How much does a poor junior year hurt my S with college admissions offices?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Hi, I have several issues I need advice on. My S attends a selective public school in NYC. He has never been a top student, but usually a solid B student. 9th grade average was 80, 10th grade was 88. But last year he lost interest in school, averaging 68 while failing 3 classes (Spanish, an elective, and gym!).</p>

<p>He is a nice kid and liked by everyone, but there were major changes at his school which led him and some other kids to quietly rebel against the school. His school had been an excellent new small school, but the founding principal had some well-publicized clashes with the Board of Ed, making the front page of the New York Times several days. The school had been exceptionally well run, with clear discipline and great teachers. Before my S's junior year the Board of Ed ousted the principal and installed a new principal who has proceeded to totally mess up the school. Kids' schedules were a farce, the most ludicrous mixups imaginable. The administration of the school was so bad that a number of kids just simply stopped attending classes. Even now in the second year of the new administration, the first two weeks have been totally wasted because teachers are not even teaching classes yet because they know all the student's ridicuous schedules are going to be completely changed.</p>

<p>Needless to say, my son did not handle the destruction of his school well. Some unhappy kids still went to class and did their work. S went through one of those teen stages where he wouldn't listen to adults and he had no concern for his future. Thankfully, he seems to have come to his senses. He's going to school now, doing his work, and (gasp!) prepping for the SAT in October.</p>

<p>How much did this Year of Disaster hurt him with college admissions offices? He should be back to 85-90 this semester, graduating with all necessary courses and a NY State Advanced Regents diploma. From practice SAT tests it seems like he can score between 1100-1200. He doesn't have much in the way of EC's, but his PSAT score qualified him for Johns Hopkins' Center for Talented Youth program and he took a 3-week Biotechnology course the summer before junior year on the Moravian campus. He got a very good rec from the teacher. He really likes biology, especially genetics, and he's even hinted that he might want to go to med school someday.</p>

<p>Also, I'm white and his mom is Latina. I'm not familiar enough yet with the application forms, but how should we classify his ethnicity, and will this help offset his junior year?</p>

<p>We've never had in mind for him the highly selective schools. I always thought a small college would be best for him because he's the type of kid who would get lost on a big campus. He's not very independent and assertive yet, so I've thought he would need the close-knit family of a small school so if he falters a bit he'd get help. But lately he's become more socially active, and he's starting to like the idea of going to a bigger school. Also, he's a cool, creative kind of kid from lower Manhattan, so a school full of preppie kids worrying about whose driving what kind of car would not be the best fit for him.</p>

<p>I know I shouldn't be too involved with his college search, but he's still a bit of a slacker. We talk quite a bit about different colleges, and we've agreed that I will act as a screening committee and give him a list of possible schools for him to further research and narrow down. He wants to stay in the northeast. Our EFC will probably be roughly 20K (what a joke! we live in Manhattan and practically live paycheck to paycheck).</p>

<p>What schools do you think he should look at? I have a preliminary list and S has narrowed it down, but I'd like your opinions to see if we're way off base on his possibilities. Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>I don’t know enough about all the ramifications of his junior year scores, but on his app, he needs to indicate that he is Hispanic - because he is. I don’t know if that will make a difference to NY public universities, but it may make a difference to privates and to scholarships.</p>

<p>Your son should come up with a tighter essay explaining the above situation to colleges that he will be applying. Don’t sound whining, but give a short and sound explanation of what happened and the ramifications.</p>

<p>Of course you should be involved in his college search! There’s nothing wrong with that. Many students need a parent’s major assistance with all the details, etc, concerning college searches and apps. Frankly, even the most ambitious and organized kids still need some parent oversight with the process to make sure all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. Most families who have a college-bound student will tell you that one parent had to be the “project manager” of the whole process - simply because most kids are have too many other distractions going on their senior year to do the job perfectly. There are just too many deadlines to leave it up to a kid who is also having to meet the daily deadlines of his current classes. (pay close attention to deadlines and get scholarship apps in EARLY!) </p>

<p>I suggest getting one of those portable accordion-style file organizers (about $5) or plastic file box to help you keep all imp info in one spot. (You don’t need to save every college mailer - just keep what you’ll need. </p>

<p>BTW… did you know that some colleges will waive app fees (or will reduce app fees) if you apply online? Just a tip.</p>

<p>So… don’t be afraid to take a bit of the lead here - it’s not unusual. Many parents will tell you that they (the parents) had to initiate and set-up college visits, register for SAT and ACT tests, etc. </p>

