College in California

Paying for College
1

I am an out of state applicant researching colleges on the beautiful coast of central and southern California. Unfortunately, with the skyscraping prices presented to non-residents at UC, I have been forced to narrow my selection down to the following (though still spectacular) colleges:

Pepperdine
University of San Diego
Cal Poly SLO
San Diego State

UWGPA: 3.7 WGPA: 3.9 ACT: 32 APs: 9
I will likely major in economics, also considering psychology/philosophy

What scholarships might I receive from any of these colleges? I know of Pepperdine’s Dean’s scholarship, are there others for this school I should be aware of?

I have heard of an ensured 4-year plan at Cal Poly SLO. Is this true? Will I have trouble graduating in 3-4 years at SDSU with the ongoing financial crisis? Will my statistics earn me registration priority?

Thank you in advance

2

None from Cal poly or SDSU. USD and Pepperdine have a list of scholarships on the websites. They do not promise to meet full need. You might look at Chapman colleges as well. Run the NPC for each college, these may or may not indicate some merit awards.

3

Consider other west coast schools that meet full need, like Caltech, Claremont McKenna, Occidental, Pizer, Pomona, Reed.

4

Cannot recommend that you pay OOS fees to attend a Cal State, or UC for that matter. (As an Econ prospie, the ROI is pretty poor.)

Also consider: U-San Diego.

Brown Parent: did you mean the Claremont Colleges?

5

@bluebayou
I probably won’t attend San Diego State, even if it is the only California college I am accepted to, but I am enthusiastic about attending college in beachside California. If I were to stay in California post-college, would Cal Poly SLO really not be worth attending? I have heard it is quite reputable in SoCal.

@vonlost
Do you think it is worth applying to Caltech, Pomona, or Claremont McKenna? I don’t see myself getting in there.

6

To get a rough estimate of your chances, check your stats against each school’s Common Data Set sections C9 to C12. This is better than asking opinions, in terms of objective criteria.

7

SLO is very well-regarded (and not just in SoCal). D and S have at least a half-dozen very smart friends who are/have attending/attended, and all have enjoyed their experience, but there are several things to keep in mind: 1) Depending on the major, it can be the toughest CalState to get into, 2) once you’re admitted into certain majors, it can be next to impossible to change to another, 3) OOS is expensive, and 4) not a single one of D and S’s friends has been able to get out of there in less than 9 semesters and most have taken longer.

Besides the other privates that have been suggested, maybe take a look at Loyola Marymount and Soka.

8

@bluebayou no I said and meant Chapman. They do have scholarships. The Claremonts do not give scholarships like the OP asked about.https://www.chapman.edu/students/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/scholarships-and-grants/

9

I am somewhat looking at Loyola Marymount but I prefer not to live in LA. Soka is far too small, and with Occidental being a very small school in LA, that’s kind of thrown out for me. I fear living in OC would be too expensive, which is why I have looked away from Chapman. I may consider applying to a Claremont, because I don’t feel like I have a reach in my list.

10

Don’t stop at one reach; put in the time for more, especially those with no application fee. Hit your 25th percentile schools hard, especially those that meet full need.

11

The “4 year plan” is at Cal Poly Pomona NOT Cal Poly SLO.

12

The cost of living in Orange County is irrelevant - it’s the cost of college that you should be worried about!

It’s great that you’ve found a place you’d like to live, but you need to come to terms with the fact that this will likely be easier to accomplish once you’ve graduated, have a job, and are paying your own way. Find a college anywhere that will give you a free ride or free tuition, save your money, and then move to California after you graduate! That way, you can spend the rest of your life there, and not just the next four years.

Start putting together a list of schools where you have a good chance of being admitted, and that will be affordable for your family. If some of them are on the West Coast, fantastic - but cost and likelihood of admission have to come first.

13

I agree wholeheartedly with @dodgersmom.

I’d like to live on the beach in CA too, but it ain’t happening anytime soon. (I couldn’t even afford to live on the beach in CA when I actually LIVED in southern CA, and my husband and I were both gainfully employed with no children!)

If coastal life is your main priority for college, look at more affordable options in other states. CA can come later, if and when you can afford it.

What is your actual budget? THAT needs to be your starting point for any college you’re considering. For full-need-met privates, target the ones where your stats place you highest in the admit range (you can get that information by consulting each school’s common data set). Check out Scripps (part of the Clairemont colleges). IF your EFC is affordable after you run the NPC, that may be a realistic option in CA. (Assuming you’re female!)