Any 1/2- full tuition merit scholarships for someone like me?

Paying for College
1

<p>My father just informed me that although he HAS the resources to send me to college, he'll only pay 25k per year (don't even get me started...) and he makes way too much to qualify for finaid, so I need some options where I would pay around 25k or less (including room/board):</p>

<p>School: suburban Phila, v. competitive (sends many grads to "top" schools)</p>

<p>GPA: UW 3.75- 3.8, upward trend with just 1 B junior year</p>

<p>All Honors classes except for 3 APs junior year (Calc, Lang/Comp, USH) and 4 senior year
Senior year- AP Gov, AP Lit, AP Environmental Science, AP Stat, Spanish 4 Honors, Art, Journalism Honors</p>

<p>SAT:
took twice, highest combined= 2360 (800CR, 760M, 800W- 12 on essay)
SAT II= 730 US History and 730 Lit</p>

<p>EXTRACURRICULARS
-Track (Pole Vault, 9, 10, 11, 12)-- JV, then varsity
-World Affairs Club (10, 11, 12)-- sort of a Model UN
-Amnesty International (10, 11, 12)-- Co-Pres (11), then Pres (12)
-buildOn (community service/activism- 10, 11, 12)-- VP (11), Pres (12)
-Theater- Publicity crew one show(9), Crew and then "Crewhead" (10- like vars. credit)
-Culinary Arts Club (10,11)
-Writer for school newspaper (10, 11, 12)
-Features Editor- newspaper (11)
-News Editor (12)
-9 years of piano lessons- no competitions, I just love to play
Some other assorted leadership groups (spinoffs of these orgs)</p>

<p>-Member of Student Steering and Advisory Committee for World Affairs Council Phila
(group of 10 or so students helping the WAC with programming)</p>

<p>COMMUNITY SERVICE (basically, my passion):
-Volunteered delivering food boxes (5 hr/month) with JRA for upwards of six years
-SAT tutor disadvantaged students for 2 hours on most Saturdays
-hundreds of hours with buildOn (<a href="http://www.buildon.org-%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.buildon.org-&lt;/a> a GREAT organization) at various projects
-Volunteer Coordinator for the Friendship Circle (11)</p>

<ul>
<li>Was selected as one of twelve Philadelphia students to travel on an all-expenses paid "Trek" to Mali through buildOn. We helped to build a school and lived with local families-- didn't count hours, but it was 4+ each day for two weeks. (Another plug for buildOn!)
To where they're needed | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/04/2009</li>
</ul>

<p>Wrote an article in local paper about building school in Africa vs. new school in district
Teacher recs should be pretty awesome
My essays will turn out to be great (hopefully) as soon as they're started/finished</p>

<p>I'm very interested in international/global affairs, though a strong IR program is not a prerequisite for potential colleges</p>

<p>ANY SUGGESTIONS? I'm really open to almost anything right now, especially since many of my dream schools have been effectively taken out of the picture :(</p>

2

<p>From what I have read, you would qualify for a lot of merit scholarships. Put in your scores, GPA, etc., do a search, then go in each school FInancial aid/scholarships page and see what they offer for merit. You should be pretty well set if your father will cover 25000. worth.</p>

3

<p>Try University of Southern California (USC). They give out quite a few half and full tuition scholarships and those SAT scores can only help! If you are a NMSF and you get accepted, it is automatic half tuition scholarship for all four years. The application deadline for merit money is usually December 1st.</p>

4

<p>Are you looking for any particular geographical area?</p>

<p>Is that a superscored SAT??? Did you make National merit???</p>

<p>Fordham</p>

<p>USC</p>

<p>** The University of Alabama ** - you qualify for full tuition scholarship - guaranteed if you apply on time (see more below) Plus, it has awesome business programs.</p>

<p>Before you think…oh, no, not the south…Let me tell you. We are from California. I went to UCI; my husband went to Purdue (undergrad) and Iowa (grad school). We are able to recognize a good school when we see one. </p>

<p>We have 2 sons there now…One is a NMF scholar and the other one got the Presidential Scholarship and the Engineering scholarship. The school is beautiful, the academics are strong, and campus life is fun. BTW…the girls at UA are gorgeous. And, UA has a pretty good football team…The Crimson Tide :slight_smile: Currently ranked #2 in the nation. </p>

<p>The profs are mostly all from the top schools…the Ivies, Stanford, Vandy, Duke, UMich, UVa, Berkeley, UCLA, etc. </p>

<p>Oh…and the honors dorms are SUPER awesome…each kid has a private room. The kids are in 4 bedroom suites (each with his own room). Each suite has a living room, kitchenette, and 2 bathrooms, along with the 4 bedrooms.</p>

<p>I was concerned that our Catholic kids would seem odd on a southern campus. I was wrong; there is a big Catholic church right across the street. There are many Catholic, Jewish, Moslem, etc kids and profs on campus. A new Hillel is being built for the Jewish students. An atheist would also feel fine on the campus. All the typical college clubs are at UA - from liberal to moderate to conservative…even the so-called “controversial clubs” can be found at UA </p>

