Help Me Find My Matches!

College Search & Selection
1

Hi, I’m a rising senior (Class of 2016) and I have started to compile a college list (a bit late, I know). I’ve got safeties (in-state/guaranteed full ride schools) and reaches (Ivies and Stanford lol), but I’m having a hard time with match schools. I’d really like to know of schools that give good merit scholarships, not just financial aid, since my family’s EFC is high and I don’t really want to pay so much money just for undergrad. I’m not sure what I want to major in, but I’m interested in both engineering and business. Ultimately, I’d like to get an undergrad in something (possibly engineering, I’m doing more research on viable majors) and then go on to get an MBA. Below is my resume. I’ll try to keep this short and sweet. BTW, I’m an Asian female from Alabama.

Stats:
SAT I: 2270 (730CR 770M 770W - 10Essay) possibly retaking in October
ACT: 35.25 or 35 (36E 35 everything else - 9Essay)
SAT II: 770 Math 2 (ew) and 760 Chem (double ew)
AP: 5’s on APUSH, Calc BC, and Eng Lang and Comp, and 4’s on APES, Chem, Bio, and Physics C: Mechanics

Awards:
Siemens Competition Semifinalist (10th)
NMSF (PSAT 237), probably NMF if all goes well
AP Scholar with Distinction… nothing else really

ECs:
School Newspaper Club (Founder and Editor-in-Chief, 11th-12th)
Environmental Club (Co-Founder and President, 11th-12th)
First Priority Christian Club (Student Leader, 9th-12th)
Member of a School Board/Committee that meets to discuss things we can do to improve the school. I was nominated for this and there are only 15-20 students from our whole school on it. (11th-12th)
Unpaid Internship at Boeing (summer after 11th)
Won a few writing competitions, nothing notable…
NHS (Member, 10-12th)
SNHS (Member, 10-12th)
Quiz Bowl (Member (9-12th)

Volunteering:
Started a community service drive (Founder and Executive President, summer after 11th - ongoing in hours, easily over 250)
Volunteer at local hospital (60 hours - Summer after 10th)
Worked as a barista at church (20-30 hours)
Volunteered at local rescue mission (not a lot of hours, maybe 10; it’s probably not worth mentioning but oh well)

So that’s me in a nutshell. Well, my resume at least. I’d appreciate all your opinions and advice. Thanks in advance!

2

Your stats are great. Are you applying SCEA/REA to HYP or S? You should check out Stanford’s MS&E degree - sounds like what you are looking for.

I don’t think the labels of safety, match, and reach work for someone in your position. You should have no trouble getting into what would normally considered “match” schools. Yes, their could be some weird thing that happens, but you are a stellar candidate. Essays will be important.

What about Rice? Most would not consider this a match school, but if you show some demonstrated interest, I would think you would get in. My ds got very nice merit there (around $22,500 per year or so), and their cost is below many of the other privates. He didn’t matriculate there, but it made his top three.

I don’t know enough about engineering to be of much help. Just wanted to say you look great on paper!

My ds’s stats were similar to yours, and he was pretty much come big or stay at home. Most of the privates he applied to that offer merit offered about $20,000 per year. I think that is a pretty common amount. We don’t qualify for any need-based aid. He had two safeties where he was going to be free. He had a hard time coming up with matches as well. Pretty much was going to be come big or state at home for him. Rice’s merit offer was a VERY pleasant surprise.

3

@Hoggirl Thank you so much for replying! And yes, I plan to apply SCEA to Princeton most likely. That Stanford program seems really interesting! I doubt I could get into Stanford since I don’t really have anything outstanding on my resume, but I’ll still apply.

My main concern for “match” schools is the financial aid. My family’s EFC is more than I’d like to pay, so I’d like to go to a school that is ranked highly but also gives good financial aid packages/merit scholarships. I ran the Rice financial aid calculator, and they only gave me around 5k per year. My brother had applied to Rice last year and had gotten in (no merit scholarship, I didn’t know they gave those), but the low financial aid package was a turn-off for our family. What merit scholarship did your son get at Rice?

Where did your son end up matriculating? And what was his major/career path? I’m still not sure what I want to do, and it’s hard when the admissions process is looming in the near future. Thank you again for your response :slight_smile:

Does anyone else have a comment or opinion?

4

@meaa7130 - I would run NPCs at all schools you are interested in. There may be variation in them from place to place in terms of what your EFC is. HYPS are the most generous. Have you run those? Are you factoring in that your older brother will be in school at the same time? Sounds like you are getting gapped a bit. In the donut hole as they say. Most tippy top schools do not give merit money at all. Some exceptions are Rice, Vanderbilt, WashU, and Duke, but they are all pretty competitive. Not sure about Emory?

You have great safeties in your home state, of course. But, pretty much your EFC is your EFC, though as stated above it can vary by school.

For merit, USC offers 1/2 tuition for National Merit, I believe. What about the University of Rochester? I hear good things about their finaid/merit aid. Hopefully, some other folks will reply. Claremont Colleges? Mudd has engineering and CMC has business-type things. But their merit is very competitive, too.

I don’t recall the name of the scholarship that my ds received from Rice. There is no separate application for scholarships at Rice - your regular app serves as that. As I said, it was quite the pleasant surprise.

I will send you a pm.

5

Schools that combine reasonably good merit aid and moderate selectivity: Tulane, U.Rochester, CWRU, G.Washington, RPI, M.Holyoke, Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is actually very selective but also generous. You did not list your GPA or class rank but both are probably quite high. There are a limited number of “full-ride” scholarships available at a fairly long list of colleges. Typically no more than 5 or 10 sholarships are offered at each college. Some of the more famous ones are: Alabama’s Academic Elite Scholarhship,

6

Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that.

GPA: 3.96UW/5.05W
Class Rank: 2/369

@Wje9164be Thanks for the list of schools! I’ll research them as I’m compiling my list.

Anyone else have any more advice?

7

Bumppppp

8

Bumpity bump. Help me out people!

9

To the fine suggestions from @Wje9164be and @Hoggirl I would add Northeastern. Strong for both business and engineering. If you are NMF you are likely to get at least $30,000 in merit there, with a possibility of full tuition if chosen as a University Scholar.

Also look at Fordham for business (full tuition for NMF I think). I don’t know if they offer engineering or how good it might be.

10

Tulane has non-binding Early Action, which includes notification of merit awards. You would probably earn a nice one from them, and I think you would almost certainly get in if you apply early. They usually offer a free application. If you want to get out of Alabama, you would probably qualify for attractive packages from Clemson, Pitt, U. of Miami, Syracuse, George Washington, Northeastern, Fordham, American, et al.

11

USC is a match and you have a chance at a good scholarship. I think they require seperate applications and even an interview if you make it that far.