I am a high school senior from Virginia. My GPA is about a 4.75, and I am taking full IB courses as well as some AP courses. My ACT best composite is a 33, and the best I have received in each category is 36 Reading, 36 English, 32 Science, and 31 Math. My best SAT is a 1460, although I plan on submitting the ACT instead. I am captain of my school’s cross country team and quizbowl team, and I am president of Junior Engineering Technical Society. I also have played soccer each year of high school and am a prospective captain, though the season does not start until the spring. I am also involved in church volunteering. So far I have applied to UVa early action and I was rejected from Duke Early Decision.
Now that that is out of the way, I’m looking for schools that would be a good fit. My parents probably won’t be able to afford more than a couple thousand dollars per year for schooling so financial aid/ tuition is a major concern. I’m pretty much undecided on a major, but pre-med seems the most appealing right now. I’m looking for a school that is relaxed in its class requirements as I would like to dabble in a few fields without having the pressures of classes that will never prove to be very useful. I already plan on applying to Brown and William & Mary, and a friend attending Cornell suggested I apply there as well as Georgetown. Besides pre-med, engineering in general seems interesting to me, although my high school is pretty weak in STEM and I don’t know much about engineering as a career. I would also like to take some philosophy classes, although I don’t foresee philosophy playing a role in any potential future career of mine. Any input on colleges that might be a good fit would be much appreciated!
As a side note, I would prefer colleges on the eastern half of the U.S. and the closer to home, the better. I do NOT, however, want to go to school in the deep south. Also, Christian schools are fine so long as they meet the other criteria. Thanks
I was aware of that, I probably should have said so in my post. Thanks for pointing it out though. Just curious, would Johns Hopkins be a good option? Remember, I’m focused on pre-med right now but I would like the opportunity to explore different fields. Thanks again for your responses.
Look for schools where your possible majors are not restricted or competitive to declare or change into.
For example, Virginia Tech has a good reputation for engineering, but you may need a high GPA to declare an engineering major after enrolling as a pre-engineering student, and it can be more difficult if you enroll outside of the engineering division.
If your parents can’t afford to contribute much you need to be doing the COA calculators on each college’s website before you waste money on application fees. I may be wrong but I believe Georgetown if known for giving little financial aid.
We’re in VA too and cost was a consideration. I think you might have a good chance at UVA. You should also apply widely to VA schools. If you are interested in medicine VCU is another obvious choice. I also read that VA Tech is adding a med school but I leave it to you to research. My son attends VA Tech. They have alumni scholarships that are very generous…
U of Richmond, a great LAC with a beautiful campus, meets full need, but you did not say what your efc is, just your parents cannot afford to pay much.
Since you are in VA, if your family’s income is less than $60k, you would get a full ride, with no loans. They do not have engineering, but do have excellent science, math, and CS programs and good med school advising/placement. One of my kids is a recent UR grad, and another is a junior. They have had paid summer research internships and were able to start doing research in a lab during their freshman years. They were also able to attend research/tech oriented conferences.
I second the post above. You sound like a very good candidate for the University of Richmond. UR is also part of 1% of schools that is need-blind admission and guarantees to meet 100% of demonstrated need. In other words, UR doesn’t consider your family’s financial situation in admission and makes an effort to make your college affordable. The sciences at UR is very good too. I’m a student who is in the sciences right now and know of a lot of people who get into very good PhD programs or medical school. Richmond pays a good amount for students to do research and go to conferences to present their work.
Since you live in VA, Richmond is also close to home but still far enough (maybe?) for you to feel more independent. And like mamag said, Richmond has one of the most beautiful campuses I have seen.
I’d suggest UVA, William and Mary, Washington and Lee, and University of Richmond in Virginia. All of them may possibly provide you with a pretty good aid package under the right circumstances.
In general, UR finaid pkgs include $5500 fed loans for all freshman students, but for accepted students of VA families with income below $60k, it provides a full ride, including room and board, with no loans.
Undergrad full time students can get up to $5500 in federal loans freshman year, $6500 sophomore year, $7500 junior and senior years. Each year at UR, you will file the FAFSA and the CSS Profile and your need will be calculated each year based on current student/family savings, assets, etc. and prior, prior year income, and number of students in college, number of dependents, etc. Annual finaid will change if your family’s financial situation/inputs change (can go up or down). UR will meet 100% of demonstrated need (as calculated by them), but it will vary if your finances change. Run UR’S net price calculator to get an estimate for your family’s situation. Especially, if the number of students in college will change, run the NPC to see how the numbers come out. If you have a situation with divorce, step parents, a family business, or self employed parents, the NPC may not be accurate, but you can contact UR finaid and ask questions about your situation.
Do you know your FAFSA EFC? Can your family pay that amount?
Also, as others suggested, run the NPC on all of the school’s websites.
I would suggest checking University of Mary Washington, Radford, ODU, CNU, and JMU as well. JMU has a more prescribed core than some other schools, but if you check the IB course equivalents, you may find that you have completed quite a few of them with a high enough IB score. JMU is not great with institutiinal aid, but if you believe you will major in a stem area you can apply for the 2nd century scholarship.
I believe that Mary Washington may offer you strong aid. I have heard some with stats like yours have. Same with Radford, CNU, and ODU.
If finances are an issue, casting a wide net will give you the most opportunity to make a decision and compare financial packages.