<p>People who have been through this or know something about it...</p>
<p>How much help can one expect to get from Federal FinAid? Just a ballpark estimate, based on income. My mom makes about 35k a year, and I have no idea where my dad is. Pretty sure he's unemployed. My mom doesn't own a house or anything either.</p>
<p>Now, I don't even LIVE with my mother, but obviously that doesn't matter for the FAFSA. But about how much would Federal Aid help?</p>
<p>If your info is correct - mother's earnings $35000, father unemployed, no assetts, then you will probably be eligible for a PELL grant (4300 I think). Your family's EFC (Expected family contribution) using both federal and institutional methodology will come in under $3000. </p>
<p>You say you don't live with your mother. If you earn a significant income, that could change the numbers. </p>
<p>That being said, a low EFC does not guarantee a free ride( or nearly free) at every school. You need to research the different schools you are applying to and see how well they meet need. </p>
<p>If you have an idea of where you are applying, post your stats and list of schools you plan to apply to, and people on this site will give you info on the financial aid policies of different schools. You will probably also get some great suggestions for schools to put on your list. Right now we don't have enough info.</p>
<p>Run through the FAFSA calculator to get a more exact figure. You will be eligible for a Pell Grant, subsidized loans, possible state aid if offered by your state, and possible SEOGH money and Perkins loan money if offered by your college and if they decide to give it to you. Most colleges that use FAFSA only do not guarantee aid. Only some of the government aid is guaranteed if you make the numbers. If you are looking at schools that are more generous, you need to take a look at the Profile which would ask more questions about your father.<br>
If you don't live with your mother, who else is contributing to your support? Or if you are working, that goes into the equation as well.</p>
<p>You could try filling out the FAFSA 4Caster (fafsa4caster.org). It will tell you what your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is likely to be, and based on that how much in federal grants, loans, and work study you would be eligible for. </p>
<p>There are also state grants which you would have to research separately. These would be for students in your state who go to college in that state. In California, the income limits are fairly high for students with good grades. There are also college grants, and those would vary a lot from one school to another.</p>
<p>I may create another topic for this but someone asked for stats and all. Here they are.</p>
<p>GPA-terrible. My freshmen year I had excellent grades, but 10th and 11th grades I slacked. 12th grade is picking up a lot. I'm guessing GPA's a little below a 3.0 now.</p>
<p>ECs: 3 major research projects with the Corps of Engineers. (Not typical high school research). First one was the only inland field study to be conducted on a federally endangered bird, the other two were the first projects of their kind to be conducted on an endangered sturgeon. I've been published 3 or 4 times. Discovered two new species. I've given presentations all over the country, blah blah blah. One lots of science fairs and competed in a bunch of international competitions. Won some decent scholarships to my local colleges. You've probably heard all this before. I've also conducted several more slightly smaller scale projects. FOR SURE want to major in biology and become a field researcher. That will happen no matter what college I go to. </p>
<p>I've tought government biology courses, volunteered at camps, churches, etc. teaching kids about herpetology or biology in general. Volunteered at salvation army, worked for the Corps of Engineers for 3 years, and worked for Fish and Wildlife Agency for a summer, 9-5 job. Right now I've got an after school job at a bar and grill. Slight change, heh.</p>
<p>Never done sports or anything, but I'm an outdoors person. Love to skydive, go caving, white water rafting, etc.</p>
<p>Mom's broke, but I've done okay for myself. I live with her ex-husband in an apartment because he's like a dad to me. </p>
<p>Made a 28 on the ACT in 8th grade, then took it again over the summer and didn't try at all. I got a 29, which sucked. I'm taking it again in December and I'm going to actually study, so I'm hoping to get at least into the 30s (33+ would be not too hard).</p>
<p>I am DYING to go to Sewanee, but I don't think I'll be able to get in. What are my chances? I'm looking at other schools obviously. What else should I be doing or looking at?</p>
<p>You might want to check out this list for more ideas:
College</a> Lists wiki / B- to C students</p>
<p>You could try looking into the biology departments at each of those schools to see which ones have the kinds of emphases you are looking for. You have such a strong background in biology that you are sure to find a good match somewhere.</p>
<p>If you want to get a sense of how generous the colleges are with financial aid, you could look at their financial aid profiles at collegeboard.com (type each college name into the QuickFinder and select the Cost and Financial Aid tab). That will tell you the average percentage of need they meet for all freshmen, plus other useful data like average debt at graduation. None of the schools on the list above meet 100% of need for all students, but some of them are close. For example, Millsaps meets 90% of need on average and has a biology department that says it offers field research opportunities to students. Wooster meets 96% of need on average. Hiram College meets 95% of need on average and says it has a field station next to the campus. (And so on.)</p>
<p>Federal aid you may be eligible for with a low EFC:
Pell Grant: Currently they max is $4310. 2008/2009 school year it increases to $4,800. For the current Pell you have to have an EFC of 4110 or below to qualify for any Pell. Then the lower the EFC the higher the Pell. (from $400 for a 4110 EFC to the full $4310 for a 0 EFC)</p>
<p>If you qualify for the Pell you get it. Qualifying for Pell can also help you qualify for other federal grants but they are not automatic.</p>
<p>FSEOG: The maximum is $4000 but funds are limited and the maximum varies for each school. (my Ds school for instance the max is $2000) Each school decides how to distribute the funds and the basis seems somewhat mysterious. My Ds school says those with the lowest EFC get it. Her EFC was around 700 and she did not get it. There was an attempt to get rid of the FSEOG in the budget this year - it may or may not be financed for the next school year.</p>
<p>ACG The Academic Competitiveness Grant - you have to qualify for Pell to get it. It also has academic requirements. You have to have finished a 'rigorous. curriculum at your HS. This varies from State to State.
