<p>I'm only a sophomore, but I'm looking into schools so I can start visiting etc. I want to either major in pre-med or something else sciencey. I just got a 221 on PSAT and have a 4.3 weighted GPA (4.0 uw) so I'm interested in places that will give me merit scholarships. Ivy's really aren't my thing.
Criteria:
On the smaller side (just can't be huge)
Preferably warm weather
Fun (I'm from Chicago but UChicago seems way too boring)
Generous merit-based scholarships
Pretty prestigious (probably higher than 50 on us news world report rankings)</p>
<p>I've been looking at Wake Forest, USC, UMiami, Georgetown, and Tulane. Are those good schools for what I'm looking for? What are some other schools that fit my criteria?</p>
<p>Yeah South Cal isn’t a small school but when I visited it a few years ago I really liked the feel. I know there are a lot of National Merit scholarships out there but I find that those schools generally aren’t on the level that I’m looking for. I’m talking about more prestigious, school-specific scholarships.</p>
<p>Texas A&M has good National Merit Finalist scholarships (remaining cost of attendance about $13,000 per year).</p>
<p>USC (Trojans) does offer half tuition merit scholarships, but the remaining cost of attendance is still considerable (something like $38,000 per year – more than the list price of some out-of-state publics like Minnesota, Stony Brook, etc.).</p>
<p>UNC-CH, Duke, NCSU, and Georgia Tech have competitive full ride scholarships that you can try for.</p>
<p>Your in-state publics likely start relatively low priced and may have good financial aid and scholarships for in-state residents.</p>
<p>Check out Washington & Lee (Lexington, VA), which awards merit scholarships averaging ~$31K to about 15% of students. US News #14 LAC. Competition would be tough.</p>
<p>It sounds like you are a Chicago area sophomore and starting your college search. i suggest that you sit down at the computer with your parents and sign up for as many local (same day-round trip) college preview days as you can this spring and summer. You will get a feel for how to shop for a college and may find some surprises. No matter what, you can have some fun. You can also get the feel of some of the most prestigious universities in the country (UC & Northwestern), some mid-ranked (Loyola & IIT), some small LAC’s and some state schools. Many of the these can be done in a morning or afternoon. There are also discussions about academics, activities, dorms & financial aid. This will be a good starting point for your national search.</p>
<p>Cool, thanks guys. Does anyone know if Georgetown offers good scholarships? It’s probably the highest on my list but I know it’s also the best school out of my choices so it might not.</p>
<p>According to Georgetown’s 2011-12 Common Data Set (section H2A), they don’t award merit aid other than athletic scholarships. One of their site pages does refer to “incentive scholarships” ([Georgetown</a> Undergraduate Scholarships - Student Financial Services](<a href=“http://finaid.georgetown.edu/page/1242672846903.html]Georgetown”>http://finaid.georgetown.edu/page/1242672846903.html)) but these seem to be small or special-interest awards (e.g. for graduates of Jesuit high schools). In light of the competition, even if you are eligible, I would not count on significant merit aid from Georgetown (unless the situation changes by the time you apply).</p>
<p>You have a bit of time, but I’d recommend you reconsider why prestige is important.</p>
<p>There are also some small schools just out of the top 50 that have many hands on opportunities and merit. One that comes to mind is Rhodes in Memphis. Just at of US News top 50, merit scholarships and great opportunities with St. Jude’s Research Hospital.</p>
<p>Centre in KY offers full ride Fellowship. It is not easy to be awarded, but if your stats remain on course you would have a wonderful shot at it.</p>
<p>Don’t discount a school like Alabama or Kentucky that roll out the red carpet for National Merit Finalists. It may not meet your prestige factor, but the schools would provide very good opportunities and money to boot. Though large, look at what your class size would be as an Honors student, not the average class size. There are some large universities with honors colleges that would provide smaller classes, hands on research and a great peer group. Not to mention, you may be able to work on graduate courses in the normal 4 year undergrad years and have them covered under the scholarships.</p>
<p>Basically, at this stage, keep an open mind. My son’s list changed a lot since we began looking his 10th grade year.</p>
<p>Longhaul makes a good point: For great merit aid, you generally need to be one of the most desirable students which means applying to places where you are in the top 25% stats-wise. And remember, medical schools are very prestige-insensitive. They care a lot more about your GPA (so you want to be sure of being at the top of your class academically) and your MCAT score. And they are also very expensive, so you want to graduate with little or no debt.</p>
<p>My S is a sophomore at U of Miami. He is pre-med. He loves the sciences classes, and there are plenty of opportunities to do undergrad research and shadow doctors at the medical school/hospital campus ( in downtown Miami). With your GPA and PSAT score you would most likely get a significant merit scholarship, and be in the running for the top Singer/Stamps scholarships. There are plenty of things to do in Miami area so having fun is not an issue. We all love the U! Good luck.</p>