<p>Another BIG TIP – many parents find that their kids get more excited and involved once they have gone on a campus tour or two. (Go on a day that the college is open! See what days campuses are open when your child’s school is closed if you don’t want your child to miss any school.)</p>

<p>I hope your son does understand that he needs to really have a strong year this year- especially this first semester - but he also can’t “slack off” during his last semester just cuz he’s been admitted somewhere. Colleges sometimes take back acceptances if final transcripts indicate a poor last semester.</p>

3

<p>Different high schools use different methodologies for calculating GPA. For example, the high school our daughters attend does not include gym and elective courses in the calculated GPA.</p>

<p>I’m guessing colleges understand this, so perhaps the failed gym and elective will not have as big an impact on the application as you might fear, especially if his grades in his core courses were reasonably good.</p>

4

<p>Similarly to fendrock-
Our state university recalculates the applicant’s GPA, taking out all non-academic classes, and add .5 for honors, 1.0 for APs. Try this with your son’s transcript and see what you get. If his GPA is better, look for colleges that do this.</p>

5

<p>Would the advantage gained by listing Hispanic be wiped out by the failed Spanish class? </p>

<p>Maybe he needs to plan a gap year & REALLY get the Senior full year grades way up.</p>

6

<p>The failed Spanish class will have no greater impact than a failing grade in any other class. For affirmative action purposes, most colleges are simply looking for someone who they can say will add to their number of URMs.</p>

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<p>Did he fail Spanish class because he already speaks it and thought the class was a waste of time?
I know a young woman who lives in a Spanish-speaking household; she only took two years of Spanish (she did well in it though). She could have easily gone on and taken four, including AP and bumped up her GPA but she thought it was wasting her credits and took other classes instead.</p>

8

<p>" From practice SAT tests it seems like he can score between 1100-1200."</p>

<p>Since he was in CTY, the above must be an underestimate. Typically, students SAT (v & M) scores increase 100 points for every year of high school (this estimat was based on the old SAT). So, if he scored an 1100 v+m in 7th grade, he could be expected to score around 1500 as a high school senior. </p>

<p>My S scored about a 1020 on the SAT that he took in 7th grade. He scored a 1540 v, m on the new SAT when he took it as a h.s. junior.</p>

<p>You might strongly consider a gap year for your son as it’s not clear that he’s ready for college. A gap year doing something productive such as working a job or doing fulltime volunteer work through an organization like Americorps could be a big plus.</p>

<p>My S was similar to your S, and took a gap year living at home and being an Americorps volunteer. He grew enormously in terms of being responsible (He learned that even in the work world, one has to do boring paperwork and get it in on time!). He also become more focused in terms of his career aspirations.</p>

<p>Due to his sky high scores, URM status, and strong ECs including Americorps, he probably could have gotten into a tier one college, but chose to go to a second tier LAC, which was his first choice college. He got merit aid, is delighted with his small, interesting classes, and is involved with ECs in which he already is putting his leadership skills to work.</p>

<p>Junior year grades are considered the most important, so your S’s low grades will hurt him. Even with any URM tip, he sounds like a young man who could benefit from a productive gap year. I learned this lesson as my older S was similar, went to college on a virtually full ride, and then flunked out because he didn’t bother to go to class because although he was one of that college’s top students, he was not really ready emotionally to be in college.</p>

<p>You didn’t mention what your wife’s heritage is, but the most desired Hispanics are Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans because those are very underrepresented in colleges. Yes, your S can consider himself HIspanic if his mother is from South America (except Brazil), Central America or the Spanish speaking Caribbean. He also should have noted that when he took his PSAT because that and his score may have qualified him for a National Hispanic Scholarship (though his grades may have prevented his getting that scholarship, something that hurt both of my sons in the National Achievement Scholarship program for black students).</p>

<p>My older S went to a large state university, and although he had never partied before, he fell into the partying life (and also spent a lot of time on a productive, academically-based EC, but, unfortunately, that was not connected to any coursework).</p>

<p>I think a gap year and then a liberal arts college may be best for these kind of guys. Getting them into the most competitive college that will take them isn’t what’s important. Getting them to a college that interests them and will meet their academic needs is important. Making sure they are ready emotionally to go to college is very important.</p>

<p>One last thing: Being a male of any race/ethnicity is a plus at virtually all LACs due to a difficulty attracting males there.</p>

