Any options for financial aid??

Paying for College
1

Hello,
For anyone who knows about admissions, I would love to share my stats. I am currently a high school Junior. Unfortunately, my GPA is quite low because I struggled very much Freshman year.

Schools
University of Delaware
Valparaiso University
Loyola University Chicago

GPA (weighted): 3.628 (out of 5)
(Unweighted: 3.15)
PSAT scores: 1130, 570 RW, 560 Math
Location: Massachusetts

Desired major: Global Studies and International Business

Extracurriculars

Orchestra: I am in the honors orchestra at my school, and I have been a part of it since 5th grade.

Tri-M (Music National Honor Society): Started this year, provides numerous volunteer opportunities.

Model United Nations: (Vice President)- I have increased the club’s enrollment by 200% and have been in charge of registering the team for conferences.

Golf Team: I have been on the team every year so far and will continue to be on the team

2

There are always options for financial aid, but you need to ask more specific questions to get any meaningful information.

3

I don’t want to do any work studies. I do qualify for a large amount of aid from most of these colleges due to my family income. I meant more like, are there any academic scholarship options through any honor societies of any sort??

4

What does it look like when you run the net price calculator on each school website? Are they affordable? Sometimes outside scholarships just reduce need based aid, so it doesn’t always help.

Do you understand how work study works? You essentially get a part time job on campus and get paid for the hours you work. A lot of the best student jobs on campus are reserved for work study students. Assuming you need to work part time during college (most students do), don’t knock work study.

The best scholarships come from the colleges themselves. Study hard for better grades this year, and study for & retake the SAT.

5

Are you a Delaware resident? If not, you likely won’t get much if any financial assistance from UD.

6

Yes I ran the net price calculator. Additionally, I haven’t taken the SAT yet. Those are my PSAT scores. I will be taking the SAT in May.

7

No I am not. One of my cousins, (who is also from Mass.) recieved quite a bit of financial aid and was accepted into the honors program at UDel. I understand tat my grades are not as good as hers were, but I’m just using it as an example for the types of aid that are available.

8

Op- here is how most kids afford college:

1- Parent contribution. Find out how much your parents are able/willing/have saved. If they cannot pay anything at all, the earlier you know this, the better off you will be.

2- Kid contribution- out of your savings (if you have them), your work during the school year at college and summers/breaks.

3- Loans- there are federal limits on what you can borrow without a co-signer which is a good thing.

4- Need based aid- this will vary tremendously by college, and of course, depends on your family income, number of people in your family, assets (things like savings accounts).

5- Merit aid- the higher your grades and scores, the better off you will be. But some colleges give zero merit aid, so for those schools, it won’t matter. Getting in will be the hard part.

6- Other. The military academies are free but when you graduate, you owe several years of your adulthood to the branch of the armed services which educated you. Many kids live at home (free or cheap room and board), work full time, and their employer pays for a course or two at a time for them (it’s usually called a tuition benefit if you see that term in a job posting). That can take a while to finish a degree, but it’s a great solution for some kids whose families cannot pay for their college education.

9

UDelaware does give merit to OOS, usually modest amounts, and a very small number of extremely high stats students (as in stats competetive for ivy caliber schools) are invited to compete for a handful of larger scholarships. UD average SAT for enrolled freshmen is 1230. Your 1130 score puts you at the 25%ile for enrolled freshmen, so merit at UD is unlikely.

You should practice for the SAT and try to increase your scores and keep grades up to boost your gpa. Your odds for merit at schools which offer it are much better if your stats/scores are at the 75% ile or higher. You can see how your stats compare at most colleges by searching on the US dept of Ed College Navigator website, lots of good info here:
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?
Some colleges will have an admitted student profile available in the admissions section on individual college websites.

In addition to UMass campuses, Massuchusetts has a very good State U system. I have a niece who attended Westfield State U in MA, and had a great experience there. Costs are reasonable, especially In State, and they offer some merit aid. Another niece attended Framingham State U, and also did well there. Westfield State has an international Studies major. Check out other branches to see ehat they offer.

See how your stats compare at colleges you research, and whether they offer merit aid/how much, and run some net price calculators with your parents and see what you might be expected to pay. Ask your parents what they can actually afford/and are willing to to contribute each year, then come back for more suggestions.

In the end, it is important to focus on applying to colleges to which you have a reasonable chance of getting accepted, and that your family can also actually afford to pay for.

Also, If you are a lower income family, it may be a good idea to target some colleges which meet a high percentage of financial need.

10

What’s your EFC?
What classes are you currently taking?
If you remove freshman year what were your grades last year? Your grades so far?
You need to study for tests - prep specifically for them. Merit aid (or admission to colleges with food financial aid) will depend on your taking a rigorous load (5 core courses all 4 years) with good grades ( mostly As, some B’s), and scores 1250+.