look for your State requirements here: [Academic</a> Competitiveness Grants (ACG) Recognized State Rigorous Secondary School Programs of Study - 2007<a href="this%20is%20the%20current%20school%20year%20-%20it%20my%20change%20next%20year">/url</a>. It is for Freshman & Sophomore years only.
Currently it is up to $750 freshman year & $1300 sophomore year. This is increasing next school year.</p>
<p>SMART:This is for junior and Senior year. It is up to $4000 but you must qualify for pell. Also you must be majoring in certain fields - mainly sciences and certain languages. Here is the current list:
<a href="http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/attachments/CompleteListEligibleMajors0708SMART.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/attachments/CompleteListEligibleMajors0708SMART.pdf](<a href="http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/about/ac-smart/2007/state-programs-07.html%5DAcademic">http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/about/ac-smart/2007/state-programs-07.html)</a></p>
<p>Some states have need based grants for residents also. Our state has one - it is $1000 a year and is again based on the EFC - an EFC below 1500 is required. Google your state education to see if they have one.</p>
<p>That is grants. There are also loans.</p>
<p>Sewanee does have grants, merit and need based that it gives at its discretion. It is a PROFILE school, so your family situation will undergo a lot more scrutiny before getting need defined. However, it is also able to be more flexible than many schools. </p>
<p>How your academic profile including research will stand out with them is also unpredictable. With these small LACs, fit and needs are strong factors on who they accept. Again, there is more leeway than with "formula" schools. You would need to interview personally with the admissions office and visit the school, to substantiate what a great fit you are with Sewanee. </p>
<p>One problem you may have with your declared major is that it is a very competitive one. Many premeds declare Bio as a major and they tend to have excellent grades and stats. THere also tend to be many premed types applying to schools, and the colleges can be more picky about who they take with this plenty.</p>
<p>On a scale of 60-99, with 99 being the best, The Princeton Review rates Sewanee as a 94.</p>
<p>This is the info on Sewanee from USNews: (fist number is freshman, second is total undergads - chart didn't copy well. </p>
<p>Students who applied for financial aid 57% 49%
Those determined to have financial need 38% 46%
Students whose need was fully met (excluding PLUS or other private loans) 77% 85%
Avg. financial aid package (% awarded aid) $24,809 (38%) $21,439 (46%)
Avg. need-based scholarships or grants (% awarded aid) $21,201 (38%) $17,947 (45%)
Avg. self-help aid, such as work study or loans (% awarded aid) $3,518 (28%) $3,213 (33%)
Avg. need-based loan (excluding PLUS or other private loans) $3,096 $3,226
% need met (of those awarded need-based aid) 94% 97%
Non-need-based aid
Avg. merit award (% awarded aid) $12,517 (18%) $11,871 (22%)
Avg. athletic scholarship (% awarded aid) N/A (0%) N/A (0%) </p>
<p>This is definately the type of school you want to apply to as far as FA is concerned. Do you homework before you apply, because it would be a waste of time to apply to schools that don't have the $$ to give. </p>
<p>I won't "chance you" at Sewanee since they are never more than a guess.<br>
Average ACT 25-29, average GPA 3.5. You can guess for yourself, but definately worth applying.</p>
<p>Get together your list of reaches, matches and safeties that give good FA.</p>
<p>Good Luck....</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info. I desperately want to go to Sewanee, but I do have a safety school. It's not like I won't go to college...but Sewanee is just ridiculously perfect for me. </p>
<p>I have one more question. What about ED? Next deadline for ED II is January. I could get my ACT in early and apply. Would my chance of getting in be higher if I applied early decision? Or would a somewhat "iffy" student like myself be better off applying regular decision? </p>
<p>I was really just worried that I would apply ED, get in (although I still think I won't), and then turn in a FAFSA a few months later only to realize I'll have to pay more than I can afford. </p>
<p>Just need some guidance. My school counselors are **** and I can't really turn to my parents.</p>
<p>If financial aid is a significant consideration do NOT apply ED. It is a binding acceptance. When you apply ED, you KNOW that finaid packages will not be able to be compared and you agree to pay the price with the finaid package offered by the school. Plus didn't someone say Sewanee also required the Profile? To be honest, I would not recommend ED.</p>