<p>There are definitely scholarships from “other sources” such as Nordstrom, Coca-Cola, Burger King, and FiSCA, to name just a few, and I plan to apply to several of them. They are not chum change, either - the Nordstrom scholarship, for example, awards $10,000/year. I know that I may not get these scholarships, but they do exist.</p>
<p>Secondly, my parents and I have already established that in all likelihood, I will attend in-state, most preferably at Tech. I do have many friends and acquaintances who go to UGA (it is the most common in-state choice for graduating seniors at my high school) and I assure you that UGA’s Honors College is not as highly ranked as many people believe; it also doesn’t have the community that I am looking for (I don’t particularly want to attend a university that half my high school will also be attending). If I am going in-state, I will attend Tech; if I do not get into Tech, I am going out-of-state. Therefore, I was looking into OOS schools that would offer me significant merit scholarships (that was the point of this thread).</p>
<p>Thirdly, my parents would never “force” me to attend a school just based on the magnitude of a scholarship. They would not, for example, make me attend Georgia Perimeter College on an all-expenses-paid scholarship over Georgia Tech, where they would have to pay R&B. They know that the prestige of a university does have bearing on my future, especially for a field like IR. My parents have also discussed with me the slim-to-none chances of me attending an Ivy League or University of Chicago or similar schools - trust me, I am well aware of the financial struggles. I know that I need to receive a full-tuition scholarship (or something very close to that) to attend these schools. I am not married to the idea of attending a Top 20 - I am fully prepared and content to attend GT. However, I will apply to the schools above and see what financial offers I get.</p>
<p>What I meant by that post was that at this point in my college search, I am simply looking for schools that offer the majors, location, community, and opportunities that I am looking for. While financial aid does have a major part in my college decision, I am trying not to rule out any schools simply based on PROJECTED aid offers. Thank you for the information on Alabama and the FA forum. I will look into those.</p>