For SAT or ACT reading and grammar, look at Erica Meltzer. For SAT math, look at JWMathTutoring’s desmos YouTube playlist. Most importantly, use the free official SAT qbank to practice with real SAT questions.
2 Likes
Ok she did it on a website called niche and it showed really cheap prices for schools like MIT but looks for expensive for the state schools on my list, but I don’t plan on applying to any ivy league schools since I’m underqualified (but she’s saying I should just do it anyway even tho I dont want to). I saw that the Rowan school had a financial program but it only had like a certificates degree and I wanted to try and get a bachelors, should I reconsider and is there any better routes I could take for aerospace since I also saw someone mention mechanical engineering being the same thing kind of
I also signed up for some internship program that might get me an internship in my senior year, but it starts in october, so would it be too late for my applications?
Don’t do it on niche. You have to do it on the school’s Net Price Calculator. I gave you Rowan and WPI.
You cannot trust third parties.
But the reality is, the school’s that are the creme de la creme are highly unlikely to admit you.
Did she give you a $$ amount she can pay?
Bottom line - do not use Niche. Google each school + Net Price Calculator.
Do not use My Intuition. Use only the Net Price calculator - but you have to be realistic to the level of school that might accept you.
I don’t think you’d get in but you can look at schools like these but run the Rowan, that’s more a likely for you or SUNY New Paltz, etc.
You are missing the Rowan (or any NJ public program) - if your mom is low income. It’s for a degree, if she qualifies. btw - the Ivies aren’t necessarily the strongest for engineering and you’re not going to get in - so save your time. I gave you Lafayette and Lehigh below - I don’t see you getting in those either but they are much closer. Unfortunately, your stats will preclude you from the names you want but again, you need a budget - how much is she able to pay out of pocket? She needs to give you a # to build a true list.
“The Rowan Opportunity Program provides additional institutional funding to pay the gap between tuition & fees and any other grants or scholarships the student receives. For students whose family’s Adjusted Gross Income is between $0 and $65,000 annually, the net cost of tuition and mandatory student fees after all grants, scholarships, and ROP funding, will be $0.
Where the eligible student’s family adjusted gross income is between $65,001 to $80,000, the net cost of tuition and mandatory student fees after all grants, scholarships, and ROP funding will be no more than $7,500 total for the fall and spring semesters. See the full eligibility criteria below.
There is no application required to be considered for this program. “
Net Price Calculator - Hofstra University
Welcome | Net Price Calculator
Welcome | Net Price CalculatorStudent Financial Services | Calculator and Estimator Tools | SUNY New Paltz
https://rowan.clearcostcalculator.com/student/default/netpricecalculator/survey
6 Likes
With a 1300 SAT, you could get a full ride to Tuskegee University.
1 Like
NJ does have financial aid programs for in state students based on income. Look at schools like Montclair, ramapo, Stockton, in addition to Rowan. Engineering is a very math heavy major.
5 Likes
Ok ill look for some more colleges with these financial aid programs and probably swap them out with most of the current ones. But does anyone know what kind of college I can actually get accepted to with my stats? Or how I could higher my chances maybe (like getting a better sat + act score or any other stuff)?
I’ll also try looking into the different types of engineering degrees and stuff, so like not only choosing schools with aerospace, and maybe look for some mechanical ones. It’s just that I really wanted to work with space and flight stuff so i’m not entirely sure
Go back to post #5
1 Like
Colleges with financial aid programs for you like the ones listed are the New Jersey publics. New York has programs…for New York residents. California has programs…for California residents. It’s one of the benefits of attending an in-state public. Citizens of the state have paid taxes that go toward higher education which results in reduced costs and special financial programs for residents of that state. Thus, the New Jersey publics have special financial programs like that, because you’re a New Jersey resident. Students from Delaware, PA, and NY can’t get those same options for Rutgers or other NJ publics. Only NJ residents.
If you’re looking for additional colleges that are likely to be affordable, you may want to check out the work colleges, like Berea. I’m not sure which, if any, are ABET-accredited for mechanical engineering though. But it’s an option you can investigate.
We need the answer to step #1 before we can suggest additional colleges for your profile, as suggesting schools with no path to affordability is a waste of your (and everyone else’s) time.
yeah I just cant find out step 1 since she gave a strange response like “I’ll sell everything I have just so you can go” so I dont think she has a budget…I do know its a bad idea to be making the list without this but I really just made it for an assignment if i’m being honest. Based on what most ppl said I should like find schools in NJ that have the degree I want and a financial program so I can get the in-state benefits? And ok I will focus on the list that you gave for the ones I might get into, I just really wanna do aerospace engineering rather than mechanical… Anyways, ill try asking her for an actual budget but she left so that will take a while, since most of the colleges had really expensive yearly costs which really shouldnt be on my list from the cost alone
thank you all for helping this college stuff is really confusing tbh
1 Like
Scholarships | Tuskegee University (“Scholarships for Incoming Freshmen”) says that a 3.8 HS GPA is also needed for the full ride.
