What are your parents able to pay for college? In my opinion you should have some SUNY schools on your list.
How did you come up with this list? UNC will be hard to get into coming from OOS. Merit will also be very hard - you might want to try the NPC to see if you possibly qualify for any FA… the school meets need. I realize you said you won’t qualify. I don’t think you will get significant merit from the other schools you mentioned…but you also need real scores. And… BU is very expensive if you are full pay!
If you tell us what your parents can pay, we can help you create an appropriate list.
Once more…this student won’t be starting college until 2019. The net price calculators are NOT set up for the 2019-2020 school year. In addition, the tax year the student would need to use would be 2017…and those taxes are not yet completed. The net price calculator, if done NOW, should be viewed as an estimate only.
Financial aid policies DO change at colleges from year to year…and so do the costs to attend.
Given the supposed financial constraints, SUNY schools should absolutely be on the list.
I never can understand why so many student take the PSAT/SAT without studying. The scores on these tests can play a major role in determining FA. So why go in cold.
No one can really count on merit scholarship at UNC-CH. UNC-CH gives out very little in merit scholarships. They focus mainly on need based FA. They can be very generous if you have need as they determine it based on the Profile.
Most of the top schools give very little in merit aid since a large portion of the student body would qualify. If you need merit aid you need to look at schools where your stats stand out compare to the student body.
Once you know your SAT scores, others here can give you some suggestions.
“…there are schools that have programs to get you on track for med school.” Any college with the courses puts you on the track. Hmm, that excludes art ot tech trade schools , but you’re not headed there.
Think OP needs to check his assumptions.
That includes, “I know that schools like UF give OOS students instate tutition.” It may be considerably less expensive than BU, but I don’t see you fitting either the residency requirements or the exceptions.
Are you a guy or a girl? Womens colleges often give generous merit money. Also if it is in your budget -check out the Colleges that Change Lives. They are much different that the big state schools you mentioned but often have high med school acceptance rates. Most are generous with merit money -but not sure if it is enough for you. http://ctcl.org/
@futuredoctor123 You need to start researching school websites. Schools post the stats required for guaranteed scholarships. For example, several people have mentioned Alabama. Bama is requiring a 1490 this yr for $25,000/yr (tuition is $29,000) A 1300 will only garner $5000/yr. For competitive scholarships, schools post the profiles of students who were awarded scholarships in the past. Even at lower ranked schools than you have listed, the stats and accomplishments of students who are awarded top competitive scholarships are stellar. This is from the University of South Carolina, “The averages for our Out-of-State Top Scholars are an SAT score of 1545, ACT score of 34, and weighted GPA of 4.80.”
Spend time understanding just how competitive different scholarships are.
@mom2collegekids could you please clarify. Don’t those students receiving scholarships also get a reduction to the instate rate.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek I believe the stats you posted are for the McNair Scholarship…at U of South Carolina. The school also has other scholarships for OOS students that have a scholarship amount…and reduce the costs to instate costs. None, however, are guaranteed based on those stats.
@thumper1 You are correct that there are other scholarships at USC. A 1300 on the SAT at USC would qualify for instate tuition and $500. http://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/undergraduate_admissions/tuition_scholarships/scholarships/nonresidents/index.php Those are guaranteed scholarships, however. My point in posting the McNair info was to point out how competitive competitive merit actually is. The OP was asking about merit at UNC. Even at lower ranked schools, competitive merit is far from a given. Competitive merit is exactly that.
Is there a way to close a thread?? Yes I did ask for information but wasn’t looking for any rudeness. I’ll revisit this after I take my SATs and ACTs. If my parents aren’t making me go SUNY I’d like to explore my other options. I’m not sure why that is such a problem. Thanks everyone for your input and advice.
You don’t need to only consider SUNY schools, it has just been pointed out to you that you should minimize debt if you are contemplating going to med school.
@futuredoctor123 maybe you missed #33? You can’t close a thread, please point out which posts have been rude I just reread this thread and couldn’t find any rudeness. Several very knowledgeable people have taken the time to give you helpful information.
I’m a little confused, title of this thread says you need merit scholarships but later you say
If you parents can “make it work” for BU I don’t think you need merit.
I strongly suggest that you have straight forward discussion with you parents and find out exactly how much they are willing to pay each year for your college expenses. No one should count on competitive merit scholarships.
“I’m open to other schools. Just want strong premed program.”
MANY schools have very good premed programs.
“I like the schools I like.”
Ten years after you have gotten your MD degree (assuming that you can afford medical school at all), when you are still living in an apartment and paying off student loans, you will understand that a lot of people on this thread were giving you the same consistent good advice. However, you are not required to pay any attention to this advice if you don’t want to. None of us will be in the room when you fill out college applications.