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MissPickwickian
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11 Aug 2009, 9:05 pm

Hello again, everyone. This is your first look at MissPickwickian in awhile, and she's got a plethora of new challenges relating to the college admissions process.

See, I'm not a community college aspie; my guidance counselors assure me that I could get into most moderately selective liberal arts colleges in America, <bragging>especially in light of my high test scores, volunteer work, rare and fashionable passion for autism studies, and essay-writing ability</bragging>. My counselors also say that I am socially and functionally advanced enough to handle life at a small college away from home.

After a thorough investigation of my options, I have found four colleges that would suit my academic, financial, and personal needs:

Bryn Mawr College
Mt. Holyoke College
Smith College
Hampshire College

I have a good admissions chance at all of there fine institutions (especially Hampshire), but it is not a done deal. They are all moderately selective, and there is a tiny but terrifying chance that I might find myself either collegeless or on my way to UT (ew) in April.

But no matter how many times I go through Fiske, I cannot find a proper safety school. The schools I would take as second choices are MORE selective than the ones above, or else HAVE NO FINANCIAL AID. I would like to ask you guys what a good safety for me would be, knowing of my tastes, my aspieness, and my poverty. I don't wanna go to Austin Peay State University!

Much Love,
MP, College Girl


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GreatCeleryStalk
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11 Aug 2009, 10:09 pm

A safety school is usually defined as a school whose admissions requirements you exceed. In Tennessee there's Austin Peay, U of Tenn, U of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State University, and a few others (IIRC).

Almost every school offers financial aid. You'll want to fill out the FAFSA for federal grants/loans (Pell, FSEOG, Stafford, Perkins, etc). Federal financial aid is based on your family's income if you're under 24 using a federally defined formula. If your family doesn't have a lot of resources, you're likely to get an EFC that's very close to 0 and will be eligible for a full Pell and other forms of institutional aid.

I work in higher education (student affairs/residence life/academic advising), so I'd be happy to answer any specific questions.



Aoi
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11 Aug 2009, 10:31 pm

I went to college in New England back in the 80s, so I know of the schools in the area, including all the ones you're applying to. I don't know current rankings, so please understand if the following suggestions are inadequate or inappropriate.

1. Amherst
2. Middlebury
3. University of Vermont
4. Wesleyan
5. Trinity (in Hartford, CT)

Good luck with the application process.



MissPickwickian
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11 Aug 2009, 10:39 pm

Aoi wrote:
I went to college in New England back in the 80s, so I know of the schools in the area, including all the ones you're applying to. I don't know current rankings, so please understand if the following suggestions are inadequate or inappropriate.

1. Amherst
2. Middlebury
3. University of Vermont
4. Wesleyan
5. Trinity (in Hartford, CT)

Good luck with the application process.


Rankings are not important to me; admissions stats are.

Funny thing, I spent a long time looking at three of the colleges you mentioned! Amherst, Trinity, and UV, that is. I'm still turning UV over in my head. Unfortunately, Trinity and Amherst aren't looking for people like me (brainy weirdos) as much as they are looking for well-rounded, generally perfect students. I'll have to check out the other two.


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MissPickwickian
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11 Aug 2009, 10:48 pm

GreatCeleryStalk wrote:
A safety school is usually defined as a school whose admissions requirements you exceed. In Tennessee there's Austin Peay, U of Tenn, U of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State University, and a few others (IIRC).

Almost every school offers financial aid. You'll want to fill out the FAFSA for federal grants/loans (Pell, FSEOG, Stafford, Perkins, etc). Federal financial aid is based on your family's income if you're under 24 using a federally defined formula. If your family doesn't have a lot of resources, you're likely to get an EFC that's very close to 0 and will be eligible for a full Pell and other forms of institutional aid.

I work in higher education (student affairs/residence life/academic advising), so I'd be happy to answer any specific questions.


