan on trying to get financial aid, but I don’t want to end up paying back student loans for the rest of my life. So if a really expensive school offers financial aid that is mostly not loans, I can do that.</p>
<p>Just some more info. I’ve been looking at schools like Vassar, Swarthmore, Reed, Whitman, and Colorado College. The cost is what’s worrying me about all these schools. I’m planning on majoring in English, and maybe minoring in philosophy. I think I’d prefer a smaller school, but bigger isn’t out of the question. I’d love to live in the Northwest but I’m keeping my options open on location.</p>
<p>You’d be amazed how great financial aid packages can be! Most schools (all the schools you listed above) use need blind admission, which means that if you’re accepted, they will do everything in their power to make sure it is financially feasible for you to attend their school. Even better, some schools are moving to grants instead of loans. They’re giving the money away! Reed is moving to grants and Swarthmore is moving to an increased amount of scholarships to replace student loans. Many schools are committed to this endeavor. If you’re accepted then they want you and they will make sure that you can attend. Best of luck with your search.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how much schools like Reed or Swarthmore are giving in terms of scholarship/grants compared to loans? Like how much money are people having to pay back?</p>
<p>First of all, your stats are excellent and you probably have a good shot at getting into most of these schools, providing you also have good ECs. However, I think abc1230 may be overly optimistic about the financial aid that’s available, there are many factors that are involved, including your parents income and assets. My son goes to Whitman and I’ve never heard it referred to as need-blind. He is there because he received merit aid and it was one of his top choices. If your parents are low income you may have a good shot at getting need-based aid, but be aware that a lot of schools don’t meet 100% of demonstrated need. Merit aid is golden and many schools where your stats are in the 75th percentile (or above) of admitted students may offer you good merit aid. Find some good colleges a little below the ones you’ve already listed in selectivity for safety, Lewis and Clark is a good suggestion. Willamette University in Salem is a real up and comer and has offered some very good merit aid the last few years. </p>
<p>You should apply to those already on your list but add some more financial safeties. Best of luck!</p>
<p>“Most schools (all the schools you listed above) use need blind admission, which means that if you’re accepted, they will do everything in their power to make sure it is financially feasible for you to attend their school.”</p>
<p>Not true. Being need blind and meeting full need are two separate issues, and few schools do both. E.g., Reed is not need blind but meets full need; NYU is need blind but doesn’t meet full need. Neither school has an endowment big enough to be both need-blind and meet full need.</p>
<p>When you need financial aid, a school’s being need blind is irrelevant; it affects only your chances of admission (and then usually only for those few on the cusp), not how much aid you might get, nor how desirable the school is.</p>
<p>The whole affordability discussion really depends on what your family’s financial situation is and whether you’ll qualify for need-based financial aid. FAFSA and the CSS PROFILE are usually the two methods to determine what your family can afford, and some schools (like Reed) will make up the rest, meeting 100% of your demonstrated need through grants, loans, and/or work-study. Other schools will only meet a portion of your need and may require you to take out more loans to cover the difference. </p>
<p>If you don’t qualify for much financial aid, then you should probably prioritize schools that offer merit aid (i.e. scholarships for being smart/talented).</p>
<p>“As a companion choice to Reed, how about Lewis & Clark. L&C published sticker price for R&B is about $5K less than Reed.” – However, Lewis and Clark doesn’t guarantee to meet 100% of your need like Reed does, so if you qualify for a decent amount of financial aid, Reed will probably end up being the cheaper option. </p>
<p>Here is an example of how the more expensive college can sometimes be the cheaper option: I was attending a LAC where tuition was around $30k (a supposed “best buy”) and I got a merit scholarship for having good grades or scores or whatever. However, the financial aid package only gave me like $2k in grants and made me take out $8-9k in loans, and I still had to pay about double my EFC out-of-pocket.
Then I transferred to a college where tuition is around $43k and it only offers need-based financial aid. However, my financial aid package is about $35k in grants, $4-5k in loans, and I’m paying significantly less than my EFC out-of-pocket.
The moral of the story: Sometimes the schools will higher “sticker prices” also have larger endowments and will help out those who need it.</p>
<p>Try Pomona. They have recently moved to 100% grant based financial aid. Their endowment is 1 billion+. Definitely listen to racheljps. Do NOT make your decision based on the published cost of the school. Make your decision on the school, then let them come up with the financial aid. If it’s no good, you’ve only lost the $30 app fee.</p>
<p>Take a look at Macalester in Minneapolis. Sounds like it fits your criteria - except for the northwest location. You’d have to check their financial aid criteria though.</p>