<p>I would really appreciate any help you guys could offer me
As you can tell by the title, I’m one of the many sad Stanford REA rejects this year. I’m pretty much done being sad (…Alright, that’s not totally true, but still.) and need help getting my prospects in order. I’m not totally sure anymore of how much of a chance I stand elsewhere… </p>
<p>I’ve already applied to University of Florida, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and USC, because their deadlines were before Stanford’s decisions. However, I’m not sure if UF’s is going to hold, because I ended up in a situation that made me send the app in a few days late.</p>
<p>The main criteria I need in a school are good financial aid, and preferably NOT IN FLORIDA. In other words, good OOS financial aid. I. Do not want to stay in Florida. At all. I only applied to UF because of the Florida Bright Futures scholarship, and hopefully as a safety… I don’t think it really qualifies as one anymore, though.</p>
<p>I love California, but I kind of regret applying to UCB, UCLA, and USC because of the financial aid issue… I don’t think they really give much out, especially to OOS.</p>
<p>Other than good OOS financial aid, I’m not sure. I’m open to almost anything, including all-womens’ colleges, but I’m not really so keen on religious schools. (I would consider it if you really think one’s great, however.) I want to become a professor in public health and medicine someday, so I’d like somewhere I have good research opportunities and personal access to professors (for grad-school recs and all that).
I’d kind of like it if it snows there, but that’s optional. I also love California, because… Well, there’s just a lot of things I love about California, despite lack of snow, but I don’t think any colleges there really have good OOS aid, from what I’ve read.</p>
<p>These are my stats:
</p>
<p>Currently what I have on my list are:
Johns Hopkins
Brown (My grandpa went there)
Yale, Harvard, Princeton (Might as well? Doubt I’d get in, but I’d rather apply and be rejected than never apply at all.)
Cornell
Columbia
MIT
Wellesley College
Maybe Smith College?
Obviously, UF, UCB, UCLA, and USC already done, as well as a big fat “BZZZT” to the Stanford REA.</p>
<p>NYU used to be on the list, but I hear the financial aid is awful. I crossed it off.</p>
<p>Obviously, I am in MAJOR need of matches and safeties. Especially safeties. My list is so reach-heavy, it kills me.</p>
<p>Ok. Apply to:[ul]
[<em>]Duke
[</em>]Washington University in St. Louis
[<em>]University of Pennsylvania
[</em>]Boston University (iffy on the FA).[/ul]</p>
<p>The best FA is going to be from the really great schools, and you are a great applicant haha :).</p>
<p>I think that you look good for Duke. And you will probably get accepted to some of those “reaches” of yours :). Cornell is an amazing college for your interest. I wouldn’t do JHU… their undergrad life is supposedly MISERABLE.</p>
<p>Do you want a religious school or one with a religious heritage?</p>
<p>I was reading along and then that bomb…your parents situation. My goodness. Who raised you? And how did you accomplish so much with so much going on at home?</p>
<p>Emory would be a logical choice – in fact, I would recommend it over almost every college mentioned in this thread. With the CDC and American Cancer Society literally next door to campus, it has unparalleled resources in public health.</p>
<p>As a plus, Emory is reasonably generous with financial aid and a good distance from Florida.</p>
<p>You’ve got a good shot at J Hops, Brown, and Duke imo, but after getting my Stanford rejection letter as well I sorta lost hope with the college process. I agree with the apply to HYP since you never know what can happen. But as far as safeties go, Georgia Tech is pretty nice and althought not a safety, with your stats you should get in I think. Washington University in St. Louis
University of Pennsylvania
Boston University are also good choces. Purdue might be another one to think about. and I might apply to Rice, so maybe that’s a another good fit for you?</p>
<p>My list is: HYPS (obvoisu not S anymore), UCLA, Berkely, J Hops, and BSU (already got in full ride) so if I don’t get into any of those amazings, I’m goign to my Boise State University where I already have a bunch of credits and graduating in 2-3 years
and then go to a better graduate school. You could do that too?
