<h1>IMO there is nothing better than the guaranteed scholarships. i would work on getting the details of a guaranteed scholarship worked out rather than “hoping” for others.</h1>
<p>I agree. And, I don’t think they “round up”.</p>
<p>I would do some quick thinking to figure out how to get that GPA higher…either by doing an online class (even if not needed) or finding out if a summer CC class (or two ) would be included.</p>
<p>we’re talking about a LOT of money being at stake. </p>
<p>Maybe applying early would help…it sure wouldn’t hurt…but I’d rather have it “in the bag” someway.</p>
<p>Can you clarify…</p>
<p>It doesn’t sound like his weighted and unweighted GPA are much different…why is that? What 'weight" does his school give honors and AP classes?</p>
<p>Would it be possible for him to drop a low grade class and not have it show up on his transcript even if he had to retake it next year? If he dropped a C or a B that would push him over the 3.5. It would also give him a little lighter load to keep the other grades up.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions. As I said earlier in my post, he is taking the AP classes next fall, that is why they are not showing up on his GPA this year. He is working really hard and is confident he will do his best. </p>
<p>I put a call into the scholarship office yesterday.</p>
<p>I frequently read comments here and on other CC threads about adding or dropping high school courses and was wondering, is our school the only place where that is not an option? Our school is finalizing course selection and music auditions for the fall and barring unusual circumstances or failure of a class there are no changes allowed, none. No dropping down if you realize you’re in over your head, no adding something extra. If this is the case then summer school might be your best option. Good Luck!</p>
<p><strong>Thank you for clarifying that beth’s mom. My son’s 30 is w/o writing and my greatest fear right now is that his score would actually decrease (not a major fear, a likely irrational fear) in April when he also takes the writing section.</strong></p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don’t think this is an irrational fear. It happens. I know lots of kids whose scores have decreased. It really depends on the particular test and whether that test plays to a student’s particular knowledge/strengths. My D took the ACT a few times, and while she was pretty consistent on the English and Math subscores, her science and reading scores varied by as much as 6 points from high to low. But even if your son’s score goes down when he takes the test with writing, he already has his 30 and it will still count for scholarship purposes.</p>
<p>AL34, at my D’s high school they can drop down a level up until about 9 weeks into the semester. Some teachers let them start over grade-wise in the newclass, others start them with the (usually bad) grade they come in with. You can’t go up a level, and it’s nearly impossible to add a class because they’re mostly full. I can’t imagine why a school would set a student up for failure by not letting him get out of a class when he’s over his head.</p>
<p>^ if a student elects to take a class they weren’t recommended for, say an honors vs. regular biology, they and the parents have to sign something saying they understand the policy and risks. Crazy, I know! Think it has something to do with being unable to accommodate changes in a 4500+ high school.</p>
<p>^^^We can’t drop down either AL34. It’s bolded on every registration item that has to be signed by the parents & student. D2’s senior year registration is already done, and I <em>think</em> we could ask to change it before April but after that changing is not an option.</p>
<p>3anddone
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Join Date: Sep 2011
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Thanks for all the suggestions. As I said earlier in my post, he is taking the AP classes next fall, that is why they are not showing up on his GPA this year. He is working really hard and is confident he will do his best. </p>
<h1>I put a call into the scholarship office yesterday.</h1>
<p>Unfortunately, the person who will likely call you back will not have the power to say anything other than “standard policy”.</p>
<p>Right now, Bama doesn’t have a director of scholarships…she’s been promoted and not replaced. So, those currently in the dept are mosly youngish people who I don’t think have the power to say anything other than what the standard scholarship rules are.</p>
<p>however, if you get a chance, such a person might know whether a summer CC class or two (this summer) would be included in GPA. If so, then that would bump to the needed 3.5.</p>
<p>If the person isn’t sure about whether a summer CC class would get included, then ask Lindsay Hutcherson…she’s the asst director of scholarships.</p>
<p>Right now, one of the few people who can over-ride any of these scholarship rules is Mary Spiegel. She’s the head honcho of the entire Admissions …a real nice lady.</p>
<p>i didn’t go back and read everything again…</p>
<p>if the highest he can come out with as of the end of junior year is 3.48, then make a little spreadsheet and see just what extra he needs to bump that to a 3.5. if taking an online class like health or a summer school class like pe will do it, then it is well worth it. idk, but summer school may not help if it is treated as senior year and not junior year. make sure to check.</p>
<p>go ahead and email mary spiegel and ley out your situation and see what she has to say. maybe she will have some suggestions.</p>
<p>go to your high school and see if they can provide a weighted GPA just for college admissions. high schools love to have their kids receiving fabulous scholarships.</p>
<p>if they can’t provide a weighted GPA, then maybe they will know of some thing you can do that you or we don’t know about.</p>
<p>making the 32 would be nice, but you can’t count on that either. my daughter who is a hard worker and really wanted to raise her score by ONE point, just could not do it! one section would go up by a good bit, then others would come down a little for a net gain of nothing! it is nice when kids can raise their test scores, but it doesn’t always work out that way.</p>
<p>*Besides…no one knows at this point, what the scholarship offers will be for next year’s applicants.</p>
<p>So far, there haven’t been any changes these last few years, but you never know.*</p>
<p>I specifically asked this question regarding engineering students for the class of 2017 at our local reception this past fall and was told by (can’t remember the name but can see his face - he was the one who should know, can’t remember his title either) that this will not change for that incoming class.</p>
<p>A couple of suggestions-
If Bama is going to be the choice, I would sit down with GC & go over the gpa class by class. You can sometimes find that an honors class or other advanced class was overlooked & extra points were only given for AP. </p>
<p>You can explain that .02 is worth $100K.</p>
<p>Also, they may be willing to round to 3.5. They don’t have to change the “official” transcript, Bama accepts letters detailing weighted grades.</p>
<p>Just a quick update, son was accepted into Engineering. Submitted scholarship application. He ended up with a 31 on the ACT and a 3.44. It should be interesting to see what happens on the scholarship front. He did all he could, hoping UA makes him an offer, otherwise, I don’t think he will be going. Thanks for all your help.</p>
<p>I would have my son write a nice letter to Mary Spiegel NOW. </p>
<p>Also, is he going to take the Oct ACT or the Oct/Nov SAT? I think if he increased his score he’d have a better chance of an award without the 3.5</p>
<p>My son was accepted last week and submitted his scholarship application about 3 weeks ago. Any idea how long we can expect to wait to hear about scholarship offers?</p>