I know about federal aid, but I worry how much of it is loan-based. My mother complains of being screwed over by Ronald Reagan during her college years (NOT TO START A POLITICAL DEBATE OR ANYTHING).

My GC assures me that I'm poor enough to afford college if I get the forms in on time. Isn't that weird?

PS: Tennessee State Universities vary in quality. UT Chattanooga is by far the best.



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12 Aug 2009, 1:52 am

MissPickwickian wrote:

I know about federal aid, but I worry how much of it is loan-based. My mother complains of being screwed over by Ronald Reagan during her college years (NOT TO START A POLITICAL DEBATE OR ANYTHING).

My GC assures me that I'm poor enough to afford college if I get the forms in on time. Isn't that weird?

PS: Tennessee State Universities vary in quality. UT Chattanooga is by far the best.


Well, unless you qualify for institution specific grants and scholarships, anything not covered by FSEOG and Pell is usually covered by loans of some sort. Having some loan debt is to be expected, unless you receive a "full ride" scholarship or enough of a scholarship that the scholarship + grants = 100% funding.

It is kind of weird. It relates to what I call the "middle class trap." If your family has little money (based on federal formulas), you will receive tons of federal aid for university/higher education. If your family is wealthy enough to be able to pay for it, you will also have no problem.

However, if you're middle class to the point where your family can afford a decent house + car + food, but you can't afford to pay for college... you get screwed. A good friend of mine was in this situation.

EDIT: It's difficult to give you much valid "safety school" info without knowing more about your academic profile (GPA, SAT/ACT, extracurricular involvement, academic interest, etc).

I can definitely recommend New College of Florida, however. They're a very nifty liberal arts college and they employ narrative grading.



MissPickwickian
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12 Aug 2009, 7:25 am

Dude, I only have shelter because mom and I moved into her boyfriend's house (he's a great guy, btw). My father makes about $30,000 a year, and my mother is unemployed due to health problems. I buy my medicine with between 100 and 250 dollars worth of child support a week. All cars involved are falling apart; my dad payed $300 for his, and he can't drive uphill :lol:

That's another reason I'm going high-end liberal arts: they're seeking out "economic diversity" these days.


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MissPickwickian
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12 Aug 2009, 7:32 am

Oh, my GPA is between 3.2 and 3.5. I have improved steadily since freshman year.

I took the ACT, but the scores got lost in the mail (I'll get them from the school when I go back). I do well on standardized tests and remember the ACT being easy, even fun. I'm taking the SAT this fall, and I'm not worried.

My extracurricular activities are working with autistic children, hosting nature walks for autistic children, assisting my county's autism expert with presentations, literary magazine, creative writing club, and gay-straight alliance. My academic interest is neuroscience, also called cognitive science.

Also, I will be a nationally published poet when September comes.



Last edited by MissPickwickian on 12 Aug 2009, 7:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

sinsboldly
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12 Aug 2009, 7:33 am

MissPickwickian wrote:
Dude, I only have shelter because mom and I moved into her boyfriend's house (he's a great guy, btw). My father makes about $30,000 a year, and my mother is unemployed due to health problems. I buy my medicine with between 100 and 250 dollars worth of child support a week. All cars involved are falling apart; my dad payed $300 for his, and he can't drive uphill :lol:

That's another reason I'm going high-end liberal arts: they're seeking out "economic diversity" these days.


my gawd, MissPickwickian! I saw your membername and wondered if WP had timetraveled back a year! Glad to see you, girlfriend!
:D
Merle


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MissPickwickian
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12 Aug 2009, 4:14 pm

I would like it if more people responded.



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13 Aug 2009, 3:03 am

A safety school is really up to you. I wouldn't really classify any of the small, private liberal arts schools as safety schools; I think you have a good chance at getting in to any of the ones you've applied to.

I would recommend that you pick a state school that you can tolerate, and maybe another state school elsewhere (Georgia, Florida, maybe Arkansas if you want to stay in the South).