I just feel like schools like Harvard and Yale would be less likely to give financial aid to a kid from Mississippi than a school in the south like Vandy. @BKSquared
It’s not just the ACT. OP will have the app and supps to fill out and make the best self presentation he/she can. And in order to so that, will need go know those targets well.
Adcoms may not “know” the hs, but a School Report is sent by the GC and adcoms have access to all sorts of resources.
OP still needs to realise he will compete against other kids in his state.
And this: “…where everyone assumes we don’t wear shoes and still farm for a living” is patently ridiculous. You think Yale adcoms (or adcoms at other great colleges) are dumb?
You have much to learn. And that includes how “meet full need” financial aid works.
In my opinion, which with $5 will buy you a small coffee at Starbucks, your location combined with your class rank and ACT will help more the further you go from Mississippi.
Consider applying to schools far away where it’s less likely they get someone of your caliber from MS. In particular, you may be one of the only people they accept from your state at smaller, quality LACs. And yes, some ad-coms from higher-ranked states education-wise will be particularly impressed that you overcame your shoelessness and farmer’s background to be so educated. (Sarcasm and eyeroll here, but you probably get my point). Use it to your advantage.
colleges like Harvard, Yale, or Vandy don’t give out different amounts of need-based financial aid based on what state you come from. if you get accepted, they base it solely on the info you put on the FAFSA and CSS profile.
if you get accepted, and you need aid based on family income, you get it regardless of what state you’re from.
The FA process at HY (and any 100% need based school) is pretty mechanical. There is no regional favoritism. Vandy does have merit scholarships, which are not available at HY.
The Net Price Calculator at Harvard says that it will cost about $9000 a year for me with half coming from my parents and half coming from me working during the summer/what I have saved up working throughout high school which is completely doable especially since my parents said they were willing to contribute up to $6000 a year, meaning I will only have to pay around $12000 myself for all 4 years and considering I have about 5000 saved already I will mange to get out with little to no debt (especially if I choose to work in the Boston area where minimum wage is $4 higher than it is in Mississippi) So yeah, I was mistaken about the Financial Aid situation before about those schools. @Wien2NC
Apologies for my massive run-on sentence above, haha.
^ And if OP s thinking of applying to highly competitive schools he needs to do the leg work to understand both what qualifies him for admission and for FA. Otherwise, he’s just throwing darts and making assumptions. Top schools like to see savvy.
MS is not one of the states that rarely sends any apps to top colleges. In fact, despite overall demographics, there is a highly educated, competitive contingent. OP needs to make himself competitive, not assume some good stats and a small hometown will tip him in.
I see from his other thread that is high school DOES offer AP, an advanced level of AP physics and he has done what seems to be DE at UMiss. That doesn’t suggest a kid in a one-room schoolhouse.
Btw, OP the foster work is nice, but do you have math-sci activities and can you get some vol experience in the health field? Not a club, but the real thing.
edit: ok, see you do know about NPCs. So why the misunderstanding about FA?
Get your parents involved and educated in the process now. Assuming you will get better financial treatment at Vandy than Harvard is absolutely incongruous. (Again, not saying you will or will not get in to either, but it is clear you need to research how EFC/needs/merit money works and start building an intelligent list based on known facts.)
@lookingforward My school isn’t a one-room schoolhouse, it is a decent sized high/middle school with about 50ish classrooms for grades 7-12. Like I said in my other post, my school does offer AP Classes thanks to Teach for America sending us lots of teachers and getting our teachers who have worked here for a while qualified to teach the classes. I’m not sure what DE is but what I did was the Trent Lott Leadership for rising 12th graders (applied on a whim and somehow got it) in which 25 students were selected internationally and we took classes and went to D.C for a week. As for math-sci activities and the health field, there really isn’t much outside of school to do in those areas. The local hospital only accepts volunteers that are 18+ and I won’t be until the Summer of 2018, too late for my applications. I’ve competed in a few math competitions and gotten awards, but that I about it.
I was mistaken about that, @DavidPuddy. From what I have researched, it is completely based on need not location. I am just used to the out of state vs in state tuition, but private schools like these don’t have those.
OP, were you at Ole Miss summer college in 2016? my son was.
See if you can do something that involves health, maybe services to the needy (a commitment, not some random hours.) If your community is as you hint, there are usually plenty of ways besides hospitals. I know it’s not easy working with foster but see if you can use your contacts to expand.
It’s not going to be just ‘dong well in a rural hs’ that lends spark. You want to bump it up, show initiative and drive. For the tippy tops, there’s a huge difference between,“Well, he’s one of the best in his high school, despite demographics” versus, “Wow, despite the community, this kid is driven, has stretched, has found ways and will be successful throughout.” (It may not seem so, but I’m trying to encourage you. This is really up to you, to light the fire.)
No, I went this year and just finished. @Wien2NC
So do you recommend going to work at nursing homes, or something like that. As I stated in my other post there are a lot of older folks around here so it would be easy to find a place to volunteer at. Or are you suggesting something different than that? @lookingforward
Are you a gal?
Are there no clinics, special programs in your area, or advocacy groups working with the needy? See what your options may be, take that time, then we can offer feedback. In general, so many kids vol’ing at nursing homes are just hanging out, playing games with the residents, etc. That’s not the same as dealing directly with issues.
I am a male. There are volunteer opportunities at clinics, but you have to be 18 years or older, and most are looking for people who have retired that need to put their spare time places. For example, we have a free clinic run by a local church that is open to anyone and free no matter how much or little you make, but to work there, even as an unpaid receptionist, it is 18+. In a sense of special programs, I have volunteered with the Red Cross at five blood drives before, if that counts for anything.
I also suggest you look further than Vandy, unless you really don’t ant to go far from home.
I also suggest looking at some liberal arts colleges. Just because I was curious, I looked at Amherst and there are currently 2 students from MS there. There are more than 200 each from MA, CA, NY, and over a hundred from closer states like NJ. I think at a LAC in the northeast, being from MS will help you, if only just a little.
A 35 ACT is great. I wouldn’t bother with the SAT, or the SAT Subjects unless you apply to one of the VERY few schools that won’t take the ACT (assuming you took it with writing) in lieu of SAT + SAT Subjects.
Schools that promise to meet full need without loans are probably your best bet financially. That’s a dozen or two LACs and Us, most in the northeast.
OP, as you are a male, I encourage you to investigate some of the LACs that meet full need. LACs often favor males because they tend to attract a lot of female applicants. Here is a list: Ihttp://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/
Many of these colleges are very selective, have very strong offerings with great professors, and are highly respected.
I think you are competitive for some of the top LACs, such as those I mentioned previously. LACs have excellent grad and med school placement rates. There are plenty of research opportunties because they serve undergrad students only. Classes are small and your professors will know you.
Get a Fikse, Princeton, or Insiders Guide to Colleges. Spend the summer learning more about these colleges and what they offer. College is a wonderful time to discover new people and places, and enjoy life before you have bills and obligations. You have a lot of potential and I think you would really benefit from spreading your wings and exploring. A kid in your position may find himself struggling to choose amongst great offers in the next application cycle.
I’d also recommend that you research schools that give very generous merit scholarships. The link may not have the most updated requirements so be sure to check that they haven’t changed for the upcoming year. http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/