<p>Hi, I have a quick question for all you CCers.
My dad has a 400k+ income bracket, and I doubt I'll be able to acquire any scholarships emphasizing financial aid/low income opportunities. Furthermore, I was right on the margin and was not able to become a National Merit Semifinalist, but I have an SAT 1 score of 2200+. Can any of you recommend some scholarships or ways that I'll be able to find financial aid? I am going to be paying for my college fees by myself (hopefully through scholarships, but if not, loans) and I am requesting help!
Thank you so much!</p>
<p>Look at the schools that give substantial merit aid. There’s a thread for that. </p>
<p>check the pinned threads at the top of the forum. You can take out a 5,500 federal loan. Other than that a parent has to take the loan or cosign for anything not covered. </p>
<p>Just to clarify, you have no savings for college and no relatives will help pay your expenses so you hope to find (merit) scholarship for 100% of cost of attendance?</p>
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<p>???</p>
<p>Are you a high school senior? If so, how do you know that you are “on the margin” and didn’t make NMSF??? That hasn’t been announced yet. What was your PSAT and what is your home state???</p>
<p>You are not likely going to be able to pay for 4 years of college thru scholarships BY YOURSELF…unless you will go to a school that you haven’t heard of. </p>
<p>Are you saying that your very affluent dad WON’T pay for any of your college costs??? If so…WHY??? That seems crazy.</p>
<p>Assuming that you want to attend a school that you have heard of, the most you will likely get in merit is free tuition…maybe a small bit more. However, you would still need money to pay for room, board, books, fees, and personal expenses…and travel costs. That would be about $15k per year…how would you cover that?</p>
<p>For instance, UAlabama is the highest ranked school that will give you an assured scholarship of free tuition for your stats. You would get 2500 more per year if you major in engineering or Comp Sci.</p>
<p>You won’t get outside scholarships to cover those additional expenses. </p>
<p>What is your major and career goal?</p>
<p>ok…it looks like you are a Calif student…is that right? And you have a 214 PSAT? If so, you are right, you wont’ make NMSF. You would need about a 221 to make NMSF. </p>
<p>Can you clarify…you have a few reaches on your list…such as ivies. You need to take all of those off your list unless your dad will pay nearly all costs. You wont’ get aid from any ivy…and you can’t borrow that much.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1678964-links-to-popular-threads-on-scholarships-and-lower-cost-colleges.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1678964-links-to-popular-threads-on-scholarships-and-lower-cost-colleges.html</a> links to various threads of big merit scholarships (including automatic-for-stats and competitive full rides).</p>
<p>Your Dad’s income of $400K is even too much by California standards for need based aid. Your PSAT wont get NMF, so in California: you could probably afford CC. Everything else would be out of your budget until you turn 24.</p>
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<p>It depends upon who’s doing the ranking. Sometimes Temple’s ahead of Alabama. That said, Temple is an urban campus smack in the middle of somewhat depressed North Philadelphia. It’s not for everybody - including my own D and she grew up in Philadelphia. Alabama is certainly the highest ranking school with guaranteed merit and a traditional campus feel. </p>
<p>Lots of other colleges also offer competitive full scholarships. You should check them out. There are ultra competitive ones at elite schools - UVA, Vanderbilt, and Boston College come to mind, but they are essentially lottery tickets. Scranton, St. Louis University, Moravian, and many other schools also offer them, but they’re far from guaranteed. Pay particular attention to Scranton because I know they give out quite a few. </p>
<p>Chance information on the OP:</p>
<p>*Chance a Korean student…
Bookmark
dixiemitsy
dixiemitsy
Posts: 26
Registered User
New Member
03-29-2014 at 8:34 pm in What Are My Chances?
