McNair/Horseshoe Chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of South Carolina
1

Hi guys,

I am just about done with my application and was wondering what my chances are. My starts are as listed:

2020 SAT (Nov. 2015)
32 ACT (Dec. 2015)
Six 5’s on AP Tests (world, bio, chem, calc bc, lit, apush)
Weighted GPA: 4.6
Unweighted: 3.95
Top 3-4% in class (estimate, school does not rank)
National Merit Scholar Commendment
Strong extracurriculars: wrestling captain, two varsity letters, have won several large jiu-jitsu tournaments, JSA chapter president, freshman mentor leader, 150+ service hours. I was a summer intern at Boeing (voted intern with best leadership skills by fellow interns and program directors) and have worked at my dad’s accounting firm (10-15 hrs/week) for about a year and a half now.

I know I have some low tests scores. I took the October SAT and ACT this month, but I am not banking on very good scores for those (my ACT was very bad, <30 most likely) due to some pretty bad test anxiety that hit me for those. Test anxiety is very out of character for me, but it is what it is. I wrote my essays about some very unique and out-there topics that I hope sit well with the admission officers, and I believe that they are pretty strong. So what are my chances of getting a McNair or Horseshoe scholarship?

2

I was at a recent SC-hosted dinner where they discussed these scholarships specifically. I’m not sure of the SAT, but they said that the average ACT for those who won scholarships last year was 34.5. Plus, they have over 3000 applicants for 40 scholarships, so it’s not all stats based, and no one has a very good shot at it. But, hey, someone has to win.

3

You gotta be in it to win it!

4

Not good. But still you have a chance like hundreds of other students. All I know is that it’s getting increasingly more difficult for Honors College applicants to get one of those scholarships. Basically, 40 students who get invited will get one of those two scholarships. Our kid has an automatic Lieber scholarship but hoping to stack either Cooper/Horseshoe/McNair scholarship on top of Lieber to further defray costs. But frankly, not getting Horseshoe/McNair will impact our decision to attend South Carolina’s Honors College because that’s close to $10K difference per year.

5

In general, I am highly impressed with the amount of effort that Univ of South Carolina expends in recruiting good students OOS. Everyone seems pretty nice. Good impression of Univ of South Carolina whether we end up going there. But we hope to make a visit there.