<p>I'm looking for people who when applying to college had the stats to get into the top schools but chose to go to a lesser school because of scholarship money, aid, merit money, whatever. As a rising senior, I have my top colleges that I want to apply to but also want to consider places where I can get money and still get a good education. Please share your experiences with me</p>
<p>There's a kid on this site who got the Wells Scholarship at IU, s/n is tkm256, had a 4.0 and a 2270 SAT. Full ride, everything is paid for (tuition, room + board, travel, personal expenses) as well as a stipend. Got into top LACs but went to Indiana because of the $$$. I should mention though that IU is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the country for many fields, and has a strong overall reputation (peer assessment ranks in the top 50).</p>
<p>If you truly are at the top of your class and have serious money issues, don't completely write off top private universities and LACS. Princeton for example, has a no-loans policy which makes it the most affordable school for its educational quality in the nation. Harvard eliminates EFC for families with incomes under $60,000. Williams offers several Tying scholarships a year which gives full rides to students to both Williams and whichever graduate school they decide to go to after graduating from Williams. The Questbridge program matches students with universities and colleges that'll give them full rides. Gates Millenium provides full-ride scholarships (minus EFC) to any accredited undergraduate school.</p>
<p>look up some of the post by curmudgeon whose D was accepted to a sting of schools including Amherst and Yale. Turned them both down to attend Rhodes this fall for the $$</p>
<p>I am starting a thread on institutional merit based awards. You might want to check it out once people start posting. I do think its interesting that there is not that much out there about these scholarships. No books specifically about them, yet many about private scholarships. Anyway. Well, I had a lot of great merit options. Duke, Wake, GW, Tulane, UNC, Furman all gave me merit awards (though not all full rides). I went with the Lay Scholars Program to Furman because of all of the great perks that go along with it. This is a leadership and academic award valued around $170,000 currently. Also, I found the southern LAC environment perfect for me. I will say more on other posts, but would be happy to answer any questions you have. </p>
<p>HOWEVER, do note this. Furman is obviously a tier 1, top 30 LAC. Getting a full ride at a tier 1 school (top 50 in US News) is very difficult. I dont say this to lend cadence to my good fortune. Rather, to state that it is not something to aim for, but rather something to be thankful for if you receive!!</p>
<p>On the other hand, while my award is a recognized scholarship program that turns out many Rhodes and Truman scholars, there are other scholarships without such a program that may be good options.</p>
<p>There are some perfectly solid schools not recognized as top tier that have a lot to offer, especially to a scholar. While I dont encourage diluting one's own educational options/experience for money, I do hold to the fact that "you get out of an education what you put into it." Not what US News says you should!</p>
<p>A friend of mine had to turn down Yale for UCLA.
Another was about to turn down Harvard for Berkeley, but decided against it.
(both had Regent's Scholarships at the UCs)</p>