Schools like University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, and Kent State seem like larger schools that would work accordingly to your stats. However smaller schools such as Bluffton, Walsh, and U of Akron would give more aid. Do you have an idea as to what you might want to go into that way you could apply to schools accordingly? (I have also heard OU gives a fair amount of aid as well)
Agree with @mrp1027 & with @intparent that some of my suggested schools are significant reaches for you. Nevertheless, I ask you to consider these schools regardless of admission rates and regardless of your stats because I think that your numbers do not reflect your intellect & accomplishments. Once you have interest in one, two or three of my suggestions, I will be happy to assist you via private message in the selection of an essay topic & in editing & critiquing your essay. ( In the past, I have performed this service free of charge to law school applicants to the nation’s most selective law schools.)
No guarantees, but no need to undersell yourself either.
P.S. It is best to only work with one editor on any piece of writing as there are subtleties that may not be recognized by another editor which risks disrupting the natural flow of one’s writing.
A student with a 3.2 UW and 26 ACT might get the equivalent of s 3.4 and 28 boost through strong communications and ECs. OP is first gen, but I think otherwise unhooked. I would not expect more, nor would I focus on higher ranked schools until you have solid safeties and matches identified.
Of course, OP should apply to targets & safeties as well. Also, I do not think that OP is unhooked. In fact, I find several hooks including the obvious first generation college student. Many try to define “hooked”, but the list of obvious “hooks” is not exhaustive; sometimes hooks have to be illustrated in an applicant’s essays & highlighted by one’s achievements.
Ncf would be a safety and likely affordable. (run the NPC).
Being gay is not a URM. The only thing that might, might help with a Vassar admission is first gen. Otherwise it is a big reach.
Consider one of the Ohio State regional campuses for a safety.
The Marion campus offers some education degrees and if you wanted to specialize in one you couldn’t complete there then transitioning to main campus would be a smooth process since you would be starting and completing your degree at the same university. Regional campuses are also smaller and can feel more like LACs with small student bodies (1,000 at Marion), smaller classes, easy access to professors, academic support/tutoring and honors programs you could get into after doing well.
Regional campuses are open admission for in state students graduating from Ohio high schools and you may qualify for additional automatic merit aid depending on class rank. (starts at $1500 for top 65% in Marion)
First-Choice" Incentive*
Apply for freshman admission directly to Ohio State Marion as your “first-choice” Ohio State campus for the fall semester of 2019 by December 1, 2018 and receive an additional $500 in addition to the above amounts.
- All components of the application (online form, $60 application fee or approved fee waiver and official transcript/s) must be received by the December 1 deadline in order to qualify.
https://osumarion.osu.edu/students/financial-aid/marion-scholarship-information.html
Need based aid (for eligible students) will fill in gaps to cover full tuition after one successful (gpa minimum must be met) semester.
Each regional campus offers different things but they all offer a significant tuition savings ($7500/yr v $12500/yr) over Columbus campus. Look at their merit aid pages, degrees that could be completed, student housing options (some have dorms - Marion has a private student housing complex within walking distance) and pick one as your admission and financial safety.
Then you’ll have a solid plan if your reaches don’t work out.
“I’d like to stay at no more than $15,000 net total a year.”
The maximum freshman can borrow is $5,500. Where is the other $9,500 coming from?
@BuckeyeMWDSG I’ll have that amount saved up by next fall from working this summer, during the school year, and the next summer, and my mom has saved a bit over the years to help get me started.
@Publisher Thank you so much for everything. I’ve got a list of targets/safeties in my state that I’ll be visiting in the next month or two, so hopefully I’ll be able to narrow it down after that and have a solid list soon. After that’s set, I’ll start to look into high reaches like the ones you’ve mentioned and will be in contact. In the mean time, I hope to work to get my ACT up to a 30 so that those high reaches will seem a little more realistic.
Thank you again.
