<p>Some of the schools on the OP’s list just won’t work at all. UC Davis, for instance. There are no full-ride (or even full-tuition) scholarships for an OOS kid there, so no point in spending $50 on the application.</p>
<p>If I simply can’t get to those colleges, I guess SUNY Binghamton, Oswego, and maybe even Albany might be good. I’ll try for Cornell, too.</p>
<p>I don’t know what your grades and scores look like, but University of Alabama Honors College gives a full ride (plus perks like a computer and a stipend) to National Merit Scholars. They recruit from all over the country.</p>
<p>You might also want to investigate the opportunity to compete for a Posse Scholarship. Go to [The</a> Posse Foundation](<a href=“http://www.possefoundation.org%5DThe”>http://www.possefoundation.org). You would need to be nominated late in your junior year or early in your senior year. </p>
<p>The best thing you can do is work very, very hard on keeping your grades high, doing well on your ACT or SAT, and developing a passion that really sets you apart. If you could gain entry to Princeton, Yale or Harvard, given your financial circumstances, you would get a free ride there.</p>
<p>The OP is apparently a rising sophomore so there’s no way to know what type of college would be appropriate.</p>
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<p>Alabama’s NMS scholarship is not a full ride - it has been reduced considerably in recent years. There are many schools that give full ride for NMS, but this is all premature since the student hasn’t even taken the PSAT yet.</p>
<p>I disagree that it’s premature to let the OP know what opportunities exist for NMFs – knowing what he could get for a strong junior year PSAT may be just the motivation he needs to prepare well for it.</p>
<p>OP, I am impressed with the fact that you are seeking information about college now!</p>
<p>I am curious as to how those colleges made it onto your initial list, however. If you’d like to go to an OOS public school, perhaps you should look into U.Va. and UNC-Chapel Hill, which meet all need. (I have ties to both.) Also, it might be a good idea to start your list with a search of all colleges that meet need, and then narrow it down from there.</p>
<p>I got those colleges from [Wilson</a> Ornithological Society :: Guide to Graduate Programs](<a href=“http://www.wilsonsociety.org/pubs/studies.html]Wilson”>http://www.wilsonsociety.org/pubs/studies.html). I’m really into birds, and that list gives you a general idea as to what schools have a good number of ornithologists on staff. (I added University of Wisconsin list because I’ve read there zoology program is pretty good and they have just about every other program I could ask for). </p>
<p>As for Cornell…I’m not sure if I’m truly that good to get a full ride there…what I wanted to do really was be an undergrad somewhere else and then a grad student at Cornell…</p>
<p>I’m not sure what my unweighted average is, somewhere between 95-100. However I haven’t taken any SAT or ACT or any AP classes so I’m really sure how good I am.</p>
<p>Cornell gives only need-based aid, not merit. So if you’re good enough to get in to Cornell, you’re good enough to get aid there, but how much will depend on your need, determined by them via CSS Profile information.</p>
<p>What a nice interest! Take a look at what those colleges have in that field and request material, make some contactsthere. If you have anything about your interest that you can share with the colleges, it can make a difference. My son’s girlfriend loves working with roses. She cultivates them and has won awards at shows. She did get some horticulture scholarships or scholarships due to her work in the field that is truly unusual and beyond the scope of most people, particularly high schoolers. THese sorts of things are intriguing to college admissions officers, departments and … to a lot of people.</p>
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<p>This is not true. Totally incorrect. A job is just as, if not more impressive, than volunteer work. Especially in a family where money is tight.</p>