Where would you apply next year?

Anonymous
open to any location and has a decent amount saved for college

GPA 3.9 uw 4.5 w
by end of senior year probably 6-8 APs
2 sport athlete-one is 4 year varsity-1 year covid virtual so not sure how that will appear on applications senior year captain the other 3 year varsity, senior year captain
Public HS
Female
Good clubs with one in depth leadership role
not sure where tests will end up but assume 1300-1500 31-34
Anonymous
3.9 with 6-8 APs should be academically sufficient for nearly any top college. Test score may help pinpoint colleges; put anyplace where the student would apply test optional in the reach category due to uncertainty.

"Decent amount saved" is not enough info. Figure out if you are full pay and can afford >300k for college. If not, use the Net Price Calculators. You can find them on college websites. Every college is different, so try a variety.

Start by narrowing down location, size, type. Examples, is she open to religious privates or not, want big football school, small LAC in the middle of nowhere, something urban, etc.

If aid even at top schools is not likely to be enough, then you will need to add schools that may offer enough merit.

If we try to make a list here in this thread without more info, there would be 3000 colleges. Try https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search
Anonymous
Start by identifying affordable safeties she would be willing to attend if all else failed. Look to in-state options - if the state flagship is not a safety for admission (and check affordability), then look at the next rung down in state universities in terms of admission competitiveness.

If you aren't already aware, colleges publish admission stats. More recent ones right there on the college website, older ones here https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
Anonymous
Thanks for the feedback. I should have stated we know about all the websites etc just interested in where others might apply In reference to the money part if we don't have enough to over it or enough merit, loans wouldn cover the rest.
Anonymous
yea way too vague. My kids had stats like that and applied to UVA, W&M, VA Tech (instate) as well as Clemson, Davidson, Richmond, Middlebury (hey why not scores optional), College of Wooster, St. Lawrence, & American (last three were safeties).

With those stats, you will have alot of open doors, but there are SO many variables that you need to factor in.
Anonymous
Parent loans are not a great financial plan - you cosign, goes on your credit, higher interest rate, interest accruing during college, etc. Bad idea. Students are limited in what they can borrow.

Your question is really overbroad. Nothing you have written places a limit on what might make sense to add to the list, except that financially you may have some critical limits that you haven't included.

Soon someone will post throwing out school names and you'll wonder why they feel like they're from left field - because there are no limiting factors in your post. Start with in-state safeties, then move on to matches and reaches.

Financial limits are best to find out up front. If you haven't used the Net Price Calculators, that is STEP 1. If those aren't affordable, i.e. would require your taking Parent loans, the merit hunt would alter your search considerably.
Anonymous
We could suggest:

Montana State Bozeman
University of San Diego
Stanford
Ole Miss

See? Question is overbroad.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:We could suggest:

Montana State Bozeman
University of San Diego
Stanford
Ole Miss

See? Question is overbroad.


Bozeman is an awesome place and they are considering that region.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Parent loans are not a great financial plan - you cosign, goes on your credit, higher interest rate, interest accruing during college, etc. Bad idea. Students are limited in what they can borrow.

Your question is really overbroad. Nothing you have written places a limit on what might make sense to add to the list, except that financially you may have some critical limits that you haven't included.

Soon someone will post throwing out school names and you'll wonder why they feel like they're from left field - because there are no limiting factors in your post. Start with in-state safeties, then move on to matches and reaches.

Financial limits are best to find out up front. If you haven't used the Net Price Calculators, that is STEP 1. If those aren't affordable, i.e. would require your taking Parent loans, the merit hunt would alter your search considerably.


If they want to take a loan out they have to, we have a limit to what we are providing, everything else is on them.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We could suggest:

Montana State Bozeman
University of San Diego
Stanford
Ole Miss

See? Question is overbroad.


Bozeman is an awesome place and they are considering that region.

Agreed Bozeman is awesome. Including areas "they" are considering would really go a long way toward helpful suggestions. Not "3.9, anywhere, any price."
Anonymous
I do know they don't want a SLAC in the middle of nowhere, as they said, they want a good college town or close enough to a city where they can go to like BC to downtown Boston but not Amherst to Boston
Anonymous
UCLA
Stanford
Brown
Amherst/Tufts

FLA
Texas - Austin
UVA
UMCP

Clemson
Ohio State
Boston College
Lehigh


Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:UCLA
Stanford
Brown
Amherst/Tufts

FLA
Texas - Austin
UVA
UMCP

Clemson
Ohio State
Boston College
Lehigh



Strike Amherst... keep tufts 😂
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We could suggest:

Montana State Bozeman
University of San Diego
Stanford
Ole Miss

See? Question is overbroad.


Bozeman is an awesome place and they are considering that region.

Agreed Bozeman is awesome. Including areas "they" are considering would really go a long way toward helpful suggestions. Not "3.9, anywhere, any price."


OP already said “they” was a female. Is it not okay anymore to use the pronoun “she”?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:If they want to take a loan out they have to, we have a limit to what we are providing, everything else is on them.

I thought this was a she. Anyway, you and they need to understand the limits of student loans. They cannot simply borrow unlimited amounts with federal student loans. 5,500 for freshman year - barely covers board. The student cannot go out and find bigger loans without you cosigning, period.

Look at the budget you have determined you are willing to provide. Use the Net Price Calculators (the NPCs need YOUR info to give a result anywhere close to accurate) and see what various types of colleges would offer for need-based financial aid. If what you are willing to provide + federal student loan 5,500 + need-based grants offered by the school do not cover cost, look at what is left. Whether that's just a few thousand to be covered by a summer job or something insurmountable, that should be determined now, upfront. It sounds like finances could place a significant limit on the search. Start there.
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