<p>I am from a good public high school in Indiana. I have a 3.87 UW/4.25 W GPA at the moment, my ACT score is 30, and my SAT is 2010. I don't have much leadership other than going to Boys State and being webmaster of my school's Latin Club (a club which I'm very involved in). My biggest concern is that I'll get in tons of debt by going to college and will have trouble paying it off. My mom makes some income around $30,000, so she can't really contribute anything. That being said, I could either find a college that's slightly below me and have little debt since they'll offer good scholarships, or one at my level and have more debt. I've made a list of colleges I've found affordable (at least to an extent) that also seem to offer good academics for their states. I would like to know if some colleges are less worthy of going to others, both academically and financially. I plan to major in chemistry.</p>
<p>I so far have on my to-apply-to list:
-Indiana University
-Purdue University
-Indiana State University (I really need opinions on this because it's the cheapest, but the College Confidential community is typically very opposed to it)
-University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (expensive also, but it's a good school and I like the cities)
-University of Minnesota-Morris
-University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
-University of Missouri-Columbia (most expensive, so I'm least likely to go, but my sister is well-known in the area so it might be easier to find jobs to pay for tuition costs)</p>
<p>I'm very interested in Minnesota and Wisconsin because I like the two states a lot, and they would provide different experiences from staying in Indiana. I was considering applying for University of Wisconsin-Madison, but it's too expensive. I'm wondering if it's worth it to go to Morris or La Crosse if I end up paying similarly or less than I.U. or Purdue, not just for a new experience, but for being worthwhile in the long run. I would also like to know of some more colleges in the Wisconsin and Minnesota areas that are inexpensive and worthwhile to attend. If going to Minnesota or Wisconsin rather than IU or Purdue is a dumb idea, please tell me. Thanks!</p>
<p>You need to take all of the OOS publics of your list. They will not give you any aid. </p>
<p>You plan to major in chemistry. Are you interested in all in liberal arts colleges? There are quite a few that can give you generous need-based aid for someone that comes from a low-income family. </p>
<p>Your mom makes little money. Is your dad anywhere in the picture? It’s critical to know if he’ll be expected to contribute income to your financial aid profile.</p>
<p>If your only income is 30K you’re eligible for a lot of need-based aid, and some schools if you can get into them will give you a ton of money. These are the “meets 100% of need” schools.</p>
<p>There are state schools that will give low-income OOS students good aid if they really want them. UMichigan is one of them, despite what you might hear. Check out these sample UMich FA packages:</p>
<p>You should definitely examine your state publics as well. Sometimes states make great efforts to make their state unis affordable to their low-income students.</p>
<p>You cannot borrow more than $5500 your first year and $27K total. So you cannot just borrow your way to a degree no matter where you go. Many students try to cut costs by attending a cc for 2 years.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m definitely thinking of removing UM-Twin Cities and Mizzou because they will turn out much more expensive than the others. Even with the out-of-state scholarship for Mizzou, it’s still more than the others (except for UM-Twin Cities). I will still apply for Morris and La Crosse, though, since I’ll have a greater chance at them being somewhat affordable.</p>
<p>@jkeil911 My dad died. Thanks for all of the info, especially in the last paragraph. I am most leaning towards I.U. and Purdue, but again, if I can affordably go to a good school OOS I would enjoy that, though that doesn’t seem very feasible.</p>
<p>You can get an estimate of what a school will cost you by completing the net price calculator on each school’s Financial Aid page. Don’t neglect UMich, where you might go for a few thousand dollars and get a world-class education. And don’t neglect schools like Holy Cross and, if you’re female, Mount Holyoke.</p>
<p>BTW, I sent you the wrong webpage. Try this one:</p>
<p>Thanks a ton for mentioning University of Michigan. I used the net price calculator and found I’m able to go there for less than I.U. I will add it to my list of schools to apply to.</p>
<p>With someone in your income bracket and your stats you may qualify for some pretty big need-based awards at other schools. However always be sure to run the NPC.</p>
<p>If you are interested in a smaller LAC (somewhat similar to Morris), look at Carleton College and Reed. Both in the Northwest and give fairly generous aid.</p>
<p>La Crosse is a nice mid-sized public university. I think La Crosse participates in the Midwest tuition exchange which will keep the tuition down. It’s a party school and sports are popular there. If that’s not a priority for you, there’s a few private colleges in WI that will probably end up less expensive given your high g.p.a. and test scores. Lawrence U. in Appleton has an excellent chemistry program. Lots of research opportunities. I know of several chem majors who went on to phd programs. Concordia U. near Milwaukee also has great science programs. They have several medical grad programs (PA, Pharmacy, Nursing, PT). Carroll U. near Milwaukee also offers several medical undergrad and grad programs and are in the process of building a new science center which will open in 2015 or 16. In MN, St. Olaf, has a great chemistry program. The college offers generous financial aid and the net price calculator will give you a good idea if its affordable. Another pubic in WI you might want to look at is Eau Claire.</p>
<p>@knightclub The NPC says I have to pay more for IU than some of the other schools. It doesn’t seem to have very good financial aid. I’m waiting for the Purdue NPC to come back up.</p>
<p>@MOMINWIS I will check out those schools. Thanks!</p>