Please help me chance / match schools [AL resident, 3.97 GPA, 34 ACT, <$49k, chemistry, biology, biochemistry]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics

  • US perminant resident

  • State/Location of residency: Alabama

  • Type of high school (or current college for transfers): Public Boarding School

  • Other special factors: First gen college student

Cost Constraints / Budget
49,000 Most schools after financial aid meet the affordable price range. (edit by moderator after OP clarified in thread)

Intended Major(s)

Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.97

  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.49

  • Class Rank: Our school doesn’t have ranks

  • ACT/SAT Scores: ACT 34 composite

List your HS coursework

  • English: Sophomore English, American Literature, AP Lang, British Literature, Survey of World Drama, Speech and Communication

  • Math: Algebra, Precalculus, Trigonometry, Differential Calculus, Advanced Geometry, Integral Calculus, AP BC Calculus, Number Theory, Math Problem Solving

  • Science: Biology, AP Biology, Intro Chem, AP Chem, AP Physics 1, Intro Organic, Advanced Organic Synthesis DR, Biological Research

  • History and social studies: American History, Econnomnics, Sociology, Human Geography, Government

  • Language other than English: Spanish beganing 1~2 and Intermediate 1~2

  • Visual or performing arts: Studio art

  • Other academic courses: Intro to research methods

Awards

NOAA OAP Mini Grant Student Researcher, Sole high school group to recieve grant, conducted individual research project under mentors

Regional Math Oympiad Honorable mention

Outstanding Biology student award from school

Outstanding Bioloy researcher award from school

AP Scholar with Distinction

Extracurricular

Ocean Acidification(OA) NOAA Ocean Acidification Program Mini Grant Researcher

Exploravision Reseacher (on anerobic bacteria injection therapy to target gastric cancer tumor)

Class President (2 years 10th and 11th)

School Student Ambassador (11th~current)

Science Olympiad Sec (11th~current)

National Honor Society (NHS)

Volunteered youth missionary activity coordinator

Student peer math proctor

Mu Alpha Theta Treasure

Essays/LORs/Other
I don’t really know how strong my essays are. I don’t think it’s the best essay ever but I also don’t think it’s a poorly written redundant essay. I’m still working on editing it but it’s hard since I didn’t pay for a college advisor or a essay editior.

My LOR are pretty strong. The teacher I got my letter of rec told me that it was the best LOR they wrote and they also got other teachers to read over it and they all agreed that the LOR was really good. The other teacher I got my LOR from also has a good relationship with me, they are my current research mentor and they see me as a highly achieving students and apparently talks highly of me to other faculties.

Schools
Emory RD, Vanderbilt RN, University of Virginica RD, UPenn RD, Duke RD, Rice RD, JHU RD, UNC Chapel Hill RD, UMich RD, Cornell RD

I also would like to know which schools I could be highly matched to.

If you have any questions to match & chance me please let me know and I will answer them to the best of my abilitites

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Your budget is $49,000 a year? Have you used the NPCs for the schools on your list?

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If you might like further ideas based on your ACT score (which nicely comports with your GPA and course selection), this site may be of interest:

Colleges to consider for a 34 ACT score

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Wow you are advanced - very advanced. Congrats.

Given we don’t know your need profile, let’s look at schools that you’d assuredly get into and make budget.

Start at home with Bama ((23k-ish a year) and likely Auburn. There are many / schools in the Southeast such as UGA, UF, FSU and the remaining SEC publics but also research powerhouses like Arizona and Kansas and other publics such as Binghamton/Stony Brook, Purdue and more. Delaware and Minnesota might get you to under $50k but require merit they are two of the top schools in the country.

Looking at the Vandy / Rices of the world are tougher to match but if you looked at mid size publics like UAH or Tennessee Tech, they work. Others are maybe - a U Denver, Syracuse, RPI, Col School of Mines etc. others like Rochester, Case Western, Miami, and Brandeis meet need. Harder for me find an assured. Ithaca would be one.

If you wanted to go small/LAC, a ton would get you there with merit - from Furman to Rhodes to Wooster and Allegheny and more.

