Looking for a good English program. Location matters.

College Search & Selection
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<ul>
<li>3.35 GPA Weighted</li>
<li>2200 SAT</li>
<li>28 ACT (plan to retake)</li>
<li>4 AP's (3 of those this year so not yet counting toward GPA)</li>
<li>Poor extracurriculars and volunteering, attempting to rectify this senior year.</li>
<li>Excellent writer. I intend to write some killer essays.</li>
</ul>

<p>Other information that could affect my school choice:
- I am a very social person; I enjoy having a variety and magnitude of good friends. For this reason, I would prefer a school located in or near a decently sized city.
- I would prefer medium-to-small class sizes.
- I am a tree-hugger. A school located near or in a naturally beautiful region would be nice, although not a requirement.
- My EFC is nonexistent. I am relying solely on aid to pay for school.</p>

<p>I didn't start doing college research until very recently, so I am unsure of what tier of schools I should be looking at. I just want to go to a good school in a good city with a good English program. So far, Eckerd and Lewis & Clark seem to meet all of my requirements and be within reach (do you think so?). Any help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED. My college counsellors suck. They just google average ACT scores for the schools I'm interested in and compare them to mine. Agh.</p>

<p>edit: I'm looking for recommendations for safeties, matches, and reaches.</p>

2

<p>My EFC is nonexistent. I am relying solely on aid to pay for school.</p>

<p>Does that mean that your EFC is likely $0…or does it mean that you have an EFC that your family can’t pay? </p>

<p>Do you have a non-custodial parent whose income might get considered at some schools?</p>

<p>*- 3.35 GPA Weighted

  • 2200 SAT
  • 28 ACT (plan to retake)*</p>

<p>Forget the ACT…just take the SAT again. The SAT is obviously “your test”. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>What is the breakdown of your SAT?</p>

<p>(Did you score badly in the Science Reasoning section on the ACT?)</p>

<p>Re…Your GPA…Does that weighted GPA include all your classes - including PE and electives? If so, may I ask why your GPA is lowish for your test scores?</p>

<p>What state are you in?</p>

<p>The problem - as you know - will be your GPA. The best schools that give the best aid (which YOU need) may not accept you because of your GPA.</p>

<p>Are you a girl? If so, I would suggest Mt Holyoke.</p>

<p>full need schools… Colby, Gettysburg, Lafayette, or St. Olaf…however some will require student loans.</p>

<p>More Full need schools…
[Colleges</a> That Claim to Meet the Full Financial Needs of Students - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/paying-for-college/2010/02/18/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-the-full-financial-needs-of-students.html]Colleges”>http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/paying-for-college/2010/02/18/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-the-full-financial-needs-of-students.html)
Some will require student loans.</p>

<p>Students in your situation…lots of need, but lowish GPA will have a hard time finding financial safety schools since they’re the ones that are the worst with aid and your GPA may keep you from getting a big merit scholarship.</p>

<p>Hopefully some will post schools that only require a 3.3 GPA and a high SAT for big merit. The only safeties that I can think of off the top of my head for big merit with that GPA are Miss St and LSU…but there must be others. </p>

<p>If your EFC is 0, then at a minimum you’ll get a full federal Pell grant $5550 per year and a $5500 student loan. Don’t know if you’ll qualify for other very small fed grants. </p>

<p>Your state may also give aid. What state do you live in and what state schools do you live near?</p>

3

<p>Dont bother taking the act. Retake the sat as suggested above since 2/3 of it is based on english or writing.</p>

4

<ol>
<li>Likely $0. I live with my grandparents, father, and younger sister. My father is unemployed and the sole source of income for my household is a $1100/month pension. I’d hope that’s a $0 EFC. I have a mother who lives in New Mexico (I am a resident of Kentucky). She supports herself with a minimum wage job and doesn’t pay child support. Would her income be factored into EFC?</li>
<li>SAT: 800 Writing 650 Math 750 Critical Reading. ACT: 34 English 33 Reading 21 Math 25 Science. I had a very bad math teacher sophomore year, and the same math teacher junior year. This, in addition to my lack of preparation for the test, lead to abysmal ACT math scores.</li>
<li>Yes, that GPA includes all classes. I maintained almost all A’s freshman year. I slacked off sophomore year. I began to skip school on a regular basis and spend excessive amounts of time partying on the weekends junior year, dropping most of my AP classes. I have begun to repent for my laziness this year by striving to maintain a perfect GPA once again and keeping all of my AP’s.</li>
<li>I live in Kentucky. Centre College and Transylvania University are both near me. KEES money and my participation in a certain summer program (Governor’s School for the Arts) would most likely make both schools free for me, when stacked on top of: federal grants, possible institutional grants, our state’s Byrd Honors Scholarship, etc. I am certainly going to apply to both of these schools, although I would prefer an out-of-state school. I realize that an in-state school would probably be in my best interests given my financial situation, but 1. I’m trying to get as far away from my family as possible for a variety of reasons 2. I am not a fan of Lexington or Danville.</li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you for the thought-out response. I plan to investigate some of those full need schools you mentioned.</p>

