<p>So my parents completely refuse to help me pay for any of my college education. My dream is to go to a school far away, but considering my financial situation I'm not sure it's going to be possible. My family is solid middle class, so I'll probably be able to get some financial aid, but nowhere near enough aid for me to seriously consider attending an out-of-state college. So, my question is, what are some colleges that are known for generous financial aid awards, merit scholarships, etc?</p>
<p>in case it helps, a quick list of my stats:
- over a 4.0 GPA
- SAT scores in the mid to upper 600s
- 3 year varsity track and cross country athlete
- active member (leadership position) of FCA & student athletic board, member of habitat for humanity
- countless volunteer hours</p>
<p>honestly I’m not sure about unweighted but it’s like a 4.1 weighted. also, I forgot to mention that I take a fairly rigorous class schedule. Last year I took 5 AP classes abd 2 honors. my one other class was orchestra. </p>
<p>please help! specific examples would be awesome!!</p>
<p>Big school? Little school? Public? Private? Doesn’t matter? Where do you want to be far away from (what is your state of residence)? Do you know what field of study you would like to pursue?</p>
<p>Also, if you had a more specific range of family income, it could help in determining aid.</p>
<p>I would prefer a big school, but honestly in my situation I’m willing to consider any semi-decent school that will give me money. Also, are there any schools known for giving music scholarships? I honestly don’t have many requirements for a school other than one that will give me a lot of financial help. Oh, and I live in Indiana, so preferably no colleges in Indiana.</p>
<p>I think your best option would be to get into a school that gives you good merit aid. See if you can increase your SAT score a little more— quite a few of the merit scholarships I know take into account standardized test scores.</p>
<p>I also forgot to ask about environment. If you wanted a city or suburban or rural campus. If you can get about 700 on reading and math SAT, you would qualify to be in the running for the Presidential Scholarship at Fordham in NYC (that one just popped into my mind, though you’d need to up your SAT). Also, there are some state schools that give tons of money to even out of state students. xrCalico23 posted a good link above.</p>
<p>Best financial need aid would be the Ivy League (specifically Harvard), but it would be way to risky to try to count on that. Again, if you knew your family’s income, you could try to determine the expected family contribution, and thus your “need”. Sadly, colleges can’t give more to students whose parents refuse to pay, or nearly all parents would start refusing to pay.</p>
<p>There is a difference between refusing to pay and unable to pay, so if you can get your parents to complete one of the on-line EFC calculators (College Board has one–anybody know which ones are good?) it would be very helpful. If you are low income, you might have more options available. Otherwise, look for the merit money.</p>
<p>IU Bloomington has one of the best music schools in the country. And as in-state, with your gpa and an SAT of 1340 out of 1600 you would get a $9,000 scholarship each year, which would cover all of your tuition for at least the first couple of years and 90%+ thereafter. Bloomington is definitely in Indiana, though.</p>
<p>Are you doing a gap year? You posted on another thread a number of admissions you’ve already received.</p>
<p>If your parents are “middle class” then you’re going to likely have a problem covering the EFC that they would be paying. </p>
<p>For instance…</p>
<p>If their EFC is - say - $10k, then you would not be able to cover that. Your FA package - even if it was a good package - would already include the max student loans, so you would have no way to cover that $10k.</p>
<p>What exactly is your SAT breakdown?</p>
<p>What is your EFC?</p>
<p>Your choices are going to be VERY limited because you’ll either have to go instate (and maybe commute) or get a music or other scholarship that will pay for most of your costs.</p>
<p>What instrument do you play?</p>
<p>Did your parents give you a reason for not helping with college? They may not have any extra money.</p>
<p>Ok, so as bthomp1 pointed out, I personally have gone through the entire college process already, been accepted to a number of schools and figured out my college plans for this upcoming semester. This thread, however, concerns a younger friend of mine who is just starting to go through the college admissions process and is basically getting zero help from her parents. I figured I would try to help her start looking for schools that she could afford, since money is her biggest college obstacle.</p>
<p>So thanks for the awesome answers so far! As for specific questions about her family’s exact income etc. I’ll have to talk to her and get back to all of you, since I’m not really sure on most of them. Please keep checking this thread though! We really need your help =)</p>
<p>Declare financial independence and apply for financial aid again.</p>
<p>This time around, you’d be solidly in the lower class because you have no income yet. That also means you’ll need to work a job, but there’s no shame in taking a little longer to graduate.</p>
<p>OP, ignore excelblue’s advice. You cannot declare financial independence unless you have a bachelor’s degree, are 24 or over, married, a veteran, or have a dependent for which you provide > 50% of support. How much actual support you get from your parents and their using/not using you as a tax deduction has no impact on financial aid independent status. Zero, zip, none.</p>
<p>You mention music…are you planning to be a music major or are you looking for schools that might give you a scholarship with your music skills as a non-major.</p>
<p>Look at University of South Carolina in Columbia SC. They have a variety of scholarships that you MIGHT qualify for…and especially if you can get those SAT scores just a tad higher. Their scholarship/honors college application is a very rigorous application so start filling it out NOW. It is due early and your application to the University also needs to be done early.</p>
<p>There are other schools where you might qualify for automatic merit aid with slightly higher SAT scores too. </p>
<p>And lastly, do a search on here for a thread by momfromtexas who found nearly full aid for her two kiddos for college.</p>
<p>Gotta ask…why won’t your parents help you AT ALL with college expenses? What do they hope to see you doing after you graduate from high school?</p>
<p>There is a thread that I think is golden here on CC written by Momfromtexas about full pay scholarships. Your friend should study the advice there. Oh, I see Thumper has already beaten me to the draw on this piece of advice. Makes it doubly valid.</p>
<p>Also your friend should look for colleges where s/he is in the top 5-10% statistically, and look for merit money there. Commuting is really her safety course, which it is for most students. Federal loans are available for most students and they cover most state/community college tuition and fees. Part time job is a good idea to keep the loans down and/or for extra money. That really is the way most people get their degrees. Often on as a part time student as well. It is truly a luxury to go to any sleep away college, and to any private school. Just as it is to go to sleep away camps, boarding schools, private k-12 schools. Same principle for college.</p>
<p>thumper1 asked an important question, as the parameters for music (talent) based scholarships will change dramatically if the friend intends on applying as a music major. There is a separate music major forum [Music</a> Major - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/]Music”>Music Major - College Confidential Forums) should she intend that route.</p>
<p>Lastly, by eliminating her home state public schools, she will drastically limit financial safeties.</p>
<p>We see these threads from time to time. While I wish the OP’s friend luck with this process there are other factors which have not been mentioned. What is the student planning to do for spending money? Where will the student go when the dorms are closed? If a merit scholarship is available at a school that is “far away” where will travel money be coming from?<br>
As pointed out, declaring financial independence will not be possible. The rules are very stringent and the OP’s friend will not meet those criteria.</p>
<p>Flipper519’s ROTC comment is also incorrect. You cannot go to “any school you want”. Depending on the branch of the service for which you receive the scholarship there will be a list of schools. You have to apply and be admitted to one of these schools. If that is the school to which you are awarded the scholarship then great. If not then you have a problem. It is very possible to be awarded the scholarship to school X but not be admitted. </p>
<p>In most cases ROTC scholarships do not cover room and board either. </p>
<p>I never advise a student to ROTC to pay for school. You won’t make it. You have to want to be an officer above all else.</p>