Merit Aid Suggestions please

Parents Forum
1

<p>Below is my son's copied/pasted chance thread. He's not getting much in the way of responses on the Chances forum, but what we're really interested in are suggestions for schools that would award substantial amounts of merit aid for his stats. He says he prefers to stay in the Southeast, but "could probably be convinced to go elsewhere if the school and $$ were amazing." He got a 32 on the ACT cold, and will likely take it one more time, although I can't see him prepping for that one either. Assume he tops out at a 32. What suggestions do you folks have?</p>

<p>Gender, etc: Male, White
Location: Tennessee
Need LOTS of financial aid: 1 parent retired, 1 w/income ~$40m
School: Average to Good: sends a few top grads to Ivies, many to Duke, Vanderbilt, Emory, etc.
GPA: 3.85 unweighted
4.0 approx weighted -
Rank: 42 of 484 (top 10%)
ACT - 32 (Sub scores - all 32 except reading - 33)</p>

<p>Courses taken or scheduled / Grades -</p>

<p>Freshman: Engineering Design - A
Latin 1 - A
Honors English 9 - A
ROTC 1 - A
Honors Biology - A
Geometry - A
Wellness 1 - A
Latin II - A</p>

<p>Sophomore: Intermediate Algebra - A
Honors Econ / Honors Adv Am Gov't - A
Honors Latin III - A
Wellness II - A
Algebra II - A
Adv Sports & Conditioning - A
Honors English 10 - A
Honors Chemistry - A</p>

<p>Junior -
AP Psychology - A (full year course)
AP European History - A (full year course)
Trig - C<br>
Honors Biology II (prereq for AP) -A
Honors Physics - B
Pre-Calc - 2nd Sem - no grades yet - predict B
AP Biology - 2nd Sem - no grades yet - predict A
Honors English 11 - 2nd Sem -no grades yet - predict A</p>

<p>Senior Schedule: - I'd be surprised if he got anything but As with his senior schedule.
AP Lit & Composition
AP Statistics
AP US History
Honors Philosophy
Honors Chemistry II
Ceramics - (Fine Art requirement)
Advanced Architectural Design
Teacher's Aide one period</p>

<p>ECs/Awards:</p>

<p>9 - Several Air Force JROTC Academic & Leadership Awards
10 - (took National Latin Exam - Bronze award)
SHOUT: 10, selective community-based student leadership program - 1 of
30 kids chosen from 5 area high schools based on application & interview.
SCOPE: 11, Student Congress on Policies in Education - 1 of 4 students in district chosen to travel to state capitol and attend SCOPE Conference
Beta Club - 10, 11
National Honor Society - 11
FCA - 10,11</p>

<p>Athletics:
School:
Swimming: Varsity Letter 9,10,11 - state qualifier 9,10,11, Regional Champ 11
Recruitable at all but top Div I Programs
Cross Country 9, 10, 11
Tennis - 9
Track & Field - 10</p>

<p>Outside School:
Cycling: 10,11 Nationally-ranked cyclist (i.e. top 10-ish)
3x State Champion
USA Cycling Selection for National camp at the US Olympic training center
in Colorado Springs, CO - Oct `09
10-30 hours per week depending on schedule - traveling approx 40 weekends
per year for competition</p>

<p>Triathlon - 9, 10, 11 nationally ranked triathlete
2-year Member of USA Triathlon SE Region Junior High Performance Team
Train and compete in 7-9 triathlons per year</p>

<p>Potential Major - Biology / Neuroscience</p>

<p>Schools - (in rough order of selectivity)</p>

<p>Duke
Davidson
Vanderbilt
Grinnell
Sewanee
Rhodes
Clemson
College of Charleston
Rollins College
Lees-McRae (the odd one out - they have varsity cycling)</p>

2

<p>Here’s the link for automatic scholarships that you can use to identify some financial safety schools for your son. Some have free tuition for kids with ACT 32.</p>

<p>Is your son a likely NMSF? How did he do on the PSAT?</p>

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

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Keep in mind that out of state publics might award merit scholarships, but they won’t award financial aid to cover the OOS costs (UVa and UNC are exceptions). </p>

<p>Is that $40k income one parent’s income PLUS retirement income and/or social security income?</p>

<p>Have you figured out your EFC? <a href=“http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml[/url]”>http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Looks like Tennessee State would be a full ride (though admittedly less selective). <a href=“http://www.tnstate.edu/uploads/documents/TSU%20ScholarshipDeadlinesProcedures-.pdf[/url]”>Search Results - TSU;

