<p>Weenie is right on the mark, in my book. It isn’t that you are not a candidate for the schools you have listed. You certainly have a shot at all of them. But when you are looking at the accept rates at those schools and at the stats of who is accepted, you are not a shoo in. So you do need an admissions safety school, as all applicants should have. It is just too possible that with such selectivity, you can be left holding the bag. I think you have a guaranteed admissions at UTAustin with the top 10% rule, and from what I have seen, it is a fine school that is also very affordable in state. That is a great match school for you. Would also pick a less selective Texas school as an absolute safety in case something happens to your gpa to bring you under the 10% if that is a possibility–I don’t know how the 10% rule works exactly; that is something to discuss with your GC.</p>
<p>As to money, however, your familiy income is not going to yield much if any in financial aid, and your picks are not only expensive, but do not give much in merit money, if any. Your stats are not so waaay up there that you are likely to get big time merit money from the highly selective schools. So if your family is in a situation where they cannot come up with the $50k per year that some of these schools cost, and if it leaves you with a terrrible loan situatio (or your parents into such a loan situation), you may want to look at some schools where merit aid is a distinct possibility, or add some state schools where the cost is low if you would not mind going there. IF UTAustin is your safety both for admissions and financials, but you really want a smaller, east coast school, you need to start looking at schools more desirable than UT Austin to you but with some strong merit possibilities, which would mean a selectivity that would put you in the top category of applicants. </p>
<p>It is not at all uncommon for families that make incomes that look terrific to be unable to pay private college costs. Especially if the income was not there until recently, and there are debts and situations that need to be resolved. High housing areas also put a strain on the finances, as do other kids in the family who are getting the same education and ec opportunities as the college bound child. There are many good reasons why a parent making 6 figures cannot cough up $50K a year and there are too many parents who saved too little for college. Really not something to beat up the parents about at this point. Need to look at the other options.</p>