<p>I'm a junior and am ranked 1 out of 672 in my class. I also got a 224 on the PSAT in Texas so I should qualify for national merit. My extracurriculars are acceptable and leadership is good...and Im just wondering what independent scholarships are out there. I live in a middle/upper class white family so financial aid won't do much and it seems like many colleges are only giving out need based scholarships, not merit based. Jw what I can do...</p>
<p>I’d bet you’ll almost certainly make National Merit Semifinalist. (My son made it with 223.) If you do, look into one of the schools that essentially <em>buy</em> National Merit Semifinalists/Finalists/Scholars: University of Alabama, Arizona State / Barrett Honors College, University of Oklahoma, etc. </p>
<p>When you receive your National Merit Semifinalist packet in September, it will include a list of colleges that sponsor NMSFs / NMFs / National Merit Scholars. Some give only partial scholarships, but others give full-ride if you make it to NMF (and most SFs do, from what I hear).</p>
<p>Congratulations on that score and best of luck!</p>
<p>Here is a fairly complete list: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html</a></p>
<p>*independent scholarships *</p>
<p>If you need money for college, independent scholarships won’t likely work…they’re often for small amounts, can have a need component, and are often for freshman year only.</p>
<p>If you want/need big scholarship money, you need to apply to the schools that give them.</p>
<p>You will make NMSF…so look at the schools that give NMF scholarships.</p>
<p>The big issue is that the schools most with your stats want to attend don’t give much merit. You need to find out exactly what your parents can pay and decide whether or not you need to focus on the big aid schools. Outside scholarships rarely add up to much, especially after the first year. You could get huge merit aid from schools like auburn and Alabama.</p>
<p>thanks for the responses…do you think its worth the money to attend a higher ranked/ivy league type school and pay the money or go to a Texas A&M/Auburn etc on a scholarship??</p>
<p>Personally, I don’t think it’s worth the money. As others have noted, most privates do not give out substantial merit aid. And, if you don’t qualify for need-based aid, that means you’ll be saddled with sizable debt. </p>
<p>Many public colleges have honors programs that rival top-tier private colleges. You can always get your graduate degree at that top private institution. What matters to employers is the last school you attended, not the first. (If it even matters at all; in some careers, it really doesn’t.)</p>
<p>This is just my personal two cents’ worth, but I’ve come to this conclusion through a long and painful application process. If I had it to do over again, I would definitely NOT encourage my son to apply to any private colleges. So far, he has been accepted to all his privates (still waiting to hear from one), but none has offered sufficient merit aid to make it worth his while. We’ve pretty much written off the privates; we’re focusing now on deciding among the publics where he has been accepted. No harm, no foul – but the poor kid put a lot of extra time and effort into applying to those private schools, only to find that they were not feasible financially.</p>
<p>Private college tuition is outrageous nowadays. No, I don’t think it’s worth it – not even for Harvard.</p>
<p>You are blessed to have a fantastic in-state public, UT-Austin. I’d recommend that you start your search there. Again, just my personal POV. </p>
<p>Best wishes!</p>
<p>Find out how much your parents can pay each year.</p>
<p>UT doesn’t give NMF scholarships anymore.</p>
<p>TAMU does, so do other schools.</p>
<p>Once you find out how much your parents can pay each year, then you can come up with a sensible list.</p>
<p>Do you have any SAT or ACT scores yet? Once you do, that will also help.</p>
<p>Right now, I’m in the public crowd. My kid is at a top school where I am paying 50+K a year, and his GPA is blown to kingdom come with the competition and all the great activities there! </p>
<p>In retrospect, the better GPA from state school would have gotten him into this U’s grad school and we could have paid for it with left over money. Now grad school is not an option, even though he is brilliant! 
</p>
<p>Next one is going to a state school, even if it is out of state and 25K! That sounds like a bargain right now. :D</p>
<p>*Right now, I’m in the public crowd. My kid is at a top school where I am paying 50+K a year, and his GPA is blown to kingdom come with the competition and all the great activities there! </p>
<p>In retrospect, the better GPA from state school would have gotten him into this U’s grad school and we could have paid for it with left over money. *</p>
<p>I’m going to show this to my bro and SIL. Right now they’re deciding colleges with their son. He wants to go to med school. If he goes to a top, top school, it is likely his GPA will suffer because of the rough grading curve from the super performers. He’s better off at a state school where getting a 3.8+ will be work, but not impossible.</p>
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<p>D1 is premed, she attended a top public fr year and a highly selective private the last 3 years. Because she was at the top of her cohort at the public and more in the middle of her class at the private, she had to work much harder to get top grades at the latter. While the Ivies et al. are often touted as having high grade inflation, between grading curves and the more competitive classmates, I don’t think that argument holds water. JMHO.</p>
<p>Hey thanks for all the responses. I really like UT Austin’s campus and the fact that they have pretty strong academics for a public university (of course not ivy-like though). Although they stopped giving out NM scholarships a couple of years ago, I would prefer UT over other local schools like Baylor and A&M. I know there is a scholarship from the state for graduating as valedictorian, but if there is no other way to cover the costs I cant see myself passing up free tuition+ at these other schools. Hence the need for some kind of independent scholarship…any ideas for getting money toward UT Austin??</p>
<p>I assume that by ‘independent’ scholarships you mean outside scholarships (as opposed to Institutional scholarships, which are ones offered by the school itself). One possibility is the Byrd scholarship (1.5k/yr for 4 yrs). Google it and you will get the website, which will take you to the state entity that runs the scholarship as how it’s administered varies between states. </p>
<p>This is one of the more generous non-need based scholarships that top students have decent odds of getting IMO. Sorry if you were looking for something more, but the fact of the matter is that most outside scholarships that are within reach are for 1k or less and only for fr year.</p>
<p>I think the deadline for the Byrd is 1/15 or 1/31…am going to encourage DS to apply ASAP.</p>
<p>Oops! Byrd deadline is Feb. 25–and guidance counselor sends it in, not the student. I was getting it mixed up with another scholarship available here in NC, which requires an essay. So solly!</p>
<p>See your guidance office for info re the Byrd. Also google your state and Byrd scholarship for your state’s info re same.</p>
<p>Deadlines and how to apply for the Byrd vary by state. For instance, ours is March 2 and it is done via a state-wide electronic application and the HS GC is not involved. Find individual state contacts here:</p>
<p>[Robert</a> C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program - State Education Agency Points of Contact](<a href=“http://www2.ed.gov/programs/iduesbyrd/state-contacts.html]Robert”>http://www2.ed.gov/programs/iduesbyrd/state-contacts.html)</p>
<p>Thanks, entomom! I stand (or, rather, sit) corrected. :)</p>
<p>No problem, it’s kinda crazy how much difference there is between how states administer the Byrd. It’s one of the few outside scholarships that are not based on need that I think is well worth the effort of applying for, I just hope Congress keeps it going now that Senator Byrd has passed.</p>