Outside of scholarship applications (and more essays – my S will squeal but not in delight) at the colleges with applications in, is there any point seeking outside scholarships in this GPA range? We don’t have “need” per FAFSA determination, but our budget says we do have need. (He’s not applying for a major where there might be talent awards.)
I’d apply to as many outside scholarships as possible, as long as they don’t require a gratuitous number of extra essays. My older son received $8,000 freshman year and $4,000 sophomore year. Free money is appreciated money.
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I’m involved with distributing 2 scholarships at our high school (not bags of money, but still) and hardly anyone applies for them! They end up going to just regular students who go to the trouble of filling out the forms. One doesn’t even require any sort of long-form question!
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Update. D got into University of Portland this week with generous merit. 3.3 UW GPA, all standard classes (other than 1 AP this year). 3 super deep extracurriculars. Did not submit test scores. Lots of Excitement (and Relief) in our house as we visited UP last July and she really liked it. She also got in to Northern Arizona and Southern Oregon, but those were true back ups. UP is her first acceptance to a place she could see herself happily attending.
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@Turquoise52 That is fantastic. Same GPA as my S and he also has some pretty amazing ECs. Thanks for giving us hope. Where else did she apply?
Thanks! I highly recommend applying to some rolling admit schools. It helps with the student’s confidence (and the parents’ anxiety). 
In addition to those mentioned, her list includes Gonzaga, U of Redlands, Seattle U, Willamette, Whitman, U of Puget Sound, Oregon State, Eckerd. And, finally, as such a super-reach we barely think about it - University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL not the Miami in Ohio). Lewis & Clark was on the list but came off when she got into U of Portland as she would definitely choose UP over L&C. She has hit submit to most on the list but still needs to write the essays for Willamette and Seattle U. I will not be surprised if her motivation to write the Seattle U essays has been fatally undercut by the UP admit. She will still apply to Willamette. Her 1st choice (other than the whole Miami dream) is Gonzaga.
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Congrats @Turquoise52!! We also got a(nother) win here with an acceptance with generous merit to Hendrix! We were surprised it came so quick, she only submitted her application 5 days ago! But it’s especially exciting because Hendrix is one of her top 3, and with her merit award it is more affordable than I thought any of her schools would be. 
She and I also took our last fall school visit, to UTulsa, yesterday. It was an exhausting, full day experience, but we did feel like we really got a good feel for the place. It’s a nice school, and definitely could be a good fit for some students, I think my D could even thrive there if it came to it. I was especially impressed with the level of support they provide to the students. It’s a small school, but bigger than most on her list at about 3000, and they have a lot of built in structural supports for students, people who are checking in on them individually, and programs, like their “guaranteed job placement” program that kind force students to participate in the types of things we parents are often nagging our students to do. My D felt the campus itself was a bit big and overwhelming for her taste, and they’ve modified their meal plan in such a way that it was not very appealing. The student guides said it was due to COVID, but also said they didn’t think there were any plans to change it back. Which was odd to us as that was pretty much the only nod to COVID we saw during our visit (Non-student staff members wore masks only when they were not speaking, no students on campus wore a mask at anytime). Overall, like I said, a pretty campus, lots of green space, and great academic and support programs for students.
Today she is putting the finishing touches on her writing portfolio for Knox, and then that will be her final app complete. Both Knox and Cornell College have said they will get a decision out within 2 weeks if she gets her app complete by Nov 1, so we should be hearing from both within the next 2 weeks and that will be exciting!
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@1822mom Congratulations! It is so exciting to be almost all done with the application phase!
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That is a nice list and we have some overlap on schools. My D20 actually goes to UPS. 
Great merit aid!
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How is this initial list for my DS: DePaul, UVM, University of Oregon, Colorado Boulder, U Denver. Need some more safeties…
3.2 UW 3.4 W (grades have improved over the years)
3 APs (Euro Hist, US Hist, Eng Lit; school offers 8)
3 College Classes (2 humanities; 1 bio)
1300 SAT (620 math; 680 eng)
Strong ECs (work and unique sport)
Undecided major, but probably in the social sciences
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Have you/he considered Northern Arizona University for a safety? He’s probably auto admit there and I believe the app is a simple no essay thing. He would probably have an acceptance in his pocket by the end of the week! It’s also a very nice school in a cool mountain college town. Not the environment you expect when you hear Arizona but fits in well with the other schools he’s looking at.
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Thanks!
I totally agree on the rolling admissions D22 got into U of Oregon, Arizona, and ASU - it’s a huge relief to all of us. But I do caution it can be fatal to any college applications ‘on the fence’. She’s good with Oregon and we will see on the rest! Miami (FL) is also on our list as a reach - who knows I guess. Good luck everyone!
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What state do you live in? I assume your child wants a larger school?
We just got back last night from “Discovery Day” at Warren Wilson College just outside Asheville NC. We had visited before, but this visit just cemented it in first place for my D22. Now if I can just get her to finish the application!! She’s done the main Common App essay, but needs to do a ‘why Warren Wilson’ one for them and for some of her other colleges she has additional questions (although I don’t think there are any additional essays unless they are for scholarships). I really really want her to submit and get an acceptance, but I’m trying not to stress her out and nag. Stepped over that line a bit last night, but I think I reeled it back in. Really looking forward to that first acceptance. I think she has a good chance at being accepted at all 4 or 5 of the schools she’s applying to since none are reaches.
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So glad she has a favorite! It’s a huge stick to get through the application madness.
Asheville must have been beautiful this time of year!
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Yes, it was a gorgeous day for a visit. WWC is an awesome place and I will be happy if she goes there.
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Thanks! We live in NY State. Ideally he wants larger, but not enormous school, would be open to CA but not sure there are options there for him.
What’s your budget? Some of the regional/directional public schools might be good and would be larger, but some are $$ for OOS. You could look at JMU or VCU in Virginia. Maybe College of Charleston. What kind of vibe is he looking for? Greek life? No Greek life? Conservative? Liberal? Don’t care about politics?
What about Syracuse, SUNY schools? Is a large school important? Possible major? Budget? Is out of state preferable?