<p>He has a 4.0 or close to it, top 10% rank at a good public high school. Has some 5's on APs. Parents are Salvadoran immigrants. He is a citizen. English is 2nd language, but he is fluent. Very strong in Math/science (English scores brought ACT down). Few ECs--a couple clubs, church. Low income/dad works in food processing. 4 younger siblings. he is an Arkansas resident, and a friend of ours is a "mentor" for this kid, thinks he is special, has overcome obstacles, etc. and has very high hopes for him.</p>
<p>I advised the student to prep and retake ACT or try SAT ASAP. I told him that the honors program at Arkansas Tech (which will pay all but about $1000 of his expenses if he can get his ACT up to a 28+) is his best bet. I think he can raise his score--he didn't prep the first time. (Even with an ACT of 26, with a scholarship, AR Tech would cost only $2500/year).
Does anyone know if Pell Grants would cover the rest of it? (I'm guessing family income is about 25K, family of 7).The student lives not far from this college, so travel expenses would be low, and he could visit his family if he wanted--which may be important to his mother. Friend thinks this student is way too good for AR Tech and thinks he shouldn't even consider it. </p>
<p>My friend wanted him to look at Hendrix, but the low ACT holds him back. (Hendrix's midrange is 27-32) Kid wants to be pre-med, though, and IMO he needs a school where he can get a high GPA, not where he is in the bottom quarter of his class starting out. Not getting much advice from HS counselor.</p>
<p>This young man seems like a very promising student. Can anyone suggest colleges that would offer great aid to a student like this--considering what he has going for him besides his scores? He doesn't want any debt/loans. (Was I wrong to tell him to "aim low?")</p>
<p>I wouldn’t aim low if I were trying to get into med school. He needs to be around really good students who model what that looks like. He needs to be pushed to reach his maximum. Just MHO.</p>
<p>Probably not. It looks like a great program–but the deadline is Sept. 28! I’ll let him know about it. Not sure if he can finish all the essays and letters of recommendation by then.
Also, I wonder if his ACT is too low to be competitive.</p>
<p>There are numerous colleges in AR that are test optional and it looks like he may be very close to honors a Arkansas State.Do not despair solely based on ACT/SAT.</p>
<p>I agree that he should aim for “good schools” where he’ll be WELL in the top 25% of his school. Getting the GPA for med school will be tough - it’s a bad idea to put him where his pre-med classmates will be stronger than he is.</p>
<p>Have him take the SAT…he might do better with that. Have him look to see what Miss State would offer him…especially if he brings up his ACT or SAT. </p>
<p>Have him apply to DePauw…they probably want more hispanic students…and they are very good with aid. Also have him apply to Loyola Maryland…they meet need.</p>
<p>Everyone shoyuld have a safety, but i wouldn’t tell the kid to aim low. Some fo the more highly ranked colleges have the most aid available. he sounds like a neat kid that some Adm Comm is going to take a liking to.</p>
<p>As a wild card, he might want to apply to Harvard. If he has anything that stands out, he might have a chance. They are always looking for the diamond in the rough that adds diversity to the class. If he gets in, he would get a free ride. Just make sure he is up to doing the work.</p>
<p>limabeans01–actually he should “aim low”, within reason, if he wants to get into medical school. It’s all about GPA and MCAT scores and if the school has a strong scicene program with good pre-med advising, that is more important than any “rank”. You need to shine at your UG is really the goal for pre-med students.</p>
<p>atomom–while looking at merit aid, also ask if they superscore the ACT for merit aid. We’ve found several schools that will superscore for merit aid, but not for admissions.</p>
<p>Is geographical location an issue? Is he open to anywhere in the country? If yes, he should really investigate LAC’s in the midwest. They seem to have the most generous merit aid as a whole and tend to be VERY strong in the sciences and medical school acceptances. Many have automatic merit aid with the guidelines spelled out on their financial aid pages so you can get a good idea of what he would qualify for. Add that to financial aid and he is looking at paying very little, if anything, for college.</p>
<p>Along with DePauw and Loyola Maryland, I would have him add various good midwest LACs that need more males and more Hispanic kids. </p>
<p>Yes, he needs a couple of financial safeties.</p>
<p>Also, encourage him to work part-time during the school year and full time in the summer. Low income kids rarely really get ALL their need met and there are many expenses that COA just doesn’t adequately cover. Since the family won’t be a source of money, he’ll need to earn/save his own “reserve fund”.</p>
<p>There are some 500 test-optional schools in the U.S., including some of the very best ones, guaranteeing to meet 100% of financial need. Start with Hamilton, Bowdoin, and Bates. He clearly can do fine, despite a low-income family background, and language testing skills that aren’t at the top of the heap. He’d probably flourish just about anywhere.</p>
<p>(And he’s a sure bet at Berea, one of the top colleges in the country, and wouldn’t have to pay a dime.)</p>