2 Likes
It’s not a race to get a college list done ASAP. Applications won’t even open for several more months. But I understand the desire to be looking things up.
So first, check out your in-state publics. See what they’re offering. You may be very pleasantly surprised.
Then check out the list that @tsbna44 provided in post #5. UAH is U. of Alabama - Huntsville. When you’re checking out the schools keep track of the following:
-
The price for tuition and fees plus room and board. Many colleges will give the “Cost of Attendance” but that makes it very hard to compare one school to another because some schools are more generous in providing an allowance for books, transportation, or personal expenses than others. So to make it an apples to apples comparison, make sure you get those “direct-billed” costs.
-
Look at the merit scholarships page and see how much you would qualify for (if they have a chart or list out the necessary criteria to be awarded a particular scholarship). If they don’t have a chart, run the school’s Net Price Calculator with bogus numbers (like a million dollars a year in income for you and your mom) and if it asks for your academic stats the end result should also show the minimum amount of scholarship money that you would likely be awarded. Keep track of that amount.
-
In your notes (or spreadsheet!) subtract the scholarship aid from the direct-billed costs. That will then give you a general idea as to what the college will cost to attend (minus books, transportation, personal expenses, etc.).
Additionally, take notes of things that you like or don’t like about various schools. Those are things that can help you to identify the things that you value and you can share that with us when suggesting schools that might be a good fit for you.
It is clear that your mom loves you and would do anything in her power to make sure nothing stops you from getting a college degree. But my kid could ask me for something, and even if I sold everything I had and borrowed every penny that anyone would let me borrow, I could still not have enough money to buy it.
You may want to tell your mom how much you appreciate her dedication to making sure you get a higher education. Tell her you understand that she’s willing to do whatever she can for your college degree, but ask her how much she could pay per year before needing to borrow money or sell things. She can continue to think about how much beyond that she might be willing to go, but getting that one number is really important.
I’m sorry that this process is confusing, but we’re here to try and help to demystify things. Is there anything in particular right now that we can help clear up?
3 Likes
Yeah I guess I am rushing through this process and trying to make a finalized list too early. Whats really confusing for me is the situation with the mechanical engineering degree since I wanna maybe work for NASA specifically for like aerospace and idk if i can pursue that degree instead. But also, if I hopefully obtain a set budget that my mom has for me and my sister, I wanna see if there are maybe some options out of NJ that are cheap too? Ik abt the tax paying benefits for in-state but I took note of some things I really want for the college I attend (good food, nice campus, diversity, city life) and I thought it would be nice to be able to not limit my selection just to NJ, but the most important thing really is to go to a college without paying too much or anything at all so its fine if thats not possible
and the list tsbna44 sent earlier was good, and it helped me realize that this really isnt possible without a budget in mind along with the true costs of the tuition. It was also nice since I have ERAU-Daytona Beach on my list rn bc it seemed like a nice campus and seemed really focused on the thing I wanted to pursue
I could be wrong, but that might be weighted GPA.
2 Likes
Work hard to pull up your GPA and standardized scores and more opportunities may open up for you.
3 Likes
I’ll add that at some schools the scholarship awards are hard to figure out - how much you get is a surprise based on unknown factors. At other schools it’s very transparent. At UAH there is a chart that tells you exactly how much you would get with various test score/GPA combinations. If you click on the ‘merit scholarships’ section of each school’s website you will be able to see what they offer. There is also usually a section for need-based aid. As people have said, each school’s financial calculator will help you figure out what you would get. If there is a chart like I’ve posted below, it can let you see what score is needed to move up to the next scholarship amount.
You also have to figure out what your priorities are. Cost is a big factor. Distance from home could be important. If you are willing to go farther from home, make sure to keep travel costs in mind. Use test prep books or online programs to pull up your ACT or SAT score, since some automatic scholarships are based on those scores.
Also, you can get a great education at a smaller or less-known school. We ended up elsewhere, but my kid loved UA-H because of it’s close ties to local industry for internships. NASA and other aerospace companies have a big presence in Huntsville. Other schools may have great opportunities for scholarships, or need-based aid. Even for very high-scoring students, the chances of admission at schools like MIT is very low.
2 Likes
Thanks, i’ll definitely add that one to my list and consider any internship opportunities offered near any schools i’m considering. I also go to a free ACT prep class every saturday—that im in rn—so i’ll use this class along with the textbook to raise my score. And yeah I dont really mind going to a school thats smaller or less-known since its really the education that matters in the end. I learned now that you don’t need to go to an ivy league school to get a certain job, and also that I should really focus on my gpa and test scores to maximize the amount of money I can earn from scholarships to help my mom pay for both me and my sisters whos the same age as me (we are twins)