Btw Prussia I think you’ll succeed in life no matter where you go. It’s actually really sad to see how tense some of those Stanford threads got after decisions came.</p>
<p>UVA! You could come move in with me and then qualify for in-state tuition. Also, they’re accepting more out-of-state applicants than in-state applicants this year, apparently, so that could definitely help your chances (not that your chances need helping, but you know what I mean.).</p>
<p>The Ivies and Ivy-likes (i.e. MIT, Cal Tech) offer 100% match of demonstrated need, which looks like it will be at least full tuition based on your income bracket. I know they’re hard to get in to, but with stats like yours, I’m betting you’ll get in to at least one of them, especially if you really pour your heart and soul into the applications. (Speaking of which, try to send in your applications early!)</p>
<p>I know that you said you aren’t really looking for religious schools, but Pepperdine is in California and it’s beautiful and offers great financial aid (I heard they have one of the highest student-to-endowment ratios, so they really have room to help.). And it’s probably the most liberal religiously-affiliated school that you will find. It’s also a great school - usually ranked as Tier 1 or upper Tier 2.</p>
<p>Ah, I see why you were rejected from Stanford SCEA. Anyways, definitely apply HYP and Dartmouth, since the snow will be a guarantee, you’ll have access to professors, and for your income range, the FA is the best of the non-HYP Ivies.</p>
You have lumped USC in with the UCs. You are correct that financial aid is somewhat limited for out of state students at the UCs, but that is not the case at USC.</p>
<p>USC is a private university not affiliated with the UC system. Being out of state will not have any impact on your financial aid award. USC guarantees to meet 100% of USC-determined need. You must file both the FAFSA and CSS/Profile by February 2nd. [USC</a> Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/)</p>
<p>Since you like California, you may want to consider the Claremont Colleges. Do you know what you’re planning to major in? If it’s something science/engineering-related, Harvey Mudd is a good choice, and Pomona is a good predominantly-liberal-arts school. The aid there isn’t bad, either. It’s more of a mid-range/target than a safety, though.</p>
<p>Sorry about your rejection, and good luck wherever you decide to apply :)</p>
<p>Your stats will probably qualify you for scholarships at many schools but you can also look for a list of schools that guarantee to meet financial need without loans by searching this site. These schools meet need with grants and work study. If your EFC is low these schools are likely to be affordable for you. These are generally competitive schools and therefore not safeties but you have a very strong record, don’t let that Sanford rejection make you think otherwise.</p>
<p>And since your career objective is professor in public health and medicine, I’d suggest my own school, University of Pittsburgh. We are seriously into the medical field and public health here and have like 3 UPMC hospitals within walking distance as well as the top-ranked medical school. Pitt also doles out full-tuition scholarships pretty generously; my stats were lower than yours and I got one. I was also rejected from Stanford, lol. </p>
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</p>
<p>Oh, still holding a bit of a grudge against Stanford, amciw? :/</p>
<p>Recently a couple of posters have accuesed CC’ers of exaggerating the difficulty and capriciousness of admission to HYPSM etc. The OP is Exhibit A. Short of being a household name (movie star, Olympic athlete) she seems to have everything going for her. Yet, not even a deferral.</p>
<p>I still think at least a couple of schools on the original list are likely to come through. Don’t let Stanford’s rejection knock you off your game. It’s just a crap shoot with the tippy top schools. </p>
<p>Pitt is a good suggestion. I think Florida is your safety and that, in adding schools, your focus should be to add a couple of matches that are rich enough to make a good aid package likely. Not OOS publics, but respected private schools that are not uber selective. USNWR 21-75 or so. Consider women’s colleges and other LACs as well as universities.</p>
<p>Big reply post time! Thank you everyone so far!
By the way, no one asked, but I just wanted to clarify something in my first post: I have been at my school since Pre-K, and the high school section is the one that only recently was made. Just wanted to clarify that, since it looks weird to say the school “started 2 years before I entered” and then that “I’ve been there since Pre-K,” haha.
Thank you. The first three are definitely on my list now, and I’ll look more into Boston U. I’d love to be in Boston, but need to check out the fin aid situation first!
I’ve heard that about JHU, too. I’m a bit unsure about it for that reason. I think I’ll compare it with my final list and see if it’s worth keeping. I know it’s great for medical research, but so do so many vicious pre-meds…
Thank you so much for the suggestions! Vandy and UVA are almost certainly on the list now, and I’ll definitely look into those others. Thank you
I don’t mind (or care for) either of the religious aspects, but if a school seems especially fitting to me, I’d gladly consider it.
My parents raised me, haha… Obviously, it’s a complicated situation, but my parents both did their best to hide and suppress and problems in the household throughout my early childhood. It was about five years ago that things erupted… Still, though they’ve both hurt me in their own ways, I still love and respect them. We’re all flawed.
I really want to get out of here, though… Haha.
Rice is definitely on the list, and I think NW will be too. I just don’t know that much about it yet. (On a side note, rice is delicious. Rest assured, that’s not my reason for applying, though.)
I’ve got three recommendations for Pitt so far, so I think I’ll put it on there. I’ll look more into CMU- Carnegie Mellon, right?- I have heard of it before. Thank you for the suggestions!
Wow, thank you! I appreciate how specific you are with your reasons I’m a bit close for my liking (I live in the tippy top of NE FL), but my biggest goal is just to go to a great school which will help me grow and achieve my goals. I will be giving Emory an especially strong look.</p>
<p>
Awww. Thanks, man. Bro hug!!
You can do it, too, tea!</p>
<p>
Thanks I’m definitely applying to UPenn.</p>
<p>
Thank you so much. I hope you are right. I think caution is reasonable in this hyper-competitive generation, though. My credentials are lacking in certain areas. </p>
<p>
DIIVIO!! I’m so glad to see you I miss you, man.