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<p>I agree with everything that Northstarmom said, above. My daughter is also a product of a NYC specialized school. That might help in some circles. Some colleges don’t get these kids applying regularly and will sit up and take a good look at any that come their way. Your mission is to locate these schools and help your son figure out where to apply. On the other hand, there are so many kids coming from the NYC metropolitan area, including L.I. and other suburbs, that being from Manhattan isn’t a help.</p>

<p>I know you detailed the problems your son’s high school has gone through, but it may seem to a college that it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I guess if he makes a strong recovery in senior year that will certainly help him. But colleges these days are very wary of a kid with any known problems. I agree that a well-planned and productive (emphasis on that word) gap year will go a long way toward mitigating that disastrous junior year.</p>

<p>And NSM’s advice about LACs is right-on. I imagine that Hispanic males are in particularly short supply. You could start by reading Colleges That Change Lives. However, a big shortcoming of that book in my humble opinion is that the author never talks about the tenor of the student body, if the kids are liberal or not, etc. I mean, the kids are Hampshire are going to be different from the kids at Earlham. So use the book just as a starting point, and realize that there are lots of other colleges out there that are hunting for students like your son even more because they don’t have the heightened visibility that the schools featured in the book have.</p>

<p>And don’t feel bad about assisting your son in his search. I think that’s the case for most kids. Just realize that the end decisions are his to make.</p>

10

<p>Some more advice learned the hard way.
Do what you can to help your S be aware of a variety of colleges, including visiting them. Do NOT, however, structure his time and stand over him to make sure that he gets his applications in no matter how much he claims to want to go to college next year. Warn him that it takes a lot of time to get teacher recommendations and to complete college apps, but don’t do something like ground him until his apps are done.</p>

<p>I literally stood over older S to make sure that he got apps into the colleges he said he was interested in. I also made sure that he submitted applications for merit aid for the out of state public universities that he said were his dream schools.</p>

<p>S happily went to his second choice college (first choice didn’t give him merit aid), had a delightful time, and also flunked out because what S loved about college (leaving the state where we live, being in a big city, being at a college that had the best team of his favorite sport) had little to do with what college is about. Grateful that we ddin’t have to pay a dime for his college, H and I even split the difference with S of what we would have paid for college tuition if he had gone to an in-state public. </p>

<p>That S is now 23 and has never returned to college (though he is employed and living independently).</p>

<p>With younger S, I virtually sat on my hands and watched as S IMed and did other things instead of getting apps in on time to the colleges that he said he wanted to go to. After he missed the college deadlines, S quickly got an Americorps job created for him at the volunteer agency where he had been happily volunteering and doing a great job for several years.</p>

<p>H and I also warned S that if his senior year grades were bad, we would not pay for his first year of college. S’s second semester of senior year was so bad (due to procrastinating about getting assignments in) that we didn’t know he was graduating until a week before graduation. He did a stellar job, however with his volunteer work!</p>

<p>During his gap year, S lived at home, paying us $50 a week rent out of his meager earnings from Americorps. He structured himself and paid his money to apply to 2 colleges, the LAC where he ended up, and a public university in our city that he could have gone to for virtually free while living at home. He refused to apply to a third tier that had promised him a virtually full ride based on his scores. He pinched pennies to save for college.</p>

<p>When he was invited to compete for a merit scholarship at the LAC, he paid his way there, including for his hotel stay, and he got a friend to proofread his scholarship essay. He was thrilled when he got the scholarship, and he also managed to get some other merit aid.</p>

<p>Still, he had to take out loans. We did not do the research for him (S waited until the last minute, and ended up having to pay a late payment charge to the college), but we did fill out the paperwork and agree to co-sign. We told him that if he earns the gpa to keep his scholarships, we’ll pick up the difference between his scholarships, summer earnings and the cost of college next year.</p>

<p>He is extremely happy at the college that he chose and did the work and paid the money to get to, and he appears to be taking his college experience seriously. If not, he always can come home and go to the local community college – if he’s willing to pay for that or he can live at home while working and paying rent.</p>

<p>A link to Americorps: <a href=“Loading...”>Loading...;

<p>Should your S decide that he’d like a gap year involving fun traveling, let him know that he’d be welcome to do that if he earns the money to pay for it. :)</p>

<p>]</p>

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<p>Thanks for the responses. My wife is Cuban, so do mixed race kids have the option of listing either, or both, ethnicities on apps? What is most commonly done, and do colleges view Hispanic/white differently than Hispanic?</p>

