Best fit public schools for CA resident, 3.67 UW, 3.97 capped UC GPA, 1520 SAT,<$50k, neuroscience, pre-med

Chance Me / Match Me
21

True, but I’ve found that a lot of private schools will offer much better merit. The schools listed especially. UC merit is very rare and competitive. Udub OOS for eng is a hard admit as it is.

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Depends on what you’re comparing against. There are many “big merit” public schools - Alabama being a common example cited on CC. These can provide a full ride and more.

Yes, that’s why I said:

UCs and UW are top tier public schools.

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Yeah I agree that OP has to look at public schools generous with merit (not UCs, Udub, etc). Some are expensive and won’t give much- usually the southern schools are the ones to look at.

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@lilyesh this student is a CA resident and the UCs would come in at or below their price point of $50,000 a year.

The question here is…will the parents let this student use this amount for medical school in the future instead, if the student gets accepted to medical school.

ETA…the Thumper family paid for college undergrad only out of current income using one parent’s salary. Pay for any grad or professional school was off the table. Kids had to fund that themselves. Sample of two (our kids)

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I missed that part, thanks!

Why are UCs 50k in-state???

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I believe they are less than $50,000 a year…which meets the price point stated here.

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All CA publics are within budget. The key question is what UC and CSU would OP settle for the price? In the case OP do not get accept to top UCs and CSUs, would they pay $30K for Chico State? Or $40K for UCM? Or rather pay $45K for Ohio State with merit? All are within budget… I don’t think OP is looking for the cheapest option here.

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Thank you very much everyone for the great suggestions !
For UC’s - yes, understand that top UCs might be tough while UCR, UCSC, UCM could be more closer, that’s why trying to see if any OoS good school can be better option provided it fits the budget.
Some options in this I’m looking at : U Pitt, UIUC, UC boulder, UW

Yes - planning for SDSU, CalPolySlo

Will look into any liberal arts / private schools with possibility of merit aid for my stats.
Would occidental / pitzer work in such case ?
Need to look more for collages from ‘collages that change lives’ list

thanks again for great suggestions …

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@Ada1, if you can elaborate on what you want out of your college experience, I think you will get a lot more suggestions.

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Pitzer, definitely not. Their “sticker price” is 90K/year and their maximum merit award is $5K. Scripps has the most generous merit at the 5C’s, but even their maximum (half-tuition) merit award still leaves more than a $57K/year price tag. (Don’t even know if you qualify to apply to Scripps, gender-wise, but fwiw.)

Oxy’s merit opportunities are detailed here: Oxy Merit Scholarships

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@AustenNut,

  • What size school are you looking for?

    Like the large schools as environment but understand that smaller schools may offer more opportunities for working closely with the prof

  • What size classes do you prefer?

Okay with ~40 to ~60

  • Are there any climate considerations (including the amount of sunlight)?

Prefer sunny weather but climate will not deter from leaving good opportunity

  • Are there states you prefer (or prefer to avoid)?

Prefer western states and may be MI, IL, PA

  • How do you feel about Greek life (fraternities/sororities)?

Its okay

  • How do you feel about significant enthusiasm for intercollegiate sports?

varsity athlete for swim, WP … so yeah like acquatics

  • Are there particular interests you’re hoping to pursue in college (besides your major)?

Like history

  • What are your preferences with respect to urban/suburban/college town/rural campuses?

Don’t like too urbanized - no NYC but also not complete rural campus

  • Will any other factors (like politics, religion, or something else) influence your college decision?

not looking for any religion specific schools

32

CU Boulder is unlikely to hit budget. My high stats S23 was accepted with the $25K Chancellor’s Scholarship - but that’s $25K for 4 years ($6,250/yr). Non-resident COA at CU Boulder is approx. $63K-$67K/year (more for some majors like engineering and business).

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Same is true of UDub. OOS cost with maximum Purple & Gold Scholarship is still close to 60K/year.

Utah is the affordable Boulder alternative. Strong STEM, strong honors college, phenomenal outdoor recreation as well as urban-adjacency. Colorado State is also a WUE school with strong STEM.

WWU could be an alternative to UDub, but WUE awards are competitive there. LAC’s with merit potential in the Pacific Northwest include Whitman (already mentioned), U of Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, Willamette. (And the Catholic U’s - U of Portland, Seattle U, and Gonzaga - but it doesn’t sound like you want to consider those.)

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A few schools you may want to investigate are:

  • Grand Valley State (MI): About 19k undergrads

  • Colorado State: About 26k undergrads and a WUE school

  • Lake Forest (IL): About 1700 undergrads

  • Loyola Chicago (IL): About 12k undergrads. Although Loyola is a Roman Catholic institution, Jesuit schools (like Loyola) tend to focus on service and justice and are not usually associated with strict doctrinal requirements.

  • Muhlenberg (PA ): About 1900 undergrads

  • U. of Montana: About 7200 undergrads and a WUE school

  • U. of Nevada – Reno: About 17k undergrads and a WUE school

  • Western Washington: About 14k undergrads and a WUE school

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UIUC will not be in budget. If you are looking for a big midwestern flagship, Purdue will come in under $50K.

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