<p>I live in NJ, and am looking for colleges that are within 1 hour and 45 min. I already decided I want to major in Computer Engineering. I am looking for a school that ranks high in engineering, but that I have a legitimate chance at.</p>
<p>The maximum amount my parents are willing to help pay is $50,000, provided that I get some grants/scholarships.</p>
<p>My top school so far is Villanova (love everything about it), but am still searching for other possible schools (in case I get rejected from Villanova).</p>
<p>I will provide some general info. about my academic career below.</p>
<p>With that being said, does anyone have an idea of which colleges I can aim for? Please also provide some reaches, but make sure it meets my distance requirement (no more than 1 hour 45 min from my home).</p>
<hr>
<p>Ethnicity: Hispanic</p>
<p>GPA: 3.45 UW / 3.54 W (mainly B+'s and A-'s, and several A’s and a couple B’s)
-2 Honors–> Junior Year
-3 APs, 1 Honors–> Senior Year</p>
<p>ACT: 30 (will retake and aim for a 32)</p>
<p>Extra-Curriculars (won’t list all):
-Soccer (4 years)
-100+ Hours at Habitat for Humanity</p>
<p>^^^ Purdue is FAR away from my home, so I cannot go there.</p>
<p>UMDCP was one of the schools that I was interested in (more than 1 hour and 45 min but has a great program)… actually I’m going to visit it soon. I’ll get an idea of how far it is when I actually go.</p>
<p>you need to find out if you’ll qualify for financial aid. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that most OOS publics don’t give need based aid beyond federal aid…and it looks like your EFC will be beyond federal grants. </p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that many schools don’t meet need.</p>
<p>Run some calculators. If your EFC is higher than the $12,500 your parents will pay, then you’ll need to find schools that will give you merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Since your parents will pay that much per year, that strongly suggests that you’ll have an EFC that far exceeds the limits for federal grants. </p>
<p>A rough guess for EFC is about 24% of income (before taxes!) This is a rough guess and will be higher if your family has a good bit of assets. </p>
<p>*Purdue is FAR away from my home, so I cannot go there.
*</p>
<p>Purdue would not likely be affordable anyway. It costs about $40k per year, merit money is LOW, and you’d not likely qualify for any aid other than a 5500 student loan. </p>
<p>However, that said, why are you limiting your geography? By doing so, you will severely limit what will be affordable. There are schools that will give you good merit scholarships for your stats.</p>
<p>Are you applying to Rutgers? Even that will cost more than $12,500 per year and a student loan.</p>
<p>I live in NJ and College Park is a 4 hour drive from where I live. I live in northeast New Jersey. I think you will like the University of Maryland. That was my top choice, until I was accepted to Michigan. I like the campus and the school spirit. If your family can only afford 50k over 4 years, then it would probably be a good decision to go to Rutgers to be honest. Out of state publics don’t offer great merit aid unless you have outstanding credentials.</p>
<p>The thing about Rutgers is, I do not really like the whole setup, where you have to take the bus everywhere you go (to get to each campus). I like a campus where everything is within walking distance. </p>
<p>Obviously, Rutgers is by far the cheapest option for me, which is the only reason I am considering it. The campus is not really my taste though.</p>
<p>I think you have a very good shot at Villanova! Do you know anything about their financial aid? Because if you’ve heard good things I suggest doing EA or ED if they offer it and if you get in ED, you can spend the latter portion of your senior year looking for scholarships and stuff. Good luck!</p>
<p>Also I’m not sure about how far it is from your house, but Lafayette is similar to Villanova</p>