<p>My son failed Spanish because the new teacher hired by the incompetent new admin was horrible and he stopped going to class. Most of the students petitioned to have her removed, saying that they had learned absolutely nothing from her. S had already scored a 97 on the NY state regents exam the previous year.</p>

<p>Northstarmom, thanks for your comments. I have already let my S know about the concept of the gap year. It is something we will consider, and I’ll be sure to check out Americorps.</p>

<p>S took the PSAT in 10th grade. Although he frequently struggles with math, he somehow scored highly on the PSAT math section (verbal was more mid-range). I have a younger son in 10th grade now who took the SAT in the fall of 7th grade and scored a 990 m+v. He’s taken several course through CTY, and I know they raise the SAT score requirements 100 pts per grade, so I figured that was about what SAT scores typically increase per year.</p>

<p>jlauer95, thanks for all the great tips, and also for reassuring me that I’m not overly involved. </p>

<p>LurkNessMonster, I’ve read Loren Pope’s book and my S has read part of it. I like it a lot and I agree with him for the most part, but Pope is more like a lawyer presenting a case than someone evaluating both sides of an issue. I’ve felt that a LAC is probably best for S, but if it’s real small and in the middle of nowhere he could get bored in a hurry, especially if there aren’t many kids like himself. He hangs around with a very diverse group of artsy kids who are are into making music (indie rock), videos, etc.</p>

<p>Nobody suggested what schools he might look into. From what I understand, kids in the 25-75 percentile of SAT scores usually get accepted to all but highly selective schools. I’ve been assuming that his score will be 1100. Knowing that last year’s grades will hurt him significantly, and being Hispanic will help a bit, we’ve been looking at schools where 1100 is about the 50th percentile or better. Is this too optimistic?</p>

<p>Here are some of the schools we have in mind in no particular order:</p>

<p>Public:
SUNY Albany
SUNY Buffalo
SUNY Purchase
SUNY New Paltz
CUNY Hunter
U of Vermont (priced like a private for us)</p>

<p>Private:
Ithaca College
Hartwick
Syracuse (big reach, but that’s where I grew up so I’m reluctant to eliminate it).
Clark U (maybe too rigorous for him?)
Moravian</p>

<p>Since our EFC will be 20K+, I’m reluctant to pay for a lower level private when we can pay 4K for a CUNY school like Hunter, or even a community college (or take a gap year). I can’t see going in debt for up to 100K for a mediocre school that my S wouldn’t enjoy or get much out of.</p>

<p>What do you think about these schools individually, and are we reaching too high considering last year’s disaster?</p>

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<p>Mixed race kids can list their race whichever they prefer. </p>

<p>One of my good friends is Hispanic (Mexican) and her husband is Japanese. Her kids listed their ethnicity as Hispanic when applying to a very selective top 10 university - all got in. My friend told me that if her kids had listed themselves as Asian, they may not have been accepted since Asians are over-represented at that university. She said that it didn’t matter that her half hispanic kids “look” more Asian than Hispanic, and she was told that her kids have the right to list themselves however they want - as long as they were at least a certain percentage (1/16??? I think???) of that ethnicity. Since they are 50% Asian, no problem there.</p>

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<p>Milky Way…</p>

<p>I think now that you have provided more info, some recommendations will be forthcoming… But we may need more info…</p>

<p>Do you want him to live at home, in a dorm? I am assuming from your suggested colleges that you want him to live away. Is living at home an option?? (are any of the schools on your list close to your home??)</p>

<p>There’s no point in considering U of Vermont since OOS fees would apply. It’s not that great of a school to justify the expense.</p>

<p>Since your EFC is much higher than you can afford, and it’s doubtful that your son could get much, if any, merit $$$, we need to focus on in-state publics or privates that want URM males.</p>

<p>I am assuming that because you mentioned that Hunter would only cost $4K for you that your son would live at home if he went there…is that correct???</p>

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<p>“Syracuse (big reach, but that’s where I grew up so I’m reluctant to eliminate it).”</p>

<p>It is a big party school. I don’t think it’s a good place to send a guy who’s having difficulty focusing on academics. </p>

<p>"Since our EFC will be 20K+, I’m reluctant to pay for a lower level private when we can pay 4K for a CUNY school like Hunter, or even a community college (or take a gap year). "</p>

<p>The big plus of the lower LACs is more personal attention for your S (and consequently possibly more chance that he’ll stay in school long enough to graduate) and possibly excellent merit aid since many LACs do whatever they can to get males.</p>

