<p>Hi guys,</p>
<p>I'm a Junior and rather perplexed over if I should take a large scholarship/full ride to an OK/known school or the simple admittance to the well-known/prestigious school (that is, if i even get the opportunity). I definitely have the credentials to accomplish both; but as the time to apply is approaching, I just need some advice</p>
<p>Which schools did you have in mind?</p>
<p>Why not just wait and see what happens?</p>
<p>waiting requires time, i have none; waiting requires patience, i have some.</p>
<p>and Im thinking about Uva, Richmond, Wake, Davidson, and them some schools out west like Claremont McKenna, UCLA, and Berkeley</p>
<p>UVa has the Jefferson scholarship program, so if your school participates, you might talk to your counselor about it.</p>
<p>Those are all roughly equally prestigious. I doubt that very many people at any of those schools, except possibly Davidson and Wake Forest, would even give full rides, and if they do it would only be to a handful of students. If I were you I would wait and see where you get into, and then make the decision that is best financially and go where you feel you would enjoy living the most.</p>
<p>The answer partly depends on how much your family can afford to pay for your education. Have your parents use an online estimator to see roughly how much your EFC (Estimated Family Contribution, per year) will be using the FAFSA form. There are quick estimators around, but the quickest of all is to assume an EFC of 25-33% of your family’s annual income. </p>
<p>Be aware that out of state students will pay upwards of $50k a year for Cal and UCLA, and there’s very little aid. If your family can afford any school, that’s fine, but if you’d be taking out loans to cover the cost, save your money and apply elsewhere. </p>
<p>Since you’re considering some southern schools, take a look at Rhodes. There’s some merit money there, though highly competitive. Tulane? UMiami?</p>
<p>And also discuss with your parents - if they have money socked away for U/G, and you do not spend it on U/G, can you use it for Grad School? Or for a nest egg post-graduation? Or towards a down-payment on a house?</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you have to decide now… is the “large scholarship/full ride” giving you a deadline?</p>
<p>Keep your options open; apply and decide in April 2012.</p>
<p>You’re only a junior…how do you already know that you have a full ride?</p>
<p>Where do you have the full ride and how did you get it?</p>
<p>S/he said “(that is, if i even get the opportunity).” I hope you do!</p>
<p>mtpaper - thats another thing, my parents can definitely pay for UG, but I don’t know about both UG and grad. That’s why If I had the opportunity, I was thinking about taking any large scholarship that a school offers and not even worry about what type of school it is and just do well at it anyway.</p>
<p>I recommend applying to both kinds of schools. Even if your parents have your UG education covered, it’s nice to have the option of some schools that aren’ t going to clean them out and leave you and them with some funds that can be used for many other things. </p>
<p>Many kids in my son’s class who thought that it might come down to the very choice you are declaring, found that their choices were more to the tune of less, expensive but less prestigious school vs more expensive schools that were not the very top ones. Few got full rides, and few got into the most selective schools. So the choices were not so black and white.</p>
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<p>these “large scholarships” are not always easy to come by.</p>
<p>Look at schools which offer guaranteed or automatic merit money, based on stats (such as University of Alabama, Indiana University at Bloomington).</p>
<p>It’s great to be open-minded and ‘follow the money’ - </p>
<p>I sent you a pm too about this</p>
<p>Can you clarify?</p>
<p>What are your stats?</p>
<p>Where would you get this big scholarship from and how much would it be for?</p>
<p>What is your major?</p>
<p>^Mom2, I think the poster was “what-iffing” and the only reasonable response is apply to all and pray ;)</p>
<p>Affordability is a major factor these days, OP.</p>
<p>Out of the schools listed, I’d tell my kid to attend the (net) cheapest one. They’re all excellent. This hypothetical scenario is like trying to decide between an Acura and an Infiniti. Go with the best deal.</p>
<p>first, i think that it’s too early to decide what decision you would make between the two, but i would definitely considering applying to schools that may give you both options at the end
i will be a college freshman this fall, and i applied to a few schools that offered full rides(USC, UMiami, W&L) and i received academic full rides at all of them
i also got into schools that are considered ranking wise to be more prestigious
i have decided to go to UMiami and am 10000% thrilled with my decision
first of all, ranking only means so much
miami i believe is 47 by US news, but a ranking can only tell you so much (some weird factors go into making those rankings)
you can get a great education at any college-it’s really what YOU put into it
when it came down to decision time, i considered that factor most, i could be successful if i work hard at any, so it made since to go for free!
consider majors offerings, special programs, and opportunities to get involved at each college (i found that miami even surpassed many higher-ranked schools in these categories)
i also think accepting a full ride is worth it, because chances are you’re towards the top academically if you received a full ride in the first place
i prefer a school where hard work=academic success, and while this is true at many universities, i think that hard work may be better reflected in your GPA at a school that is less academically competitive
also, some schools that give you full rides come with extra perks
for instance, miami has a program called Foote Fellows where it waives all general requirements
i can now take what truly interests me versus what they think all students should take
this was a huge reason i picked it over schools with more rigid schedules
some full rides come with extra money (i received $12,000 for unpaid internships, study abroad, etc.)
basically, when it comes down to it, i think it’s about what the school offers you and what you can make out of your experience there
i found that miami was my best match in terms of opportunity
sure, it may not sound the same as more prestigious universities in conversation, but i don’t really care what other people think about my college (after all, i don’t think any future employer would look down upon accepting a full ride to a top 50 university)
maybe consider AP credits if you have taken exams
sometimes veryyyy prestigious schools don’t accept them, whereas miami gives you 10 credit hours just for a 5 on AP biology, allowing you to potentially enter as a sophomore
i know that miami is a very strong college and is getting better and better
i am super proud to be a hurricane and am confident that i made the right decision
financially, i know i’ll now be able to do whatever i want for grad school
i think that if you are extremely confident of your choice and accept the full ride for opportunities at the college aside from the money, it is the right choice!
good luck with your applications!</p>
<p>When you fill out the apps, visit the schools, do the research on them, you will get a feeling for some of them. You may find that you like some better than others. That some are just a better fit. You might like the atmosphere and the students at some more. The rankings are not the only thing and really, immaterial when you are looking at #47 vs #32 or something like that. Also some schools have departments and programs that are way up there and if you are interested in something like that, the overall ranking won’t matter. My kids really did not care at all. Other factors were much more important to them.</p>