<p>I really need to begin my applications, but I continue to feel uncomfortable with choosing just a few colleges near my stats (4.0 GPA, 2020 SAT.) I took the SAT again yesterday, however, think that I greatly improved my score from last time.</p>
<p>I already applied to a likely college (UPitt,) but will have to take out a lot of loans to attend- income 60k, no assets, EFC around 4000-5000. Other colleges nearby that would offer substantial merit aid wouldn't really be cheaper, because they are so expensive initially.</p>
<p>I already received some helpful suggestions on this site, but I was wondering if there is any way to determine which colleges that meet full-need are really the most generous, as they calculate need differently, and which would be cheaper also based on traveling costs- I live in PA. Some colleges I am looking at are Grinnell, Macalester, Oberlin, and Colby. Also, are more prestigious/highly ranked colleges more likely to offer great financial aid than these? (Should I focus more on applying to multiple reaches/only two or so matches, or should I focus on many matches and only 2 or so reaches?)</p>
<p>I am not too worried about fit- I've managed being in a school district where I'm quite out of the norm; I'd simply be grateful if I could get into a college that has great academics and financial aid.</p>
<p>Get your parents 2011 tax returns and then run the Net Price Calculator from each college website (found in the Financial Aid Section). The NPC of the school is the best info tailored to you.</p>
<p>My son’s unweighted GPA is lower (3.68 or 3.7) and standardized scores higher. We have higher family income. He applied to 2 safeties with guaranteed merit - 1 of which he really likes quite a bit. The rest (currently 7, but may drop 2) will be reaches/high match due to low acceptance rates.</p>
<p>For our family, the higher reaches are worth the gamble for the better FA. The match schools NPC just aren’t giving a price range we can swing (he is the 1st of 3). </p>
<p>The key for my son was being very happy with a safety. He has considered every school with “If I get into X, would I chose it over fav safety?” He is able to do this because the safety has already guaranteed his merit. In your situation, I suggest running the Pitt NPC vs all other schools. Look at Pitt without merit aid, just the NPC. Also, consider Alabama or another school that guarantees merit based on stats.</p>
<p>You may also want to look at colleges that give full tuition merit and not just FA.<br>
Centre in KY has a great fellowship that provides full ride +. If looking at safety, I personally found Roanoke in VA to offer a lot both academically and socially. As a PA resident, Susquehanna may be another to consider (offers competitive full tuition). For my son, Susquehanna appeared to be a better bet than Pitt or state directional schools.</p>
<p>Grinnell is on that list; Oberlin, Colby and Macalester are not. This does not necessarily mean that Oberlin, Colby and Mac won’t offer you good aid packages if they accept you. It means that typically, Grinnell’s offer is likely to be somewhat better. It may also mean, for some schools not on the list, that need may factor into some borderline admission decisions. I don’t know if that would be the case for O, Colby or Mac, or for someone with your combination of qualifications and need.</p>
<p>The short answer is that, in general (as a rough rule of thumb), the richer and more selective the school, the better the need-based aid. Grinnell already is “in the club” of the ~50 or so need-blind, full-need schools. I don’t think you can count on even more selective schools to deliver even better aid, if only because first of all you must be admitted. Macalester, Oberlin and Colby also are fairly prestigious and selective; they too are pretty generous with aid. Regardless, unless your scores go up significantly and you also have very strong ECs, you may not have a very good shot at the top ~10 LACs. I suggest you now focus on schools that are a bit less selective than the above (e.g. Whitman, Bates, Richmond, Lawrence, Holy Cross, or Beloit … as well as affordable public alternatives).</p>