<p>OP, my advice is a little different than many of the others’ here. That is, my advice is for you only if all of your stats and “profile” are as stellar as the two stats you listed so far.</p>
<p>You probably know if you are a tippy top student with tippy top stats. I’m talking about top 1% or better in academics, plus other great things to offer – outstanding letters of rec, extracurriculars, etc, OR super-tippy-top performance in other areas and far better than average stats in academics (like maybe top 3-5% or so academically plus something else extraordinary). </p>
<p>If you are not in one of these very tippy top categories in nearly every area of your application, then you might not want to try what I’m about to suggest. But if you are, you’ll probably find that you will have lots of great choices without restricting yourself to only those schools that “advertise” big scholarships. </p>
<p>This is the method that worked well for each of my kids.</p>
<p>Research sufficiently to find out which schools are of the most interest to you. Really do your homework here. Find out which schools are the best match to your interests, assets, and desires. Match is critical! If you aren’t careful to find great matches, this strategy likely won’t work. It works because if you find certain schools to be an excellent match to you, they’ll likely find you to be an excellent match for them. Do not just randomly choose the schools that everybody else under the sun chooses. Pick the ones that match YOUR assets and interests. </p>
<p>Narrow your list to your favorite 5-10 schools.</p>
<p>Be sure to include at least one financial safety school that you really like and will be really happy to attend – this should be one that you KNOW will give you the kind of money you need because of your stats. Your own state school might be one of those. Or Alabama, as someone else mentioned, could be this school … if you find Alabama appealing, that is.</p>
<p>Just be sure to pick at least one school that publishes great scholarships for your stats and that you will happily attend. This will be your school of attendance if no other school on your list comes through with the scholarships that you need.</p>
<p>Apply to your entire dream list and take the time to cross every t and dot every i, and get all of your admissions applications and all of your scholarship applications in to all of those colleges by their earliest deadlines. Be sure to thoroughly research each of your schools’ scholarship application procedures to be sure that you’re applying for every scholarship for which you have potential. </p>
<p>Complete the FAFSA. Many schools require it to award some of their MERIT aid. It doesn’t always matter what the EFC is, just that you turned it in. </p>
<p>My own kids used this method and each had tremendous success. Mind you, they were in the tippy top categories with more complete packages than “mere stats” (more than numbers set them apart), but it has appeared to me over the years that many, many tippy top stats students also have stellar extracurriculars that set them apart. So, I’m just guessing that this might be you. </p>
<p>For example, my most recent 4.0 gpa, 35 ACT student was also the valedictorian of his 800 member class, had a 2390 SAT, was an all-stater in one of his extracurriculars in a very competitive state, and so on. Another of my kids had similar stats with slightly lower (but still great) test scores and extremely impressive and unique extracurriculars and letters of rec. If you also have these kinds of credentials, then I would suggest you apply where YOU want to apply, to include at least one financial safety. At the very worst, you’ll have to attend your financial safety. (Neither of my kids HAD to attend their financial safeties. They all had their choice of many excellent schools for little to no money.)</p>
<p>Again … pick the schools that really match who you are and what you offer, and ignore what other people or other “lists” think are the best or “most prestigious” schools. This is very important! This method works BECAUSE you are the perfect match for them, and vice versa. </p>
<p>My son with your gpa and ACT (plus more, which I’m assuming you have, too) had his pick of full- or very nearly full- rides or full-tuition-plus, or in just a few cases just-under-full-tuition, to all 10 of his schools, to include MIT, Wash U, Vanderbilt, and a host of others. He ended up surprising me by choosing a large state public after initially expressing a desire for more of an LAC environment and after all of that research and work applying to so many schools! But, he gets a totally free, very enriching college experience, to include all sorts of summer study and research, etc, and he will graduate with lots of money in the bank, thanks to large stipends that are deposited into his bank account every semester. Plus, he gets just about everything he ever asks for at his school, because of his special scholarship status. </p>
<p>So, if you’re also a tippy top applicant, don’t restrict yourself this early in the game to just the schools that advertise their big scholarship packages. One of my kids got a private, nearly free-ride, merit-based grant for the first two years of MIT, with more funding to follow. Who knew such a thing existed? Certainly not us! If you’re a super applicant, I suggest that you apply where you want to, with at least one safety THAT YOU WILL HAPPILY ATTEND, and let the chips fall where they may. You very likely will not be disappointed.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you!! :)</p>