Am I insane?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>The majority of my colleges are slight reaches at least, and I have no problem with that, If I don’t apply, I’ll never know. However, I’m applying to schools that I KNOW i can’t afford. I’m going to be bankin on grans, scholarships, and financial aid. I’m poor. I don’t think my mother has ANYTHING in savings for me for school, and I’m looking at schools that are 20-30 grand (or MORE!!!) a year.</p>

<p>Should I compromise schools that I KNOW (or am almost completely sure) that I can get into just because I can’t afford them?</p>

2

<p>I see, you are really insane, huh? :frowning: So where are you from?</p>

3

<p>see where you can get in, that’s a start, then figure out the financial situation, just make sure to apply to more financially feasible backups</p>

4

<p>also search for outside scholarships…you might be able to rack up a few smaller outside no-strings-attached scholarships that add up to quite a bit of money</p>

5

<p>Things you can do to save some money:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>go to a cheap community college for the first two years, then transfer to your dream school.</p></li>
<li><p>Load up on the credits in college and take classes in the summer at a cheap state school near home (while ALSO working a job), so you can graduate in 3 years.</p></li>
</ol>

6

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</p>

<p>YES INDEED! :eek:</p>

7

<p>just try out places that has huge grants…(good finaid) NYU would not be one of them (infamous for bad finaid) There are alot of places with good finaid so check it out yourself</p>

8

<p>dlusnl, You need to get a grip on how the aid process works. </p>

<p>If you come from a low income family you quite possibly may qualify for NEED based aid. In that case you will have a wide range of choices because many colleges will cover all or at least part of all need based aid. Some guarantee to cover all need based aid, but the catch is that they decide how much you need, which may not be the same as how much you think you need.</p>

<p>What you should ask your parent(s) to do immediately is to use an on-line calculator to determine the approximate amount of need based aid you would qualify for. If this suits your purpose then proceed with your list.</p>

<p>If your family’s income is VERY low, then you may qualify to join the Questbridge program which matches up low income high achieving students with selective colleges.</p>

<p>If, on the other hand, your family has the money but can’t or won’t pay for your education then you are going to require MERIT based aid. This is trickier. I’d suggest that you go immediately to the thread at the top of the Parents board that discusses merit aid so that you can learn whether or not you’d qualify.</p>

9

<p>some schools are great with financial aid. what are your grades like?</p>

10

<p>If you post your stats and where you’re applying to, that will help people give useful responses.</p>

<p>The financial aid board here at CC has valuable info. Search its archives, too, and check the threads pinned to the top.</p>

<p>Relatively few colleges are extremely generous with very low income students. Those colleges tend to be places like Harvard and Princeton, some of the most difficult colleges to gain acceptance to. Realize that the colleges that say they meet 100% of students’ demonstrated need are meeting that need from the colleges’ perspective, which means that your family may have to pay more than what they feel comfortable paying and you also may have to take out a great deal of loans. Usually taking some loans is part of even generous financial aid packages, but some financial aid packages require a ridiculous and almost impossible amount of loans – for instance as much as $25,000 a year.</p>

<p>Check the financial aid web section of all colleges that you’re considering applying to. That will tell you their policies.</p>

<p>It’s also worth it to pay the $15 or so for a yearly subscription to US News online college site because you can get very detailed and useful info about individual colleges’ admissions policies as well as their financial aid policies.</p>

<p>Take the time to talk to your GC and to regularly visit their office to check for local scholarships. Usually, one’s best chance of getting scholarships is through scholarships that are offered by the schools that you apply to and scholarships that are local. Make sure you make deadline and do careful applications. I’ve served on national scholarship committees, and often the poorest students do the worst applications because they approach the scholarships as if they are a lottery. People may feel sorry for you, but they aren’t going to give their money to you if your application is late, filled with typos or incomplete.</p>

<p>Make sure that you definitely apply to at least one college that you know you’ll be admitted to and can afford. Often that’s a local community college or a local 4-year public college that offers guaranteed admission or tuition aid to local students or students fitting your profile. Your GC probably can give info about this.</p>

<p>College Confidential has an estimated family financial contribution estiimator that you can link to from its home page. Princeton also has a good one.</p>

<p>As you consider colleges, factor in transportation costs as getting your belongings and yourself to college can cost a lot. Normally students’ families drive them to college, and if you’re going far away and if your parents don’t have much vacation time, that may not be possible.</p>

11

<p>Thanks for the advice. The process can be overwhelming, and my mother really didn’t go through it, so she doesn’t have a firm grasp on the process either. Thanks for recommending Quest Bridge. I actually received a mailing from them about 2 days ago, and will definitely be applying. I’ve also been on collegeboard.com for hours looking at potential scholarships and grands. </p>

<p>As for stats: </p>

<p>GPA- about 4.5 on a 4 scale
Class rank- 6 out of 125 (Its a Catholic school) </p>

<p>AP Classes- We don’t have them, but I’ve had 5 years of honors math (algebra 1, 2, geometry, precalc and calc), 3 of honors science (biology, chemistry, physics), 2 of history (world and us), 4 years honors english, 4 years of spanish (junior and senior years considered honors). </p>

<p>AP credit- took the US history one (didnt study) and got a 3. Will probably take Calc. Maybe others</p>

<p>College credit i’ve already earned- am taking a dual-credit psych class at school. Doing so essentially enrolled me in a local community college. planned on taking summer courses right before leaving for college. </p>

<p>ACT score- 29. I’m taking it again and i want at least a 30. </p>

<p>SAT Subject Tests- took 3 of them, scored mid to high 600s, but will take again. </p>

<p>Planned majors- International Business and East Asian Studies (Japanese concentration) </p>

<p>Schools I’m looking at- </p>

<p>University of Washington- although living in IL, I’m originally from WA.
Stanford- my biggest reach, but i would turn down any other school to go there
Washington University St Louis
University of Chicago
Northwestern University
Either Seattle U or Gonzaga as a back-up if my out of state status prevents me from getting into UW
NYU
Boston U
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
I was told to consider Carnegie Mellon, but not sure if I want to attend
Emory University
University of Pennsylvania is another big reach, but Wharton would be worth it</p>

<p>I’m good for extracurriculars as well. Financial situation dim. It’s a single income household. I’m helping to pay for high school right now. My mother sells insurance. I don’t receive any support from my biological father.</p>