OP, I think you’d be much more “screwed” if you weren’t a US citizen. If you were an international applicant with high financial need, then yes, you’d probably need the very high SAT score you wanted, to compete for the limited funded spots available.
Luckily, you’re a domestic applicant. Lots of domestic applicants with strong transcripts like yours apply test optional… plus, a 1390 is fine for many good schools.
However…
Were you targeting Maryland and Georgia in hopes of getting one of their very competitive full rides? Those are long shots for almost everyone, and I’m not sure how a non-resident family “in a tight spot financially” could afford these schools otherwise.
Wake, on the other hand, would meet your documented need if you got in. The possible problem there is that if your dad’s job loss is recent, your first-year aid could be automatically based on his income while he was still working. (Although, worst-case, you could defer a year to let the FAFSA catch up with your financial reality.)
Looking at Wake’s Common Data Set…
- They do not give a lot of weight to test scores when evaluating your application. GPA, Class Rank, Rigor, and Essay are all “very important,” but standardized test scores are merely “considered if submitted.”
- In the most recent CDS, only 26% of entering students submitted an SAT score when they applied, and 22% submitted the ACT. So at minimum, 52% of entering students were test-optional - possibly more if the SAT and ACT-submitting groups overlapped.
- So yes, your 1390 is below 25th percentile, but that’s only among the less-than-half of students who submitted scores, who are obviously the higher-scoring <half.
- Your bigger possible disadvantage at Wake is that they aren’t need-blind, so requiring a lot of financial aid may put you at a disadvantage, but it’s hard to say to what extent. Many need-aware schools only consider financial need for “toss-up” students; if they really want to admit you on the first pass, they may not look at financials at all.
So, why Wake in particular? Have you run their Net Price Calculator?
If it appears that you’d get enough aid, and it’s your true favorite among schools that meet need, then applying Early Decision could help your chances.