Honors/merit aid

<p>Thanks in advance for any help you all can provide: my daughter is a rising senior and for a variety of reasons, interested in the VT University Honors Program and Animal sciences major with equine emphasis. She is ranked in the top 4 students of almost 500 in a competitive public high school (in Pennsylvania), and her GPA is approximately 4.2 (weighted, which is about as good as you could be due to the number of honors/AP courses she was eligible to take). Her ACT, taken as a sophomore, was a 35. She has taken 5 AP courses (Chem, Eng Lang, Calc BC, US and World History), and gotten all A's and all 5's on her AP tests (except a 4 in World History). SAT2s include Math 2 (750), Literature (740), Chem (780), and Spanish (690). Long term, her career goal is to become a veterinarian, specializing in equine sports medicine and surgery.</p>

<p>Her passion is equestrian, spending 20+ hours every week with training and competing in regional and national eventing competitions. She has done fairly well in eventing and Pony Club (HB/C3), and has won some awards. She has some other ECs as well, including Key Club and other community service involvement, but nothing remotely involved as this. Her recs and essays should be excellent. She is probably going to take an alternate path her senior year and finish a few high school classes virtually (although she has enough credits to have graduated early), and take a college course or two. She is doing this to spend the year working full time (or more) as a working student for a current US Olympic eventing rider. She would learn infinitely more from doing this, and also be able to advance her own riding and compete during the year. We have no concerns about her being able to handle her coursework during this time.</p>

<p>So...my questions for the knowledgeable:
1) Any issues with admittance to University Honors?
2) Any issues with her senior year plan?
3) What are the chances of significant merit aid, OOS tuition waiver, 'recruitment scholarship', or departmental scholarships? She would like to attend somewhere that can offer her siginificant merit aid, and save her 'college money' for vet school. She really likes the set up of VT, and the fact that there is a vet school on site.</p>

<p>Thanks for any input you all have!</p>

<p>1) Any issues with admittance to University Honors?
2) Any issues with her senior year plan?
3) What are the chances of significant merit aid, OOS tuition waiver, ‘recruitment scholarship’, or departmental scholarships? She would like to attend somewhere that can offer her significant merit aid, and save her ‘college money’ for vet school. She really likes the set up of VT, and the fact that there is a vet school on site.</p>

<p>My kid just made it into the honors program, we were very impressed with the program and dorm accomodations.</p>

<ol>
<li> Should be a shoo-in. They are selective (about 1 in 5 make it) but your daughter is in the top tier of applicants.</li>
<li> None that I can see, will she be taking a few more AP exams?</li>
<li> Excellent prospect for aid, keep in mind awards are smaller than usual owing to the recession, she will definitely get something and has a decent shot a getting significant help.</li>
</ol>

<p>Best of luck!!</p>

<p>Probably will take a couple more APs. Meeting with the high school admins and a college registrar type person this week. Thanks!</p>