<p>Hi all,
I’m a current junior and trying to figure out where I want to apply. My top schools are Harvard and Princeton but obviously those are reach schools for all so I’m trying to find safeties/matches to apply to. I have family in the East Coast so I want to find some there (I live in California). I’ve been told UC Berkeley is around a match for me. What schools in the East Coast are around the level of UCB in terms of reputation, education, etc. (I don’t need to worry about cost since I have very low income and will definitely qualify for aid). I’m interested in biology and chemistry although not necessarily on a premed track. I may consider engineering also.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, most colleges in the US do not meet need. In state residents get a discount and california residents are so lucky to have Cal Grants etc so that attending UC’s is not too painful. Outside of CA, the only colleges that meet need and cover 100% of it (ie, best choices for low-income students who don’t want to be gapped) are listed here:
<a href=“Colleges with Need-Blind Admission for U.S. Students”>Colleges with Need-Blind Admission for U.S. Students;
Start exploring those located on the East Coast.</p>
<p>Consider Davidson College in North Carolina. Meets need WITHOUT loans (Princeton also meets need with no loans). Washington University in St. Louis is not east coast, but mid-west, and meets need without loans.</p>
<p>Personally, if you cannot get into Princeton or Harvard, I recommend staying in California and going to one of its excellent UC branches – Berkeley, UCLA, UC-Irvine, or UC-San Diego. </p>
<p>Avoid students loans if at all possible. Also consider looking at small liberal arts colleges (such as Davidson, above) which often will give generous scholarships to students with excellent SAT/ACT scores.</p>
<p>When reviewing the list of “100% meet needs” colleges, also take into account that some/many are also “need aware”. These schools take into account your need for aid as part of the admissions process. </p>
<p>I was thinking along the lines of schools that meet demonstrated need. Do you have any recommendations from that list to start looking more closely at? I don’t know much on east coast schools. The UCs are backup in case I have no choice but I’d prefer private schools.</p>
<p>Many of the schools that meet full demonstrated need have very competitive admissions.</p>
<p>For example, if you look at Kiplinger’s best value in private universities, most of the schools in its top 25 are ranked within the top 25 in U.S. News (the exceptions are Tufts, Elon, and Boston College.) All of these schools have very competitive admissions:</p>
<p>The “most comparable” east coast schools to Berkeley in terms of some obvious characteristics (big public schools with good overall reputation, and offer good financial aid for California residents) are University of Virginia and University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, but even those are different in many ways (for example, if you want to major in engineering, Virginia Tech and North Carolina State University are usually considered better choices; they are cheaper at list price but with worse financial aid).</p>
<p>For financial aid, go to each college and search for the “net price calculator” to get an estimate of financial aid and net price. Do not assume that all “meets full need” schools will produce similar financial aid packages or net prices. They may differ considerably because:</p>
<ul>
<li>Their calculation of “need” may differ (most schools have their own methodology and additional forms beyond FAFSA, although UCs and CSUs use FAFSA only).</li>
<li>Their expected student contribution varies (typically between $4,000 and $10,000 per year; note that direct loans are limited to $5,500 for frosh year, and student work earnings expectations are typically $3,000 to $5,000 per year).</li>
</ul>
<p>Some “meets full need” schools may have more expensive net prices for you than some schools which do not “meet full need”.</p>
<p>If you have Berkeley-level stats (3.7+ unweighted GPA and 700+ each SAT section or 3.9+ unweighted GPA and 600+ each SAT section for Letters and Science, or 3.9+ unweighted GPA and 700+ each SAT section for Engineering), then you may also want to consider some of the full ride merit scholarships:</p>
<p>Look at Wash U in St Louis. Smart motivated kids. Lots of them there on scholarships. Lots of east coast kids but more laid back and collaborative which might appeal to a California raised student. Tons of options from great engineering to sciences (awesome med school) and outstanding business. Not many kids from Missouri so everyone is far away from home. </p>
<p>Unless you specify what the weighting method is, weighted GPA is meaningless. What is more meaningful is your unweighted GPA (or UC/CSU weighted GPA for UC/CSU applications).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>$99,999 per year is not “low income”; it is about double the median household income in the US. Even the most generous “meet full need” schools will expect some parent contribution (in addition to student contribution) at this parental income level.</p>
<p>Run the net price calculators on every school’s web site to get estimates.</p>
<p>4.6 is the UC GPA (4.625 now after semester grades)
I should have clarified that my actual income for the purpose of applications is 0 because I have no income in the US.</p>
<p>You said you live in California but have no income. Are you a dependent student? Are you a california resident for tuition purposes? If so, just go to school in California. </p>
<p>You need to realize that even with a low EFC, if you are relying on need based aid only, a good deal of meeting your need is going to come from loans at any public school unless you also get merit money.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if it’s capped or uncapped. My unweighted is 3.974 ish. For purposes I am a California resident and permanent resident (I have a green card). My income comes directly from Korea so I technically have 0 income that’s reportable through taxes</p>
<p>The usual UC/CSU GPA caps honors +1 points to 8 semesters’ worth. This is typically about 29% to 40% of one’s a-g courses in 10th-11th grade, assuming 20 to 28 semesters’ worth of courses. So UC/CSU GPA is typically about 0.29 to 0.40 higher than unweighted 10th-11th grade GPA in a-g courses for students who took lots of honors or AP courses in 10th-11th grades.</p>
<p>Foreign income to persons in the US is reportable for US taxes, and US income tax may be owed on it, but such US income taxes may be reduced by credits for foreign income taxes paid on that same income.</p>
<p>A couple of us have mentioned Washington University in St. Louis. Definitely in similar league as Berkeley. I remember seeing where their students are among the happiest in America. Apparently they really like being at WUSL. Again they meet full need without loans.</p>
<p>Also consider University of Rochester, especially if you are interested in majoring in any sciences or engineering. Maybe check out Johns Hopkins University too. Carnegie-Mellon University is also excellent.</p>
<p>* I’m not sure if it’s capped or uncapped. My unweighted is 3.974 ish. For purposes I am a California resident and permanent resident (I have a green card). My income comes directly from Korea so I technically have 0 income that’s reportable through taxes *</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that’s not the way this works, especially not for schools that require the CSS PROFILE. Even the FAFSA asks if you have any income that’s not included in your adjusted gross income, so I don’t think just the fact that all of your income is internationally earned will qualify you as “low-income”, especially not at the kinds of schools that meet full need. They are going to be asking more questions about your income, because they get hundreds of international students (and thousands of applicants) each year.</p>