<p>Hi Ben;</p>
<p>I tried PMing you, but that didn't work, so I thought I'd just post this thread and hope you see it.</p>
<p>Although D is not applying to MIT, I like your common sense approach, and thought I'd get your advice, if you wouldn't mind.</p>
<p>Our oldest child is a senior in high school, so this is the first time we are nagivating all this college selection, etc. D is NMSF, likes math and science, and we are trying to maximize the merit aid offered to her, as we don't qualify for need based aid. We live in Calif and D would like the opportunity to go OOS. </p>
<p>Brecause D is NMF, some schools offer free tuition if you list that school as first choice to National Merit. Since the merit aid is automatic, we plan on doing that so as to have that school be one of our scafties. Some choices include: Univ of Texas Dallas, Baylor,TCNJ , Arizona state univ and univ of arizona (the later two are huge schools, though so I don't know if they would be our first choice) Do you know anything about these schools or any others that offer automatic merit aid? If so, I would greatly appreciate feedback.</p>
<p>I would also appreciate your giving imput on d's choices of matches and reaches: </p>
<p>D is interested in colleges about 6 - 10,000 in size, suburban, and are interested in schools in the southeast (n. Carolina, etc) or northeast (boston, etc). She is not applying to Emory because app is due Nov 1 and she is already doing UNC Chapel Hill that is due then. </p>
<p>Matches: Wake Forest, UNC chapel Hill, Clemson, Boston U. I have told D just because these are matches, doesn't mean that they are also financial reaches-- since we are aiming for at least 1/2 tuition scholarships.</p>
<p>Reaches: Duke. However if school is academically a reach, the odds are slim that d will get good merit scholarship just because all the applicants have her stats or are even better.</p>
<p>D's stats: GPA 4.0 unweighted, 4.7 weighted</p>
<p>SATs: 720 math, 770 verbal, 770 written. total score considered to be 1490. D retook SAT yesterday hoping to raise math score and total score to 1500 as better chance for scholarships.</p>
<p>SAT-2s: USH 800, literature 790, math level 2 710
rank 4 out of 565 (she is not ranked first because some of her dance and theatre classes aren't weighted)</p>
<p>APs: US History 5, calculus AB 5, language and comp 5, physics B 5, chemistry 4</p>
<p>School ecs: dance company x 2 years, President of Christian club, involved (both onstage and backstage) with school plays and musical theatre</p>
<p>community ecs--has volunteered at local library as tutor captain for past three years and has done about 270 hours volunteer work, spent 6 weeks last summer doing costruction work and teaching ESl in Thailand with Christian organization, teaches sunday school to 4th graders, 9 years of community theatre, 6 years of flute and currently plays flute in church youth orchestra.</p>
<p>Passions: anything theatre, working with little kids</p>
<p>Awards: NMSF, AP Scholar with Distinction, Orange county volunteer of the year (all the tutors got this collectively), got for her school: calculus student of the year 2005, trig student of the year 2004, and algebra ll student of the year 2003.</p>
<p>Works: Ushers at local community theatre 4-16 hours/week (she could get more hours doing sometime else, but again, this combines her love of theatre in her job)</p>
<p>D is also taking 1 course (mid level Calucus) at local JC because her high school doesn't offer course</p>
<p>D automatically will get accepted to a UC school (we are aiming for UCSD as the best fit for her), will go to oos if it doesn't cost anymore than what a UC would cost for us--eg. $7000 tuition plus about $10,000 room and board. </p>
<p>Any comments or suggestions would be helpful and very much appreciated. Thanks for your wisdom.</p>