<p>So, as the title explains, I am going to be a senior in high school. I am extremely worried that I will never find the perfect college fit. I really hope I gain some insight on solid universities, so here's information about myself:
- 4.00 GPA (4.415 Weighted)
- 1950 SAT (1270 Math/Reading)
- Top 5 in class of about 300
- 2 APs Junior year, 4 APs Senior year
- Track/Field athlete
- National Honor Society
- Society for Academic Achievement
- Busted/SADD secretary
- Leo Club
- Olivet Boys & Girls tutor/mentor
- Highest Mathematics grade for Sophomore and Junior year
- Native of Pennsylvania, right outside of Philadelphia</p>
<p>I plan on majoring in biology with a minor in mathematics. So far I have looked at Penn State and George Mason. Please help me broaden my college search! Thank you for any information you may have to offer.</p>
<p>I do plan on going to medical school. I am taking the ACT in September and possibly the October SAT. Do you recommend that I retest? I had a 200 point improvement from the first test of 1750 to the most recent score of 1950. My parents are willing to pay around $30,000. We are hoping to get some sort of financial aid from George Mason for merit. GMU seemed to emphasize their merit scholarships at the summer orientation.</p>
<p>Other things I would like in a school:
I definitely do NOT want a huge Greek scene. I saw that some SEC schools have frat/sor involvement percentages of around 36%. That would DEFINITELY not be for me. I do not want to be in the middle of a major city such a New York, Boston, etc. but being within close proximity would be ideal. I hope to study abroad during my college years. A strong sense of pride for their athletic programs, such as Penn State, is huge for me as I love fall NCAA football. This is another issue for George Mason since they do not have a football team.</p>
<p>Oh, and my parents total income is between $50,000-60,000/year. So we are your typical middle class family. I will not get scholarships for my background as I am a white male.</p>
<p>I have been on the Pitt campus and although they have an excellent reputation by all means, I do not feel comfortable living in a big city for that long. I would go crazy having to cross busy streets to and from class.</p>
<p>No, $30,000 a year. Of course, this is going off the collegeboard costs. We hope, after scholarships and such, to bring tuition down to $20,000 range? Is this realistic?</p>
<p>Your financial constraints limits your college search.
Consider community college for 2 years then a 4 year school.
You still have to pay 50K/year for med school.
Seriously, crossing a busy street keeps you from applying to Pitt?</p>
<p>GMU did not expose these “high scholarships”. When applying you are to simply check a box for consideration for merit and then go from there. I realize GMU is expensive for OOS. So what are so alternatives, in your opinion?</p>
<p>Batllo, I want to be happy with the location I am essentially living in for most of the year. Considering Pitt is 5 hours from my location yet still in state, I would be unhappy. I do not want this factoring into my academic performance.</p>
<p>What about my financial constraints are so limiting? We are your typical household, or at least we thought so. LOL</p>
<p>*Well I mean obviously they will not pay the entire $30,000 immediately. We will both be taking out loans and such. *</p>
<p>If your plans include med school then you need to minimize loans as much as possible since you’ll have loans for med school.</p>
<p>Find out how much your parents will pay out of pocket each year.</p>
<p>Get your scores up so that you can get some merit scholarships. </p>
<p>I could be wrong, but I haven’t heard of any large merit scholarships from GMU for a student with your stats. You may have heard the words “scholarships” mentioned at GMU, but unless they gave specifics, there’s no way to know what you’d get (if anything) for your stats. Schools sometimes bandy about the words “scholarships” and “FA” which gives people the wrong impression that money is being thrown out to everyone. </p>
<p>Typically, to get a large merit scholarship from the schools that give them you need scores well within the top 25%…often within the top 10%…and sometimes within the top 5%.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice mom2collegekids. College is such a difficult thing! I think it is best that I take the ACT and then the SAT once more. One last question though, do you know of any OOS schools that I could qualify for scholarships? I have seen various universities that offer scholarships to students who have a certain GPA and SAT. For many schools I qualified. So I am confused when you say that these merit scholarships are extremely difficult to qualify for.</p>
<p>I have seen various universities that offer scholarships to students who have a certain GPA and SAT. For many schools I qualified. So I am confused when you say that these merit scholarships are extremely difficult to qualify for.</p>
<p>I don’t think I used the words “extremely difficult.” I’m talking about being a top scoring student at the school in order to get a BIG scholarship…which is what YOU need.</p>
<p>I have seen various universities that offer scholarships to students who have a certain GPA and SAT. For many schools I qualified.</p>
<p>There probably are some schools. Which schools do you know that you will get a large scholarship from with your current stats? When I say large, I mean one that will leave your family with an affordable amount to pay without large loans.</p>
<p>What about my financial constraints are so limiting? We are your typical household, or at least we thought so. LOL</p>
<p>The typical student from a household that earns $50-60k per year often has to commute to a state school or CC. It’s a myth that most kids go away to college…simply because the money isn’t there.</p>
<p>I don’t seem to see here that you and your parents have filled out the FAFSA or done any financial aid calculators. I think that you need to do that to see what your official need might look like. This is what schools will expect your family to pay. If you look at private schools, you will need to do a CSS calculator also. What you parents think they can contribute will make no difference to the schools. You can also have a term-time job, and help with some of the COA, as well as try for summer earnings.</p>
<p>With a family income of $50-60K and aspirations for med school, unless you are sitting on a substantial inheritance, you will need to get into a school that either is VERY inexpensive, or covers most of your costs with merit or need-based GRANTS. Not loans. Small loans are okay, but racking up significant debt would be a mistake. Be wary of schools that “meet need” mostly in the form of loans.</p>
<p>It doesn’t look like you currently have the stats to get into one of the super-selective need-based schools that actually cover need. Your GPA is fine, but your SATs are too low unless you have a hook. If you could be a recruited athlete, that would certainly change the picture.</p>
<p>I would suggest that you look at thread listing schools known to have good merit aid, and fully explore your state school options. OOS state schools are not likely to fork over the kind of money you need. Since you want to stay near home, there are a lot of schools in PA where your stats might make you a very attractive candidate. Albright, in your own town, springs to mind. You might even be able to save money by living at home some of the time. You are most likely to get a good FA package from a private school when you are near the very top of their stats. At schools like Juniata and Allegheny you would also be an attractive candidate, but not at the top. </p>
<p>Your are going to need to try to be flexible in what schools you will consider, and cast a wide net. IMHO, it is foolish to reject Pitt because it is 5 hours away. That is still a reasonable drive.</p>
<p>Now I am worried. I know an abundance of individuals from my high school that have gone to OOS universities for fairly reasonable costs. I really didn’t think my SAT scores were terrible but apparently they are. What, in your opinions, would I need to score to get into GMU or JMU with merit provided? Also, what are your feelings towards Penn State?</p>
<p>Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA has a pretty good rep for prepping students for med school. They also have decent merit aid. If you raise your SAT to 1320, you’d be in the running for the top scholarship. That, plus any need-based aid they find for you, might put the school in your price range. </p>
<p>The catch is that Penn State might end up being your better deal, since you’re in state. </p>
<p>Thank you DougBetsy! Finally I have gotten positive feedback. So far I have felt like the posters have only denounced by stats and not really given me any hope for college options. At least I learned something though. I had thought my SATs were great considering a 1950 is the 92nd percentile. And I thought my high GPA would surely help me get money. Apparently not I really do think PSU is the top option I was just hopeful that there were some OOS options that would suit me. Do you have any other advice DougBetsy?</p>
I really do think PSU is the top option I was just hopeful that there were some OOS options that would suit me. Do you have any other advice DougBetsy?</p>