i’m just hoping some of the auto merit schools will keep that ACT/SAT/GPA in place for merit through class of 2023. someone mentioned here earlier that UofAZ might not have auto merit next year. wonder who’s next?
D23 did well on her ACT in Dec, but wants to try again to up it a bit. I agree actually; we saw real merit money coming in at the high 30s rather than the low 30s with our other kids.
I just realized today when I checked the current class applied/admitted thread on CC that Arizona State, with its well-regarded Barrett Honors College, has apparently done away with all full-tuition scholarships. Best you can get there now is half-tuition, I think. Striking that one from the list…
Do some colleges still require that we submit all SAT test scores? Can we just submit one of our choice? Can we submit only ACT? TIA
There are only a couple schools or maybe even only one (Georgetown University) that require that students submit every test score they have taken. Most if not all colleges accept either the ACT or SAT, and you can select which, and which sitting if you took it more than once, to send. And some “test optional” schools don’t require test scores at all!
Georgetown is the only one I am aware of that requires all scores, but there are others that suggest or even “strongly suggest “ you send all. Even some that say “test optional” will encourage all scores for those who are sending. Some even suggest or encourage AP scores. Be sure to look up all the schools your kid is applying to and read what they say. Some of the wording reminds me of the former subject test wording: they were “suggested” by many schools and many CC experts were very clear suggested meant do it.
Wow! 1510 is an amazing SAT score! Congrats! That will open lots of doors but I know what you mean about some of these top tier schools where this is an “average” score. Not sure of her top choices but that score should lead to big acceptances and hopefully big merit! Good luck!
Thanks for clarifying this. I was wondering the same thing. My S23 earned a 1450 on his first SAT (in Dec) but only a 31 on the ACT (also in Dec.) He hated the format of the ACT and really wants to focus on bumping up the SAT. Just want to be sure it’s ok if he abandons the ACT without repercussions. Appreciate this info!
It’s definitely fine to just send one type of test as in ACT vs SAT.
And to add to what @2Devils says, it is true that “suggest” or “strongly suggest” should be considered “do this if you are able.” In Georgetown’s presentation, the Director of Admissions asked the group, when talking about SAT Subject Tests, “when we say strongly suggest, do you think that means that it isn’t important to us?” I think “strongly suggest” might be the way of colleges giving an out for people who can’t, for whatever reason (usually financial), take a particular test or meet a particular requirement, for example, SAT Subject tests or in person interviews. But if you are able to do whatever they are strongly suggesting, you should.
Hi,
I’m new here. You guys started early! I’m trying to learn and read all the posts 
This will be lengthy to catch up to you all!
My kids aren’t exactly excited about the college process although they are excited about going to college, if that makes sense. I think because finances plays a huge part, and their schools will be based on that alone. So the only schools we’ll visit will be potential full ride ones, which should narrow the list considerably. Perhaps you can advise if we’re missing out on potential full ride schools. We’re mainly looking at Florida schools and University of Alabama.
To introduce: I have three, and we live in Florida. At this point, all seem interested in some kind of computer science/cybersecurity field. The boys are more sure than their sister, but she does like that stuff. Ideally, I think she’d prefer pure liberal arts, but wouldn’t know a job she’d like after that. So they’re staying practical for now. No debt and a job after college as two main goals. All like the idea of an honors college.
They should all be NMSF (whew!) with SIs of 222-226, and SATs were 1590-1600. So all good on that front. School grades are good too (over 4.0- boys do AP, she does IB), and so are ECs. Though ECs better for dd than ds’. All should be eligible for Bright Futures and will hopefully be NM Finalists as well. So that’s where we’re coming from. We want to take full advantage of merit scholarships. Since FAfSA is no longer considering multiple kids in college in their calculations, the fafsa number would be unrealistic. We’re older and have no plans to pay for college if it is not needed. We can put that money to other use down the road for them.
Am I cutting them short? My thinking is any of those schools would be fine, and the application/college process would be fairly stress free for them. And they seem fine with it as well. We do plan to visit Univ of Alabama Tuscaloosa, UF, UCF, FSU, and USF. My kids don’t really want UF- they’d rather have the bigger fish feel and feeling wanted instead of the school being meh to them. I hear UCF and UA do a nice job for NMs. What are we missing/not considering?
What about keeping the scholarships? Benequisto is one and done if you have a bad semester from what I read. Is that true? That’s scary. While I think they will do fine, what happens if they get sick and have a bad term…. Keeping the scholarships is as important obviously as getting them. So I don’t want to overlook those considerations. You all seem so knowledgeable!
Thanks all and Happy New Year! It’ll be a busy journey for all our kids these next few years
My friend has triplets and he’s dreading the college app process (they are class of 24). Sadly he’s a widow but their mom tried to set the girls up so that finances won’t be the sole factor for them.
It sounds like you have a decent plan and your trio has set themselves up for success.
