I live in New Orleans and unfortunately price plays a huge role into where I go to college. Although due to financial aid and merit scholarships, many colleges will cover full tuition. Despite this, I cannot afford room and board and will most likely attend in state at a Louisiana college, so I will have somewhere to live during the summer months. I’m not attending a community college, but I’m also not attending the “best” school in my state (Tulane) because of crazy tuition costs. I scored in the 90th percentile for ACT and my gpa is a 3.85/4.00. Should I feel ashamed that I’m not attending a super “prestigious” college for undergrad? I plan to get my masters as well, but I heard I should feel accomplished to be able to attend any private college with a full scholarship. Thoughts?
Are you a junior or senior?
Very few HS grads get full scholarships, so no need to feel less accomplished. You are a smart kid with great GPA and so ne need to feel ashamed. But you may be able to get some merit/financial aid to attend an OOS liberal arts college. Have you looked at any and done an EFC? If you do well at the nearby state school, you will be in good shape for grad school.
@PetulaClark I am a senior in the number 1 high school in LA and I think my EFC is around 5k because my single mom brings home 44k a year. Thanks for the compliment by the way
So the deadlines are soon. The tip top private schools are needblind and are generous with fin aid, for the students who can get in to them. There are other LACs easier to get in that might offer merit aid. Such as the one found in CTCL (Colleges That Change Lives). But it sounds like you maybe have looked into other schools and found the room and board the issue.
Are you going to LSU or one of the branches?
@PetulaClark I was considering LSU, but I would rather stay in New Orleans than pay to live in Baton Rouge. Right now I am thinking about Loyola of New orleans, but I’m worried it won’t have the same prestige as so many other colleges my classmates are applying to. Outside of New Orleans, the only two schools that would cover almost all of the costs of attending are Vassar and Scripps, but the acceptance rates for these schools are extremely low.
Being from Louisiana might be a hook. Did you make a 28 on the ACT? That would be low for those 2 schools, as they are not test-optional. I believe there are other possibilities for you to consider. Any other posters here?
No, you should not be ashamed of not attending a super prestigious college. Just look at any doctors office, any fancy law firm, any faculty at a university, any high-powered engineering firm, any high-powered tech firm, etch, and you will see people from a very wide variety of undergraduate institutions. What they all have in common is that they kicked butt in undergraduate. If you do that, you will be able to go to a very good graduate or professional school. In fact, students graduating from “prestigious” undergraduate institutions often fret that they are competing with students who got high GPAs at lower tier institutions and that is somehow unfair because they should get some extra credit for being at a “prestigious” institution. Unfortunately for them, it often does not work that way. Go where you’ll be happy and where you can afford, do well, and the rest will take care of itself. Best of luck to you
None of my professionally successful friends and colleagues went to “super prestigious” undergraduate schools. Some did go to prestigious grad schools. I went to a CTCL and did just fine. Don’t worry about prestige.
How is Loyola more affordable than Tulane? OP, you probably know but others here may not. Tulane guarantees admission to graduates of LA high schools with a 28, no disciplinary problems and a set GPA (I forget the GPA).
What do you want to study? What about UNO and then transfer. Good for some degrees. Not as much for others. Ditto for Southeastern as a start and then transfer.
Tulane has no application fee so why not see what you get on scholarships?
Loyola will almost surely give you scholarships (they should post 2017 amounts on their site soon–they had them last year). And its tuition is a bit cheaper than Tulane. Tulane might give you some money as well, so defintely apply.
But either one could still be too costly. Even if you commute. My D got $20K from Loyola. And TOPS (which has funding issues as I’m sure you know). But that’s still a big gap in a $44k income. Now, you might qualify for need based aid too. So it can’t hurt to apply.
UL Lafayette and Monroe give very generous merit scholarships. Look at them. You may be able to get money for room and board.
With a $44K income, your EFC will be closer to $2500 than to $5000 so you may qualify for some pell. What is your exact ACT score? What’s your major? Is there a reason you are not looking into meet need schools?
@sensation723 My last ACT score was a 28 but i recently took it again with writing and I am waiting for the scores to be posted. Im going to major in Economics, and almost all schools that provide 100% need based aid only cover the cost of tuition rather than tuition + books + room and board like i would need. @1or2Musicians Youre absolutely right, not only is Loyola cheaper than Tulane, but Loyola is also more generous with financial aid/scholarship. @Sportsman88 Please refer to what I said to 1or2musicians about why Tulane is a cheaper option and my major. Getting into Tulane isnt a problem and when the admissions officer visited my school she told me I would automatically get accepted. Although, when i used a net price calculator for both schools Tulane was near 20k tuition with aid and Loyola was near only 1k per year. I’m applying to Tulane, but with the current price I probably won’t attend. Also, can you explain why UNO (I want to stay in Nola so not SE)?
Schools that meet full need do consider the total cost, not just tuition. Most are very selective so you can’t count on getting in.
That said, if you want to stay in NO that’s fine too. I’d suggest applying to UNO or some other public just in case. Loyola was my D’s top choice but she also applied to 2 publics that we knew for sure would be affordable. The net price calculator is not a guarantee.
Do not focus on " prestige" or how any school compares to the ones your classmates are considering. Focus on finding a school that is a good FIT for YOU, that you can afford, where you can be happy and thrive.
What @cameo43 said is SO SO true - where you attend college is only one part of the picture of your overall success, and if you feel the school is a good fit, you’re already on the right path to success.
Schools that meet need cover more than just tuition. Try running the NPC for the schools on the below link. Not all schools from the link meet 100% need.
http://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/
I’m glad the net price on Loyola is favorable for you. I was just going off $51,000 vs. $66,000 which are both extremely high figures and would take a lot to get to $1,000 although any of the full tuition Tulane scholarships would get you there as a local.
I suggested UNO because it’s a state school in NOLA. If TOPS was fully funded, you would be near zero costs as a commuter. Of course that’s not the case. From TOPS page, UNO is $6,090.37 per year. TOPS funded $2,833 (93%) in the Fall and projects $1,450 (47.63%) in the Spring. The $800 book stipend is hit with the same percentages. So, not a great result but more affordable than Tulane.
I haven’t run the NPC at Loyola or looked at their scholarships. Loyola for $1,000 is a great option and you shouldn’t be ashamed to go there. Heck, many in LA roll their eyes at Tulane just as folks where I live now roll their eyes at Maryland. Both have great reputations out of state.
Keep your eye on the prize…getting your bachelors degree. Many students choose colleges with finances being oart of the consideration. You are not alone in that.
Go where you get accepted, with your costs covered…and do the best you can do there.
If you apply to multiple schools…go to the best school that is affordable for,your family.
You have NOTHING to be ashamed of.
Not all good students go to selective schools. Every state school has a lot of top students. Due to their size (e.g. 40,000 rather than 1200 students), the academic top 3% of students at a large public school could fill a selective college. You should get over it in terms of selectivity.
The reality is that coming from a single parent home in LA and graduating high school is itself an accomplishment. Beyond that, doing very well in high school and leveraging that into a college education is an excellent achievement and a good example of American upward mobility for which you should be proud.
Okay what am I missing here, I am looking at your stats and can’t understand what is there to be ashamed of. I really do not get it. You likely be accepted to 90% of the universities in this country. What we are really talking about here is finances. Find a place that meets your needs and don’t worry about what others. Find your niche in this world and prosper.