5

<p>Your grandparents’ income won’t count.</p>

<p>Your mom’s income won’t count for FAFSA and will probably be too low for much impact on CSS Profile</p>

<p>You need to apply to a mix of schools. Unfortunately, “full need” schools .will be reaches for you because of GPA and not taking a tough curriculum.</p>

<p>You also need to find out which schools will give big merit for a ACT 34 but with only 3.3 GPA…that will be hard since many require a 3.5 or 3.75.</p>

<p>If Centre College and Transyl U will be free for you then definitely apply there as safeties.</p>

<p>What about Univ of Louisville?</p>

<p>What is your likely major?</p>

<p>Maybe you should make a new thread in the FA/Scholarship section asking for recommendations for the best FA & merit for an ACT 34, 3.3 GPA, and 0 EFC.</p>

6

<p>Just found out that KU (Kansas) only requires a 3.25…so consider applying there.</p>

<p>Priority deadline is Nov 1 and check the box requesting scholarship consideration on school app AND submit the scholarship app.</p>

7

<p>As you have mentioned Lewis & Clark seems to meet all of your requirements. I would also look at Macalester, Barnard, Occidental, Rhodes, and Reed.</p>

8

<p>Thank you for the additional recommendations.</p>

9

<p>Yes…Reed does use a holistic method…however, it’s highly competitive. It would still be a reach because of GPA and not having taken the toughest curriculum.</p>

10

<p>I can’t help with any specific colleges, but certain Kentucky residents can qualify for instate tuitiion at out of state schools through either the Border County reciprocity agreements (some Cincinnati schools and IU-Southeast specifically) and through the Academic Common Market which includes around 16 states. Some states in the ACM only allow this for certain academic majors and 3 of the states only at the graduate school level, but it certainly can expand your search quite a bit.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.sreb.org/page/1395/academic_common_market_faqs.html[/url]”>ACM FAQs - Southern Regional Education Board;

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<p>just a note on your SAT and merit scholarships … the few schools where I have looked into merit aid seem to not count the Writing section of the SAT, and instead have cutoffs for the Math + CR portions… i.e. 1300, 1400, etc. and <em>not</em> 2000, 2150, etc. </p>

<p>At present you are at 1400 for M + CR SAT, a critical hurdle for some scholarships that you have already passed… congratulations.</p>

<p>Now, you’ve got to make a post in the Financial Aid section of this website to ask about which schools give guaranteed merit money to 1400 SAT, 3.35 GPA students (make sure to understand which classes a school does not count in computing GPA… e.g. PE). Most Merit Aid has a GPA cutoff of 3.5 or 3.6, so you need to really research that. I take it you did not take the PSAT last October?</p>

12

<p><em>edit</em> I checked to see if perchance you had opened a thread in the FA section, and stumbled upon your post from yesterday in which you wrote your SAT scores were:</p>

<p>700 Math, 700 CR, which is not what you wrote above 650/750.</p>

<p>Which is it? they both add to 1400 but I found it odd you would list completely different scores in two posts. Were you changing your stats some to protect your privacy from friends who might read this Board?</p>

13

<p>I did take the PSAT last October, scoring a 212. About to write my National Merit application, actually. Hoping to become a Finalist.</p>

<p>edit: 650/750 is correct. I remembered incorrectly the first time.</p>

14

<p>In that case, your NMSF status broadens your search considerably for a school outside your state that would pay 100% of your tuition, and perhaps some or all of your R&B as well. Such schools tend to occupy the USNWR 75-150 range, if that helps you focus your search.</p>

<p>Again the issue will be to find one that doesn’t use a GPA cutoff above 3.3</p>

<p>Check out this thread: <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&lt;/a&gt; Page 22 seems to have the most recent updated compilation.</p>

<p>The big names that stand out to me from that list apprear to be guaranteed and without stated GPA minimums are: Auburn, Arizona, Houston, and the privates Baylor and Texas Tech.</p>

15

<p>*I did take the PSAT last October, scoring a 212. About to write my National Merit application, actually. Hoping to become a Finalist.</p>

<p>edit: 650/750 is correct. I remembered incorrectly the first time. *</p>

<p>Oh…so you’re a NMSF and a likely NMF? That’s a big deal.</p>

<p>More choices…</p>

<p>Alabama also doesn’t have a GPA req’t for NMF. So, Alabama would give you free tuition, free housing (including honors housing), a laptop, and study abroad money.</p>

<p>When you add in Pell, you’re pretty much completely covered for all costs… And Bama is strong in the liberal arts/English.</p>

16

<p>Can’t believe I didn’t include that information in the OP. I’ll be sure to consider some schools with generous offerings to National Merit Semifinalists/Finalists. 94% of Semifinalists go on to become Finalissts. I definitely have lower grades than most other applicants; hopefully my comparatively high SAT score and essay will tip the scales in my favor.</p>

17

<p>I second the Alabama rec. It is just too good of a deal for NMF. You also might want to look at Hanover, since they give merit aid to Kentucky residents. It has been known to give decent aid and they have a scholarship weekend where you test for more aid. It may be too small for you though.</p>