<p>I got advice that this would be a good place to post this because I'm not very familiar with this site. My son has a not so great GPA. When he was in middle school he didn't really have a lot of friends because he was shy. On the first day of his 9th grade year I dropped him off and told him this was a clean slate for him to show people what a cool kid he was. He ended up making a lot of new friends but his grades were put on the back burner because he liked having friends. This is exactly what he told me. He has never been a disciplinary issue at school but all of his report cards said "Scott is a really good kid he just needs some more help" or "He's a lot of fun to have in class he just needs to focus more on the work". Most of the year he recieved C's and a couple D's. He told us that he needed help with his school work but was embarrassed because he didn't get how to do it which was no excuse. At the end of the year he started going in for help which was a little too late so my wife and I sat him down and told him he was going to turn his school work around or he would be attending one of the local public high schools in our city. I didn't feel the need to pay thousands of dollars a year just for him to not get the help he needed. He promised he would do try harder and he kept his promise. In his first semester of sophomore year he got a couple high C's and Low B's and in his second semester he maintained a B average. At the end of his sophomore year he saw that his GPA was 2.3 and that really discouraged him. We told him that colleges look at the whole package but he's having a hard time believing us. This year we really see his full potential and what he could've been if he applied himself more in school. He is a junior this year and he has maintained a 3.3 - 3.6 GPA all year and made honor roll this quarter. When we went to his conference all his teachers said he was a very likable person, great to have in class, and that he does outstanding work. He even maintained a 101.56% in his American Literature class. We even had teachers offering to write him letters of recommendation for when he starts applying to colleges. One of those teachers being the dean of students which would be a really big recommendation for him to get. His school has a system that you have to have pre rec's to get into honors and AP classes but they only have 4 or 5 AP classes just because the school is small. I think this was a great opportunity for him to not get in because now he doesn't have to worry about biting off more than he can chew. He was put into a few basic math and science classes because of his low performance in 9th grade. The "basic" classes though are actually the same textbooks and material they are learning in the average level classes in the public school system so the school he is attending is accelerated. We are expected his GPA at the end of the semester to be around a 2.5 or 2.6 and even higher at the end of the year. He has already committed to himself he would not stop taking the ACT until he got a 26 or higher to increase his chances of getting in. He does not want to attend an Ivy League school he wants to attend a state school. Some schools on his list are LSU, Iowa, and Kansas State. Every school on his list though has a 70% acceptance rate or higher. Has his 9th grade year ruined his chances of getting in? We are trying to avoid the community college system as much as possible because it is weak. I attended the community college so I know first hand that there are constant budget cuts and it doesn't provide a great education. He really is a great kid who is a talented athlete and active in his school. He dedicates a lot of his time to working in his clubs hoping to get a presidential position. He is also sure he wants to major in the business field. Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy thread. I will make sure Scott reads all of your answers because he doesn't want to listen to me or his mom. This is also his account so feel free to message him if you would like to help him in any way possible. God Bless!</p>
<p>Much will depend on how much you’re willing to pay. Your budget for college will largely determine where you should apply.</p>
<p>What is your home state?</p>
<p>It sounds like he’s interested in OOS publics. If so, expect to pay all OOS costs.</p>
