You might also look at Truman State University, which is about $30K per year for in-state students: Cost & Financial Aid - Truman State University
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Thanks for your responses everyone!! I’ll definitely look more into the finances of college. My school doesn’t have naviance or scoir data, but I’ve spoken with my counselor about admissions and financial aid. I’ve got a good applying list going. Again thank you all for your help!
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I also forgot to mention that I work quite a bit and can contribute a decent amount to the cost for college. My parents have kind of steered me away from looking at finances but I agree that it’s something worth thinking about.
I also forgot to list a few ECS (if that even matters) but here are a few others:
President of a nonprofit (20k raised, 400 people involved)
Youth Council of a Congressman
Published history research
My SAT was 1300 which isn’t a significant difference but still something.
So while I don’t think that changes much it definitely makes my application a bit stronger. I’m going to continue studying for my SAT but I’m not giving up hope just yet, and while WashU is my top reach, I have plenty of other schools I’d love to go to that are more likely to accept me with a great scholarship.
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Thank you so much, I really appreciate this.
I think this is a solid idea, so thanks for your help. If I’m unhappy with where I ultimately end up I’ll definitely consider this path.
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If you would like to share this college list, along with a intended major, if known, please do so. CC members can provide you with some valuable insight & targeted advice about specific regional schools.
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Awesome, here’s my list. I plan to major in history.
Brandeis University
Bryn Mawr
DePauw
George Washington
Kenyon University
Lake Forest
Lawrence University
Loyola
Mizzou
Mount Holyoke
Muhlenberg College
Rhodes College
Smith
St. Louis University
University of Rochester
Washington University
If there’s other schools worth considering, I’d love to hear people’s thoughts. I’m kind of against going to a public school outside of Missouri.
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I don’t recommend starting off at a 4-year college & then transferring to a 2-year college if you can avoid it. I recommended this as your only real option of getting into Wash.U., which is a “top tier” school for undergraduates now. If you just care about obtaining any degree from Wash.U., then perhaps save it for graduate school. There are several “lower tier” programs housed there.
Your stats probably mean WashU is a long shot, unfortunately. 
Never say never – you might have that one little nugget that admissions officers are looking for. If the NPC is telling you it’s affordable, then I see nothing wrong with shooting your shot. But I don’t think the smaller ED pool is going to bump your chances for admission significantly.
I don’t pretend to know what admissions officers are looking for, but I can tell you that my daughter had a 36 ACT, was salutatorian, lots of strong awards and ECs and research in high school, and a few strong unique things besides. Also wasian (I just recently learned that term). 
She was waitlisted at WashU.
Best of luck to you to find just the right place!
Thanks for your insight. Definitely will consider this option too.
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Thanks for the positivity 
Applications sometimes feel like a total toss up, I know a student from my school who got into WashU with a 3.7 and mid extracurriculars. So odd.
Thanks a bunch!
I note that although this is quite speculative, that is screaming “yield protection” to me.
And FWIW, WashU has both instituted EA and officially started considering demonstrated interest, which in my mind are consistent with the idea they may have been engaging in some yield protection sometimes.
All that said, I agree WashU would be a significant reach for the OP, but if everything else makes sense for ED, then why not?
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Oh, that’s interesting about the EA and demonstrated interest!
We definitely weren’t thinking yield protection at the time – she landed at Rice which is very much a sister/peer institution, so we speculated that the AOs at both schools could just tell Rice was a better fit.
You says b4 you can afford just $10k a year. Now you say your parents are steering you away from money.
Some schools can be $100k. Which is it?
If your HS is sending 20 to Wash U maybe it outperforms.
But based on what you’ve written so far I see 3 or 4 you can get into.
One can’t add more without truly understanding your finances.
Have you run net price calculators for each of these. Some will likely be over $10k even if you are determined to have need.
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Does this matter in college admissions these days? I thought given that neither “whites” nor Asian-Americans are under-represented, being a Wasian doesn’t matter. Sincerely curious. Thanks.
No, I don’t think it does – especially since schools can no longer ask about race/ethnicity, and unless they can guess from the name or activities or essays – a school wouldn’t be privy to this info.
I only mentioned it in my post because the OP mentioned it, and I was trying to draw the parallel between her and my daughter.
But you’re right – it shouldn’t matter.
Here is a testing snapshot from the Wash.U. 2019-2020 Common Data Set.
This is before TO & before the transition to the new digital SAT & newly enhanced ACT.
WashU is out of target for mothx77 with her current stats. She could try the ACT but would need to score significantly higher.
I’ve talked to my parents and college counselor and they are both satisfied with my list, though it could be the case that they just don’t know the real cost. But I’ll be sure to look more into calculators and such. I’ve done the WashU calculator and it appears to be affordable, but I’ll look into others.
Sorry I kind of don’t understand, both are true since that’s all they’ve told me. I haven’t been able to fill out certain forms yet since I don’t know how much money they make. So I’m kind of unsure of most things with the financial aspect. I just have that 10k number.
A lot of asians that I know think they’re at a disadvantage for admissions by being asian. I’ve had people recommend that I apply as white instead of mixed. But I’m not really sure how much of a difference this can make and plan on reporting myself as wasian
Thanks for the data, this is really good to know
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I can easily imagine parents saying both, because they themselves have little idea about how it all works and what it might cost. And truth be told it could cost $10k or it could cost $100k depending on many factors.
I suggest making things concrete for them by asking them to fill out an NPC at a couple of colleges. It doesn’t take that long. I bet that’ll help them understand a little better, and give you a clearer answer on what they can pay or are willing to pay.