<p>I go to a small school with less than 300 kids total. There were no AP classes offered, though I was placed a year ahead in both math and science. I have a 3.976 GPA. I have been in several clubs throughout high school, a member of NHS, have an unimpressive amount of community service, and have been a 3 sport athlete all throughout high school (nothing impressive here). </p>
<p>I took the ACT my junior year without studying (slacker) 3 different times and received a 29, 29, and 30 ("30.25" 1 point more on any sub-score to get a 31. I got a 27 science...). Our school lacks anyone with impressive intelligence, so my ACT is the highest. My junior year most people acted like I was set for college with that score. I was extremely skeptical, but it made me relax a bit. </p>
<p>I'm now in my senior year and it's finally time to apply to colleges (and for scholarships). I took the ACT last week, and bombed it (Pretty sure). So my ACT will not be higher by the November 1st scholarship deadline. I will be retaking it once more (unless it is for some reason recommended I take it again) in October. I'm looking to go to either K-State or KU and major in Chemical Engineering. After looking at the scholarships, I don't see me getting any more than a couple thousand dollars. Looking at the CC forums I can see my "stats" are rather sub par.</p>
<p>The questions I have:</p>
<p>What other opportunities do I have to gain aid? (Non-need based)
Should I take my ACT this October and possibly more after I've already applied?
Should I enter a lot of essay scholarships? (Apparently I'm good at essays.. So they say)
Anything else I need to know.</p>
<p>Any help at all or advice would really be appreciated, as I'm feeling a bit alarmed.</p>
<p>Apply for as many scholarships as you can. Especially the local ones…lots of times they don’t get very many applicants. As they say, you can’t win if you don’t enter.</p>
<p>Don’t take the ACT again unless you think you can improve…by that I mean have you studied? If not, don’t waste the money. Have you thought about the SAT?</p>
<p>Have you done the FAFSA calculations to see if you might qualify for some need based aid?</p>
<p>Remember that the vast majority of those “local” private scholarships are for one year, nonrenewable.</p>
<p>Are you in-state for KU and Kansas State?</p>
<p>If you don’t qualify for the merit scholarships at those schools and you want significant merit aid, you have to look at other universities and colleges where your stats are at the top of their applicant pool.</p>
<p>You can do an online EFC calculator now to get an estimate of what your family contribution will be. The real FAFSA isn’t available until Jan 1, but getting a guestimate is probably a good idea.</p>
<p>Good …as I mentioned, Alabama would give you free tuition and 2500 per year as an engineering major…if you apply before Dec 1. This is from a combination of 2 scholarships…one from the university and one from the College of Engineering.</p>
<p>These are assured scholarships, so a very good financial safety. Remaining costs would be low.</p>
<p>*
I will also look at that EFC calculator. Thanks *</p>
<p>Have your parents there when you do this…they’ll probably know more about assets, etc, than you might.</p>
<p>I’d really like to go to Kstate or KU, but from what I’ve seen they don’t offer that much aid. Alabama mentioned above looks almost too good to be true. I’ve never even partially considered UA, but now it’s looking very good. My family is not in a bad financial situation, and I could afford to go to college in state without a great scholarship… But I like the idea of paying less no matter what my situation. I guess I just need to apply for everything I can, and see how it all ends up when my decision time is much closer.</p>
<p>Wyoming has a really strong engineering program, great facilities, and a tremendous engineering internship and job placement due to the proximity of all the oil, gas, and minerals -related companies in the state. The total cost (COA) including room and board for an out-of-state student is just under $26K; with your stats you’re guaranteed a $6K/year merit scholarship, and I would guess very competitive for a higher scholarship. If you’re comfortable with winters in Kansas, Wyoming ought not be a problem. You might take a look at it. (One other benefit: since most Wyoming high schools are quite small, the vast majority of the entering students are coming in with preparation like yours – APs may not have been offered, or there were very few of them,… Very different than even public engineering schools in more populous states that routinely get students with four plus AP courses in science and math.)</p>
<p>I’d agree with the advice to apply widely. Good luck!</p>