<p>I've applied at a couple of colleges so far - Flagler College and Georgia Southern University.
I'm fairly certain I'll get in, as my SAT scores and GPA are well above the average for both schools. </p>
<p>However, the financial aid is more of a crapshoot. Since I'm applying rather late, I'm not sure about my chances of a full ride at either Flagler or GSU. </p>
<p>I'm just wondering if there are any more colleges that I should be considering. For reference, my GPA is 4.0, my SAT score is 2080 (760 CR + 660 math + 660 writing), and my parents' EFC is only 79. I did get a 4 on the essay (I was way too off-topic!) but from my research, the majority of colleges only look at the CR+M scores when determining scholarships. </p>
<p>Any suggestions? I'd like to stay on the east coast so I'm not horribly far from home.</p>
<p>And yes, I am a senior - don't scold me too badly for waiting too long!</p>
<p>Yep, I get instate tuition at GSU, and they do award merit scholarships to certain students.
It’s hard to figure out if their February 1st deadline is only for the presidential scholarship or ALL the scholarships. If I can get a couple of their smaller scholarships, I’d have a full ride since I get the Pell Grant and Zell Miller.</p>
<p>The priority financial aid deadline at Flagler is April 1st, so I should be fine in that regard.
However, there’s no info on any sort of deadline on their annual scholarships.</p>
<p>I’m flexible on my major. Marketing is my top choice, but Business Administration with a minor in marketing is OK with me too. I was considering Psychology for a while, but I quickly gave that idea up after reading up on how useless the degree is without a masters. Plus, I think I would do better with something business-related.</p>
<p>My main beef with GSU is the party school mentality - not really my thing. Even though I like to have a good time, college is first and foremost about education.
That’s why Flagler is my preferred choice at the moment, but I will still look into MSU.</p>
<p>GCSU is on my list - they already have my SAT scores, FAFSA, and GAcollege411 application.
I’ll probably submit my application in the next day or so. I believe their annual scholarship competition was held in November, but I could conceivably get some of the other scholarships they offer.</p>
<p>Apply to Miss St and send scores ASAP. I think you’d get a nice big scholly from them. send FAFSA info as well. </p>
<p>Miss St is located in a nice college town…the campus is very nice. </p>
<p>That said…your family is very low income and I would be concerned about you going where it will be costly to get you back and forth for holidays, move in, move out, etc. Believe me, those costs really add up for parents if they have to drive and pick you up or fly you back and forth. Your aid will essentially be covering your direct school costs…not covering these costs. </p>
<p>I think GSU or another Ga public will be your best bet.</p>
<p>As a dad, I DO scold you for waiting so long. You have good SAT scores, and a good gpa.
What have you been doing all this time, while all the other kids have been working diligently on their applications???</p>
<p>At this late stage, it might make more sense for you to simply go to community college, and then transfer later on into a four year school.</p>
<p>That being said, I have been to Flagler College, and it would be a wonderful place to go to school, but you are probably “over-qualified”.</p>
<p>I actually made a decent amount of money myself last year. However, I spent almost all of it on videography gear for my business, so my actual taxable income was very low. As I now have all of the necessary gear, I will have enough income this year to cover personal and travel expenses.</p>
<p>The main reason behind my waiting so long is ignorance.
As I stated in another thread, I had been planning on going to my local university as I get free tuition there. I never wanted to stay there for longer than a year, since both their business and communications departments are academically inferior.</p>
<p>I only recently discovered that transfer students are not preferred when it comes to financial aid, so I’ve been scrambling to find a good college ever since.
I now realize the error of my ways, and I’m hoping I’ll find a suitable college before it’s too late. Being homeschooled for 12 years has made me unaware of some of the normal conventions of the schooling system, and I’ve had to play catch-up to stay competent.</p>
<p>Ceilidh8, does Flagler have a scholarship deadline? I’ve already added them to my FAFSA, so I know I’ve met the April 1st deadline, but I’m unsure about their scholarship deadlines.
