<p>Ex. I'm looking the ultimate safety school- aka I can pay for EVERYTHING by myself with stafford loans. This college I'm looking at says for a certain scholarship I need a 3.5 GPA and a 1200 SAT....isn't it a bit unfair to look at GPA like that- I know that my high school's academics are more difficult than that of the average accepted applicant at this school, therefore my GPA would be lower. Are these scholarships really so narrow?</p>
<p>My sons GPA is 2.46 (2.83 weighted). He got a 700 math, 590 verbal, 570 reading and a 29 composite on ACT. It surprised me some of the scholarships he was offered at the schools he applied to, one offered $18K a year for 4 years. The others were $10-15K a year. I did ‘smack him in the head’ because if he had kept up his GPA - I can only imagine what he would have received. So - I guess it depends on the school and your test scores. Apply anyway - you never know.</p>
<p>Do you mind me asking what schools you’re talking about? My GPA and SAt is higher than your sons and I really need the aid.</p>
<p>They weren’t stretch schools - but not bad schools either - Seton Hall, DeSales, Wilkes Univ, Le Moyne - all gave him $10K plus. Apply to one or two schools that are maybe a bit less academic then you thought you wanted. If your scores are higher than their norm they may throw money at you to get you. It’s always good to have options - especially if you need the money to attend. Plus, being in HR - I know I don’t even look at the college the applicant attended - maybe the tougher schools would matter a bit - but not that much. I look at the major, work experience, other activities, etc. I figure the college attended is often financially driven - so I don’t exclude anyone I call in for an interview just because they attended a state school or some other less expensive college.</p>
<p>Look at the Momfromtexas thread. Though in the archives and old, that mom came up with a methodology that dug up some great aid for her kids. But be aware that the more name recognition and better known the school, the smaller the chance for getting much money. You are looking for truly hidden gems.</p>
<p>One scholarship at a college required a 26 ACT and top 5% of class for full tuition. 4.0 unweighted average. My D was only in top 6.9% (250+ kids in class) of her class at the toughest academic school in our area and way above on ACT, loads of ECs… Nope…scholarship was not offered to her… Sometimes, it doesn’t seem right, but luckily, that was a safety school.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse - I can’t find the thread you are talking about. I searched on the user name and only came up with one post.</p>
<p>@marybee333- What jerkhole college was that- top 5%? Really?</p>
<p>Nevermind - found it.</p>
<p>njmissy13, can you give me the link? I can’t seem to find it.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>Use an advanced search to find a user. It will bring up all of a user’s posts. “Go Advanced”</p>
<p>The school I applied to EA had a limit for SAT scores for $8000 merit scholarship. I retook the sat’s trying to reach it but fell short. I was really upset since I thought I’d miss out on $32000 for the 4 years. Surprisingly, a couple of weeks later I got a letter from the college awarding me the merit. (there was no application for this, it was just automatic, I guess)</p>
<p>With any award, it depends on how many are going for it and the qualifications they have. If there are 20 awards and there are 25 with better stats than yours and/or something else the school is seeking, then you are out of luck. If you are in the top 10, you have a good chance even if you don’t hit one of the numbers unless the cuts are truly made by the numbers. GPA is really a soft term since things like weight, translation (from different grade scales) and certain courses counting or not can affect it.</p>
<p>You need to look at your bottom line costs, not just the scholarship you might get. If you get a $15,000 a year scholarship…that sounds good unless the school costs $45,000 to attend, leaving you with a $30,000 balance to cover. Even after subtracting the Direct Loan of $5000 or so…you would still have $25,000 to pay. This will NOT work for someone who is funding all of their own college costs.</p>
<p>The momfromtexas thread is one of my old time favorites. Many of the specific scholarships in that thread no longer exist, but her STRATEGY for researching full rides for her two kids is excellent.</p>
<p>Each school is different. Some will be very strict about the minimums because they get enough applicants who have the minimums. Some schools may find that they want more high test score kids and didnt’ get enough applicants, so they may ease a bit on the GPA.</p>
<p>I know that my kids’ undergrad has defined minimums, but has been known to “throw a bone” to those who barely miss…however, that’s after the school has looked over the applicant pool to determine if they can afford to do that or not.</p>