<p>We are from Nebraska and he has in state schools on his list. Nebraska has a company called Education Quest. Education Quest helps parents and students fill out their FAFSA applications. They also offer a program called scholarship quest that offers scholarships to Nebraska students only. I told him trying to get into schools out of state would be difficult because of the increase in tuitions but he is looking up scholarships to get since the site is so unknown. We learned about this site at a college fair. They said out of all the teenagers in Nebraska the site only averages about 1,000 students actually applying for hundreds of Nebraska based scholarships each year. We have gotten some money from scholarships on these websites. I know it won’t cover all of his tuition though</p>
<p>Are you low income? If so, then you may get a federal grant up to 5500 per year after filling out FAFSA. Obviously, that won’t pay for OOS costs which can be 30k-50k per year.</p>
<p>If you’re not low income, then your child will get offered student loans. </p>
<p>Filling out FAFSA isn’t going to mean getting much free money. </p>
<p>These scholarships that he’s gotten so far, are they for only one year? If so, that won’t pay for the other three years. Most private scholarships are for small amounts and ONLY for freshman year.</p>
<p>You need to get more familiar with FA. Most schools don’t have much to give. Use the net price calculators on various schools’ websites.</p>
<p>It doesn’t sound like the Nebraska aid can be used out of state.</p>
<p>I am aware that FAFSA won’t give you much free money and some of the scholarships he has recieved will carry over and some are renewable if he has a certain GPA. Sorry he’s my first kid going off to college I’m still new!</p>
<p>The Nebraska aid can be used towards any school across the country. There are only certain scholarships that require the money to go towards an in-state school.</p>
<p>m2ck the OP does have a thead going in the Cafe also. I’m not sure if the original one could be moved here or merged somehow. </p>
<p>Anyway, the OP’s son does have 2 Nebraska schools, including one in his hometown, on his list so I think they have a safety that should be affordable.</p>
<p>watskinson, I think on the original thread it was suggested that you run the net price calculators on the school websites. It’s a good idea because it will at least give you a feel for what it would cost.</p>
<p>There are ways to cut down the COA (used books, cheaper dining plan etc) but it still adds up. I think everyone will want to make sure you have an affordable safety just because no one wants to see a kid disappointed they can’t go anywhere because no one explained how financial aid worked.</p>
<p>I’ve read really good things about University of Wyoming. His GPA should not hold him back, although if his GPA remains under 3.0 he’ll have to take some required support classes. If he can get his GPA up to 3.0 and make 25+ on the ACT he’ll get a $3000 scholarship. In addition, the OOS tuition+room+board is only 22600! Here’s the link: [First-Year</a> Students | Admissions | University of Wyoming](<a href=“404 - Page Not Found”>Freshman Admissions | University of Wyoming)</p>
<p>He is also looking at Missouri State University. When we went to this college fair last Sunday they gave us a paper that talked about if a student got a 24 or above on the ACT that they could recieve some in state fees instead of out of state which I thought was interesting.
I am aware of the net price calculater I have to look at it later thanks! Me and my wife told my son we are willing to put the amount of his high school tuition
($7,500-$8,000 a year) but we also have a daughter who is in the same school system. I wish I could hand him a check and say go wherever you want but it doesn’t work like that</p>
<p>Dont be discouraged. There is a school out there for your son. You just have to do a lot of research to find schools that will look beyond the GPA.</p>
<p>One of my daughters graduated from high school with a 2.1. She had transferred to a boarding school sophomore year and her grades plummeted. (It was much harder than her public high schoolwith class sizes of 8-15 kids, she had to participate—couldnt skate by unnoticed like she did at her public school.) She ended up getting into a small LAC with $22,000 in merit aidplus financial aid, work study, etc… Majority of this schools freshmen entered with an average GPA of 3.5. The total FA package brings this $47,350 COA down to under $10,000</p>
<p>One thing—you say " FAFSA won’t give you much free money". FAFSA doesn’t give you any money. It just estimates what your family can pay.</p>
<p>Become friends with some good college search engines such as the college navigator -
here are the results of a search for public 4-year colleges in Nebraska. For each one you can examine details such as admission statistics such as %admitted and SAT/ACT scores.
For example the 25%-75% (middle 50%) of freshman had ACT scores between 22 and 28.
