OP I hate to sound like a broken record, but with an income slightly above $150,000 you might not get much…if any…financial aid to these schools. Is your family prepared to pay $75,000 a year? Even with some FA…you may still be looking at a cost of $60,000 a year…is that OK? You really need to use the NPCs.
I agree about Pitt and if you apply right now maybe you will get some merit. It’s a great school. Case Western is another one to take a look at.
No. Not at UChicago at least. Your stats are sufficient to show you’re capable of the work and that’s all you need them to show. They won’t take another applicant over you because his/her GPA was .1 higher. What will make or break your chances at UChicago is how your app demonstrates you understand and are a fit for the school. It’s a unique culture and admissions works hard on finding people who will fit. Essays and LORs are where most of the demonstration of how you fit happens. Be sure you understand what UChicago is looking for, show that in your essays and LORs and you have a chance. Write a generic essay or even a fantastic set of essays that doesn’t show what they’re looking for and you wouldn’t get admitted with a 4.0.
Regarding finances, you may find this resource more convenient than NPCs: https://myintuition.org/.
What about U Delaware? You would likely get honors college and good merit. My friend’s D will be going there after turning down an Ivy due to cost. A good safety for you.
"Since the consensus seems to be that I shouldn’t do ED, which is my best shot for these schools, should I not bother with UChicago and Cornell applications? "
If these are your top two colleges, you should definitely apply even though they are reaches. Maybe add another reach that others have suggested and focus the rest of your list on matches and safeties to round it out. Maybe a college like Bucknell would be good as a match since it’s liberal arts college with engineering. Your safeties are typically going to be in-state publics so SUNYs would be the best. Try and work with your GC to find safeties that are a private and maybe smaller than SUNYs.
SUNY Geneseo has an engineering program set up with Columbia. You begin at Geneseo and continue on to Columbia after your third year to complete the degree. That might be something to look into.
OP may qualify for a merit scholarship at Rice University. Rice is lower cost than similiar elite privates.
With that income … depending on various other factors (family size, assets, etc.) … you might qualify for rather substantial need-based aid grants from schools like UChicago or Cornell (which claim to cover “full demonstrated need”). A quick-and-dirty run of Cornell’s NPC shows me an estimated net price of about $24K after aid (based of course on a few assumptions about home equity, etc.)
What really matters, though, is not only the estimated family contribution but also how much of that your family is able and willing to cover. Sit down and run the NPC (or ask your parents to do it) for any schools that interest you. About 60 other colleges claim to meet full need. Many are excellent but less selective than those two. You won’t necessarily get lower net prices based on merit awards from “match” colleges.
You should keep Cornell on your list. Don’t apply ED if it isn’t your favorite but you have a shot with RD.
@tk21769 I don’t know how you got such a low NPC. I went to their site and used $150k income, $10k taxes, 1 other child, $0 investments and cash, and $0 home equity. I got a net price of $40k+. If I start adding realistic savings and home equity, I get to $50k in a hurry.
Depends on your finances and how interested you are in engineering. UChicago has its Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, which really follows three tracks, chemical, biological, and quantum physics. Currently the Dean of the School was cherry picked from UCB where he was Chair of the Bio engineering department. If you were interested in other types of engineering then Cornell would be a better choice.
@twogirls I have gone over the NPC for Cornell with my parents. They have told me to not worry about the tuition, which I am concerned about. I understand they want the best for me and have been saving money- but yes, for me, tuition is a concern. I’m considering engineering physics as Cornell as it would allow me to pay off my debts relatively quickly after graduating (in comparison to a physice degree) while still doing what I
like. (Sorry, I accidentally hit post comment without finishing)
It seems you intend to apply to the College of Engineering (rather than CAS)?
Engineering has so many sub-specialties now that, if you are not certain of what you want to pursue as an undergraduate, you can waste a lot of time and money. In part, this is because it isn’t the school or university that is accredited, but the individual program. For example, at MIT, you no longer just apply to the School of Engineering; you have a choice of eight different ABET-approved courses of study to which you must apply directly from high school. And, from the moment you arrive as a freshman, you must start fulfilling all sorts of prerequisites as a stepping stone towards taking an actual course in engineering.
That’s pretty much the par for the course at any doctoral granting research university. However, that isn’t the only route one can take to enter the field. If you want to allow yourself a more or less “normal” college experience, one that involves experimenting with different approaches to learning (I would think this especially true of someone with a serious background in music or the arts), you can get a strong STEM foundation at a highly respected liberal arts college (LAC), fulfill a lot of the pre-reqs mentioned above, and go on to pursue a graduate degree in engineering.
Wesleyan is one such LAC. It is strong in STEM (multiple Apker Prize winners over the past ten years), strong in the arts, generous with financial aid and has been doing a lot of thinking in this area:
https://www.wesleyan.edu/ideas/
Cornell is $75k+. Chicago is $80k+., without financial aid, which may or may not be in the picture depending on assets, home ownership , family business etc. For this year. Likely more next year. Is this a concern? Cornell gives zero merit awards. Chicago highly unlikely to give you any.
@circuitrider, your comments about MIT’s admission process are not correct. MIT’s materials state, "When you apply to MIT, you don’t apply to a specific school or department; you apply to MIT as a whole. … Students are free to select any major; there is no separate application process for entry into a major, department, or school.
^It’s true, @lostaccount, it does say that on MIT’s Admissions page. And, there’s also a lot of rhetoric about the “flexibility” of its curriculum. But, way at the bottom of its Academics page, the very last sentence - almost as a footnote - states:
https://engineering.mit.edu/academics/undergraduate/
And, then it lists eight different courses of study, including Aeronautics and Astrophysics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Biological Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Nuclear Science and Engineering. If 2019 applicants are not applying to the departments themselves (as the sentence clearly implies), then, at the very least, they are declaring a major, as is often the case at many large research universities. I apologize for the over interpretation.
I’ve found that after running the NPC, my tuition would most likely be 30 to 50 thousand at most of my target/reach colleges. My parents have told me to not worry about the tuition, and while I appreciate that they want the best for me I am concerned about the financial burden of 40k per year. They do have a savings account for me that would only cover around two years. I definitely do not want them going beyond that account into their retirement funds.
A good affordable safety for me would be the University of Rochester. One of my parents has been a faculty member for the past ten years, so I would get a very large scholarship. Looking at my school’s Naviance (many many students from my school have applied there, so I have a large amount of data), I have a high chance of getting in. But again, the University of Rochester feels too familiar and close to home, and I would much prefer to experience college in a new environment to broaden my perspective. My parents have also encouraged me to look outside of Rochester.
Another possibility for me would be to add another reach school that gives great financial aid. For me, this would most likely be Princeton (strong physics/engineering and liberal artsy). I know my SAT score is fine (just below their 75th percentile) but my GPA is questionable, so it would be a very high reach- I feel like adding Princeton would be kind of pointless. I also do not love their eating clubs (it feels elitist).
In my opinion telling you “not to worry about the tuition” is very different than saying “we have $300,000 saved up for your education.” Attending a school when your family only has the means to pay for the first two years is not the best idea. How will they pay for the third and fourth year? Can they easily afford loan payments…would they be able to make those monthly loan payments if they had to make them today?
I would apply to some reach schools that come in at around $30,000 rather than $50,000 on the NPCs. Would those schools be affordable for all 4 years? I would also focus on academic/financial safeties that are a good fit for you.
Remember…many strong students do not attend their reach schools due to finances.