<p>[The</a> University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>http://ua.edu/) would give you full out of state tuition and has a very strong business college - The Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business [The</a> Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration](<a href=“http://www.cba.ua.edu/]The”>http://www.cba.ua.edu/) Within Culverhouse, UA has a good International Business program [International</a> Programs](<a href=“http://www.cba.ua.edu/ibp]International”>http://www.cba.ua.edu/ibp). UA also has an International Honors Program.</p>

<p>Here is the link to the virtual tour… [Virtual</a> Campus Tour - The University of Alabama](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama) I recommend viewing in “full screen” and using your mouse to move and turn around. Also, be sure to click on the little pics on the bottom of the screen to see other parts of the campus.</p>

<p>The application process for UA is super easy…no essay. Must also apply for scholarships (in your case…the out-of-state Presidential Scholarship), but that app is super easy, too.</p>

<p>At a minimum, you should apply to UA as a financial safety. Other merit scholarships that you apply for will be competitive - not guaranteed. UA guarantees this award (with your stats) if you apply on time (by Dec 1)</p>

<p>** You should also talk dad into flying you down for a campus visit. An out-of-state student who goes to UA recently posted on CC that… “UA is recruiting for the best and brightest students nationwide. For many students, it is the money that first interests us in Alabama, we visit, and then we get hooked.” **</p>

<p>I recommend visiting on a Monday (fly in on Sunday, fly out Monday night). I don’t recommend visiting on Fridays or weekends. Fridays can be crazy with football weekend stuff, and students sleep-in on weekends, so (every) campus can look too different on weekends. </p>

<p>Presidential Scholar
An out-of-state first-time freshman student who meets the December 1st scholarship priority deadline, has a 32-36 ACT or 1400-1600 (Math + CR) SAT score and at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA will be selected as a Presidential Scholar and will receive the value of out-of-state tuition for four years. </p>

<p>This scholarship is worth about $80,000 for an OOS student</p>

5

<p>You might look into Case Western & University of Rochester. Both are known to be generous with merit aid. I think U of R also has a guaranteed scholarship for NMF; you might check their website to see if they’re still offering that. Also, Univ. of Pittsburgh and Washington & Lee have some generous merit scholarships. Some of the scholarship deadlines are approaching at these schools, so definitely do the research now if you need merit money.</p>

6

<p>Tulane has very generous merit scholarships, plus your passion for community service makes it a real fit. An advantage vs. the state schools mentioned above is the small class size and the ability to build a personal relationship with the professors. My daughter is a freshman there and her largest class - Intro to Microeconomics - has 45 students in it. With your scores, you’d probably qualify for the honors program with even more merit aid and smaller classes. Good luck!</p>

7

<p>As you live in Pennsy, I assume you’ve looked into Penn STate Shreyers Honors College. Several parents on this site rave about its academics. Also, I believe Pitt gives out excellent Merit Awards.</p>

<p>For private schools, I believe that American and GWU have some good merit awards, and have good IR programs, especially as they’re located in DC.</p>

8

<p>Rochester guarantees a 22k scholarship for National Merit Finalists. The amount is not listed on their website, but has been confirmed by an official adcom on CC. If you took out unsubsidized federal student loans and worked on campus/during the summer, that would cover the remaining 28k+tuition increases.</p>

9

<p>^^^</p>

<p>Since dad is contributing 25k, I don’t think the OP needs to take out loans for the balance, if he gets the NMF Rochester scholarship. But… :slight_smile: the suggestion of UR is a good one! :)</p>

10

<p>Thanks for all the suggestions! I actually am a National Merit Semifinalist, so that may help in getting some merit aid. I think I’ll look at Pitt (probably not Penn State, because my brother went there and I think it may be a bit too big and isolated) and I’m definitely interested in Tulane… anyone know how difficult merit aid is to come by there?</p>

<p>p.s. I’m a “she”, actually! (Just in case anyone needs to refer to me indirectly)</p>

11

<p>Tulane will likely give you a decent scholarship. From their website…
“All applicants are considered for merit scholarships, ranging from $7,500 to $25,000 per year.”</p>

<hr>

<p>Cotton…at first I thought you were a girl (because of your screen name), but then I saw the pole-vaulting record, so I thought you were a boy…sorry!!!. I didn’t know girls did that (but I’m old…LOL) You must have thought I was nutty for telling you about the pretty girls at UA. LOL Well, now I can tell you that the boys are very good-looking, too. That college book that ranks the looks of kids on various campus, gives the boys at UA an “A” for good looks. :slight_smile: So, plenty of eye candy for boys or girls! LOL</p>

<p>Oh…and if you’re NMF, UA will give you the big NMF scholarship with includes 4 years in the fabulous honors dorms (private bedrooms), a laptop computer, and some money for study abroad. </p>

<p>Since your dad is giving you $25k per year, you could study abroad at least twice with all the money you’d save on tuition and dorm! You could do the “Summer at Oxford University” program that UA offers every summer. </p>