I could have sworn Nitro said something about G-Tech, too, but now I can’t find it. I think I’ll look into it though; I’ve heard good things about the school.
WashU, UPenn, and Boston U I’m pretty sure I’m going to apply to.
The graduate school thing is always definitely an option. I just hope I’m happy wherever I go for undergrad… I mean, if I’m miserable in undergrad, I don’t know if I’ll be too pumped up to go to grad school, haha. Of course, I’m really adaptable, so I think I’ll be pretty happy wherever.
You go, man! I know you’ll get into some of those Good luck, bro, I know you can do it.
Thanks for the encouragement… You rock. Yeah, it’s sad where the Stanford forum went after things dissipated. We were 5000x cooler. Haha.</p>
<p>I’ve got to go now, but I’ll finish replying to everyone when I get back. Thank you all SO MUCH for the help! I feel so much better seeing all these new options. None of the schools I’d been looking at have rolling admissions, so seeing my only college decision until March-April-May being a rejection, I couldn’t help but feel sick to my stomach I really appreciate your assurances that I’m a fairly good candidate, because honestly, it’s easy for me to doubt myself.
Thanks everyone, you’re all awesome, and I will totally finish replying when I get back!</p>
<p>I am also still super open to more suggestions and reasoning, though! I love new ideas.</p>
<p>Just to summarize my opinions (though most have already been said XD):
A) You are an excellent candidate at ANY school in the nation (seriously)
B) Stanford is just a b1tch, we’re in the same boat.
Now:
Yale, Harvard, Princeton (P is the easiest, Yale/Harvard are about tied admit wise)
Columbia (if you like NYC you will LOVE Columbia, and it fits your writing flair)
UPenn (Philly was my favorite city to visit out all of the ivies/stanford/duke/etc, and UPenn has that intangible Ivy charm more than any of the others. Plus it is the biggest and has the most active social scene (when the city is included, cornell is the biggest “party ivy” (lol oxymoron), but Penn’s location makes it infinitely more fun than Cornell, plus you won’t freeze to death! )</p>
<p>If I were you I’d pick the 4 Ivies that you like the best and apply
They roughly break down into these tiers (for admittance sake)
1:
Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia
2:
Cornell, Brown, UPenn, Dartmouth</p>
<p>I’d pick 2 from each</p>
<p>For your matches, the Southern colleges are all great:
Emory, UVa, Duke, Vanderbilt, WashU</p>
<p>UChicago and Northwestern are also great pics.</p>
<p>(all of those have great aid btw)</p>
<p>For safeties, look for small, liberal arts colleges that will give you merit money (but seriously, if you apply to 4 reaches and 6 matches there is no way that you will need to attend a safety, don’t spend too much time on finding more than 2 safeties).</p>
<p>Clemson, Davidson, Rhodes are all excellent possibilities. GT is also an excellent option (and they probably have a program with FL residents that allows you to pay GA tuition not OOS tuition). If you like New Orleans Tulane could be a nice safety. </p>
<p>Overall, the safeties are trickier because you MUST LOVE your safety just in case it all falls through.</p>
<p>I was so sorry to hear about your stanford decision (as well as mine XD), but I know that you will do AMAZING wherever you go. If you ever need advice/an informed opinion don’t hesitate to ask! (I’m a Guidance Counselor intern btw, so if you need very technical advice I should be able to help you)</p>
<p>*The main criteria I need in a school are good financial aid, and preferably NOT IN FLORIDA. In other words, good OOS financial aid. I. Do not want to stay in Florida. At all. I only applied to UF because of the Florida Bright Futures scholarship, and hopefully as a safety… I don’t think it really qualifies as one anymore, though.</p>
<p>I love California, but I kind of regret applying to UCB, UCLA, and USC because of the financial aid issue… I don’t think they really give much out, especially to OOS.</p>
<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (800 CR, 720 M, 760 W)
ACT: 32 (36 Reading, 35 English (12 Essay), 27 Math, 30 Science) (I intend to use SAT as my main scores.)
SAT II: 790 Lit, 780 Bio, 760 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
*</p>
<p>It’s amazing that you’ve done so well considering the family issues. You’re a survivor! :)</p>
<p>Your SAT is much higher than your ACT … Your SAT is equal to a 34 ACT :)</p>
<p>Almost no OOS publics will give you the OOS aid that you’d need - exception UVa - so that’s a possibility.</p>
<p>There are some state schools that would give you lots of merit, like Texas A&M, but I don’t know when their deadline is. Unfortunately, some merit schools had Dec 1st deadlines. But, there are still some available.</p>
<p>What about Vandy? Vandy meets 100% of need w/o loans. They might also give you a scholarship because of your stats.</p>
The first three are definitely on my list now, and I’ll look more into Boston U. I’d love to be in Boston, but need to check out the fin aid situation first!
)</p>