What is my best option?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>I’ll be applying to colleges this fall, and my scores/grades/extracurriculars are in the awkward spot where it seems I’ll have trouble finding significant financial aid. The thing is, I live in Maryland, so the only option I’m truly interested in that is in-state would be UMD College Park. I’ve done a lot of financial calculators for schools like Penn State and similar ones but it never really comes out to much. What are my best options here?</p>

<p>Family income: ~$90,000</p>

<p>SAT: Critical Reading - 700
Math - 580 (Re-taking, hope to improve)
Writing - 650</p>

<p>Top 5% of my class, 3.9 GPA, 5 AP’s right now and 9 by graduation.</p>

<p>So is there anywhere I can look into and expect signficant aid, or am I just in the hopeless, awkward spot dooming me to debt? Any thoughts appreciated, thanks!</p>

2

<p>Look at the pinned posts at the top of the Financial Aid forum.</p>

<p>For SAT prep tips, look at the pinned posts in the SAT-preparation subforum of the SAT/ACT section.</p>

3

<p>You’ll most likely get little to no financial aid, so focus on Merit scholarships if money is a concern. Your SAT scores and grades are great, so don’t worry too much.</p>

4

<p>Your EFC will probably be in the $25-30K range. OOS publics won’t give you anything beyond federal FA which would be loans (except UVA and UNC but those are extremely competitive). You need to look into your home state schools. Or here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;