ED/REA/RD list help [3.8UW at boarding school w/1550 SAT, 35 ACT for bio or engineeering, <$40k from parents]

Chance Me / Match Me
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US citizen
NJ
Top boarding school
athlete recruit possible
FA needed
Biology engineering or engineering related
3.8 unweighted
15-20% class rank
SAT 1550 ACT 35
all stem AP (5) AP English, APUS, AP Econ
Math multi variable (12th) Biology research
school chamber 3 years ( 10 years string)

Awards: science fair state award, 1st author paper

varsity captains, individual events qualify for national

3 years stem summer camp instructor @ local college
3 month paid internship at a research lab @ junior year
3 month independent researcher with professor online @ senior year

3 top D3 athlete pre read are processing. What’s the target, match and safe schools suggestion in case the pre read did not pass. Would prefer engineering or pre med . Thanks

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You go to a top boarding school. Talk to your counselors there to see where kids like you get in.

Also you’re an athlete. That could change things. And you’ll need a budget. Saying I need aid means little in this context. Some schools full pay cost less than others with aid. So need a dollar figure.

What type of school do you like -

Rural, urban or in between

Small, medium, or large.

Weather.

Sports ? Greek ?

Religious ?

Thanks

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Thanks to your reply.

Small and rural, nerdy and quiet school, does not matter about religion and weather. Strong stem or pre med with good FA is excellent.

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How much financial aid do you need? That could be a major driver in your college search.

Agree…talk to your private school college counselor.

And have your parents run the net price calculators on the college sites for places of interest.

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School counselor thought my schools are very selective and need add several safety schools. My family income is about 80K so I need some FA. Wonder if need blind schools are good in my case

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You haven’t told us what colleges you have chosen.

Need blind is an admissions term. It means that your financial need won’t be considered when your application for admission is reviewed.

In terms of money…perhaps you meant schools that meet full need for all accepted students. Is that what you mean?

You need to speak to your school college counselor about your college choices. Those folks know how students from your school do with college admissions at certain colleges.

You need to find affordable options…and they are out there.

This is an unusual combination of characteristics. You can do premed courses almost anywhere.

What kind of “nerdy”?

I’ll let @tsbna44 explain University of Alabama and why it’s great for premeds, and it could be a good cost for you.

Are you a national merit semifinalist?

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I’m confused. Have you been offered roster spots if the pre-reads are passed? There are very few schools where a 1550 SAT with 3.8 gpa at a top boarding schools would not pass a pre-read. Have you been recruited at other schools or just these three? Are you looking for suggestions where you could continue your sport?

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One more question…what year are you in high school? I ask because athletic recruiting is or has taken place for those who are entering their senior years of high school. For that…you need to speak to your sport coach.

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Reach: Caltech, Duke, Cornell, JHU and UPenn

Others: WashU, Northwestern, Emory, UIUC, UMich, GIT, UVA and CMU, Williams

Safe: state university, Purdue

Pre read under process from some D3 school

My counselor thought I need more safety schools

What do you think about this list?

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2025

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As tentative ideas, look into the University of Rochester if you would like to pursue an engineering major and Carleton and Haverford if you would be satisfied with standard premed courses and a non-engineering major, such as biology, chemistry, or biochemistry.

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Even if I pass the pre read, coach usually will pick the top list, I am not sure if I will be on the top list.

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My opinion…these are all reaches.

How will you pay for Purdue or UIUC or UMich?

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Yes, I am a national merit semifinalist.

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Let me ask you - you mentioned bio or engineering. Presuming bio engineering.

Some smaller schools have engineering but most don’t and bio might be harder to find at a small school.

Schools like Harding, Mount Union, Rose Hulman can work for your engineering major but maybe not financially. Your parents need to run the school’s net price calculator - one below.

Lafayette has engineering and meets need. So could work. But it won’t be bio engineering per se

If engineering was out, lots could slide in. But if you want engineering you should not pass on it.

Alabama isn’t what you want but to @thumper1 point you’d be $20k a year all in based on stats and they have the McCullough pre med program which would give you a great cohort.

https://bannerssb.rose-hulman.edu/BanSS/RHIT_NPCALC.P_StudentInfo

https://npc.collegeboard.org/app/lafayette/start

https://mccolloughscholars.as.ua.edu/program-description/

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Thanks! I am thinking about BME because all of my ECs ( research about one disease and internship at medical school) but my parents consider the expense. So I am OK with both bio engineering or pre med

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Look at your list. I see Williams.

