Can I leverage a high SAT score into a large scholarship?

Paying for College
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<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I'm a rising senior at a very well-regarded Catholic prep school, who has good grades, good extracurriculars, a few high APs and SAT II's (Lit, World/US, Math II, all in high 700's), and a pretty great one-time SAT score - 2380, with a 780 in Math. Basically, my SAT score is the strongest part of my application, but the rest of my resume is still a pretty good supplement to it (I will also be a National Merit Finalist).</p>

<p>I've been thinking these past few days, though, as to how I could possibly use this SAT score to score myself a large institutional scholarship at as prestigious a school as possible. I fully understand that there's more to a college to prestige; I also fully understand that my chances of getting an AB Duke scholarship, or something of that difficulty, are next to nil. I am also aware of the scholarship opportunities afforded to me by virtue of my status as a National Merit Scholarship. I just would like to know what better schools tend to be more enamored with "high stats" than others, and give the students that achieve those scores large scholarships. Also, on a related note - though I know that this is not the relevant forum - it would be nice to know which Top 25 schools place more importance on SAT scores, scholarships or not.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your answers!</p>

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<p>Prestigious schools have tons of kids with super high stats…so they’re not going to be impressed with your great score. That’s one reason most elites don’t give merit scholarships…nearly all of their kids have great stats.</p>

<p>If you look at the top quartile for many elites…the top quartile have super stats. </p>

<p>If you want/need big merit scholarships, then you need to apply to schools that give big merit and where your SAT will be in the top 2-5% for the school.</p>

<p>What is your GPA and rank?</p>

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<p>Let me clarify what I meant to say. I fully understand that I am not going to get a large merit scholarship at a school like Duke, Rice, Vanderbilt, or WashU. I was asking as to how I could leverage my SAT score into a large scholarship at as prestigious a school as possible - not necessarily a prestigious schools, if that makes sense. </p>

<p>My GPA is a smudge under an A average for my high school which, as I mentioned, is a very, very well-regarded Catholic prep school. We don’t rank, but if we did, I would probably be hovering around the 30% mark. I also have pretty good extracurriculars (I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go into detail). If this helps to illustrate where I am, students of around my caliber at my school tend to end up anywhere from a “lower” Ivy to Boston College, at worst (and that’s a pretty good "worst).</p>

<p>I don’t mind forfeiting “prestige” in order to have my education heavily subsidized; however, seeing as how I’d like to (I don’t NEED to) go for the money, I’d still like to grab as much prestige as possible while doing so. I understand how wrong that is going to sound to CC ears, but it nevertheless is important to me. </p>

<p>mom2collegekids, I remember how you were an exceptional help when I asked a similar question a few months back, mentioning the University of Alabama and its full ride. I did a good amount of research into the school, and a lot of it seemed quite appealing - the facilities, the departments, the honors college, the school pride, etc. But I also spoke to my guidance counselor, immediate family, and friends about the possibility of Alabama - and I received overwhelmingly negative responses. Even I felt a bit apprehensive about the idea of going there; as good as the school may be, it’s not going to get me places here in the Northeast. I’m using the Alabama example to illustrate something that I would (arrogantly) consider “too low” - and Alabama may quite possibly be one of the, if not the best option out of the institutional National Merit Scholarships!</p>

<p>Thanks again for your response, mom2collegekids, and those schools that you mention - the ones that give “big merit” - what are they?</p>

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<p>Thanks again for your response, mom2collegekids, and those schools that you mention - the ones that give “big merit” - what are they?</p>

<p>Wonderful question. How do you find those?</p>

<p>By the way, you mentioned Rice earlier. Rice does seem to give some reasonable merit scholarships, from what I’ve read here.</p>

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<p>USC [# 25 in USNWR] offers over 250 automatic 1/2 tuition scholarships to NMFs’ .In addition, IF you complete your application by their DEC 1 deadline, you can be also considered for one of the 100+ Full tuition Trustee scholarships[ on campus interview required] . And on top of that, a USC alumni just donated $ 200 million to fund additional undergraduate scholarships.
Son, who was accepted at many [8] top tier universities,including Chicago and 2 Ivy’s, just graduated from USC on a full tuition Trustee scholarship, and is starting his PhD at Cal Tech on a full fellowship in Sept. NO tuition $$ paid at all. </p>

<p>I strongly suggest you add USC to your list and complete you application by Dec 1.</p>

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<p>Duke has several Merit Aid programs, I believe. Brutally hard to get into, but it’s there. </p>

<p>I believe it’s called Robertson Scholars.</p>

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<p>I think you should try USC…you’d get 1/2 tuition. Your friends and family will probably find it acceptable.</p>

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<p>Only in the hyper-exaggerated world of CC could someone say, presumably with a straight face, that prestigious schools would not be impressed with a one-sitting SAT score of 2380. OP, your SAT score is great, all schools will be impressed with it … there are simply very few who can score at this level. But the SAT is of course only one element of your scholarship application. My guess is that your class rank will be an issue with the merit awards at the top schools, but I’d suggest it’s certainly worth throwing your hat into the ring. </p>

<p>Consider the Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars program at University of Notre Dame …
[HYSP:</a> Benefits](<a href=“http://hesburgh-yusko.org/sub/benefits.html]HYSP:”>http://hesburgh-yusko.org/sub/benefits.html)</p>

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<p>I think that you need to get out of the top 25 schools to see much merit money. However, IMO many state schools try to attract the top students from other states.</p>

<p>You probably have already received a good number of mailings from the schools that offer the NMF money. You also may know that college reps are familiar with the high schools in their regions, so attending a good prep school can be helpful.</p>

<p>The best thing that you can do is look over the lists on both the NM thread and the colleges known for merit aid thread and see whether any of them appeal to you. Make sure that your application list includes some of those schools. I would also add that getting out of the Northeast would probably also increase $$ chances.</p>

<p>My daughter is a NMS with tippy top HS stats and she is at Pitt, which gives some pretty nice merit scholarships.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>^^^ TJD, you seem to have missed the intent of the question.

As Mom2CK stated most top prestigious schools don’t give merit aid and their accepted students have similar stats. Those scores don’t make a student stand out.</p>

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<p>E dad, not disagreeing with what M2K says about top schools for the most part not giving merit aid, and not sure why you’ve suggested I am, since I’ve said nothing of the sort. In fact, the OP seems already well aware of this. But I am amused by the notion that top schools would not be impressed with a 2380 single-sitting SAT score. According to the SAT data tables, there were less than 1,000 kids that scored at this level for a single sitting last year. Pretty select company, even for top prestigious schools.</p>

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<p>One thing to think about here is that you attend a Catholic school. Many Catholic universities (particularly smaller ones) would like to see Catholic high school graduates attend, and will give full tuition scholarships. You may want to ask your GC about this.</p>