I’m aware most colleges that claim to meet 100% need based financial aid are pretty selective so I was wondering if there were any that I should bother applying to? I realize it’s super late now, but I also have application extensions for many schools through the Posse Scholarship that have a January 15th deadline. Just wondering if any would be worth a shot!
My stats: 1320 SAT (670 CR, 650 Math, 20/24 Essay)
4.25 W GPA, Rank top 10% of ~800 students
10 good ECs filled out in commonapp, leadership positions
You might try Dickinson – they claim to meet 96% of need.
Are you a URM? Are you male or female? What is your UW GPA? Proposed major?
@intparent thank you! I actually looked into Dickinson earlier and I think I disregarded it because I didn’t think I would get merit without even realizing the need based financial aspect. I’m not a URM, I’m a white female. My school doesn’t give us UW GPAs but on some sites that recalculate it mine has been near a 3.6-3.7. I would most likely be going in undeclared
Your stats are on the low side for most of the need blind/meets need schools.
A couple of schools that meet need, but are not need blind (so it could hurt you if you need a lot of aid) would be Franklin & Marshall, or Mount Holyoke.
What are the Posse schools you are eligible for? Which ones have you already applied to?
Union and St. Olaf? I see that you have been accepted to UMass, Providence and Catholic. Are none of those meeting full need?
@intparent thank you! About 16 schools have contacted me about applying, of those right now I’m only applying to Brandeis. Franklin & Marshall contacted me and extended their deadline, as well as George Washington, Wheaton, Bucknell, Lafayette and a few others
@Oregon2016 union was actually the school I was a posse finalist for, and I’m still not sure if they’re considering my application for regular decision. I haven’t received the financial information from any of those schools yet though so I’m not sure what they’ll offer. St. Olaf also contacted me through posse so I’ll look into it, thanks!!
F&M meets need and seems in line with your stats.
@intparent thanks again!!
Take a look at the women’s colleges. Your stats are significantly above what my daughter (also white female) had to present the year she was accepted to Barnard. (Barnard is more holistic so test scores are considered but not prioritized in admissions). Bryn Mawr, Smith & Mt. Holyoke also claim to meet full need and admit a higher proportion of applicants than Barnard. See http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2016-09-19/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need
LACs tend to have more holistic admissions standards and all colleges look at your SAT scores “in context” – if you are Posse-eligible it is quite likely that you are attending a public high school where your test scores may be quite strong. I think that you may be unrealistically pessimistic about your chances. I think you should take a second look at all the schools on the 100% need list, particularly the LACs.
Were you an unmatched finalist or did you apply to a school and were not accepted in the ED round.
@sybbie719 I wasn’t chosen in the ED round
@calmom thank you! Bryn Mawr and Mount Holyoke were both posse schools that contacted me so I’ll look into them.
Where are you from?
Look at Loyola Maryland and DePauw in Indiana
Friend’s son is at St Olaf and loves it there, but limited majors, and you have to be able to take the cold/snow! He has an on-campus job to help with making the numbers work.
Certainly apply to all that are financially feasible, and hopefully you can do some visits and perhaps you can make a decision where you will find it is a match for what you need while also work financially.