My family does not receive a lot of financial aid, so I’ve applied to some colleges offering merit aid. However, there are other colleges I’d really like to consider which, if I get in, we probably won’t be able to afford. I know it’s unlikely I could get as considerable merit aid through outside scholarships as from colleges themselves and that it is fairly late in the process to just now be thinking about this, but I’d like to apply for some anyways since any amount helps.
I’m a white middle-classed female in SC (but most colleges I applied to are out-of-state) majoring in biology
Here are my stats:
ACT: 33 (34 superscore)
GPA: 4.0 (4.6 weighted)
Extracurriculars: swimming (captain, awards, state recognition), multiple community service clubs, yearbook, art club, veterinary science internship, summer job at restaurant
Awards: Chemistry award, scholastic art & writing gold, AP Scholar w/distinction
And I run a small business on Etsy
if anyone knows of scholarships based on anything from academic merit to entrepreneurship, arts/photography, or writing that would be great!
Also, any general tips on making expensive colleges with little merit or financial aid more affordable would be welcome.
The best money comes from the schools themselves, assuming you are a senior, scrabbling for external money now is an exercise in futility. As it is such scholarships may not even stack on any little FA you have. I assume you have an affordable instate safety you can afford? As you probably know, your stats are nice but not tip top. Did you get money from your safeties?
The south is gold mine for nonresident scholarships. Check out Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU and Auburn. If I’m not mistaken, you should be able to get full tuition at TCU, and possibly room and board partially covered by need based grants.
My daughter is also seeking merit based scholarships. They have been very hard to find! She has gotten excellent merit from the schools she’s been admitted to, but we are looking for more since we won’t receive FA. Her top choices all allow stacking of merit. Contrary to what a lot of CCers believe, not everyone finds a huge state university far from home to be a good fit.
Yes I did sybylla! I got $30,000/year in merit aid from one in my hometown (plus some regional scholarships) which is great. Although the college isn’t in my top 3, I would probably be fine there. I’d just like to have more options and was hoping there were scholarships that would allow for that.
@taverngirl IMO, unless one is full pay or has the means to take out substantial loans, the merit dollars offered often dictate where one goes. My DD wanted the Northeast, would have settled for the Pacific NW and while she got some great offers, the bottom line remained out of reach and she had to adjust her geography as well as her campus expectations.
The best offer came from 900 miles away - not a huge school, not the small LAC she dreamed of, but alas, a good, debt free education.
@Thumper1 I’m really just looking to reduce the cost of college in any way… so any amount helps. Once I’ve figured out exactly how much I have in merit aid from each college I’ve applied to plus outside scholarships I’ll just be deciding from there based on a mixture of fit and finances.
However from this thread it sounds like I’ve already done everything I can to get money for college so I guess it’s just waiting + hoping from now until decisions are out
Thanks everybody, my first and probably only thread on college confidential has been very informative
Ask your high school guidance counselor about local scholarship opportunities. A lot of counseling offices have a list on hand of scholarships for the district, the county, or even just your specific high school. I haven’t had luck with any of the online scholarships like Coca Cola or the Reagan Foundation, and I think a lot of those deadlines have passed anyways.
However, as other posters have mentioned, outside scholarships will only get you so far. Remember that you’re going to be at college for 4 years, and many of the outside scholarships awarded to high school seniors are one-time awards. I’d focus on finding an affordable school or getting good merit aid at the college, and then any outside scholarships you win will just be icing on the cake. A lot of times, they won’t announce winners for outside scholarships until after May 1, so you will have to choose a college under the assumption that all your funding comes from college merit scholarships or from your family’s bank account.
