Who wants to suggest some universities?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Alright, I posted a few of these and now that I have been researching for a few months I sort of/kind of/ not really at all, know what I want. </p>

<p>Here are my projected stats by the time I am a senior...</p>

<p>3.5 GPA (3.0-3.6-3.7) - upward trend
Math I = 800
SAT II US= 780
SAT= 2100 (730 CR, 670 M, 700 W)
12 varsity letters - track, winter track, xc all four years
5 or so honors classes taken
5 AP classes taken (7 more senior year)
Involved in two other clubs for 2 and 3 years respectively with not much involvement
Part-time job for one summer</p>

<p>My dad got his masters at columbia and my mom never went to college, we live on the south shore of long island and my parents make probably 120-140k a year combined. </p>

<p>And here is my criteria....</p>

<p>The school should have AT LEAST 5,000 kids</p>

<p>My parents will supply me with 12k a year , the rest is out of pocket, so I either want a cheapish school or one that will give me a lot of money (too bad I don't have good enough grades for that)</p>

<p>I really want to go to california, to a school within a couple miles of the beach</p>

<p>I like parties.... and am undecided as far as major goes but am leaning towards engineering</p>

<p>and I bike upwards of 100 miles a week, so a campus that is accessible by bikes is a MUST.</p>

<p>I researched all I could, and I figure no school like this exists but a close match would be great</p>

<p>Sparknotes: 3.5 GPA in really hard classes, 2100 SAT, want to go to a party college in California with lots of biking.</p>

2

<p>good luck!</p>

3

<p>Your biggest problem is that your parents’ contribution is considerably lower than what their EFC will be. So unless you can get big merit aid (which indeed is iffy with your stats), it will mean a lot of loans and they’ll need to cosign. Do comb the merit aid thread on the financial aid board for ideas.</p>

<p>About as cheap as you’re going to find in CA would be one of the CSUs at about $30K, a bit cheaper if you live off campus and are frugal.</p>

4

<p>You could try USC-they give a lot of merit scholarships and they’re a school of about 15000 students.</p>

5

<p>Cal Poly San Luis Obispo should fit most of your requirements very nicely.</p>

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<p>People…pay attention to his financial restrictions…</p>

<p>Scores aren’t high enough for merit from USC. A 1400 M+CR SAT is a dime a dozen at USC. That’s not even top 25% there.</p>

<p>SLO is good, but not affordable. CoA of an OOS student will be over $30k per year.</p>

<p>Frankly, most Calif schools with more than 5000 kids probably aren’t doable with parents $12k and a small student loan from yourself. It’s really hard to go to Calif schools with about $18k per year unless you go low-tier, small school, and get a good scholarship.</p>

<p>Ok…not all is lost… :)</p>

<p>You may have to change geographical preference. </p>

<p>**
You want…**</p>

<p>school bigger than 5000</p>

<p>some party element (does this mean Greeks and maybe big sports teams)???</p>

<p>bikes on campus</p>

<p>engineering possible major</p>

<p>Now…don’t freak out…This suggestion sometimes freaks out some people from the NE…LOL</p>

<p>The University of Alabama would give you totally free tuition with a 1400 M+CR SAT. Additionally, if you major in Engineering, you’ll get an additional $2500 per year. With your parents’ $12k and these scholarships, all costs would get paid. I don’t think you’d even need a student loan at all. </p>

<p>Again…don’t freak out…LOL… 40% of students are from out of state. Bama has students from 49 states…(may be all 50 this year…needed some from North Dakota)</p>

<p>The campus is gorgeous, the academics are strong, you’d have entrance into the Honors College and could be in the Honors dorms (super nice honors housing - private bedrooms )</p>

<p>Bama has brand new Engineering and Science facilities. See Shelby and Science and Engineering building links below</p>

<p>here are some pics to give you a general idea of the campus look…</p>

<p>Shelby Hall [Shelby</a> Hall - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)
Science and Engineering Complex (this is just one part - the complex is huge) [Science</a> and Engineering Complex - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)
Brand new College of Nursing (just opened last week) [Capstone</a> College of Nursing - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://nursing.ua.edu/]Capstone”>http://nursing.ua.edu/)
Bruno Business Library [Angelo</a> Bruno Business Library and Bashinsky Computer Center - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)
Residence Halls [Ridgecrest</a> East, South, and West Residential Complex - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama) [Riverside</a> East, North, and West Residential Complex - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama) [Lakeside</a> Residential Areas - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)
Student Services [Student</a> Services Center - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)
The Quad (more thumbnail pics on bottom) [The</a> Quad - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)
Bryant-Denny Football Stadium (5th largest in the country) [ALABAMA</a> CRIMSON TIDE - University of Alabama Official Athletic Site - Facilities](<a href=“http://www.rolltide.com/facilities/bryant-denny.html]ALABAMA”>http://www.rolltide.com/facilities/bryant-denny.html)
Student Rec Center [Student</a> Recreation Center - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)</p>