11

mamas, I do understand that there are a number of good schools in Massachusetts, but I would like to be somewhere near a major city like D.C. or Chicago. Additionally, I would like to get away from my state for a while. I like being on my own and being able to set my own routine, and being so close to home would not allow me to do this.

12

Here are all of my stats so far.

Schools
University of Delaware
Valparaiso University
Loyola University Chicago

GPA (weighted): 3.628 (out of 5)
(Unweighted: 3.15)
PSAT scores: 1130, 570 RW, 560 Math

Desired major: Global Studies and International Business

Class Choices Grade 9:

Algebra Geometry (A level): Semester one: 72, Semester two: 74 (my math teacher in 9th grade did not interact with the students, to this made it very hard to ask questions or make connections. Also, much of our learning is based on an iPad, so it is very easy to get distracted with the screen-based learning.
English 9 (A level): Semester one: 94, Semester two: 91
Intro Physics (A level): Semester one: 81, Semester two: 88 (first semester was tough because a teacher left the school mid-year and the department was scrambling to find a new teacher)
Latin II (A level, although honors and A level were combined in the same class): Semester one: 84, Semester two: 86 (while I am aware my Latin grades are not awful in grade 9, I loved the teacher. Unfortunately, I did not get the same teacher in 10th grade, and this has made me slightly less motivated. Plus, I have always struggled in Latin, and have been counting the days until I can drop it.)
World Civilizations (A level) Semester one: 85, Semester two: 90

Class Choices Grade 10

Advanced Math I (A level): Semester one: 85, Semester two: 81
Biology (A level): Semester one: 88, Semester two: 85
English 10 (Honors): Semester one: 84, Semester two: 81
Latin III (A level): Semester one: 79, Semester two: 73
US History I (Honors): Semester one: 88, Semester two: 88

Course Choices for Grade 11

Pre-calculus (A level)
Orchestra (Honors Select)
English 11 (Honors)
Chemistry (A level)
US History (Advanced Placement)
Student Innovation Team
Economics (Honors)

Extracurriculars

Orchestra: I am in the honors orchestra at my school, and I have been a part of it since 5th grade.

Tri-M (Music National Honor Society): Started this year, provides numerous volunteer opportunities.

Model United Nations: (Vice President)- I have increased the club’s enrollment by 200% and have been in charge of registering the team for conferences.

Chess Club: I am a regular memebr and am running for president in a year or two.

Golf Team: I have been on the team every year so far and will continue to be on the team

13

Your best bets will be Colleges that Change Lives (especially mid-level like Allegheny) and universities ranked around that level. You will need higher SAT scores for
If you want to be near a big city, you have Montclair State, SUNY Purchase, SUNY New Paltz, Manhattan College, Drew, Marist, Molloy, Iona College, are all in or near New York City.
Harcum, Cabrini, Widener, West Chester State University, St JOe’s (St Joseph’s), LaSalle, Ursinus, Rowan are all near Philadelphia.

Are you recruitable for golf (are you good enough for a D3 university)?

Your schedule is ok. Try to get mostly A’s and B’s - get a tutor if need be.

14

I may be able to play for a D3 University. I’m pretty set on those three schools above as of now. What are my odds of getting into those schools?

15

Also, Valpo is a Lutheran School, and I am a Lutheran, so I should be boosted up automatically, plus I’d be legacy, so it’s a pretty good bet I’d get in there.

16

Are you looking for chances on admissions…or chances for financial aid IF you get admitted.

If you are looking for financial aid potential, you really need your SAT or ACT scores…and your GPA from end of junior year at least.

Actually you probably need these for admissions chance as well.

17

U Del is near a major city?

You’ve got colleges in Massachusetts which are MUCH closer to Boston than Delaware is to DC or Philly…

18

The PSAT that matters for national merit consideration is the one your junior year of high school. You haven’t taken that yet…because it hasn’t happened…yet.

Hope you are signed up for that one.

19

What amount can your family afford to pay? What is your fafsa efc? What do the net price calculators for the 3 colleges on your list give you for an efc? Can you afford them?

UD does not meet full need and your current stats are at the bottom 25% of enrolled freshman students, so it is a reach for being admitted, and your stats are not likely to get you any merit. UD’s current OOS cost of attendance is $50k per year.

What does UD’s net price calculator tell you??

20

UD’s merit scholarship table for OOS, you can see for yourself that your current stats will not earn you any merit. You should be doing the same type of research for other schools you are interested in yourself.

https://www.udel.edu/apply/undergraduate-admissions/financing-your-degree/