@clightfield24 - I have worked in the tech field for thirty years. You sir, are thinking like an engineer already. It’s a rare thing. Mom will come around.
FYI, I believe UA Huntsville will allow you to retake the ACT even after you apply for the purpose of bumping your scholarship. If you can swing the extra points, you could get housing covered, too.
Yep, here’s the language from their website: “UAH will take the highest score from any one test sitting until August 1 of your entering year, so make sure to send your scores if you take the ACT or SAT multiple times.”
A lot of great responses!
Does anyone have any idea if I should apply to honors at this point? The priority deadline was March 1 and I have to wait for my admissions decision before I can apply (which may be in April). Should I try or should I just try to enter next year?
It can’t hurt to try.
@mom2collegekids : do you know who this student could contact?
OP,
My son will be attending UAH in the fall as a prospective aerospace engineering major. My husband is an aerospace engineer who went undergrad and grad to GA Tech. He has absolutely no qualms about his own son going to UAH instead of Tech, especially since son has the full tuition scholarship UAH is a great school for engineering, and you will have LOTS of intern/co-op opportunities.
Did you apply for the competitive scholarships at UAH as well? It’s not too late, so do it now if you haven’t already.
I’ve lived in Huntsville the better part of 25 years. You may actually find you like it here. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about Huntsville or UAH. pm me if you like.
I know for a fact it’s not too late for honors because my son keeps getting tons of mail/emails/calls about it.
Email honors@uah.edu.
Phone: 256.824.6450
Once I get my letter and my ID I will apply to honors and competitive scholarships (if possible). Out of curiosity, what other aerospace engineering schools would be cheaper for students out of state? Is UT Austin a good school or is it expensive? Are there any like UAH that offer such huge scholarships?
Are you male or female? Many private schools would love to have female applicants, and some have scholarships to hand out. Embry-Riddle, Illinois Tech, Florida Tech all are male heavy and would like more females. Smith has general engineering, but you can take courses at UMass. Witchita State and the Arizona public schools have some good scholarships. Wyoming isn’t known for aerospace, but has mechanical engineering and is cheap.
I think you should look at Minnesota and a S. Dakota School of Mines. For the first two years, most engineering courses are the same math and science courses, if you still wanted to transfer, you could for the final two years.
forget UT. COA around 50k for OOS.
This late in the game I don’t know of any other options with similar scholarships, especially with aerospace companies in close proximity.
@clightfield24 I agree with @mommdc. It is actually amazing that there is a good scholarship opportunity still available this late in the year. Lots of schools have Oct 15-Nov 15 deadlines for scholarship consideration. We are only 5 1/2 weeks from decision day.
Don’t forget that the competitive scholarships require the FAFSA, so make sure you get it sent to UAH asap.
I will say that UAH can be slow about getting back to you about acceptance. If I were you, I would call/email to check on status (they gave one of my kids her acceptance over the phone when we called to check). You can explain your situation (last minute application and desire to apply for competitive scholarships/honors), and they might be willing to speed up the process. UAH is a pretty laid-back school (IME), so don’t feel bad about calling/emailing. I would call/email at least once a week (squeaky wheel, etc.).
I emailed last night about competitive scholarships. I know I had to send transcript by mail and it may take a few days to get down to Alabama from South Dakota, so they definitely cannot accept until they see my official transcript show up. Hopefully my admission won’t be debatable.
Man I wish I could afford Georgia Tech though.
I sympathize, @clightfield24. I really do. One of the hardest things about this whole process for many/most is realizing that something you really, really want isn’t possible. But I’m one of those people that believes when one door is closed, another one is opened. And hey, there’s still grad school 
I saw your email, and I responded.
I’d call/email about a week after you expect the transcript to arrive, then every few days after that. You will NOT be a pest. We locals know that’s they way you have to do it with UAH to keep a fire lit under them. And please do send them an email explaining your situation and your desire to have time to apply for scholarships.
Keep us all updated on what happens. I’m rooting for you!
Scholarships are still available to apply for. I will probably email them again early next week about their decision so I can apply to honors and scholarships.
Also an update on my mom: we had a tense scholarship last night about how we spent around $900 on all college stuff (I think she exaggerated) because I applied to so many schools and now she’s upset I might not go to any of those
This morning, she was weirdly accepting of Alabama as a cheaper option of other schools don’t provide help (i am still waiting for some). I guess it just hit her hard originally that we worked hard on 10 applications and I might not even go to a single one of those schools
Yes, I applied to 10 schools. Why? No idea… I just kept thinking "if I don’t get into x, I want another good school, so I also need to apply to a, b, c, d just in case
^ Without knowing all of your family’s details, it appears that your mom is looking for someone to blame. With benefir of hindsight, your family might have been able save more for you and your siblings over the past 18 years. Again, I don’t know your details, but a family of 6 that does not qualify for financial aid should have reasonable income and/or liquid assets. Anyway, it is what it is and you need to move forward. Both UAH and UMTC sound like great choices so just pick the one that works best.
well, if you wind up going to UAH you will save a heck of a lot more than $900, so there’s that.
and if you had known about UAH earlier you probably would have applied earlier, so what’s the difference?
not sure what she is upset about. 10 is not too many applications. we applied to 15. it’s a huge decision and it’s what you need to do to find the best deal / best fit / best value. it’s far better to have too many options than not having any.
Your mom is hurting just like you are. She wanted your dreams to come true, too.
But she’s already coming around to reality, so kudos to her.
@clightfield24, you’re a young person trying to navigate a complex process. That’s why you applied to the schools you did. You were doing what you thought was right.
One of my very favorite quotes:
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better” -Maya Angelou
@clightfield24 It is not uncommon to apply to 10 colleges, and application fees and sending test scores could easily total $900 for 10 schools. Assuming you are the first college student in your family, it easy to see how you find yourself in this position.
Many parents are clueless about the wide variation in how different colleges calculate financial need, or that so many colleges offer no or little merit aid, no matter how talented or smart their child is. Some high schools discuss finances, but most do not seem to spend much time educating parents.
The high school my kids attended focused mostly on helping students get into the highest ranked schools possible, with almost no time spent on the financial piece. When I started asking questions about merit aid and costs, I was directed to net price calculators, but many of the npcs are missing the merit piece, and I just ended up researching merit scholarships and college websites myself.
The guidance counselors also suggested looking at cost data on college navigator and similar websites, but that data only represents averages and does not apply to a family’s individual financial situation. I stumbled upon College Confidential and got the most help and eye opening financial aid education here. Encourage your parents to explore CC. Your parents can learn from your situation and hopefully avoid these issues for your younger siblings.
My kid got into several colleges that she truly wanted to attend (like uchicago) and I realized (too late) that we couldn’t afford them. it was an eye-opener. Now – 24 months later – she’s happy with the chosen college and the regret has really vaporized. The same thing will happen to you.