<p>Plus, UA is generous with AP Credit…depending on your AP scores, you could enter college as a sophomore which would give you the option of graduating early, doing a double major, or doing one or two minors. It would also give you more flexibility with study abroad options . :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :)</p>

<p>Now that we know that you are a likely NMF, there are other schools that will reward you well for that! :)</p>

<p>I know that you’re frustrated by your dad’s limit on your college money, but you really have an opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons by using a careful strategy that allows you to use dad’s money for some awesome “extras” - like a couple “study abroad” semesters and/or an awesome summer abroad research internship. :)</p>

12

<p>Read the “schools known for giving the best merit aid” thread. There are lots of options for you, especially as a NMSF. Add to the many excellent schools listed here (and my s is on a full tuition plus NMF scholarship at Tulane so I can speak highly of it) USF, U Arizona and Arizona State, for sure things for NMFs. If you are willing to fill out separate scholarship applications, lots of potential doors open for you (Emory, Vandy, UNC -Ch Hill, Duke to name a few).</p>

13

<p>Do you think getting a scholarship at a place like Emory, Vandy or UNC is reasonable for me? They seem difficult enough to get into without trying to get $$. I’ve heard great things about the Robertson at UNC, but I’m pretty sure my grades (I’ve gotten four B’s in HS) would effectively disqualify me from that.</p>

14

<p>^^^</p>

<p>I think you should apply for some competitive scholarships at these top schools. If you luck out and get one…awesome!!! :slight_smile: However, you still need to protect yourself with a couple financial safeties (schools that you know will give you $$)l :slight_smile: You don’t want a shock in the spring and only have acceptances from schools where there is a money shortfall. :(</p>

<p>I think at Vandy, you’ll get $5k for being an NMF; they do have some competitve scholarships to apply for, too. I don’t know if they ask for a FAFSA submittal with the scholarship application. </p>

<p>My nephew is a freshman at Vandy this year. :slight_smile: Since Vandy is costing $56,000 per year now (and rising each year), you’d need a scholarship of over $30k per year to add to the $25k from your dad to meet your costs. Emory likely costs about the same.</p>

<p>I hope this is ok to ask… Would your mom be able to pressure your dad into allowing a bigger annual college budget? Is your dad being “careful with money” because there are there younger siblings that will also need to be college-educated?</p>

15

<p>Here is a link with many schools which offer good scholarships to NMFs:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

16

<p>No, it’s totally okay to ask- I honestly think he’s trying spite me, my twin sister and my mom (they’re long divorced). I am absolutely aware of the HUGE cost of private colleges, and were financial factors truly the issue for him I would be vastly more understanding, but the truth is that he has more than enough money to pay for our educations. And my mom honestly can’t afford to chip in 25k a year for both me and my sister (or either one…). I doubt he’ll budge much on the issue, which is why I’m looking for more reasonable options.</p>

17

<p>Cottoncandy,
If you make it to the level of being invited to campus for the Emory scholars scholarship, you wil automatically be given a $14K scholarship (and that was a few yrs ago- might be higher now-- don’t know). Grades are important, but they aren’t everythig. Emory Scholars likes to see at least a 1550 (cr reading/math) on the SAT so you are right in there. Go for it!</p>

18

<p>Emory sounds like a good one to add to your list.</p>

<p>I also think you should apply to University of Rochester…great school, often good merit money.</p>

<br>

<br>

<p>You’re a twin! Awesome! Are you identical??? Is your sis looking at the same schools as you? Or is she trying to come up with her own list dealing with the same issue of limited funding.</p>

<p>Well, I hope dad’s not doing this to spite you… :frowning: Do you normally have a good relationship with him? </p>

<p>Let’s just hope he’s just naive about college costs, he’s had some kind of investment downturn, he’s “holding back” some money because he expects that you’ll both need money for other things, or he has some other decent reason for being firm about $25k a year for each twin. Actually $50k per year (for 2 kids) is quite a lot of money - even for an affluent person. But, maybe your dad is Donald Trump, and that’s “chump change” LOL :slight_smile: Oh well, </p>

<p>BTW…will your dad pay for any other of your expenses while in college? Spending money? Car & gas money? Car insurance? Clothes? Personal supplies? Those are other expenses to be concerned about, if your dad won’t be helping you with those, too.</p>

19

<p>No, we’re fraternal- my sister is looking at mostly different schools (except Northwestern) but she’ll probably use the Tuition Exchange scholarship that my mother can get from her job- we can only have one, and I honestly have a better chance of getting merit aid from a decent school. I don’t know exactly why he’s doing this (esp. in mid-October!) but I do know that it’s not actually for lack of money or an investment downturn or job security worries.</p>

<p>My mom can help with spending, travel, book money, and other incidentals, so that can be taken out of consideration.</p>

20

<p>cotton,
95% [15,000 out of 16,000] NMSF become NMF’s [ you have to screw up your your SAT scores or grades pretty badly to not make it to NMF status] so you WOULD get an automatic 1/2 tuitionscholarship at USC. BE SURE to complete your application to USC no late then DEC 1, and you may be considered for their full tuition scholarships[ requires an interview, but I think USC would pay to fly you out there.</p>