@intparent Where exactly is the additional comment section where I could include that on a common app? The only open response portions I’ve seen were the common app essay section and the supplementary essay section if a school has one, but that would be great if there was another comment section!
Thank you for letting me know about the free applications, I had no idea sending test scores wasn’t included in fees.
I’ll check out Dickinson and work to get my ACT up a few more points.
@mrp1027: Thank you for responding. I am only interested in assisting you with your reach schools as I have an essay topic & strategy in mind.
I still have to visit a lot of schools to narrow this down, but does this seem like a good list to start with? Right now MOHO is my top school, followed by Smith and Hampshire. Do I have a decent chance there (MOHO) especially if I’m able to visit/interview?
Reaches
Mount Holyoke
Smith
Clark
Target
Hampshire
Wooster
Earlham
Miami U
Allegheny
Safety
Ohio Weslyan
U Cincinnati
Ohio University
Very High Reaches
Vassar
Amherst
Wesleyan
Grinnell
I was also wondering if the Coalition Application would be better for me since my strengths are in the things I did outside of the classroom, which I could likely better emphasize there. Does anyone know a lot about it and suggest I use that for some schools who accept it like MOHO?
Has the Common App done away with the section called “Additional Information”? It has been a couple years since my kids filled it out. I hadn’t heard that it was eliminated, though.
Obviously your numbers (GPA & ACT) are a concern, but you have a very interesting story & some notable accomplishments.
First generation college student from a low income single parent household. You have held responsible jobs, dealt with & overcame challenging circumstances–unfortunately at the expense of your GPA, led an organization, musically talented & have created, organized & taught a class for credit. This is a significant & noteworthy achievement in my opinion.
You love learning, are intellectually curious, know how to apply your knowledge, skills & talents to benefit others.
Your communication skills are strong & effective. In fact, you want to further expand your communication skills through film making.
You are a leader. Show how your leadership positions yielded positive results through caring about others, hard work & effective communication skills (which include listening skills).
Does this help ?
In my opinion, your numbers do accurately reflect your talent, achievements & abilities. Will your teacher recommendations agree ? (You need them to stress this point if you apply with your current numbers.)
Schools want leaders. Leaders communicate, organize & achieve goals. Leaders use their talents, skills, knowledge & focused energy to help others & to achieve goals. Is this you ?
Error in my post #34 above. I left out the word “not” in the 7th paragraph.
Should read: “In my opinion, your numbers do NOT accurately reflect your talent, achievements & abilities.”
Your teacher recs need to agree.
Sorry for the error, but I had to rush to an appointment.
A lot of schools on your list will require you to file the CSS Profile to get financial aid.
https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx
You can estimate what federal aid you qualify for using the FAFSA forecaster. https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/estimate
Although some of the specifics are a little out of date this article gives a good overview of how the financial aid system works in general and describes differences between the FAFSA and CSS Profile. https://www.forbes.com/sites/troyonink/2017/01/08/2017-guide-to-college-financial-aid-the-fafsa-and-css-profile/#64a9dd154cd4
Make sure when you are comparing your offers in the spring that you have a plan to pay for all four years. It seems like you are a good saver and know how to earn money. Keep in mind the cash flows needed as well as overall budget. Also pay attention to the stacking policies for outside scholarships/aid that may or may not reduce your net price depending on the financial aid policies of the schools.
@intparent Just found it! I was looking in the wrong section. Thank you for pointing this out I had no idea it existed and it’s just what I needed!
Be concise in that section. No extra essays. But a few sentences on your issues could be helpful.
And I’m going to be honest. Amherst is out of reach for you. Likely Wes as well. Focus on the rest of your list.
@mrp1027 & @intparent: intparent is a realist; I am an idealist.
Yes, by typical parameters of standardized test scores & GPA, Amherst College & Wesleyan University are reach schools for you, but I believe that your numbers do not adequately convey your abilities & challenges overcome.
You have notable achievements & sought after qualities that make you worthy of admission to either school.