Brand new to CC community and thank you this is so very helpful! I was considering recommending one more CA school like university of Redlands as a “sure thing” even though indeed it was not the vision she had of California and UoP is one I hadn’t considered! Given her challenging home life I am the only one really advising her on colleges and I have zero experience on this process since 1987…and am learning none of what I knew then is helpful.
We have run the NPC and Stanford, Pomona, Occidental and USF come in easily within 529 amount for all four years no loans. USD doesn’t seem to have a functioning NPC so that one is a black box. LMU and Santa Clara NPC are too high, though the net price listed on the College navigator government website for her income level for those two in theory could come in within 529 budget but I don’t understand why the LMU NPC says 50k/year when at her family income level the college navigator says $30k.
She didn’t apply for pitzer because the supplemental question asks why she wants to go there and she just didn’t like the vibe so didn’t think it would be an authentic answer to Pitzer. She really wanted Harvey Mudd but coming so late to science she just didn’t have any of the pre reqs and Pomona might be easier for physics than HM. She is attracted to engineering and wants that as a possible option which basically moved Santa Clara way down the list since you have to apply to the engineering school now (which she isn’t ready to do) and no easy way to move to engineering afterwards. I didn’t know that about USF so that is helpful too. Thank you!
I tried to help her come up with enough in each group reach/target/safety but was second guessing USF and USD as safeties, so that is why I am looking for help to see if we have any true safeties on this list / easy chances of getting in.