<p>Thanks intparent and Mom2kids for the response. I really appreciate the honesty and the help! </p>
<p>I am going to take both ACT and SAT again after some studying. If I don’t meet the cutoff, my ability is just not where it needs to be for Mudd. I understand that the STEM curriculum is rigorous (that’s why I found it awesome) and that the school is great. I am going to try my best and if I get in, I get in. If I don’t, it might just means that it’s not right for me. </p>
<p>But I am definitely not applying early if finance is a problem, especially not until I visit the college. I might be going to CA in the fall to visit some colleges so I’ll wait until I visit the college to decide whether to apply for ED or not. I don’t know what I was thinking considering ED when I haven’t visited! </p>
<p>Thanks for the college suggestions! Honestly HMC is the only school I have done very, very in-depth research on. I looked into some other colleges, but I did not like those very much. This list is a true gift! </p>