Last I checked Villanova is just over 23%
This makes Villanova University a bit of a reach for the OP about 76% to 87% of admits are in the top 10% of their high school class (only 20% submitted class rank) depending upon which Villanova University source one uses (CDS or Villanova’s website).
I would put Bates and Grinnell into the reach category as well, given their sub-15% acceptance rates.
Not sure what data you are using but Villanova’s most recent CDS shows ~76% of students were in top 10% of their HS. BUT only 20% of students and their HS transcripts reported rank. That’s not enough data alone (76% of 20%) to draw conclusions for OP. I would defer to OP’s HS counselor for categorization of colleges on the list, as they have the best context of OP’s performance within their class cohort.
If OP were admitted to Villanova, it’s unlikely it will be affordable.
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do you think I should send a 3rd email to umass about the Dublin program or wait a bit.
Are you communicating with your AO or whoever reads the general emails?
Best to communicate with your AO if possible. I would circle back now and say you did look in the portal and only see the Falls River option and not the Dublin one. Then directly ask if Dublin is still an option. Good luck.
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i was emailing the admissions office not the AO specifically so i’ll give him a try thanks!
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You’re missing the point.
Forget strong in finance. You need affordability. Schools like Bana, U Houston, Kansas and more place on Wall Street. Going to a target (which is made up by someone who sourced data) means zero for you.
Btw - you know who has IB alums? Loyola Chicago. Per Linkedin, more than a handful. Maybe reach out - ask about their path.
If you’re going to be in finance, learn about affordability. The odds of you landing an IB job from IU are not strong - at the same time, it’s not impossible to land one from most any school.
The odds of you spending too much $ (you’ll get into Bentley - but can you afford it) - so the odds of you straining your family - very high.
So choosing a non-target doesn’t end the dream, just like going to a target assures nothing - and then there’s the likelihood that you might pivot from wanting to be in IB anyway - a point @blossom brought up (maybe not directly but it validates their thought that there’s so much more within the discipline).
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This is what we don’t know for any school - like Nova or those that meet need.
A student’s budget (and this one seems wide) doesn’t mean the school’s agree - for all we know, this could be a full pay student.
I saw your list of schools and I’m wondering why you applied to many of them if you didn’t consider paying the prices? As a Finance/Econ major, that would have been my first concern.
The UC schools would put you at $80K per year. California schools are really good, but are very expensive and some don’t have the Finance major. Plus, at California public schools, if you’re not a resident, you won’t receive a dime of financial aid from the state. Most of the California publics have limited dollars, so if there’s a scholarship available, it will run about it $2000 per year. (Your flight expenses.)
The Cal States like SDSU and Long Beach might have been better choices at $42K per year. Boston is very unaffordable so I am puzzled how you arrived at all of the unaffordable school choices?
If USC needs the money, they might accept you, but you’re looking at $100k per year after all expenses come in. (It’s not called the University of Spoiled Children for nothing.)
I don’t think you should feel hopeless because you’ve already been accepted into a good school, but I think you’ll have issues as you get more acceptances that have high price tags.
True, but I took cues from OP stating a few things: they are first gen, applied to some schools because they were free, and they didn’t have money to apply elsewhere. Hopefully OP will lend some clarity.
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I was pretty unrealistic when I made my list and I did not fully understand affordability the way I should have. I focused too much on school names and strong finance reputations and not enough on what the cost would actually be. Some schools were free to apply to so I added them anyway, but looking back I was definitely ignorant about the money side of this. I’m trying to be more realistic now and focus on options that are actually affordable for me.
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If this was covered, I missed it…but don’t many schools offer application fee waivers for income levels that qualify?
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we did not qualify for that unfortunately.
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Thank you all for your insights and reassurance. I will likely post again when more decisions come through, and if push comes to shove, I can always attend Fall River for a semester then attend Isenberg for in-state tuition. Thank you all!
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I used Villanova University’s website for the Class of 2029 profile which states that 87% in the top 10% for those who submitted class rank:
First of all, you only need one affordable acceptance. If you get 100 rejections and one good affordable acceptance then you are going to a good university in September. If you get 100 very good affordable acceptances, then you are still only going to one university in September.
