<p>I did the “expected contribution” calculator at Yale an it was $8,300/year, which isn’t bad at all. Between scholarships and all I’d like to keep tuition around $12,000/year (preferably a full ride, but we can afford about 12k w/out student loans) . I prefer private schools because they are smaller and give better aid. I know full rides at smaller private schools are very doable, as many of my friends that are graduating have received full rides to Reed College, Boston College, Texas A&M, UC at Boulder, Univ. of So Florida, and even Columbia Univ! (he only had a 24 ACT, given her was an AA male with a lot of extra curricular(s) and a 4.0) and more… </p>
<p>I’m also guaranteed a 4.0 next year, so my graduating GPA will be around a 3.91. I did this on purpose so I can improve my ranking next year and my overall scores. </p>
<p>I’m mostly worried about location of my schools. I have two siblings who have already graduated from college, one from St. Edwards Univ in Austin, TX and one from ULL in Lafayette, LA, both received full rides. And the number one thing they told me is to live in an area you love. I place to get my masters in the same area I get my undergrad and quite possibly live there for the rest of my life. </p>
<p>University of San Diego is definitely on my list, but I know most California schools are elitist and prefer students applying from their own state and are stingy with offering money to out of state students. Champman Univ. is an option, but I’d prefer not to live in Orange, CA. I guess in all reality, the areas I’d love to live in are: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago… or within 15 - 20 minutes of these cities. </p>
<p>LSU and Univ of Louisiana at Lafayette, are both safeties for me and I would have to pay nothing to go to either institution. I really want to attend a college with a beautiful big campus, (Columbia, UCLA, Stanford, Pepperdine, UChicago), and that is within 20 minutes from a big city. Much like my brother who sent to St. Edward’s… he wanted to live in Austin so he found a lot of smaller private schools around the area with a good campus feel that he knew he could get a full ride too. I’m just unaware of a lot of the smaller schools outside of the South. I’m not opposed to applying to 20 schools, that’s not a problem. I just want to see if there are any of smaller private school with EA that I should consider that may offer me a great scholarship package before I apply to Stanford or Yale restrictive EA. </p>
<p>*I understand that most of the IVY’s I’ve listed aren’t near New York. But I would settle for living outside of a big city, for an Ivy League education and the work benefits I’d receive upon graduation. So, they are an exception.</p>