<p>Hello,
I am a high school senior living in FL on the Gulf Coast. I wish to attend Ole Miss so that I can study Geological Engineering. There is not a college or university in my home state that offers this degree that I feel called to study. Although I can't attend an in-state university and get this degree, I also can't afford to pay out of state tuition at Ole Miss. I discovered the Academic Common Market Scholarship and was elated to learn that Florida residents who wish to major in geological engineering qualify. Unfortunately, I was later devastated to read on the Southern Regional Education Board website that Florida residents only qualify at the graduate level. </p>
<p>I am an A+ student with a 4.0 un-weighted GPA and a 29 ACT with a 36 on the reading portion. I plan to take the exam again to get a higher score. I have been very involved in community service and have held several leadership positions. I have also received numerous calls from Ole Miss to congratulate me on my academic success. </p>
<p>I believe I would be an asset to the university, but I can not attend and complete my desired area of study in Geological Engineering without having the out of state tuition waived. I would be so disappointed if I was forced to major in another area at another university simply because there is not a university in my home state that offers Geological Engineering or that Ole Miss could not offer me to opportunity to study there. </p>
<p>I realize that I qualify for the STEM major Non Resident Scholarship, but 2,000 dollars a year toward out of state tuition, even compiled with other academic scholarships, will not make Ole Miss affordable to my family due to the large increase in tuition because of my residency. My father is civil service with the United States Military. We did live in Mississippi at one point, and his entire family is from Mississippi, but because of his profession and service to country we move nearly every two years.</p>
<p>I'm trying to figure out if there is ANY way that I could study Geological Engineering at Ole Miss. It is so not fair that I might not get to study what I really want to study simply because I'm living in the wrong state and there aren't any schools in my state that offer the degree. I'm so close. Do you think there is any way I can make this work?</p>