<p>Hi everyone, </p>
<p>I am a Junior in high school in Illinois, and I was wondering if anyone could share any information about merit scholarships that they (or someone they know) have received. I have an unweighted GPA of 4.0 and a weighted GPA of 4.6. I have an ACT score of 36. I am looking to go to school at a 4 year university in the MIDWEST OR EAST COAST. My family can help me a little bit with tuition, and I definitely want to go to a reputable school that other people will recognize the name of. But in general, I'm pretty confused as to what magnitude of scholarships I may be eligible for. The cheaper the cost, the more inclined I would be to sacrifice general school prestige. </p>
<p>Any information or thoughts would be appreciated!</p>
<p>What is your intended major or career?</p>
<p>Are your parents low income? Or do they have a good income, but can’t pay much for college?</p>
<p>How much can they contribute towards college?</p>
<p>How did you do on the PSAT?</p>
<p>I would like to be a lawyer, so I’m pretty intetested in political science, history, and public policy. However I am also considering persuing business and/or environmental science as minors. My parents have a decent income, but I have a lot of siblings that need education too. My PSAT score is 215.</p>
<p>That 215 PSAT score may qualify for national merit the cuttof for last year in Illinois was 214. So that will help with aid.
But you have a 4.0 and a 36 it doesn’t get any better than that. You should be able to get in anywhere. Ivys and the like.
As for aid do a test fasfa and see what your EFC would be. Depending on that start looking around and building a list. If merit aid becomes a requirement you can instantly cross off the ivys (and others) because they don’t give merit aid. Just poke around on school websites to see what they offer.
A couple of suggestions. Big public state schools have a surprising amount of merit aid and can be right for some students.
Small medium LACs outside the inner circle of elite colleges.</p>
<p>Lots of good information on that topic in the Financial Aid Forum. Go there, and scroll down until you hit the threads on guaranteed merit-based aid.</p>
<p>Take a look at Grinnell, a top midwestern LAC. They offer merit aid (Trustee Scholarships) up to $20,000k per year. Your stats are certainly good enough to qualify. They also have Semester-in-Washington DC program, that usually focuses on a particular area of public policy, and it includes an internship. They also have a program that focuses on social entrepreneurship, which might be of interest.</p>
<p>Wonderling…</p>
<p>You need to find out:</p>
<p>What colleges will expect your parents to pay.</p>
<p>How much your parents will pay.</p>
<p>merit scholarships won’t reduce the amount that your parents will be expected to pay if the merit award is not big enough.</p>
<p>For instance…</p>
<p>If a school costs $55k per year, and you get a $20k merit scholarship, then that will just go towards “need” and will not reduce what your parents are expected to pay. So, if EFC is $25k, then your family will still have to pay the $25k.</p>
<p>For merit to reduce EFC, then it has to be large enough that after subtracting from COA that the resulting amount is what you can pay.</p>
<p>For instance, if…</p>
<p>COA = $55k
EFC = $25k
“Need” = $20k</p>
<p>So, if your family can only pay $15k per year, then to get your costs down to that, merit would have to be about $35k per year and then you can take a $5500 loan for the rest. </p>
<p>One guideline to use is that room, board, books, fees, and misc costs can be about $15k. So if that’s about the amount that your family can pay, then you need at least a full tuition scholarship. If your family can’t pay $15k, then you need MORE than a full tuition scholarship. </p>
<p>How much do you think your family can pay?</p>
<p>A lot of the top “name” and highly selective universities and colleges give only financial aid. They do tend to be the most generous in terms of giving such aid and many of these schools will meet full need or close to it, but they do define that need. You might want to do a quick run through of some schools’ NPC and see what such schools calculate as what they expect your family to pay. If your family is considered high income (and at most of such schools, home equity and non custodial parents financials are included in the the mix), and the school gives only need based aid, you may not qualify for any financial aid and many of such schools do not give merit money. So if you are in that category, where your family is deemed able and expected to pay the cost, regardless of how your parents and you feel about this, regardless of past debts and obligations and lack of savings, you are not going to get ANY mone from certain schools. Might as well know which ones these are if you are in this situation cuz you ain’t gonna get a dime from them even with perfect everything scores. My friends’s son was a Presidential Scholar, NMS, accepted to Harvard, but not a dime from them did the school give. He got, I think $2500 from NMS and some outside scholarship, but nothing from Harvard. </p>
<p>If what the schools think your family should pay and what your family is willing and able to pay diverge, you are going to have to start looking for merit awards. You have to search for schools that have big number awards that bring your cost to what your family and you will pay. Though there are some auto awards out there, most big full freight awards are not guaranteed even with perfect numbers. You apply and see, but the higher those numbers, the better your chances, so you are looking pretty good in that area. Start getting a list of such schools that have big merit money together.</p>
<p>Take a look at Macalester as well: Another well-regarded midwestern LAC: [Merit</a> Scholarship Awards - Financial Aid Office - Macalester College](<a href=“http://www.macalester.edu/financialaid/about/merit/]Merit”>Merit Scholarships - Macalester Financial Aid)</p>