help with son...what kind of scholarships

Paying for College
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<p>Okay, I have been here before and you guys are very helpful. I am a very proud mom of a 17 year old who will be a senior in high school next year. We are trying to explore colleges and scholarships right now. I guess I am wondering what his chances are of getting scholarships and if anybody has suggestions on what we should be doing now. </p>

<p>He is not interested in an Ivy League school. He wants to be a doctor and so far, his top preferences for schools are: Case Western, Ohio State, University of Cincinnati, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh.</p>

<p>Okay, here are his stats:</p>

<p>Weighted GPA at the end of my junior year is 4.15.</p>

<p>Class ranking is #1 out of a class of approximately 300 students.</p>

<p>Taking the maximum number of AP classes permitted.</p>

<p>ACT score is 30.</p>

<p>In Academia.</p>

<p>In Student Government.</p>

<p>National Honor Society.</p>

<p>Foreign Language Club.</p>

<p>Boy Scouts (currently working on my Eagle Scout Project)...started today and will complete by next weekend.</p>

<p>Americanism Winner at the State Level (won trip to Washington DC).</p>

<p>Attended Buckeye Boy's State June 10th through June 20th, 2006 (sponsored by the American Legion). </p>

<p>Volunteer (help individuals with disabilities with recreational activities).</p>

<p>Hospice Volunteer.</p>

<p>Intramural dodge ball.</p>

<p>Tennis Team.</p>

<p>Part Time Assistant to Network Administrator at Manufacturing company.</p>

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<p>Have your S register with fastweb.com or scholarships.com. They will ask him some questions-a brief survey about interests, areas of study, volunteering etc. Then they send you scholarships that "fit" his needs. My S just graduated and did several from their website. He has gotten almost $30,000 in scholarships. He also checked with his high school guidance dept. They had a book in the office with various scholarships which they kept updating. These are a good start and the websites can give you several. Your son sounds like he might be able to get some merit scholarships as well as community service ones.(BTW, U of Penn is IVY) so check your schools carefully before you apply - especially if he doesn't want IVY. ) His list sounds fine-I think he has a very good shot at all, although U of Penn may have their own criteria being an IVY.</p>

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<p>Penn or Penn State? I would say Penn State, OSU, Pitt, Case, and Cinncinnatti (especially cinncinatti) will give him a full ride academic scholarship, so you don't have much to worry about.</p>

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<p>Actually Penn State does not give tons of money to out of staters. If you are from Ohio(?) Case Western and Ohio State would be better bets.</p>

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<p>thanks to both of you. I will check out all of the information audi suggested and kingjames, that sure is encouraging. How does that happen? I know we will start applying this fall to colleges, so once he gets accepted, do we apply for their scholarships or is he automatically awarded some? I am a newby and the scholarship stuff.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help to both of you.</p>

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<p>rlm...we are from Ohio. Some people have told us to have him submit applications to at least 6 or more colleges. And, yes, I keep forgetting Penn is an ivy league. So, guess that would be the only one he has thought of and its because PA is close to Ohio. He would sorta like to stay within driving distance of our home and that would be perfectly fine with his mom....me. lol.</p>

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<p>rlm...we are from Ohio. Some people have told us to have him submit applications to at least 6 or more colleges. And, yes, I keep forgetting Penn is an ivy league. So, guess that would be the only one he has thought of and its because PA is close to Ohio. He would sorta like to stay within driving distance of our home and that would be perfectly fine with his mom....me. lol.</p>

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<p>most scholarships are actually awarded by colleges to their incoming freshman. Explore the websites of each of the colleges he is interested in, and see what you can find for scholarships. The big state schools often have automatic ones for certain gpas/class rank/test scores. Also some for val/sals. These are the best because they usually don't require any separate apps. :)</p>

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<p>Be sure to look for scholarships offered by the individual departments at the school. I have found that all scholarships are not listed under Admissions/Financial Aid. My S got a nice scholarship (big state u) from the department his major is under and the info. about it was on the department home page not admissions/scholarships page</p>

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<p>Be careful, however, on scholarships that sound like they are automatic, but may be limited in number. This was a few years back, but my son was accepted at Case Western. We read on their website that a SAT score over a certain number meant a certain dollar amount of scholarship. However, our son received quite a bit less than that, despite having a SAT score over the required number. When we called to ask why, they said the SAT score was required for the scholarship, but did not guarantee it. (We were out of state; I don't know if that matters at Case.)</p>

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<p>Case is a private school. State residency shouldn't matter. In fact, being from outside of Ohio would be an asset as it would bring geographic diversity. </p>

<p>Re: Fastweb and their questionnaire...it is not particularly sensitive to your answers. Both of my kids did that questionnaire, and got precious few scholarships sent their way that applied to their interests or credentials (in fact, DS got NONE that were for his interest...music).</p>

<p>Ohio State University has a scholarship program for students in state who are high achievers. You need to look on their website for specific information. Someone else in the past posted on this site about that program. It is very generous. I do not know the criteria.</p>