Pepperdine

College Search & Selection
1

<p>My parents make (together) about 750K a year. I have 7 siblings, 5 younger, and one older than me (a junior in college at the same time I will be a freshman in college). I go to an all girls Catholic all-girls college prep school in Houston, TX. I don't do any sports, but I do have a job outside of school. I have about a 3.8 and am estimating anywhere from a 2000-2100 on my SAT. Will I get any financial aid? To apply for an academic scholarship, would I have to show my parents' salaries?</p>

2

<p>To get any financial aid, your family will need to complete a FAFSA, which will show their salaries. If you want an estimate of financial aid, here is the link to the Pepperdine net price calculator. Every college has a net price calculator on their website and accuracy varies but I have heard they are considered a good approximation of aid.</p>

<p><a href=“http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/financialassistance/costs/net-price-calculator/npcalc.htm[/url]”>http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/financialassistance/costs/net-price-calculator/npcalc.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>If your parents won’t contribute the full cost of a Pepperdine education, you’ll probably have to look for merit scholarships, as an income of $750k a year, even with 7 siblings pretty much means nonexistent need based financial aid, except in very special circumstances. I’m not sure how many merit scholarships Pepperdine awards annually, but you pretty much have to be in the top 25% (at least) stats wise to qualify for them.</p>

<p>In SoCal, all the Christian and Catholic schools besides USD have a markedly lower COA than Pepperdine. While I’m not sure how the academics compare, my evangelical friend mentioned that many seniors at her church (one of the largest evangelical churches in the world) were headed to APU, Biola, Pt. Loma Nazarene, Chapman and a few other places I can’t quite remember. All are fairly close to the beach, and in much more urban areas than Pepperdine.</p>

<p>If you’re a practicing Catholic, note that Pepperdine might not have the resources to support you in the same way that University of San Diego will. I toured Pepperdine with a friend and was repeatedly reminded of how important the Church of Christ was to daily life. According to the tour guide, while most of the students didn’t belong to that particular denomination, the overwhelming majority were practicing Protestants. A devout Catholic might not feel comfortable in such an environment.</p>

4

<p>

</p>

<p>Another around here is Westmont in Santa Barbara. All of the above are very good schools. APU (Azusa Pacific) is pretty far inland and less academically rigorous but they have absolutely amazing choral music and a strong mission ethic. All are less “southern California glitz” than Pepperdine, which in many peoples’ minds is a good thing. Chapman has a good reputation but if it is religious, that is news to me.</p>

<p>As whenhen noted, the Catholic population at these schools would be low, though I think the students at all of the schools (and I have known students at each) would be quite welcoming.</p>