<p>I think you’re going to be able to find an option or two in the PNW…</p>
<p>;-)</p>
<p>Rice has a world class conservatory of music. A truly wonderful wonderful place to have on campus that benefits everyone.
Neither of my symphony sons who made regionals in VA would have made it in auditions. However second son really loved Rice so much (where he did not win money) that he didn’t care about not playing anymore. Rice musicians actually conduct a second tier symphony orchestra for students of our sons’ caliber–so he could have done that. Eldest son played for four years at Duke where there is no conservatory of music and he fit in just fine in the middle seats of his section and loved it. He didn’t attend Vandy because Vanderbilt has the Blair Conservatory of Music and expectations for players are very high and Duke son played with great joy for all four years for his own personal relaxation and fun.<br>
Keep in mind that Hopkins, Vandy and Rice are music conservatory campuses. Emory also has a very fine symphony and great facilities and it is somewhat competitive to get a chair but not as tough as at Rice or Vandy since Emory doesn’t have a conservatory.</p>
<p>again, I think your Wash State residency has some advantages in some schools that get thousands of apps from the Carolinas and Georgia and Florida.</p>
<p>Adding one more voice to the “dont count on more than NMS $ from Rice”. That said, it may depend on what school your DS applies to. My s had similar stats when he applied to Rice. (Slightly lower GPA but higher SAT). Granted he applied ED, but all he got was NMS. He’d applied to the Arts and Sciences (or whatever tis called) because he thought he wanted to major in Physics. He switched to engineering and was later given scholarship $ each following year from the School of Engineering. Have to wonder if he might have gotten more merit $ initially if he’d applied directly to Engineering. He thinks so, but we’ll never know.
What about USC? He’ll get at least 1/2 tuition plus an additional $1000/yr for NMS. Agree that you should read the NMS thread.</p>
<p>** oops crossposted with several posters</p>
<p>Have you looked at U Rochester? It seems to me as if it fits in with the others on your lists, and Rochester has good merit aid to NMF’s.</p>
<p>
Auburn and Alabama both have great merit aid for OOS students. Does U Florida?</p>
<p>Is Whitman too close to home? They have a lower COA and offer merit money.</p>
<p>“Are we missing some hidden gems?”
YUP. USC [ Southern Calif, not S Carolina] should be on his list[ especially since Michigan is]. If his NMF score is above the Wash cut off [ and he sends in the NMF paperwork, required essay and his grades don’t tank] he WILL AUTOMATICALLY qualify for 1/2 tuition scholarship at USC. AND if he sends in his application by the DEC 1 cutoff, he may qualify for a FULL TUITION scholarship there[ my son, wjo had stats similar to yours, but with an unusual EC interest ,was awarded one but the competition for that is pretty fierce] .
USC has the excellent Thorton School of Music, and non music majors can take many music classes and participate in various music venues- orchestra, band, etc.</p>
<p>PNW - LACs</p>
<p>My sons stats were similar to your son although my son did not have a sport, which I think shows a more well-rounded student. </p>
<p>I recommend George Washington as well. GWU wound up offering him 20K a year but American offered him almost full tuition. In the end he chose Northeastern due to the NMF scholarship, co-op, liking the campus and loving Boston. </p>
<p>We live in Texas and Rice has a reputation in my part of Texas as being near impossible to get merit money for in-state students but being more generous with out of state students. </p>
<p>Your son is in a great position for applying to many wonderful colleges. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Faline 2 thanks for the insightful and detailed response. I told my son that his SAT score was solid. He replied that he wants to take it again to show the “plebians” that graded his essay. Because his SAT score was good enough to “prove” his PSAT score I suggested that he take the ACT. So it looks like at least one more stab at the SAT and hopefully a successful first attempt on the ACT.</p>
<p>What about CMC…merit aid is great and it’s a no-loan school…</p>
<p>OP, please reassure your son there is little to no correlation between good writing and high-scoring SAT essay writing! He simply needs to learn what those “plebians” are looking for when they mark the papers. He can save his writing talent for his application essays!</p>
<p>I’m suprised your son is not looking at much higher ranked schools. He really has an excellent profile.</p>
<p>Thank you UVA but many if not all of the elite or ranked schools are need based aid.
