@Gatormama from their website, to be considered for an invitation need the following:
Minimum SAT score of 1270 (What you need to know about the new SAT) and at least two of the following:
Minimum high school GPA of 3.5
Top 20 percent of graduating class
Record of achievement in high school Honors/AP courses
She had to write 5 essays and list her EC’s and any awards, etc. I think she would have liked the honor of being selected but just told me she didn’t really like the Honors Program. There was a service commitment that she felt would take up a lot of her time, and she wants to pursue different clubs, activities, etc
I have to add, I was not aware of it, and don’t know how I missed it, but WCU bases their full tuition on 12 credits per semester! So her full tuition scholarship is going to be short by about $1000 per semester as her major course sequence requires 15 credits per semester. That kind of BS really ticks me off, seems deceptive to me. I am going to see if there are transfer courses she can take at the community college, satellite site, or online during the summer for some of them, just because it annoys me so much.
@laralei What does the honors program provide to you that the full scholarship does not? Not to sound unsympathetic but I think most would be very happy with a full scholarship.
@laralei, see if she can be exempted from some classes with CLEP credit. The CLEP exam costs money, but much less than the 3 credits would be. At my S’s school they accept CLEP exam credit for math, history and more classes.
Also he can choose to submit an English portfolio to be considered for exemption of freshman English Composition I.
I am not thrilled about my S’s school charging by the credit. His degree will require 17 or 18 credits some semesters. And some of his applied music classes have extra fees too.
But I still think it’s the best program for his major/concentration close to home.
Hopefully the increased Pell Grant ($6,095), state grant, scholarship, work study and student loan, plus AOTC will help.
Did she apply for any local scholarships? My S applied to all he qualified for.
@kidzncatz Thanks for that link, it is different than the one we looked at. We were on the website and it took us to one that topped out at 12 credits. I tried googling pay by credit & West Chester but nothing came up. After looking at the chart, it lists Winter& Summer, so maybe it didn’t go past 12 credits for those terms? I like yours better!!!
@Poretercat WCU is the largest PSSHE school, I believe. I think the Honors College is one way to create your own instant “group” at college: Specific classes, their own floor in the dorm, study sessions, etc. I also think she wanted the suite style which they were required to choose. DD gets really annoyed at people who don’t take things seriously, and that group appears to be very serious about their studies. (She was looking at the FB page for WC and was not liking a lot of what some of the kids who were posting.) Maybe a little bit of anxiety is setting in.
@Gatormama I don’t think the essays were too extensive, it was just the number of them. She said she did really poorly at the interview. She said the one interviewer told her he takes the HC very seriously, he is very passionate about it. She has a bad habit of giggling, so I think they probably weren’t too impressed. She’s already over it, and I am happy to be saving money.
@mommdc Yes, she has applied to a number of scholarships, or so she has told me when I ask. There is the truth, and then there is “get mom off my back” truth. IF that tuition chart is correct, we’re OK, though I will call and ask about it.
Also, I don’t remember where your son was going @mommdc. Paying for that many credits would add up very fast!
Bloomsburg still offers full time tuition at 12 - 18 credits. Not sure what other PASSHE schools still offer that? I feel like the pay by credit at the PASSHE schools is a scam as you pay more or have to add an extra semester.
IUP’s per-credit tuition policy: a first-year review
How did the student in the story borrow $40,000 in student loans for two years?
And why was it that much? It says she had a job and grants. In 2013 tuition was still pretty low.
And living off campus is cheaper than suite style housing.
“I don’t even know how many students who go to a [State System] school are paying the tuition rate that we approve every year,” said member Sarah Galbally, the governor’s secretary for policy and planning. “It seems like there are all these pilots, and the outcomes are unclear.”
Mansfield said it now views its price programs as “harmful” and “unsustainable,” but reverting to the old single rate would represent an untenable financial hit, since the pilot programs generated more revenue."
@laralei I think the tuition chart you originally looked at is for Winter (intersession) and Summer only. The reason it only goes up to 12 credits is that 12 credits is the maximum number a student can take during those shorter terms. Actually, Winter session is only one month and probably 6 (or even 3) might be the maximum allowed. The one I referenced is for Fall and Spring, when 15 credits is standard and 18 is allowable for the same tuition. This is all assuming there are no changes for the 2018-2019 year. If there are, we’re both in trouble!
I hate to deliver the bad news on this one. The Pennsylvania state elected officials are trying to kill affordable higher education…they hired their own consultants and have their own plan to consider placing the PASSHE schools under Penn State/Pitt/Temple management. No where do I see the discussion of the many overpriced community colleges known as Penn State/Pitt branch campuses. Sorry to say but Higher Education is becoming of less importance in this state. Think your vote doesn’t matter…read this…I would prefer to see state aid cut to Penn State/Pitt and Temple before this plan.
This negative campaign against PASSHE was developed when Brogan was the Chancellor. Let’s make them look like a compete mess so that we can merge/close some of them. Create panic even though enrollment is now where it was 10 years ago, cut funding for the average bloke and let Centre County control higher education…ok…I am a bit salty but there are elements of truth to that.
The more uncertainty they can create regarding PASSHE will only create a situation of more doubt, more people going into the Penn State/Pitt/Temple over priced Community Colleges and less need to fund the PASSHE Schools. If I were West Chester, Bloom or Slippery Rock - I would want out of the PASSHE system today as those three likely do not need the PASHE system to survive.
@bester Is that the same report mentioned here? I believe there needs to be some closures (first recommendation). I don’t believe that mergers with state-related are the best option (second recommendation). Actually, that is a terrible option.
@bester1 It is a mess. My second daughter (now a HS junior) is seriously considering our community college for 2 years and then transfer to PASSHE or local state-related with a 4 year option. Even though the community college is overpriced compared to other states.
She could do better, is a decent student (not great), just got into the National Honor Society, but I know we won’t get any financial aid and we already have our oldest in college. I’m not gonna push it just to get into more debt. And she doesn’t have any real interest in college, it is just the “next” thing to do. The options really stink for those in the middle financially and academically in PA.
Oh, and her cousin just got a full ride to a highly ranked national university.
@Portercat …yes, same study. Good find. At this point, when my kids have children or want to settle down…I will tell them to get out of Pennsylvania as fast as possible. I struggle seeing a promising future for a state that undervalues education…I truly do.