<p>Going to UTenn would get the Hope scholarship as well as the University or Volunteer scholarship. [The</a> University of Tennessee: Types of Financial Aid - Institutional Scholarships](<a href=“About Financial Aid - One Stop Student Services”>About Financial Aid - One Stop Student Services)</p>

4

<p>M2CK - Thanks for the reply. I’ll check out that link for certain. In answer to your questions -

  1. He did not do as well on the PSAT (190) - he’s an ACT kid for sure.
  2. His major is something in the Biology/Neuroscience arena
  3. Total household income including Social Security (no retirement) is around $55k
  4. EFC using both Federal and Institutional methodologies is in the $2,500 - $3,500 range.</p>

<p>Erin’s Dad - thanks for the suggestions…we’re banking on the Hope as part of his pkg should he end up at a Tennessee school. He is not at all interested in UT, although is willing to keep it as a “last resort” (as do most of the kids in this area) if required. If you’re not a football fan, it’s very easy to get sick of UT by the time you’re 16 years old…but he does have several friends in the honors college who say it’s been a nice experience.</p>

5

<p>Hendrix College gives very generous merit aid.</p>

6

<p>University of Alabama gives full tuition for 32+ACT.</p>

<p>If he stays in state, don’t forget that besides the HOPE scholarship there are the additional Ned McWherter Scholars Program scholarships.</p>

7

<p>Full tuition at Ole Miss too.</p>

8

<p>And a new mascot, SeekingKnowledge … Thanks for all the suggestions!</p>

9

<p>Duke is notoriously bad for FA.</p>

<p>With his stats, U of South Carolina would award him merit money PLUS reduce tuition to in state levels and that’s BEFORE need based aid. They are an up and comer I would suggest looking into U of SC.</p>

10

<p>^^^</p>

<p>Is that true? Duke doesn’t meet need? Do they put gaps or big loans in FA packages? Or do they expect a much larger parent contribution than EFC?</p>

11

<p>Dickinson gives excellent merit aid (as much as $30K a year for top students). Combined with need based aid, that could be a good fit. Also a good fit for ROTC, it is in Carlisle, PA where the Army War College is located.</p>

12

<p>In general, your best chances out of state would be either:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Affluent schools which meet full need, the Ivies, Haverford, etc</p></li>
<li><p>Schools one or two tiers below Vandy with strong pre-med programs and which do not get a lot of TN kids and where he could swim–Muhlenberg; Ursinus; Franklin & Marshall; Gettysburg; Dennison</p></li>
</ol>

13

<p>Look at the university of Alabama and the Air Force Academy</p>

<p>He should practice, practice and them practice some more and take the PSAT and the SAT.</p>

14

<p>UMiami, Tulane would probably give a chunk to a kid with your son’s stats; not full tuition, but enough to equate these schools with your in-state public…??</p>

15

<p>You need to research each school.<br>
His ACT will improve if he spends literally few hours preparing for it.<br>
I do not know FA situation at any of schools that you listed. We knew everything before D. has applied, she got what we estimated at each school that she applied and surprizingly more at few. She is pre-med with similar major to your S - Zoology with Neuroscience minor. If he is interested going to Med. School, I suggest applying to combined programs. The difference in our kids is that my D. did not apply to any elite college, she focused on state schools with combined bs/md programs. She is college junior in bs/md at state school on full tuition schoolarship, continuing haveing staraight As and very happy with her choice.</p>

16

<p>Is your son interested in ROTC still?</p>

<p>A couple of the schools big in cycling have Army ROTC including Ripon (WI) and Brevard (NC). I believe Ripon offers R&B in addition to the normal full-tuition, books and stipend ($3000 - $5000 per year). ROTC loves varsity athletes, especially nationally ranked ones and works around their training schedule.</p>

<p>You might want to investigate further, but I believe for the very top students (based upon college grades, ECs, etc.) can qualify for med school on the Army’s dime (extra contracted time required of course). </p>

<p>However, if he isn’t interested in serving his country, he should not do that for the tuition. Just saw JROTC in his resume and thought I’d throw out the idea.</p>

<p>With his stats, he’d be a lock on a scholarship at these schools.</p>

17

<p>What type/amount of merit aid were you offered? Was it based on sat/act scores? Specifically for Cockrell School of Engineering. Purdue on its website gives up to $10,000
for out of state students with Act above 30. UT is not specific in fact they are very vague about merit aid.</p>