<p>My nephew can pay “full freight” anywhere - yes, anywhere and his money is SAFE. He has good grades 4.3 at a good private, but his ACT is only a 29 (after taking a couple of times and SAT was lower - he’s a dedicated student, he’s just not quick during the standardized testing so his scores suffer a bit.). </p>
<p>He is also an Eagle Scout - became one in the 8th grade…and continued with the post-Eagle program. He has some other extracurriculars…varsity sports, volunteering, etc.</p>
<p>His older bro is at a top U, and he also wants to go to a top school, but his ACT will hurt him at “need-blind” schools. Which top schools aren’t “need blind” so they might accept him since he can pay “full-freight”?</p>
<p>In the heading, I put Western Universities, but he really is willing to go anywhere in the US.</p>
<p>Colgate, which is need-aware, comes to mind but only if he applies ED or EDII. USC might be a possibility as a spring admit, but 'SC loves high test scores so Fall is a long-shot. (You apply for fall, and they defer you to spring if they like the essays.)</p>
<p>But, if he is unhooked, his test score will likely keep him out of most top colleges. Suggest spending some money on an ACT tutor. A point or two increase could go a long way for admissions.</p>
<p>Full-pay normally doesn’t outweigh test scores, I think. Not that your nephew’s test scores are bad. Does he want to go to a tippy-top school or is he more flexible? What kind of environment would be like - suburban, rural, urban? How big, how small? Can his parents pay any kind of tuition anywhere or is there a spending limit? Give us some more info and the old heads on this forum can answer your question better (I’m not talking about myself - they know who they are :D)</p>
<p>^^As a Prez once said, “Life ain’t fair”. If a college is need-aware, there is nothing we can do about it, but apply to other colleges that are better bets.</p>
<p>Heck, it gets even worse, since many colleges practice preferential pricing even if they meet 100% of need. In essence, they give more grants to students that they really want and more loans to the lower end of the app pool. NYU and George Washington are known for this practice.</p>
<p>if the OP were less anonymous, she would not have posted such a thread</p>
<p>that said, she has every right to do so…it’s certainly useful for her and i would probably post something like this if i had a full ride through my parents</p>
<p>siglio…Are you upset that my nephew can pay full-freight? I don’t understand the “anonymous” statement. BTW…the money came from grandparents’ estate. Parents are choosing to spend it on kids’ education rather than on themselves.</p>
<p>To the others…</p>
<p>Wants to study math…</p>
<p>Not a “tippy top” school…but a top 25 national …or a top 5 regional “masters” type or LAC (according to USNews)</p>
<p>siglio, there will always be someone wealthier, happier, smarter, healthier, etc., than any one of us, and we have to stomach it or we drive ourselves crazy. Having the money for school doesn’t mean that one automatically knows which schools are most appropriate. Every student with money means that there is more money available for those who don’t.</p>
<p>I think you can probably take the US News top 25 list and top 5 Masters. Compare those to the list of Need Blind schools. Cal Poly is a good choice for Math majors. I would also consider RPI, WPI and Case Western.</p>
<p>Tufts
Santa Clara
UC Berkeley
UCLA
UCSD
Case Western
Cal Poly SLO
Notre Dame
Wash U
and a few more that I can’t remember right now…LOL</p>
<p>And to answer someone else’s question…money is no object…his brother’s college is costing about $60k per year (for everything - including travel), and his parents have no problem doing the same for him. (again, thanks to his grandparents’ estate).</p>
<p>Lots of very high reaches on that list; Notre Dame,Wash U, UC Berkely, UCLA, etc… Is he from California? If not, most of the california public schools are reaches also. They are very, very difficult to get into OOS. We need some more ideas about what he is looking for. Does he want small, big, inbetween, rural, city??? I would forget the whole “Need blind” “not need blind” issue. I think he’ll get more of a bump from being a male (if he applies to most LACs) than from the full-pay thing.</p>
<p>The CA public schools do not seem to be need-blind, or aware for that matter. At least at this point, they still seem to follow a formula for admittance. So, ability to pay probably will not make a difference in being admitted. However, with his stats, he still may get into some of them.</p>
<p>From personal experience, if Santa Clara is on his list, I would have him absolutely apply there. They seem to be very need-aware and his ability to pay full freight, along with his stats should be enough to get him in. And it is a great school. But, they seem to need the money right now. You can search their site & there is an article where they basically say that they are in a financial crunch.</p>