Many state schools don’t factor in ECs etc and less selective privates. Lots of options. If you open your geography a ton.
Besides near a city or town. - large ( u have UMD) or small - st Mary’s ?
What other factors ??
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Other factors would be good in poli sci/gov’t, not frat-heavy/a party school, mid-size or would look at a small school that isn’t tiny (say 3000).
This is interesting. She decided on TO because her math scores weren’t great and she decided it was better to focus on getting good grades than a huge test prep effort. We didn’t think about the usefulness for merit aid. Maybe too late at this point, though.
I would do the NPC at URichmod and see the results. It will be helpful for others on this forum to know if it is affordable or not.
https://financialaid.richmond.edu/types-of-aid/need-based/cost-calculators.html
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Some schools to research (and run NPCs) while developing the list… taking into consideration the poli sci interest these are near state capitals in the NE and mid-Atlantic. This list has a mix of selectivity.
St Joes
Univ of Hartford
Trinity
Delaware
American
George Washington
Howard (if a HBCU would be considered a fit)
Emerson
Simmons
Dickinson
Univ Richmond
Good luck!
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Knowing the NPC results of some of these schools will help.
I want to more clearly lay out the budget situation. If you can contribute $10K, that plus the student loan gives a budget of $15.5K for the first year. Maryland in-state COA is around $28K. Are you saying the parents would take out that $13K difference in loans each year for 4 years?
If so, at the end of the 4 years in this scenario, the student would graduate with $27K in loans and the parents would have $52K in loans (either directly or as co-signers). I encourage you to run the numbers, loan payment calculators, factor in starting salaries for humanities majors, number of other kids, and make that decision based on facts/data.
Make sure your D makes the Maryland EA deadline of Nov 1.
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As @Mwfan1921 and @Eeyore123 mentioned, more targeted suggestions can be provided if you run the NPCs on a couple schools. I like the URich suggestion. We don’t need to know the $ result, only if you deem the school affordable without loans (or with only the federal loans available to the student). That tells knowledgeable posters if need aid alone will get you to your budget.
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Thank you! Oops, sorry, saw you didn’t need to know the end result. It did seem affordable, yes. That was a useful exercise.
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So yes, URich seemed affordable, thank you! Until I did that, I wouldn’t have imagined a net cost of $77,000 could be that much reduced. It makes me feel much better.
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Is the Richmond NPC result lower than U Maryland (or any other in-state choices)?
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Then you might start with meets need schools - all will give you a different # . Most will be smaller - and many won’t be in your geographic desire.
A school, as an example, like Miami of Ohio - looks at GPA only. It’s rural so doesn’t work - and a bit far. Or Arizona - really far - both are auto merit with a table. Arizona is fixed. Miami is variable.
What is affordable? What did the UR calculator say? Reason I ask is there are out of state schools - that with merit - may hit that # but need to know what that # is.
A Rochester or Wesleyan might work - but may not work with your academic profile. You say humanities but then a social science - so I assume this student is open but looking at arts and sciences.
colleges-and-universities:washington-university-in-st-louis
Here’s Every College That Offers 100% Financial Aid (prepscholar.com)
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U Richmond and U MD were almost exactly the same ($19,000-ish).
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Wesleyan is a great example. I did their net price calculator and it’s affordable with their grants. But do schools like that admit good, motivated, but not 4.0 students? Is it worth applying to?
I think you have to look at in-state schools (MD has many) and the meets needs schools. There are schools that don’t meet need but get close. Because you want larger and only NE, your set is limited to begin with - a Hofstra has huge merit for example. But schools like UHA, Quinnipiac, Syracuse, etc. probably aren’t going to work…and most that meet need are small. Well, I shouldn’t say they won’t work - can you afford $40K, 50K, etc. I’m basing on the $19K you’re quoting.
I don’t think you’ll get there OOS.
But UR is worth a shot - both Rochester and Richmond. Wesleyan. Lafayette - a bit small but 2500. BC, Case Western, Wake Forest.
All are likely reaches - so you either need to go smaller (a Franklin & Marshall) or use your in-state schools - even if they don’t fit your desires.
Back to your question on testing vs. not. Yes, it’s better to have a test score in general - but at many schools, many kids don’t report - because they’re under the needed #. But if they had a good test score, it could only help.
Some schools require them flat out. Some require them for merit…or have merit tables where a test submitter with a certain score gets far more $$ than a TO student who might get a flat $$. Some are test blind - where then it doesn’t have any impact as they won’t look at it.
At this point, you are TO - so it’ doesn’t matter in your case.
Good luck.
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If you have a solid safety, it is ok to they go after reaches. I will leave it to others to say if UMD is a safety. You just have to understand, and she has to be ready for rejections. This is where it advisable to keep quiet with friends/family about where she applies. A good response is UMD and some other schools.
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Good point - OP, is the 3.87 weighted or unweighted? If weighted, UMD a reach. If it’s unweighted, it depends on the weighted GPA. THeir average in 2021 was 4.34 and I believe higher in 2022. Most weight at +.5 for Honors and 1 for AP - though I’m not sure how UMD does it.
85% had a 4.0 + in last year’s class (so a year ago). 70% are in the top 10% of the class.
The positive is only 43% submitted a test (in 21) - likely higher in 200.
UMD really isn’t a safety for most any solid student anymore.
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3.87 is unweighted. Weighted is 4.58. Yes, I’ve heard Maryland isn’t a safety school any more!
Definite target then though…that’s good - lots of rigor - assuming that 4.54 is 8 or 9 APs which is sounds like using the grading system I mentioned.
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This is where a EA acceptance with a mid December notification date would be helpful.
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For mid December notification, i saw a list showing Early Action with December notifications Elon, Fordham, Univ Vermont, Macalester.
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