Hi all,
This is my first post here so bear with me if this is the wrong category or something. Alright so last summer after my junior year of high school I took 2 community college classes because then I could graduate ahead of schedule (I didn’t have a particular reason besides wanting to be done with high school). Since then I’ve been taking a “gap year”, although, to be honest, I haven’t done much of anything productive. I don’t have any passions or interests, but I feel like I should get moving so I figured if I could get a full ride scholarship it’d be a good option (zero risk, good reward and a chance to see what I like). I had a cumulative GPA of 4.69 (unweighted GPA was 4.0 every year) by the time I graduated and I got A’s in the aforementioned community college classes. My old SAT score was 2080. For extracirriculars, I ran track and cross country for two-ish years (never got varsity though), did jazz band and marching band, and tried debate (although I only did one competition). So my question is: do I have a chance at getting a full ride scholarship and if not what can I do to give myself better chances?
Thanks in advance for any help
Starter info so other people can jump in. There are very few full rides and you are not competitive for any of them.
There are many more full tuition scholarships that are numbers based. You need a higher ACT/SAT to start. I’m not sure how much the gap year will hurt but it will hurt since you didn’t have a plan. Did you at least work full-time or did you play video games?
Finally, what is your state of residence? That’s the biggest factor in getting merit off stats. You don’t want a holistic application since your ECs are weak.
Hi there,
For your first question, no I haven’t worked or anything. For the second, I live in Maryland.
If the 2 community college classes fall under dual enrollment, would the student still be classified as a new incoming freshman without having taken any college courses?
@lcalebm99 Why don’t you pursue an Associate’s Degree at your community college, then transfer to a four year?
Some community colleges offer discounted tuition for students who maintain a certain GPA in Honors sections.
One of our kids, her best bet was community college to an in-state university. She worked the entire time, quite a lot in the summers.
MD is not a state with automatic merit as far as I know. I checked Towson to drop down a tier and scholarships are limited and to best qualified candidates. They do refer you to a MD state link.
http://mhec.maryland.gov/preparing/Pages/FinancialAid/descriptions.aspx
I hate to say it but a gap year without a plan will work against you despite having a 4.0. If you can get a 32 or above on ACT, you might have options in other states for full tuition. A community college might be your best option.
Why were you in such a hurry to graduate if it wasn’t to start college early? Tired of school isn’t a great answer. Are you ready to go back school now or just need a plan?
Hi there Midwest,
I’m for sure considering that as an option at least to where I could knock out general education requirements then transfer. A couple of my friends did that. I’ll definitely keep it in mind and thank you for the advice.
@Sportsman88 I think I was burnt out around the end of that year. Like I said, I’ve felt somewhat aimless lately so I’m just looking for a plan now. Anyway, I appreciate the advice/info and I’ll try to consider all my options.
Just tossing it out there. You could enlist for four years and then have a full-ride via GI Bill