We want him to get into and thrive at one of the the best schools that also offers substantial merit aid. Then we could use our resources to help with grad school.</p>
<p>He is in good shape to get merit aid from Lewis & Clark.</p>
<p>Second all the comments about the difficulty of getting significant merit money from Rice. Pittsburgh on your “unsure” list offers amazing merit aid. In fact, I think your son qualifies for their full ride scholarship, but you have to make sure to apply extra early.</p>
<p>My son’s friend was NMF and got quite spectacular merit aid (almost full tuition) at Chapman U. in Orange County. He’s in the film school there. The school excels in performing arts (film, music, theater). Solid academics from what I hear. A good fit for the B+ student, but there is an honors program for kids who need more challenge. Depending on your son’s interests it may be worth looking at.</p>
<p>Highest NMSF cutoff this past year was for MD and MA, with a 221. A 224 should be fine for WA.</p>
<p>Will join the chorus for USC. OP, you may want to talk to menloparkmom privately. She knows whereof she speaks. Also agree with Pitt as a great choice for merit possibilities. A friend of mine’s S won the big kahuna scholarship at Pitt, loved it and is now doing a fully funded PhD at CMU. He would be very attractive for big merit $$ at UMD, too. Be sure he shows the love to the schools that offer merit $$. He is an attractive candidate.</p>
<p>Your S has a 1540 CR/M. Don’t sweat the writing. If he wants to take it again, let it be his call. One of my kids had a 2200 first time around (710 CR/700M/790 W, 74 MC/12 E) and took it again to raise the CR. (He was thrilled to break 700 on Math.) He said at the time that if the CR and Writing scores had been reversed, he would have been one-and-done. However, he got an 80 on the PSAT CR so he knew he could do better. Retook without any additional prep and got a 2290 (740 CR, 760 M, 790 W, 80 MC, but 8 on essay – who knows how those essays are graded!).</p>
<p>Your S is not out of range for Ivy if he wants to give it a shot. It’s a lottery ticket, to be sure, but the FA is pretty sweet.</p>
<p>when it gets down to merit dollars, essays and references really count. Son who won merit money at Vandy was only a “regional” talent…nothing national or earth shaking. But his references re his character were outstanding and so were his essays.</p>
<p>As onerous as are our memories of our poor 18 year old trying to write essays that captured who he was to Vandy, Emory, Davidson, Rice and others, the effort itself pays dividends later in college life. The need to apply, write essays and interview never ends.
It is our belief that our son’s essays to Vanderbilt in particular reflected his home culture in a unique way and won the day…and his essays also implied ways he would lead and invest in the culture of Vanderbilt…all of which came true. He is doing exactly what his essays implied he would do at Vanderbilt. Every student has something special to bring to the table. You don’t have to be a superstar to be an asset to a community of academics and social outlets. </p>
<p>Help your son craft a list that makes sense with merit dollars…our mistake was to let him put the same effort in schools with zero merit money which was in reality a waste of our time and a lack of reality thinking on our part about our true ability to pay COA. Once you commit to a list, visit and absorb the culture of your colleges and put real thought into where your son would invest in each community of learners.</p>
<p>So many college offer wonderful opportunities. Most of them are happy to land a NMS. Don’t stress on the essay scores…instead…help him find the time and inclination write his merit essays from his heart and mind. </p>
<p>best wishes to you and your son</p>
<p>I believe that the smaller numbers of applicants from Washington State is an advantage and that you should help your son think hard about what the Pacific NW culture means to him and how it shaped him because many colleges in other regions would love to have this part of our nation represented in their student body.</p>
<p>Put an application or two into schools that are outside of the “usual suspects” with his NW USA advantage. And don’t neglect to do that USC application. The posters here are very convincing about that one being a great option. </p>
<p>I know it is ridiculous to encourage someone who made such a nice SAT score to do it all over again but do it. No regrets. When Vandy son made the same SAT score twice with some variations in category…he happily quit and considered that score to be his best effort.</p>
<p>I’m trying to puzzle out why this list. Can you tell us why your son liked these schools? I’m not seeing the connections.</p>
<p>Somebody out there correct me if I am incorrect please…I think it is possible that he is still able to change his #1 university choice with PSAT. I say this because some schools will give “bonus” dollars if you will if there school was listed as the #1 choice and the student achieves NMF. Baylor is an example of this. If the student wrote them in as choice #1 and they achieve NMF (which I feel yours will) and they choose to attend Baylor, full tuition is covered. Apparently, if they are not listed as #1, the same offer does not stand. You may want to check the schools and see if you need to make any changes.</p>
<p>You have stated the Ivy need-based awards correctly. Your family will have to pay the EFC. There isn’t merit to cover. Did I miss it in your post, but what does it appear your son wants to major in?</p>