<p>Being half Hispanic, your S would qualify for scholarships for Hispanics, which typically require that at least one grandparent is Hispanic.</p>

<p>From my experience with my sons, probably taking a productive gap year would be better than sending a kid off to college who’s not quite ready. Particularly if your S lives at home and does a gap year, he’ll get more supervision from you and have more of a safety net. The same can be true of some Americorps programs such as the ones in which participants live in barracks and deploy together to help with disasters.</p>

<p>If your S goes off to college and parties too hard and flunks out, he may feel so grown that he acts like my older S and doesn’t return home to grow up.</p>

15

<h2>“If your S goes off to college and parties too hard and flunks out, he may feel so grown that he acts like my older S and doesn’t return home to grow up.”</h2>

<p>That is a valid concern - for many parents about their college kids. I’ve heard some sad stories from parents of all kinds of kids (even honor students) who end up “flunking out” because they just get too “caught up” in their new-found freedom and the partying life. </p>

<p>Too much “free time” can be part of the problem. Taking classes that he likes should help motivate him to attend class and do the work (but don’t take classes that meet too early in the morning - the temptation to miss classes will be too great.), having a part-time job, and having some parental supervision, may prevent that from happening. </p>

<p>If you are going to pay for some/most of his education (say $4k at a state public), then you should have “some say” regarding how s will spend his time - I would get some kind of agreement from him before he begins college.</p>

<p>We were worried that our son wouldn’t wake up in time for his classes (he’s a night person and sleeps thru all alarm clocks). So we agreed that he wouldn’t take any classes before 10 am (at least for the first semester or so). I helped him with class registration coordination (all done online) to achieve a great schedule that begins at 10 am and has an hour off at noon each day. (He also has only one class on Tuesdays and no classes on Thursdays, so he has time for a part-time job. So far, so good. This is the 4th week of school and he is proud to say that he hasn’t missed/slept thru any classes. </p>

<p>The trick is to try to set your child up for success, not failure. (BTW… we also nixed any ideas of rushing a frat - at least for this year. Since he didn’t have the money to pay for it himself, he had to agree.)</p>

16

<p>S prefers to go away to college, and we think that’s best for him also. Hunter is a simple subway commute, but it would probably be a last option.</p>

<p>From our research so far, my top choices are Ithaca and Hartwick. I like everything about Ithaca, and because it’s strong in media and music it would have a student body that he should enjoy being with. Also, at 6,000 it’s bigger than the small LACs, but not nearly as big as the state schools.</p>

<p>Hartwick seems a good fit also and is a bit easier on admissions. Its freshman retention rate of 75% concerns me. Could this be because they have a high acceptance rate, so they are enrolling kids who are a bit below their academic level?</p>

<p>S right now likes SUNY Albany, but mostly because of their rep as a party school. When it comes time to make a decision, I don’t think this will be a major factor. We plan on visiting these schools and more, and when he gets a look at Hartwick with 1500 kids I think he’ll realize he would enjoy going to a school that size, while a large school like Albany might seem a bit overwhelming. He’ll like the close community of the smaller schools.</p>

<p>On a side note, my son likes the idea of an unbalanced male/female ratio (my 14 yr old son thinks 30/70 is about right).</p>

17

<p>milkyway… Thanks for the additional info. </p>

<p>So, with tuition, room, board, books, fees, misc expenses, how much do you expect your son’s annual costs to be? </p>

<p>How much will you be able to contribute, at most, per year?</p>

<p>Ithaca will be about 40K per year. Other privates will be just as expensive (or even more). Do you realize that? some of the Catholic privates might be cheaper (not Fordham, though. Fordham is about $45+k per year TCA). </p>

<p>Go to each college site and look up their TCA (total cost of attendance). many people just think about tuition and they forget that all the other costs can really add up.</p>

<p>The reason I’m asking is because with your son’s stats, he may get some $$$ money, but he may not get enuf to pay for a private like Ithaca without needing a big check from you, too. I looked at Ithaca’s website and they aren’t very generous with $$$$. Only “Park Scholars” are given the big bucks scholarships and those kids are top top kids from their schools. </p>

<p>If you want a private, then you need to find one that is desperate for URM males and is willing to pay big bucks to students who don’t have top stats (Ithaca doesn’t seem to be such a school). There may be a forum on this site that has dealt with this issue. I’ll try to find. I don’t know if any exist in NY because NY has a substantial hispanic community so they may not be as desperate for URM hispanic males - but I don’t know for sure.. </p>