If you have need, one on your list above may work. If you don’t, you’d need to redo that initial list to have schools that will make budget.

Your initial list is reach heavy but you are strong.

Good luck

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Yes, i used the NPC and that is the expected out of pocket tuition I would most likely pay at Emory

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Can you clarify if this is the number for just tuition? There’s also room and board, books, fees, etc. to consider. I hope you’ve run the NPCs at all the schools on your list.

If 49k is your limit, there’s no need to apply to Michigan as the cost of attendance there will be over 80k.

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That’s one school. You have to run it for every school - as each school determines need differently. And agreed With @Momofthree24 about Michigan. Michigan State would work.

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Are the NPCs affordable for all the schools?

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If think you have a very good shot at Cornell CALS with a major in Atmospheric Science Major | CALS or Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Major | CALS . From there it’s easy to switch to any major within CALS such as Biological Sciences Major | CALS (which has biochem concentration)

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sorry I was pretty vague with my wording with financials. I have already calculated the net price calculator for all of the schools on my list. Most schools with need based financial aid leave about 46,000 that my parent and I have to cover including UMich. I think I’ve answered the question wrong because I thought the prompt asked for the price that the NPC calculates to pay out of pocket after financial needs. When match/chancing me, you guys can just look at my stats to evaluate them rather than focusing on the financials since I’ve made a mistake in answer the prompt

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Yes they are, I think answered the prompt incorrectly because I thought the question asked for the price I would have to pay after financial aid is calculated through NPC. Most schools after financial aid meet the affordable price range.

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So you are able to pay over $49k, upwards of $85k? Emory is free tuition for those with income under $200k (but they look at assets too) so your family either has a strong income or a decent level of assets or both.

Back to your question, you ‘can’ get in anywhere, especially with your rigor but I can’t say anywhere is certain. So yea it’s smart to look at more.

I named other schools in an above post that might be nice targets to get under $49k. I noted some may not but since you can go above they’d work. You could add to the list with others like W&M (target) or Bucknell (likely) if you can go above. Wisconsin and Colorado might be two more.

But if you were looking at low cost, you can stay in your current state and save a bundle. But you could also add others like Wisconsin and Colorado, that are north of $50k.

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Are you sure UMich gives financial aid to out of state students like yourself?

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There was a student from Alabama recently that received substantial aid. So they might not meet 100% need but apparently do have aid.

If you run the NPC as out of state, I did $80k in income, $50k in home equity, $100k in assets, from CT, here’s what it shows.

So I do think they provide aid but don’t promise to meet need.

But if OP has a $49k cost from Emory, they have richer salary/asset levels than I used.

What UM says on its non resident aid page:

“Non-resident students have higher tuition charges because the University of Michigan is a publicly supported state institution and a portion of the cost to Michigan residents is subsidized by the state.

Demonstrated, institutional financial aid is available for students and families. Scholarships from U-M schools and colleges or private sources may be able to cover costs for other students by using these combined resources.”

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I’m not sure there is a way to chance you for these colleges because they all have very low acceptance rates. But you are a strong applicant, so if you have already applied, just wait and see.

Is there some reason why your very well priced instate public universities are not on your application list?

What is your sure thing for acceptance that is affordable, that you would be happy to attend?

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Are you a senior? Have you already applied anywhere, and do you have any affordable acceptances?

Since you are at a public boarding school I assume you have decent college counseling…did they help you with this list?

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Please note the OP’s request. And while it’s not 100% clear I’m pretty sure this is a high school senior applying now.

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Not sure what you career goal is, but based on the majors listed I’m going to assume you may have an interest in Medical School down the road, If so, I would add UF and USF to the mix. USF being a safety and has a great pre-med program.

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I think you meant to tag/respond to the OP?

eta: Just a point to know for the OP- FL state schools will require (unless the student qualifies for an exemption) a summer semester on campus. It gets hot in FL in the summer!

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I am happy to hear this.

All of the schools that you listed are reaches. Do you have any safeties?