exrcsst

I currently attend the free Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College. My family is middle class making around $80,000 a year and we have a condo in our name as well in the Brooklyn area (nothing fancy). I also have a younger brother.

I am looking for some good schools that have a good track record of being generous towards the middle class. I'd prefer relatively nice weather and a laid back atmosphere, but I won't be picky. Any good school with good financial aid for middle class students will be seriously considered. My parents probably would not be willing to pay more than $15,000. Other honors programs of the Macaulay type will be great. Looking for schools I will most likely be able transfer into (not looking to take a long-shot).

About me:
College GPA: 3.95 (3 honors courses)
High school Average: 92.4 (6 AP courses with 66 total credits)
Note: It was a 93.5 before second term senior year (lol, that was a bad idea)
SAT: 2100 (770 or above in 3 subject tests) ACT: 32

Extracurriculars (onward from junior year in high school):
Played a year of varsity football (was not great at it though)
Volunteer (~200 hours)
Currently hold a part-time job tutoring calculus (~5-6 hours a week)
Played saxophone for a school musical (plan on auditioning for the college jazz band)
Also play guitar and piano passionately and am very into music (I plan on writing a song for a school art show)

Thanks for your help, let me know if anything else is needed.

tulsadem

I hate to be a downer but "good financial aid for middle class students" is sadly non-existent. I come from a similar background and I can tell you from first hand experience that kids like us really get the short end of the stick.

The best that you can hope for is that the college you want to attend meets your EFC, even if your EFC is a bit ridiculous. If you're family can't do that, I'd start looking into what schools could give you solid merit aid.

gloworm

Merit aid for transfer students is usually even harder to get than FA. Sorry.

IBclass06

Vanderbilt and Davidson sounds like great fits.

Vanderbilt and Davidson have very good financial aid, and both went loan-free.

Mild Southern weather. Check.

Vanderbilt and Davidson both have very relaxed atmospheres, even though academics are rigorous. The honor code at Davidson allows students to take exams wherever they want and on their own time! Davidson is in a very nice small town with a larger city nearby, and of course Nashville is very fun for college students. Davidson gets a bit more into athletics than Vandy does, particularly basketball.

Keilexandra

^ Vanderbilt and Davidson may be loan-free, but that doesn't help middle-class families who can't afford their EFC. I'd have to agree with the cynicism of tulsadem and gloworm--as a transfer you will be LUCKY to be expected to pay a little over 20k (I'm estimating your EFC here).

MidwestMom2Kids_

so, you can
1) get a great merit scholarship
2) make money at summer or part time jobs
3) borrow money
(or any combination of the three listed above)
or
4) choose a school with a cost of attendance close to $15K (or $15K plus what you can contribute with your own savings and summer jobs)

Yes, inexpensive nice-weather schools exist. On the Kiplinger Best Values (in Public Schools) lists, note
Louisiana Tech Tuition & Costs - Office of Admission - Truman State University
Truman State in Missouri Tuition & Costs - Office of Admission - Truman State University

IBclass06

Upper middle class, to be exact -- the OP's family is in the top 25% for income.

I disagree with you. Even Chicago, notoriously bad for financial aid, has financial aid statistics suggesting that a considerable amount of financial aid could be available to the OP.

Keilexandra

The important part of that statement is "can't afford their EFC." I'm willing to bet that a family making $80k a year with NYC property will have an EFC >$15k. Even using those statistics from Chicago and going with the low end of ~80k, the true COA remains ~20k--and those averages don't account for home equity, which makes a difference.

IBclass06

Then where, exactly, do you suggest the OP apply? Merit scholarships for transfers are practically nonexistent. Most private colleges won't offer better financial aid than my suggestions. As for public colleges, the OP could either choose a SUNY or a very cheap OOS school -- but realistically, would the handful of OOS public schools with a COA that low be worth transferring to?

Rankings for 100 Best Values in Public Colleges

Keilexandra

^ You're right, the OP has very few options. Therefore, I am being realistic.

exrcsst

Thanks for the help. I got a few schools out of it. I appreciate everyone's honesty too. I guess it's the harsh reality of being middle.

And to counter the argument that just owning property in NYC signifies a well-off family, the cost of living in NYC is also crippling. Just as well I live just about as far from Manhattan as you can get (deep into Brooklyn) and only 3 or 4 blocks from a housing project. It is definitely not a high end house. Even though I know Keilexandra was talking from the perspective of financial aid experts, I just wanted to make that clear

OHKID

I got a similar situation exrcsst. Good extracurrics, okay GPA (3.7), 2100 SAT, and about a $97,000 yearly EFC if the collegboard calculator and my knowledge of family assets is correct. However, both my parents are at considerable risk for losing their jobs in this suckish economy, and unemployment checks for half a year can only cover a little bit. Since I'm a junior in high school right now, I have the luxury of planning for the worst a little more, but I am definitely more focused on honors programs at lesser-known universities than I am on big-name universities with probably nonexistent aid for me. So, that's why I ran my thread on here, Honors vs. Big Name schools. I am still looking for a true answer.

Keilexandra

I think owning property in NYC may be a large part of why you can't afford your EFC--FA policies do not account for cost of living. Best of luck in your search.

OHKID, also look into merit aid.

exrcsst

OHKID, well my school is completely free. I am just not a big fan of the city after living here for 18 years. It's not a bad program, so definitely consider it. It's the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter. I don't know what you plan on majoring in, but hunter is a liberal arts college for the most part. There's a decent science program as well. Tuition is paid for as is a dorm room. You also get a free laptop, so definitely look into it.

diontechristmas

That's a joke right? Vandy has D-I football, basketball and baseball. I dont think Davidson is more 'into' athletics at all...