<p>Frankly, because of your EFC, I think a NY public is going to be the most affordable, (unless we can find a private that is so desperate for URMs that they are willing to give $40k per year to a student who is in the 25-75 percentile. There may be some, but it will take some more research. </p>

<p>Are you aware that room and board at private colleges is usually much higher than what publics charge? </p>

<p>Another tip - don’t just look at the one number colleges quote for room and board. Look at which dorms your child is willing to stay in AND which meal plan he would need AND then add up the prices. My son’s dorm and meal plan are much higher than what the college quotes on their TCA page (total cost of attendance). that’s because my son wanted to eat everyday (not just M-F 2 meals a day) and he wanted to be in the nicer (cleaner) dorms. </p>

<p>I’ll look up more tomorrow.</p>

<p>In the meantime… does anyone out there know of any specific LAC’s that are VERY Generous (not just $15-20k per year) with $$$ for male hispanic URM’s???</p>

18

<p>"S prefers to go away to college, and we think that’s best for him also. "</p>

<p>It could be best IF your S continues to bounce back from his junior year. Do make sure that he has done that before committing to sending him a distance from home. Remember, he always could start by commuting to college from home and then transferring later.</p>

<p>"S right now likes SUNY Albany, but mostly because of their rep as a party school. When it comes time to make a decision, I don’t think this will be a major factor. "</p>

<p>Unfortunately, attending a party school seems to be important to many students, including very smart ones, so don’t bet that by spring, his priorities will change. They may, but again…</p>

<p>“On a side note, my son likes the idea of an unbalanced male/female ratio (my 14 yr old son thinks 30/70 is about right).”</p>

<p>Yes, my S has no complaints about the ratio (40:60) or so at his LAC!</p>

<p>One important question: What do you expect your S to contribute – through summer jobs, school year jobs and loans – to pay for his education? A way of determining this would be to figure out how much you’re willing to pay (through savings, loans, etc.) and then tell your S he needs to come up with the rest. That may help sharpen his commitment to college, getting the grades that may help him get merit aid and it may strengthen his making a decision based on more important considerations than partying opportunities.</p>

<p>How much do you anticipate he’ll get from a Regent’s scholarship (I’m assuming those still exist.).</p>

19

<p>It looks like Elmira College, a LAC that was formerly a women’s college, has some nice merit aid. Colleges sometimes stack scholarships – giving more than one type of merit aid to highly desireable students. Your student’s being male and Hispanic may put him in that category.</p>

<p>" Elmira College offers more than $10 million each year in academic scholarships and awards. Money magazine has named EC in the Top 10 Colleges in the Nation for Academic Scholarships. Every accepted student is awarded the highest scholarship for which they qualify, renewable for three additional years if the appropriate grade point average is maintained…"</p>

<p>If you’re also considering Penn., I notice that Susquehana University is small, and offers the following scholarships, which seem like a good deal. It’s about 3 hours from NYC. "Richard R. Green Memorial Scholarships are awarded to academically talented students to create a more diverse student body. Awards up to $15,000 ($60,000 over four years) depending on academic ability. "</p>

<p>*Trustee Honor Scholarships
Awarded to all accepted students who have earned a 3.5 GPA (on 4.0 scale as determined by the Office of Admissions) and an SAT Reasoning Test total of 1100 (ACT composite of 24). Best Critical Reading Score and best Math Score from any set of SAT Reasoning tests are used. $15,000 per year, $60,000 over four years. Renewable with a 3.3 GPA on a scale of 4.0.</p>

<p>*Founder Honor Scholarships
Awarded to all accepted students who have earned a 3.0 GPA (on 4.0 scale as determined by the Office of Admissions): $12,000 per year; $48,000 over four years. Renewable with a 3.0 GPA on a scale of 4.0.</p>

<p>*Mark Twain Honor Scholarships
Awarded to all accepted students who have a SAT Reasoning Test total of at least 1000 (ACT Composite of 22). Best Critical Reading Score and best Math Score from any set of SAT Reasoning tests are used. $10,000 per year; $40,000 over four years. Renewable with a 2.5 GPA on a scale of 4.0.</p>

<p>*Iris Leadership Scholarship
Awarded to all accepted students who have demonstrated leadership in school, religious or community activities (excluding athletic ability or participation); $6,000 per year; $24,000 over four years. Renewable with a 2.5 GPA on a scale of 4.0."</p>

20

<p>

Great advice for any kid of any age and any ability level.</p>