No one else fits.

And many of those you’ll get into but won’t get aid. Can you afford $60k plus for UIUC ? No

But guess what - U of Tulsa - not rural but in a suburban part of Tulsa will be free. Great school. Has engineering. Nmsf is the golden ticket. And it’s a fine school and 25% if it’s class is NM. They are buying in brilliance. It’s always been a great name but they’ve stepped it up big time.

Your list is literally opposite of what you desire sans Williams. And I don’t know your budget but at $80k income, the UIUC and Michigan types won’t be affordable. Plenty of those kids - 1500+ from Illinois alone go to Bama. For an OOS kid to all, it’s 1/3 the cost of UIUC with your stats and 1/4 the cost of Michigan. Mine chose it over Purdue - which is low 40s a year. They buy their share

But based on what you are seeking - none of these large publics remotely work imho.

What’s your home state ?

I added the Williams net price calculator. Is it affordable ? Your family can fill out and determine. No engineering though so is it the right choice ? If you think you may want to study engineering and have it’s on average superior earning potential, then it’s not the right choice unless you did a 5 year program (instead of four) which would require a transfer after 3 years to a school with engineering.

https://utulsa.edu/tuition-aid/scholarships/nmsf/

https://npc.collegeboard.org/app/williams

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Pre med is not a major. It’s an intention. You can be an English major and pre med.

Pick the major you want…not the one you think will match ECs or look better.

If you want to study engineering, pick it.

If you are unsure, go to a school like Lafayette or Union that has it.

If you don’t want to, then don’t. It’s life. It’s not a game.

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Small, nerdy and rural?

Maybe Grinnell? Rose Hulman?

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Yes, Tulsa would be a great full-ride safety.

Also check out the National Merit package at UT-Dallas. It isn’t small and rural (suburban, with 21K undergraduates), but it’s “nerdy,” and you’d be in the Honors College which, with 1300 students, is the size of a small LAC. Large percentage of Asian students here (if I’m guessing correctly from your username, and if that matters to you.) If you’re torn between life sciences and tech, you might check out their Cognitive Science major which has both computer science content (the school’s greatest strength) and bio/neuroscience content, with students choosing their concentration within the major.

Another smaller, “nerdy” school where you’d get big merit is U of Alabama Huntsville. It isn’t rural, but it’s in the Appalachian foothills of northern AL, so there’s lots of nice nature nearby. Only 7K undergrads, and great for STEM. It wouldn’t be a full ride, but it could well be in-budget - run the NPC and see.

Tulsa and UTD are D3, and UAH is D2, so depending on your sport, they might have athletic possibilities for you also.

Clarkson is a small, rural D3 school that’s strong for both engineering and pre-health. They don’t guarantee full-need-met aid, but they’re fairly generous with merit, so it doesn’t seem farfetched that you could get the aid you need here through a combination of need-based aid and merit. It would be a safety admissions-wise; run the NPC to see how it looks money-wise.

Harvey Mudd fits the pattern of schools that interest you (small and nerdy but part of a larger consortium with 7K students total. Not rural, but quiet suburban. Similar rigor to nearby Caltech but far more undergraduate-focused.). Its D3 teams are shared with Scripps and Claremont McKenna. Run the NPC to see if the aid would be sufficient.

Union in NY could be worth a look. D3, meets need, has engineering, but has only 2100 students. A little more urban than you want, but it has lots of green space, and Schenectady isn’t an overwhelming city.

Have you considered Swarthmore and/or Lafayette? Seconding Rochester too.

JHU and Penn are pretty urban for what you say you want; have you considered Dartmouth? (Not “nerdy” per se but at least rural.) GT is nerdy, for sure, but very urban and likely not affordable unless you get one of the ultra-competitive Stamps scholarships. Purdue doesn’t seem “safe” financially. Also not sure how UIUC or UMich would be affordable. UVA and UNC are the only OOS publics that meet need. Has your counselor helped you to assess affordability?

You have safe in-state options in NJ though, which hopefully would be affordable, plus the big merit schools.

You didn’t specify gender, unless I missed it; Smith has engineering and could be a great option if you’re female.

Good luck - let us know what you’re thinking after looking at the suggestions that have been made.

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