[College</a> Navigator - Search Results](<a href=“College Navigator - Search Results”>College Navigator - Search Results)</p>
<p>The Common Data Set for each school has a wealth of info, here is the one for U.Nebraska at Lincoln. Unfortunately they don’t supply data on average GPAs though (see section C for admissions data):
[Common</a> Data Set | Institutional Research & Planning | University of Nebraska?Lincoln](<a href=“http://irp.unl.edu/institutional-research/common-data-set]Common”>http://irp.unl.edu/institutional-research/common-data-set)</p>
<p>The Midwest Tuition Exchange Program could help with costs. There are 12 Midwestern states participating, including Nebraska. Kansas State and Missouri State both participate. Iowa is not a member.</p>
<p>I am aware that FAFSA won’t give you much free money a</p>
<p>FAFSA doesn’t give ANY money. it is an app for fed aid.</p>
<p>And, frankly, if you ca afford to pay about $15k per year for private K-12 tuition, then likely your EFC is way too high for ANY free fed aid. If your EFC is above about 5000, then no free fed aid. If you can afford private K-12 tuition for 2 kids, then likely your EFC is well beyond that. EFCs of 5000 or below are lowish income people. </p>
<p>You need to use the NPCs on various sites. Also keep in mind that scholarships go towards “need”…not EFC…unless they are so big they cover all of need and then cut into EFC.</p>
<p>A parent up at my kid’s school said FAFSA helped with financial aid. I guess I was misinformed thanks for clarifying that for me!</p>
<p>You’re misunderstanding…</p>
<p>FAFSA is an application for federal aid. the aid is from the feds. It sounds like your income is too high for “free money”. However, your child can get federal loans and maybe some fed work study (if qualified).</p>
<p>Who knows what aid this other parent qualified for. loans? work study? or maybe the parent’s are divorced and the custodial parent’s income is low enough for fed grants. Or maybe the COLLEGE gave grants based on need. Some schools will use FAFSA EFC to determine some of the aid that THEY will give. Some states do as well.</p>
<p>I understand now. A parent up at my kid’s school told me something different. I understand what you are saying.</p>
<p>The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It asks for information like income and is used to come up with an EFC, or Expected Family Contribution. If a student wants to take out a Stafford Loan, either subsidized or unsubsidized, they must file a FAFSA. Applicants who are very low income can qualify for a Pell grant. </p>
<p>Schools will have a COA, or Cost of Attendance, which is an estimate of how much it will cost to attend. It includes tuition, fees, room, board, books, living expenses, transportation, etc.</p>
<p>When a student fills out the FAFSA they designate which schools they want it sent to. The schools will take their COA and subtract the applicant’s EFC. If the COA is higher than the EFC, the difference is called Financial Need. The school will suggest how the student might cover this need in what they call an award letter. This can include scholarships, grants, loans, and work study. If the student decides to attend that school, they have to formally accept any financial aid awarded.</p>
<p>This is an over-simplified explanation, but the FAFSA is just one step in the process.</p>
<p>JakeBlake, your daughter got merit aid with a 2.1? How does that work?</p>
<p>She is very lucky–believe me. She did really poorly her sophomore year (first year at boarding school), but did show improvement her junior and senior year. By senior year, she had many leadership positions at her school: prefect, student government, peer counselor, tour guide, plus a lot of community service. </p>
<p>She met the admissions rep (from the college shes now attending) during a college night at her school. He really liked her and encouraged her to visit the campus during her winter break. We toured the school and she interviewed with the head of admissions. I think they were impressed with her determinationand felt she would add something to their community. They were right. She plays two sports, is an elected member of student government, gives tours at the college, and participates in many community events held on campus. Still not a great student, but maintains a 3.0. It just goes to show that a kid is a lot more than just a GPA and a test score. Im glad they gave her a chance.</p>
<p>JakeBlake, I went back through your old posts hoping to find the name of that very cool LAC (no luck - I’d still love to know). If you’re willing to share, I am quite curious as to how the ACT thing played out. I’m so glad your daughter is thriving!</p>
<p>To all out there with B students, be sure to check out the B parents threads. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/939937-3-0-3-3-gpa-parents-thread-2013-hs-graduation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/939937-3-0-3-3-gpa-parents-thread-2013-hs-graduation.html</a></p>