You really don’t need to worry about grad school right now. If you do well in undergrad, you will have options. My older daughter, as just one example, had more than one fully-funded offer from strong public flagship U’s, for public policy/public administration masters programs. (And trust me when I say that she had zero inkling, at 17, that she’d end up doing that.) But, she did work for couple of years after undergrad before she applied, and a lot of grad programs prefer applicants with some real-world work experience under their belts.
So in my opinion, the worry right now should not be “How am I going to pay for grad school?” It should just be “Where can I go for undergrad, that I can have a great overall experience, and finish with a strong academic record, minimal debt, and a few reasonably marketable skills.” Things that make you more employable include solid internship experience, and specific skill-sets that are in demand (e.g. quantitative skills like stats/data science/epidemiology). So look for programs that strike a good balance between broad intellectual exploration, and particular skills and experiences that look good on a resume. (For your current interests, programs like the public health majors at Pitt and Agnes Scott look pretty great, IMHO, but you may also change your mind and that’s fine too.)
There are all sorts of things you might do right after college, besides going straight to grad school. Maybe you’ll aim for an overseas fellowship program, for example. Or work as a research assistant. Or get some experience as a Community Health Worker. Or a hundred other things. Who knows what opportunities may come along, that you haven’t imagined yet? What matters now is positioning yourself so that those opportunities can find you, and so that you’re equipped to grab them.
OP, Rhodes College has free application.
Here is another thought…Since it seems that you like Atlanta…
What about Oglethorpe? It is liberal art school, but is very melting pot.
The amazing thing that they match tuition to your in-state flagship. So you can afford it! For that you need HS GPA 3.8 and SAT 1400 or 30 ACT.
They also have cross registration with ARCHe schools that include Spelman, Agness Scott, Emory, GaTech etc. for courses not available at Oglethorpe.
We have a relative and two friends working in public policy. One is still a student but has interned in Dc. One got their bachelors and worked on Capitol Hill as a staffer for several people. That person then got a masters from Georgetown, and also a position with a well known public policy group. The third got a bachelors, and worked on Capitol Hill also. Went directly to a public policy group. Decided to leave that field and is now doing something else.
For students who qualify for need-based aid, most colleges will include federal student loans which are in the students name, not the parents name. These loans max out pretty low: $5,500 first year, $6,500 second year, $7,500 third year and $7,500 fourth year.
Students don’t have to accept the loan and they also could accept it but their parents pay it for them. But it’s part of the calculated contribution that the family has to make to the school to pay tuition, room and board. That is, it is not free grant money, but a repayable loan.
Students who qualify for need-based financial aid will get some or all of these loans as subsidized loans, meaning payment is deferred until you graduate and the government pays your interest while you are a student. Students who don’t qualify for need-based financial aid (and it sounds like that is your case) but who still want access these loans will be offered unsubsidized versions of these loans. Same caps of 5,500 etc but payment begins immediately and interest is not paid by the government. These students need to fill out the FAFSA form in order to qualify for the unsubsidized loans. And of course students who are hoping for subsidized loans also need to fill out the FAFSA.
It sounds like your family will be paying your costs in full, so no, you can’t be forced take out loans — but you can if you want to, up to the limits above. All other loans must be in the name of an adult who will be legally responsible for the loan .
Paging @kelsmom to make sure I have the details correct .
Payment on all direct loans is deferred until graduation. Subsidized loans don’t accrue interest while you are a student. Unsubsidized loans accrue interest when they are disbursed.
No…All Direct loan payments are deferred while the student is in college. There is also a six month grace period after graduation.
That’s correct - interest accumulates immediately when an unsubsidized loan is disbursed. Neither subsidized nor unsubsidized loans are in repayment until six months after the student graduates, leaves school, or drops below half time.
I agree with thumper1, I think you really need to broaden your list as all of these schools (except UConn and Howard) are probably outside of your reach based on your stats. My son (although a white male from an affluent HS) had 3.75/4.3 GPA 1500 SAT with lots of extracurriculars) got denied from several of on your list. I am not saying don’t apply, but it would be prudent to balance your reaches out with more realistic options. Based on your profile, I might suggest adding some selective liberal arts colleges, there are a ton of great schools out there and many will offer merit or need based financial aid to make them competitive with publics. Couple of ideas, Dickinson, Oberlin, F&M, Gettysburg but there are lots of great options within reasonable distance to NJ. If you want bigger, Maryland, Rutgers, George Washington are also great options.
Yes! Except for the small list of colleges that advertise that they are “need blind”, being able to pay in full is usually seen as an admission advantage.
We needed financial aid, so I am hoping others will provide information on how to indicate that you do not need financial aid. It may be just a check box, but I don’t know/remeber.
Also, if you are a POC, that should also help with admissions. The colleges are no longer able to ask directly about an applicant’s race,so you will need to work that into your essays.
Caveat: you could apply and not check the box at need-aware schools on your mom’s list (at need blind colleges it wouldn’t matter).
But for your list check the FA box and apply to all honors, scholars, or merit aid opportunities.
I’m confused. Wouldn’t OP want to check the box on her mom’s list so she is a less desirable applicant to them, and not check it on her own list? Except for the schools that require FAFSA for merit consideration.
But then…if some schools come back with financial aid information and others don’t, it sounds like it might cause trouble for the OP.