If you don’t mind my asking, what was your GPA and SAT when you applied?</p>
<p>And yeah, I realize I might be overqualified for Flagler, but the gorgeous location coupled with the possibility of merit-based aid has kindled my interest in the school.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about incoming students, but for current students, I believe it’s March 31st. You can easily be in touch with FA at <a href=“mailto:financialaid@flagler.edu”>financialaid@flagler.edu</a> to ask. Flagler met my need because my family literally had $0 to contribute. I am also a Fl resident so I had a few thousand in state program monies. That said, I was at the higher end of their score brackets at the time (they’re on the rise now) & I had a strong course load & ECs. I don’t remember my scores to be honest, except I know I got a 690 on CR. </p>
<p>I don’t think there’s anything wrong with applying somewhere where you will be top-dog. The college is fabulous & we’re growing SO much it’s incredible.</p>
<p>This is not necessarily true for all colleges.</p>
<p>Indeed, if you can attend a cheap local school or community college for two years and then transfer, you may save more money than what little additional scholarship money may be available to a freshman applying this late.</p>
<p>UCB…It is true for most colleges…most do NOT give much aid or merit to transfers. A transfer who has LOTS of need will have it much harder. Usually only the top, top schools give full aid to transfers and many are “need aware” for transfers.</p>
<p>You’re right that at this late date he may not get the aid he needs, but he still might. The problem is that he has a very low EFC and getting need covered will be difficult.</p>
<p>That said, his “need” will change once he’s earning his own income - which it sounds like will happen soon. Every dollar that he earns over $5k will get heavily assessed for EFC since the calculations assume a student’s income should go towards college. So, he may only get Pell this year. </p>
<p>He’ll get Hope/Zell no matter which Georgia school he goes to and no matter what his eventual EFC is. I think his worries about GSU being a “party school” is over-blown. Virtually all schools are 'party schools"…you get a bunch of 18-22 year olds together with no parents, and you’re going to have some kids partying. However, at all of these schools there will be plenty of kids who won’t be into the party scene.</p>
<p>I do have a concern about travel costs. One of my sons is attending grad school at a school that is quite a distance from home. We’ve already spent a good deal on helping him “move in” to his apartment, flying home for holidays, etc. A low income family like the OPs is not likely going to afford these costs ESPECIALLY since they do not want him to go away (stated in another thread). </p>
<p>I think the student might want to consider a gap year, work, and reapply to schools that will likely give big merit for his stats (and retake the SAT to improve the essay score).</p>
<p>I’m a high school senior in Metro Atlanta and I applied to both GCSU and Flagler, but I’m planning on going to a CTCL up north or the midwest. </p>
<p>I would def apply to GCSU! GA Southern really doesn’t have a great rep. It’s known as the “STD Capital” of the world around here. In my school, the preppy/jocky kids go there. Although, one of my good friends are going there. And she is not preppy at all. I also have a third cousin there who is a band geek. But it is known as a party school. Flagler also has some party kids, but compared to Southern, not many. </p>
<p>Have you thought about North Georgia? It’s a ROTC school, so if your not fond of army guys around you, don’t apply. I don’t know why you didn’t apply to UGA. GA State was another option. You may also want to look at Armstrong State in Savannah which is very beautiful, but not as good as GCSU in academics. VSU is another option.</p>
<p>I got my financial aid package back from Flagler last night. My EFC is 8k per year and I only received 8k in financial aid. So, my family would have to pay $14,100 per year which is on the pricey range and gaps us 6k. </p>
<p>These two schools are opposites in many regards. One school is big and the other is small. Statesboro doesn’t have much to do, while St. Augustine has much more to do IMO. They also attract different type of students. </p>
<p>OP-
Georgia Southern has a perfectly fine reputation. In fact, if you happen to be planning to pursue IT (information technology) or IS (Information systems) by any chance, they happen to be part of an alliance that has special permission to use SAP products [Georgia</a> Southern BBA-Information Systems-SAP@GSU](<a href=“http://cit.georgiasouthern.edu/is/sapcourses.html]Georgia”>http://cit.georgiasouthern.edu/is/sapcourses.html) and therefore students graduating from this program have specialized training in SAP. This is a very valuable and highly marketable skill. Their graduates get wonderful and well paid jobs in many of the top 100 companies, especially in Atlanta (think Home Depot, AT&T, Newell-Rubbermaid, Coca Cola, Norfolk-Southern Railroad, etc)</p>
<p>Do most colleges reduce their FA packages by the amount of offered federal FA (such as the Pell Grant)?
For instance, if a college were to gap me $5500, and I’m eligible for the maximum Pell, would all of my costs be covered, or would the Pell already be included as a part of the college’s FA package?</p>
<p>The Pell would be included as part of the total FA package. In the case of a merit award, the Pell would be added on top because it is considered an entitlement.</p>
<p>If things don’t work out for you, you could take a year off to work and save money. You would still be considered a freshman next September, as long as you haven’t attended college in the meanwhile.</p>
<p>Well, I got my FA package today from Flagler, and frankly, I’m underwhelmed. They essentially gave me a package consisting of $5500 in loans, $6200 in Federal Aid, and $3000 as a college grant. I still would have to come up with $9000 for room and board. </p>
<p>While it looks like GSU (Southern) will be giving me a full ride, I really don’t want to go there for four years. There’s a reason that only 45% of freshman end up graduating. I couldn’t see myself as a student there when better options are available.</p>
<p>I decided not to apply to GCSU because they don’t have any video/film related minors. Perhaps it was a petty reason, but I want to have video production factor into my college education at least partially.</p>
<p>At the moment, my top pick is UGA. Great business school, plus a decent video program. </p>
<p>Regrettably, I have passed the fall deadline, so now I have a couple options.
I can go to a local university (such as KSU or SPSU) while living at home, then transfer to UGA at some point. The FA wouldn’t be an issue because Zell Miller and Pell would cover tuition+room. UGA has a requirement where you have to have 30 hours completed before their deadline (April 1st), so if I wanted to transfer, I’d have to wait a year and a half.</p>
<p>The other option is to apply to UGA for the spring semester. Probably not a usual occurrence, but I’d still get Zell Miller and Pell, so the lack of merit based aid isn’t a problem then either. Does this seem like a feasible option?</p>