Zinhead
January 13, 2016, 4:39pm
34
So basically, your parents can’t afford your EFC? If they are not willing to sign loans for you, then how will you pay?
I think you should also apply to schools where you can receive a guaranteed full tution award and to schools where you can compete for a very large merit award.
That is very good advice. The OP states:
I’ve been working extremely hard in high school to make myself a candidate for these colleges, and I can say that I have a fair chance at many of them (multiracial female who wants to major in astrophysics or physics, 35 ACT, all 5’s on 6 AP exams so far, club officer positions, work in a lab, published research, etc.).
So far, my non-safety list consists of Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Bowdoin, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Colby, and Caltech. I still want to look at Middlebury, Carleton, and Williams, and then narrow the list down from there.
I don’t think any of these schools give merit aid. However, with a 35 ACT, the OP should able to get some very strong offers from a wide variety of ranked schools. A quick way to filter for merit aid is Kiplinger’s website. Just sort for schools that offer non-need based aid:
http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-private-colleges/index.php?table=all