This is one very good acceptance. It sounds like it is just affordable for you. Hopefully you will still get a more affordable option, but if you don’t you do have a very good university to attend.
Regarding the affordability of it, I do not know your family’s finances. This is something that you are going to need to figure out before you start university. You should only start university if you have a realistic plan to pay for all four years. However it sounds from what you said as if this is just affordable given the aid that you were offered.
I am still hoping that you get into U.Mass. Given that you are in-state I would also hope that it will be affordable for you if you do get accepted. One daughter was accepted with stats that don’t look much different from yours, but this was years ago and a different major.
Regarding your remaining schools: If you get into UCLA or UCB they will not be even remotely affordable for you as an out of state student. USC and WUSTL look like high reaches for you, as do NYU and Colby. I also have no clue whether any of these would be affordable in the unlikely event that you get in. UC San Diego looks more likely for admissions, but I think that affordability is probably hopeless. I think that you still have a decent chance for Bentley, SMU, Fordham and maybe U of Miami, although I have no clue whether any would be affordable (the NPC might give you a good hint if you have run it, or had a parent run it). I think that you might or might not get an acceptance somewhere else from this list. I think that there is a pretty good chance that you still have one or more acceptances to come.
For the schools that you haven’t heard from, no news is just that, no news. It does not tell you anything about what result is likely. Sometimes schools send their acceptances out first. Sometimes schools send some rejections first, and some later. Sometimes you hear nothing for months, and then eventually get a rejection. I know of at least one case where a student thought that a school was a safety, but did not hear anything back for a long time. Then they found out “through the grapevine” that someone in admissions had been sick delaying results about the same time that they discovered that the school had been delaying their acceptance to send a very good merit scholarship award at the same time (a bit of gloom turned into a happy smile rather quickly in this case). They ended up going there and doing very well. You just never know until you hear back.
No news is just no news. Imply nothing from it. Have some ice cream and be patient.
Right now you have one very good acceptance. If it is affordable that it all that you need.
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Based on what you said earlier today, about wanting to add Penn State, I’m not sure you learned the error of this yet.
Don’t count on UMASS unless it’s assured - but I named other schools that would be cheaper (lower than $30K).
All, including Loyola, put people in Wall Street type jobs even if in other cities.
I appreciate you sharing this openly, that reality check is healthy.
Your profile is stronger than you think. Bocconi rejection doesn’t translate to US prospects (different market). Your actual position: 1470 SAT + 3.7 UW GPA + first-gen + Hispanic + finance focus is compelling for business schools. Loyola acceptance proves you’re getting in places.
The real problem isn’t your profile, it’s cost + list calibration.
As for the cost aspect: Many remaining schools cost $75-85k+. You can realistically afford $35-55k. This is the actual constraint.
Schools likely to offer acceptable aid:
∙ Indiana Kelley, SMU, Bentley, Penn State Smeal, University of Miami
Schools that will be hard to afford:
∙ NYU Stern, BC, Notre Dame, Villanova, WUSTL, UCLA, USC, Berkeley
I also want to reply to some of your questions directly. If you get into Kelley with insufficient aid? Take it. Kelley is solid for finance recruiting and better value than full-price Stern or WUSTL.
Apply to Penn State Smeal rolling admission? Yes, this week. You’re well above their stats and they do good merit aid.
Best $35-50k schools: Kelley, Penn State Smeal, Bentley, Miami, SMU, Fordham Gabelli, Michigan State, Ohio State.
At the end of the day, you’re not delusional. You just didn’t weight affordability properly (extremely common for first-gen students). Apply to Penn State now, assume Loyola might be your actual backup, and be prepared to turn down expensive reaches if aid doesn’t work. Finance recruiting depends 70% on your hustle, not the school name. You’ll be fine.
What’s your FAFSA EFC, if you know?
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Since the last couple of years, NYU meets full demonstrated need for admitted students. Families earning less than $100k do not pay tuition. (Don’t know if OP falls into this bracket)