Top 5%in school in Central California
Unweighted GPA: 3.97
SAT: 2210 (taken once), PSAT: 214</p>
<p>Extracurricular Activities: - Piano teacher, English and Math Tutoring, babysitting
Swim and xc Freshman year but broke my ankle (which is still in a broken state)
ASB representative Freshman year
Piano/organ player for main service at church
Voice lessons (produced a demo CD)
Piano lessons (won awards in Guild, Certificate of Merit, learned for seven years at School of Music, two years at UCSB, one year at Westmont)
Flute lessons
Guitar Lessons</p>
<p>Volunteer/Awards
Donated $2,300 (raised with personal charity concert) to the local food bank and Cambodia through UNICEF
Won awards for 5 years straight in Guild and Certificate of Merit
Won 2nd place at the Paso Robles Mid State Fair Talent Show
1st place at the Lompoc Talent Show and was featured on local television and newspaper
Won Rising Star and Best Singer at Joyce Michaels Studio recitals for several years
Produced two demo CD’s and in the process of making a third
Fall Arts Festival 2013- Second Place in Sculpture
And all the typical volunteer activities.
1 catch: Received a B in a rigorous AP Biology class first semester… Don’t know if this will affect anything.
Chance for:
Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Columbia, Rice, Emory, Cambridge, UCB and UCLA*</p>
<p>Even if you get merit tuition, with $400K income, your dad should at least lend you the money for room & board.</p>
<p>Be aware that even if you get accepted to any of the Ivies, you won’t get merit aid there, they just give need aid and $400K is not considered in need. (Which is too bad since if your singing impresses the adcom that might get you in).</p>
<p>You could try for the competitive full ride scholarships like Robertson etc.</p>
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</p>
<p>Most of these schools give need based aid only. Any merit awards would be highly competitive (ucla, ucb).</p>
<p>If the family won’t pay, these schools will not be affordable.</p>
<p>@dixiemitsy: You say that you will be paying for college yourself through scholarships and loans. Do you know that there are limits to the loans you can take out yourself as a dependent undergraduate without a co-signer?</p>
<p>Freshman $5500
Sophomore $6500
Junior $7500
Senior $7500</p>
<p>
My question, too. </p>
<p>Dixie, have you asked your parents what they will contribute? Are your parents married? Do your mom and dad both say they won’t contribute a penny?</p>
<p>How much will you and your parents be able to pay for college? That means what you have saved as well as what your parents are willing to give you. Also includes loans. If you are a US citizen or have a green card, you can borrow The Direct Loans, but the amounts start at $5500 for freshman year. When you make your school list, you need to look at those schools that have big ticket scholarship awards, like full rides. Look at the stickines at the top of the forum for some of them. Schools like Stanford, the ivy league do not give merit money. THey expect parents to pay if they have the ability so your father earning $400K will knock you out of the running for that kind of money. </p>
<p>Also look at what your commuting options are and what state schools are offering nice merit awards. Your GC can probably guide you to some of those that have been good to grads from your high school. Explain that you need merit awards.</p>
<p>Are your parents divorced or separated? If that 's the case, you might be eligible for some aid from schools that use FAFSA only or that exclude the NCP from the fin aid process. However any support from the NCP would have to be included on the custodial parent’s financial statement.</p>
<p>You have good stats so some awards are likely. You need to find out what kind of support you are getting from parents for college. IF the answer is that you are not getting a cent, you need to focus on the merit award schools, and commuting options. If you continue to live at home with your parents, you could likely afford a local school with the Direct Loan and if you find a part time job with other payments. That’s how a lot of students who can’t get any money from parents do college.</p>
<p>@thumper1:</p>
<p>Rice & Emory definitely have merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Emory has a fair number of full-tuition ones (you increase your changes for them by applying for both Emory and Oxford College of Emory).</p>
<p>Rice seems to care about the quality of their musicians, so that may help.</p>
<p>Rice cares about the quality of musicians for their music majors. </p>
<p>Agreed, rice and Emory have merit awards…but they are few and far between, and are highly competitive.</p>
<p>Rice gives out more merit aid (16% of freshmen) than Emory (3.6% of freshmen). As noted, both require really impressive accomplishments/stats.</p>
<p>What about Duke?</p>