<p>I'm a junior in high school. My gpa is about 4.2 weighted, probably around 3.8 unweighted. I'm in all honors/AP classes. I took the January SAT and got a 660 on cr, 660 on writing even though I got a 7 on my essay, and 590 on math. I didn't study at all though and I'm going to get SAT prep this summer. I run track and cross country, am on student council, am in NHS and numerous other things. I need a rather large scholarship to be able to go to college. I want to study some combination of history, political science, or English. What are some colleges that offer good scholarships? I live in PA so somewhere within like 6 hours. So far my list is:
Gettysburg
Washington and Jefferson
Bucknell
Dickinson
Lafayette
Franklin and Marshall
Georgetown
George Washington
American University
University of Richmond</p>
<p>My top choices are probably the last 3. I've heard of some colleges that have something called need blind financial aid? What schools are known for giving a lot of financial aid?</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about those schools. There are two types of financial aid - merit-based and need-based. Need-based aid is when a school gives you money to help bridge the gap between Expected Family Contribution (EFC, which you can see on the FAFSA 4Caster) and the Cost of Attendance (COA). (NOTE: Expected Family Contribution is based on formulas, and is what the school thinks you can afford, NOT what you and your parents think you can afford.) Merit-based aid is given to students at the top of the admittance pool in order to entice them to go to that school. No school is obligated to give either one. You’ll typically find need-based aid at many schools, but the “meets need” schools are the very top schools. You’ll typically find merit-based aid at the schools just below the very top. Most schools are good at one or the other, but not both.</p>
<p>“Need blind” is not a type of financial aid, but a type of admissions policy. Need blind admissions means that the admissions people don’t talk to the financial aid people, and you don’t need to be able to afford the school to be let in. This does NOT imply that they will give you the money you need to get in. The top schools will be both need blind and promise to meet full need. “Need aware” means that the school may fill some of its slots with kids who can afford to come, specifically looking for kids who can afford to come.</p>
<p>To find out about your schools, go to the web site and look under the financial aid section and see what it says. Also, figure out 1) your EFC and 2) your parents’ amount that they are willing and able to pay. Do NOT plan to take out a ton of loans - no school is worth that.</p>