Chance me - Political Science or Business

Congratulations on your impressive record!

EA-wise, I’d suggest replacing Penn State (which has no path to affordability) with Ohio State, where you would be a strong candidate for the Morrill Scholarship. MSP-About | Office of Diversity and Inclusion, The Ohio State University (Apply by November 1st) Not far from OSU, look also at Denison U, which meets need.

Have you run the Net Price Calculators for all the schools on your list? I’m not sure whether Villanova is likely to be affordable; they do not guarantee full-need-met aid. UCLA will not be affordable; the UC applicaion is a project unto itself, and would be a complete waste of your time. If you are interested in California, consider the Claremont Consortium. Although the individual colleges are small, the consortium (which is very closely integrated, with a shared registration portal, shared EC’s and athletic teams, etc.) has about 7000 undergraduates. Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps could all be possibilities for you; all meet full need, but their formulae differ, so run the NPC’s. For Poli Sci+business, CMC may be the best fit. USC could be worth a look too, but their aid for low-income students often disappoints, so again run the NPC to see if it’s worth considering.

Maybe check out the combined majors at Northeastern and see how the NPC looks there Political Science and Business Administration, BS < Northeastern University

The Honors College at SUNY Albany could be a good fit, with the location in the state capital being advantageous for your poli sci interests, and a variety of business programs available as well.

In the Wake Forest genre, look also at Emory (added bonus of not counting freshman grades toward the GPA), University of Richmond, and Washington & Lee (where you’d have a shot at the full ride Johnson Scholarship). All meet need and have strong programs in your areas of interest. Lehigh is another that could be worth a look - they give a strong “URM bump” and offer no-loan aid to low-income students.

Major-wise, you might be interested in an interdisciplinary “PPE” major (philosophy, politics, and economics). This is available at Ohio State, Denison, URichmond, and the Claremont Colleges, and maybe other’s I’m forgetting.

You’re doing great; just drill down and try to apply EA wherever possible, especially at the schools where the merit deadline is early. I look forward to seeing where you end up!

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