Is this a smart move when applying to colleges?

collegemom3717
Fri, 26 Jun 2020 16:16:13 +0000

Look at Amherst, Bowdoin, Davidson, Pomona, Rice and Swarthmore for viable reach schools (and Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford for lottery reach schools) that will meet full need with no loans.

As you do, pick out the schools you find most interesting to you- and then research ‘schools like X college’ looking for match and safety schools to add.

If you are female, you sound like a great candidate for Barnard.

Depending on what you consider to be “top 20” (universities? LACs? both?) there are a lot of very strong colleges for which you look to be good odds on full scholarships that could leave you with no or low (~$20K) debt.

Look at the STAMPS scholarship schools (https://www.stampsscholars.org/our-program/partner-schools/)- the program is great both financially and in the ‘extras’ that go with it.