Meanwhile, my s23 is still behind in missing homework due to illness and vacation just before break. He did work most of break at both his jobs so I’m trying to not pull my hair out and lose my mind with his laissez faire attitude. “I’ll catch up mom don’t worry.” Ugh. Hes my kid happily content with Bs.
Wow-you must be so proud of your triplets! I think you have a perfect plan. My son is a junior w/ 4.0 unweighted (with AP & honors) and 1450 SAT (will prob retake in June) and lots of volunteer hours and some leadership roles. He will probably qualify as a Hispanic Merit scholar as per the college board PSAT competition. So just wondering if he’d have a shot at UCF honors. Thinking only if he gets the SAT up a bit. He doesn’t really want a big school but their honors program seems to offer some small school perks. We are from Buffalo, NY but some of the Florida schools offer pretty good merit for OOS and my sister lives in Orlando so nice to have some family there. Another school who has been reaching out to him is Nova Southeastern University. I think he’d qualify for their honors program and they even offer a direct entry Clinical Psych PhD path (my son will be pursuing a BS in psychology with end goal of PhD in Clinical Psych.) He loved Rollins but would need significant merit to make that a reality. We really need to keep costs down, so we have a good SUNY option and some of those “big fish in a small pond” private colleges where he would get great merit, so we will see how things shake out with COA when he applies next year. Your kids could definitely apply to some upper tier schools like Boston College and I’ll bet they could get those rare full tuition scholarships, but you still need to cover housing (which isn’t cheap) so you are best to pursue the full rides. Best of luck!
Is the Hispanic NM treated the same as NM? UCF does a full ride plus automatic honors college for NM finalists. At least they have been doing that. So his SAT should work fine. uCF was not on our radar until we heard about the NM benefits; it seems so huge. But I keep reading that it seems much smaller in person due to the layout and also the honors college.
Yes, even just room and board could run 15-30k or more a year for 3 kids, so it makes sense for them to take advantage of what they earned.
I was dreading the process too, but if they get the NM, they have just simplified that drastically for me. I am thrilled by that.
It’s good you are able to stand back and let your son be. He knows himself, and better Bs than feeling constantly stressed or going to a college where he’d struggle. That knowledge will help you pick a good fit for him. My kids don’t want to be stressing all through college in a pressure cooker, and neither do I. Mental health is important.
@Mombbg23 - welcome here - and just want to say well done to your kids - and you! that’s quite impressive to have 3 of them in that spot. Will enjoy hearing how this all turns out for you all.
Welcome, and I thought I had my hands full with twins. Florida no longer offers the NMF scholarships to out of state students, luckily not an issue for you. My oldest who graduated HS in 2013 was a NMF and an engineering major, he would have lost his scholarship if it was one semester and done. I would check with each school regarding required GPA, a 3.5 sounds doable when your kid has had a 4.0 through HS, but if they are going to be Comp Sci or Engineering majors that can be very difficult.
The Financial Aid thread has a section all about National Merit. They are very up to date on changes in scholarships. Every year fewer and fewer schools participate.
I’m really not sure what they give to National Hispanic Merit Recognition PSAT Scholars, but I heard they are one of the schools that rewards the honor with merit. Their website references NHSP but I think this is a different competition and based on need. I do believe they stack scholarships so this would be on top of any freshman scholarship.
Applicant must be a finalist ($4,000 award) or semifinalist ($3,000 award) in the National Hispanic Scholarship Program.
…
|Max $4,000
Average $3,000
|Min $3,000
I believe Fordham gives a full tuition scholarship for the Hispanic Merit scholar award but it’s competitive and recipients must apply. I obviously need to do more research but someone mentioned we look at UCF (due to possibility of decent merit) and my son & I felt their honors program really stood out and UCF could be a good fit even though it’s a huge school. You are definitely on the right track and your kids are helping to make this an easy journey by conquering the academic aspects and being on the same page with finances. Do they want to go to the same college if possible or are they wanting to venture off in 3 different directions? Please keep us updated on their search-excited to hear where they end up!
I heard many colleges are revamping the NM (semi-finalist & finalist) and Hispanic/Minority scholar merit offerings, especially state schools for out of state students, so that could be a game changer for many of us and will require additional research. Thanks for that info.
Yes, as a state, Florida does not offer the Benequisto money to OOS. But individual Florida public universities, and I thought UCF was one doing it, can offer their own money to OOS NMF.
Thank you, I’ll check out the financial aid section. Hopefully no more schools drop out or reduce awards! The FAFSA change was enough of a shock. 
Do your twins know what they want to do? Where did your oldest go? I was an engineering major myself and a 4.0 was a pipe dream. It was quite difficult and I don’t want extra stress on the kids. Though if a Florida school, I guess they would still keep Bright Futures? I need to look into that too.
Thanks!
Me too. Lol.
Dd would like to go where her brothers go. The same school may happen by default, and it certainly would be easier in some ways, but I guess we’ll see what they like. I’m not really pushing for it or against it. But I did tell them one story of twins graduating same day from colleges in different states. The parents had to split up and each take one. I’m not sure how we’d manage three. It’s just a random thing, but that would be hard.