<p>I know that this is not California, but this is affordable and a very good school. Bama is ranked higher than the SUNYs, which may surprise you. Bama is a top 50 public (ranked #34) - which is pretty good when you have all those UCs, UVA, UNC, UIUC, and UMich grabbing the higher spots. LOL)…</p>

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<p>SLO is good, but not affordable. CoA of an OOS student will be over $30k per year.</p>

<p>mom2collegekids and Redroses, At SLO OOS’ers pay per unit. A full load runs about $7500 per year for OOS students, plus rent/util., plus food, books, fees, etc. How does that add up to over $30,000 annually? Even if the OP has to kick in $7K or $8K per year of his own money, he is not going to do any better with his stats/resume for an Engineering education in CA.</p>

8

<p>Move to California, go to a CC for a year, and transfer into UCSB.</p>

<p>Not sure if it would work since I am not positive with the in-state restrictions, but it looks okay on paper.</p>

9

<p>*mom2collegekids and Redroses, At SLO OOS’ers pay per unit. A full load runs about $7500 per year for OOS students, plus rent/util., plus food, books, fees, etc. How does that add up to over $30,000 annually? *</p>

<p>I don’t know where you got your numbers from, but you’re waaayy off. $7500 for OOS costs without room and board? Hardly! </p>

<p>Numbers from SLO website… (this is for current year, following years will be higher.)</p>

<p>At SLO (which is on the quarter system - 180 units needed) an OOS student pays…</p>

<p>$6,780 - fees (OOS students pay fees PLUS tuition below)
$11,160 - oos tuition $248 per unit…(students take about 45 units per year)
$1,674 - books/supplies
$10,000 - room/board
$1,000 - transportation (might be higher for a NYer)</p>

<h2>$2,250 - personal/misc</h2>

<p>$32,864 Cal Poly SLO COA for an OOS student for 2010 -11 school year).</p>

<p>Even if the OP has to kick in $7K or $8K per year of his own money, he is not going to do any better with his stats/resume for an Engineering education in CA.</p>

<p>LOL…very few students can contribute $7k-8k towards tuition, room, board. Most students can only earn enough to pay personal expenses, books, and a little bit more.</p>

<p>anyway…SLO is not affordable. The $12k from the parents won’t even cover tuition and fees, which is $18k without room, board, books, etc.</p>

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<p>Did someone just suggest Alabama? Really?</p>

11

<p>Apply to Cooper Union. It would be a real reach, and it is not the environment you want. However, with free tuition for all students, it is probably the best engineering education you can get within your constraints (short of a military service academy).</p>

12

<p>*Did someone just suggest Alabama? Really? *</p>

<p>yes…and for a student with those stats and a limited budget of $12k per year, Bama is a good choice because he’d get two scholarships which would total over $90k. With his parents’ contribution, he wouldn’t even have debt at graduation. </p>

<p>There are few (if any!) schools within the top 80 that he could go to for that cheap - especially OOS. Can you name others?</p>

<p>If you find the suggestion shocking, then you don’t know much about the school. USNews ranks Bama tied with Mich St, American U, Baylor, and MiamiU. </p>

<p>Would you say…did someone just suggest Mich St U? Really? </p>

<p>(actually, since the state of Mich’s economy is in the toilet, maybe someone might say…really???)</p>

13

<p>thanks for the suggestions, guys</p>

<p>I just figured there might be some private school out there that offers a lot of money to kids like me, but i guess not</p>

14

<p>I was going to say might look into Pepperdine. I am aware of a local student who got 28k to go there but I am not aware of her statistics.</p>

15

<p>^Yes, try Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. They may not be large universities but they’re still in California.</p>

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<p>From Pepperdine’s FA web site:

Pepperdine doesn’t publish their CDS but from old data I have your stats might get you some grants. I hope you have some SUNYs on your list. Depending on what you want to study they have some very good programs.</p>

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<p>one last shoop-da-woop</p>