Chances of getting a merit scholarship from Boston University?

Paying for College
1

<p>So I'm getting mixed reviews about the amount of merit aid Boston University gives out. It's an expensive school, and I do not qualify for financial aid.
My parents will not allow me to attend BU without some kind of scholarship from them, so do you know what my chances are of receiving any merit scholarships from BU?
Thank you so much for your help and advice!</p>

<p>TEST SCORES:
ACT Composite: 33 (I'm taking it again in a month)
ACT Reading: 35
ACT English: 35
ACT Science: 34
ACT Math: 26 </p>

<p>SAT II Literature: 790
SAT II US History: 730
SAT II Spanish: 650 </p>

<p>AP Spanish exam: 5
AP English Language exam: 5
AP US History exam: 5
AP Art History exam: 4
AP Euro exam: 3 (bleh)</p>

<p>GRADES:
Weighted (w/freshman year): 4.1
Unweighted: 3.7
Weighted (w/out freshman year): 4.3</p>

<p>UPWARD TREND:
Will my upward trend in grades help? I took THE most rigorous courseload possible.
Freshman: 3.4/3.6 Soph: 3.8/4.0 Junior: 4.8/4.8 </p>

<hr>

<p>EXTRACURRICULARS:
School newspaper, 3 years
Cheerleading, 4 years
Founded the school literary magazine
Alternative Energy Organization, Secretary
Beta Club, Publicity
J-Club (Journalism club), President/Founder
Work experience: Stylist at a local clothing boutique
Internship: Reporter/blogger for a local online newspaper</p>

<p>LEADERSHIP:
Varsity cheer captain
Editor-in-chief/Founder of the school literary magazine
Section editor of the school newspaper, 1 year
Editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, 1 year
President/founding member of 2 clubs at school (see above)</p>

<p>ATHLETICS:
Varsity cheerleading (4 years)
Competitive dance (my whole life)</p>

<p>VOLUNTEER/SERVICE WORK:
200+ hours of community service
Young Leaders in Health Care
Beta Club
Relay for Life</p>

<p>HONORS AND AWARDS:
Won writing competition awards in National Student Press Association journalism conventions
Honor roll
Scholar athlete
AP Scholar with Distinction</p>

2

<p>BU is straightforward in letting people know how their financial aid/merit matrices work. Call them and ask. They are pretty much by formula on those awards.</p>

3

<p>You need to ask your parents how much merit scholarship money do you need. As you say, BU is expensive. </p>

<p>Are they expecting a full tuition scholarship or a half tuition scholarship? </p>

<p>How much will they pay each year?</p>

<p>If you were to get a half tuition scholarship, then your parents would likely have to pay about $35k per year. </p>

<p>If you were to get a full tuition scholarship, then they’d have to pay about $15k+ per year (fees, dorm, meal plan, books, misc.)</p>

<p>From the website, it looks like the awards are VERY competitive. I doubt that an ACT 33 would get a huge scholarship.</p>

<p>Apply and see what happens. </p>

<p>But also apply to a couple of schools that FOR SURE will give you large merit for your stats…those can be your back-ups.</p>