Does anyone know of any scholarships where you don’t have to be low-income? I have tried to
I am an African American Female who wants to pursue a major in biology (STEM). I have a 3.9 unweighted GPA. A 29 ACT score( plan on retaking in October). The schools I am looking at are out of State. I understand that my parents can’t afford to send me out of state, however, there are so many factors of why I want to go out of state.
I am an only child, therefore I believe that getting away from my parents I can learn a sense of independence.
I have wanted to go an Out of State school ever since middle school. Therefore, if I give up on that dream, I feel like I wasted the last four years of high school on academics (building a resume), then enjoying my high school experience.
I currently live in Missouri. Yes, I know that there are a lot of good schools in Missouri, but none of them catch my eye like the oos schools do. And I don’t want to just settle for a school that I don’t think I will enjoy.
If your parents can afford residential college in state, you’ll still be away from home. You don’t have to be OOS to develop independence. Commuter students manage to become independent and they live at home.
The purpose of high school is to learn, not to develop a resume. Going to college in state doesn’t mean those years were wasted.
How much can your parents pay? If they can’t/won’t pay much and you have a high EFC, you need to pursue merit aid. Are you working?
@austinmshauri I guess building a resume wasn’t the right way to put it. I meant that while my friends were at all the football games and dances, I was at home studying for the ACT and other tests.
I have been looking at merit scholarships, however, the schools that I am looking at only give it to the top 1% of the incoming class and my stats aren’t the greatest.
I do work, but only 10 hrs a week for minimum wage.
How much is room and board at your match in state uni?
10-15K for an OOS kids might only cover room and board and travel expenses. Can you get scholarships instate with those stats? You are unlikely to get any full tuition merit award at a 29 ACT at a school that is better that you have at home.
How hard did you work for the 29? Are you likely to increase that score that significantly? What were the subscores? SAT2s?
Most great students won’t get OOS. Many kids with 34 ACTs and up stay right at home.
I think you are throwing a little tantrum now. You WANT to go OOS because you want to. You ‘wasted your time studying’ while your friends partied? Are they going to college?
Are there merit scholarships where you don’t have to be low income? Sure. There is a list of colleges for under $25k pinned to the top of this forum. There are states (including Missouri) that have exchanges for residents. Your guidance counselor may have a list of schools where other students from your area have received some good financial aid.
You might find good merit at some of the smaller LAC’s that want to attract a more diverse student body. Look at Smith and other women’s colleges. Are you interested in HBCU’s? How about Florida A&M? Lots of good merit money there. OOS is a large pool of colleges. You need to narrow it down.
The schools I am looking at right now are Vanderbilt, NYU, Rice, Boston U, Johns Hopkins. The only in school state that I really like is WashU. They have a great biology program.
I didn’t think I sounded like was having a tantrum. It is just always been my dream to go to a school out of state. Everyone has what they look for in a school and oos was one of my factors in choosing a school.
All my friends are going to college they just know where they want to go (all in-state), so they had more time to go to school activities( school Dances and football games). I know my education wasn’t a waste at all, I am really thankful.
Your scores will most likely make it hard for you to get admitted at any of the schools on your list (it will be more of a stretch to get any kind of merit money)
NYU/BU are notorious for not giving good aid
You state that your family is not eligible for need based aid. Where is the almost 70k/year per school coming from, when your parents have already told you that the budget is 10-15k?
While you may not think that you are having a tantrum, you are certainly exhibiting an entitlement mentality. You have not wasted 4 years studying as it will pay off later when you get to college.
Biology is a major that is given at almost every college in the country. A undergrad bio degree in and of it self will not help you, there must be some type of grad program (even if you decide to teach middle school/high school biology). What are your long range plans?
Your goal right now is to find schools that are affordable based on the financial parameters that your parents have set for you. You need to craft your list from the bottom up, making sure that you have some true safeties that meet the following;
You are likely to get admitted,
they have what you want to major in (bio is a major at pretty much every college in the country)
it is a financially feasible option for your family
if it the last option on the table you will be happy to attend.
MSU should definitely be on your list, while you will not be eligible for full tuition, you can reduce some of the tuition cost. With your parents contribution , your student loan allotment and a summer job, you would have it covered.
Your reason for going OOS is very weak. There are many in state schools that are far from your home. The reality is which school is affordable to you and you have a chance for admission. The OOS schools on your list are reaches for you both academically and financially.
Missouri is one of the States that participates in the Midwest Student Exchange program. If you really want to go out of State you should look at schools that participate in that program. Its a way to go out of State but pay much closer to instate tuition. I don’t think any of the schools you listed participate but you should at least look into that program to see what’s out there. Your best chance for going OOS might be to find a participating school that has what you want and is in your price range.
Also, you can go to an In State school and learn independence, especially if you live on campus and don’t go home every weekend.
I don’t see anything wrong with what you have said or what your wishes are. That said, you should definitely re-take the ACT and push yourself as hard as you possibly can to raise that score. If you do so, great.
Even if you don’t, you can have some of what you want, but probably not all of what you want, which is a great life lesson. If you want to go out of state, look at lower-ranked schools that might be willing to pay for what is special and unique about you. There are also diversity scholarships and opportunities. The University of Delaware can be generous to diverse applicants (not guaranteed, but it does happen), and here in the northeast, Missouri can be considered diverse. The way I see it, you have a max budget of $20,000, including the direct loan you can take and what your parents will contribute. Get the ACT up, which is in your control, and broaden your search parameters, and there could be some good options for you. Probably not at the level you are looking at, but if you get the ACT up, who knows? But it’s on you. Do you want to bust your butt on the ACT, search aggressively, and be willing to make some compromises? Good luck.
These schools are very costly. Is your family low income? If so, you could see need based aid at Rice Vandy and Hopkins, and wash U IF you get accepted. Did you run the net price calculators on those school websites? Do that.but remember…you have to get accepted first…and right now none of these is a slam dunk for you in terms of admission.
NYU and BU are in the $70,000 a year range. Neither school meets full need for all. It is highly unlikely you are at the top of their applicant pool…so getting merit aid is highly unlikely. And even if you DID get some merit aid…your costs would be higher than $15,000 a year. You would be expecting $50,000 a year or so in merit…not likely to happen.
I won’t copy and paste your reasons for wanting to go to college OOS…but I will say…as someone who grew up as an only child…once you get to college…you will meet lots of people, and have lots of different experiences than you did in HS…regardless of the state in which your college is located. I went OOS for one year…and transferred to an instate public that I am proud to be an alum of. Costs were part of the reason. My best friends from college were NOT from my HS, and some were not from my state.
I moved OOS for my first job.
You need to develop a realistic application list…and that means for both admission and cost. Right now…I believe your list is unrealistic on both counts.
Even NYU and BU had lower acceptance rates last year than in the past…especially NYU. And neither is likely to be affordable.
The other schools are reaches for you. So get some match and safety schools on that list. Affordable ones…because if you can’t pay the bills, you won’t be able to attend.
With an ACT of 29, you are not competitive for any of the schools on your list. Sorry, but yes, your post comes off with an edge of self-entitlement. You really need to do some more research before putting together a second list. If you are looking for merit, you need to look at schools where you fall in the top 25%, preferably top 10%. Even then it is unlikely you can get COA under $15K.
If you aren’t picky about where it is that you study other than that it is out of state, your stats qualify you for merit aid at some of the places on this list. Check each institution’s website carefully as some of these scholarships might not exist any more and the minimum requirements for the scholarships may have changed. http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/