<p>Yeah, no one else in my school in CT made it so I would be the first one in a while 
would have been cool! Oh well, I’m content being one of four commended students! (even if I’m like 15 points higher than all of them)</p>
<p>Sorry lonelynerd. Glad u are back on. I have to agree with celeste. As you may have picked up on, I’m a parent, not your peer. But for our family, I was the one that was more upset about the whole NM thing due to the just missed scholarships so I can relate with your frustration and the sinking feeling. Regardless, there are still good options out there for u and doors will open up. Going back eons ago to when I was in school, I picked up 2 surprise scholarships along the way. Neither were huge but since I was at an inexpensive state school, they were still a big help. I have heard recently of current college students picking up some in-school merit scholarships once they are in college. And I am rambling but my point is, you are likely to get some merit aid as a freshman, in fact very likely. Not the full ride you wanted but hopefully some good options will come up. My kid has a full tuition option at one of the schools he plans to apply to and a shot for some to substantial merit aid at several other schools. My guess is you are in a similar position. And you sound driven which usually leads to a good solid academic performance once in college and I can speak firsthand that scholarships can turn up for such students once they are in college. Also, I think you will look back 5 years from now and be happy you ended up at the school you choose and although you will have some “what ifs” in the back of your mind about how life would have turned out had you attended a NM school, they will be offset by the great college memories you will have. and please to all of you, stay in touch. I am truly curious as to where you all end up and in seeing how your college years unfold :)</p>
<p>And to all, I am more at peace about whole thing now. Thank you so much for letting me vent. Kid in some ways is relieved. Yes, they would have liked the full ride but they are are also interested in schools that do not offer full NM rides. By just missing the cutoff, they are more likely to pick their top choice school as the costs for several of their choices will now be comparable to each other. Had the full ride been an option, it would have been hard to turn down.</p>
<p>Lonelynerd…</p>
<p>If you’re looking for some large merit scholarships from safety schools based on your SAT/ACT, then there are some.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids:
where could i find some? SAT is 2100 in case you were wondering</p>
<p>What is your M+CR? That’s what merit is usually based on.</p>
<p>How much merit do you want/need? Full tuition? more? less?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/16451378-post300.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/16451378-post300.html</a></p>
<p>I know that some here on this thread are upset because of the missed opportunity to get large merit scholarships…either from safety schools or just to afford to go to college.</p>
<p>Look at the above list. With a free tuition scholarship, your family’s remaining costs will be about $15k per year. </p>
<p>If that’s too much, then you can take out a $5500 loan, and if you work a lot during the SUMMER (save about $2-3k) and work 8 hrs a week during the school year (for pocket money), then you can get the family contribution down to about $6-7k per year.</p>
<p>Great tips mom2college kids!</p>
<p>My M + CR is 1400(730M 670CR). I am eligible(and will very likely recieve)what is essentially a full tuition scholarship from Oregon State, and since my family wants me to stay in-state, it works out well.
Thank you guys for the help, I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>lonely nerd, I hope you have a great 4 years. That full tuition scholarship is nothing to sneeze at. A lot of kids would give anything to be in your position. Oregon State is at least as good a school as UCF, and only 20 minutes further drive to get to a beach. Oregon coastline is so beautiful, much prettier than Florida in its rugged way. Will you get to live in dorm? Are you from Corvallis, or will you really be going away from home? I think you’ll love it.</p>
<p>Actually, I’m from the Portland metro area, but its only a 2 hour drive from campus, so I won’t go too far away from home. I’m required to live on campus for the first year (all freshmen at Oregon State are). In retrospect, it did stink to miss out, but I really don’t feel that i missed out on that much. I think that I will be happy at Oregon State, and will receive the same quality (or better) education that I would have received at UCF if I had made the cutoff.</p>
<p>hey guys, could use your advice. Just got ACT scores, no writing score yet, kid got 33 composite, 36English, 28 Math, 35 Reading, and 32 Science. I think it still makes sense to send ACT to colleges for admissions chances to hardest accept (U Southern Cal) and scholarship chances at other schools as his SAT is 2130 or 1450 composite depending on scale, 800 CR, 650M, and 680W. Any thoughts? Most schools already have his SAT score on hand and I think ACT is slightly but not significantly better(other than math)? Thanks. and he is going for liberal arts degree, not engineering or other major where top math score would be crucial.</p>
<p>Very consistent performance. 1450 SAT = 33 ACT on concordances I have seen. You can send either one.</p>
<p>thanks apollo and I should reword my question. is there any point to sending ACT too? All but one school already has SAT. I think worst case, it’s a neutral and best case, it could make him slightly more competitive, esp for schools using the 2400 score. I also think with all but one of the subtests being at least a 32, that also looks good and as you pointed out, very consistent testing. Interestingly, he had ideal testing situation for SAT in that he was well rested and relaxed through test and disaster for ACT, Stressed, overtired, bad week at school so it does show his overall abilities with the scores and the subtests being so close. Math I still think underestimates his true abilities but at this point, it’s time to roll with what he has.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think the math scores are equivalent, too. I don’t think it’s worth the expense to send both tests but YMMV. Scores are just part of the package. His essays will be what matters at this point. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks again and agreed on math. I was surprised at overall consistency between all scores. What I meant is that in math is he is scoring lower than his capabilities, which I am ranging is in the 700 to 720 range. He made a deliberate choice to not study tons and had he prepped, his math score would probably be higher as I think SAT got him on the trick questions and ACT was just a disaster. No calculator, burned out, you name it. He will gladly take the 28 there. He actually left the SAT thinking he had a 800 in math.</p>
<p>hi, thought i’d check in. Looks like mine is going to Temple. he got full tuition there and after literally looking all over the country, Temple is his top choice so he is happy. How bout the rest of u just missed folks? How is the college search going? Settled on ur school yet?</p>
<p>I can’t believe I never found this before! @lonelynerd217 we are totally in the same boat! I got a 217 in Oregon So far, I think not making NMF did somewhat influence my financial aid. A lot of my friends qualified who are pretty similar academically, and they got certain scholarships that I didn’t get. I might end up going to OSU too, but hopefully I’ll get some good news on April 1st from the colleges I’m still waiting for 
If not, OSU is a really great school for engineering, which is my intended major!</p>
<p>@holyguacamole- aww, i’m sorry. Missing the cutoff also influenced my financial aid a lot.
I’ve received some small scholarships from Oregon State(my future college, my profile picture gives it away), but they do not even cover half of my tuition. I did not receive their presidential scholarship, which would have covered a large part of my tuition. I got decent financial aid from University of Alabama, but i chose not to go there for personal reasons. Luckily for me, I have become a part of the MECOP program and can have an internship. Good luck and I hope you get the good news! Otherwise, see you at OSU! </p>
Class of 2016 here from PA. 2130 (620,800,710) PSAT
but 2250 SAT(690,800,760,12 essay)