My reading of OP’s post #10 is that he took the ACT in December and scored a 30 (note his statement that was nervous & scored low in the science portion. Students do not typically get nervous during practice tests.) With a 3.8 unweighted GPA & a 30 ACT, he is above Berry’s 75th%.
thumper: UNO is not a good school based on ACT of 20-25 and retention rate of 64%. Affordability is a factor, but academic environment is important for one desiring medical school.
My brother isn’t in college. And I’m pretty sure I’ll get nothing (I have never gotten discounted lunch or discounted AP tests or waivers for the ACT) , but if I do get something, it’ll be very small. Thanks for all the input guys.
I would also suggest the OP take the SAT. Some students do better on that than the ACT.
Even with a 30 ACT…I don’t see any guaranteed merit award numbers on the Berry site, so…yes, this student might get enough merit aid…and she might not…
Apply and see.
When it comes to financial aid, DO NOT assume. Run the Net Price Calculator and calculate your EFC through FAFSA Forecaster.
Discounted lunch indicates whether you might qualify for Pell grants (your parents would make up to 45K or so).
College financial aid is on a whole other scale - that’s why you have to pick colleges carefully, because colleges with a lot of money can be very generous. Some colleges provide free tuition even if your family earns 90K… Financial aid comes primarily from the colleges themselves, that’s why you have to pick a college that will meet your need, unless your family makess 200+K a year (which it doesn’t sound is the case).
Run the NPC on:
Lafayette
Dickinson
St Olaf
UMichigan
Tulane
Loyola New Orleans
Louisiana State
Ole Miss
What results do you get?
UNO only retains 62% freshmen to their second year - more than a third never return. Their 4-year graduation rate is a miserable 14%!! It wouldn’t be a good choice for premed. Since so few students manage to graduate, I can’t imagine there is a strong support system for an endeavor as difficult as med school.
There has to be somewhere between UNO and Baylor 
Practice diligently for the ACT.
@MYOS1634 : I am in total agreement with your post. No need to switch to the SAT when you have done so well on the ACT.
I do think that all posters have good intentions, but Union University in Tennessee & UNO are not wise options for OP. He wants to attend medical school & his parents want a Christian College.
P.S. Google “scholarships at Berry College”. The college factual site should appear.
@MYOS1634 thanks, and I’m about to print out a practice test soon:).
I listed colleges that either offer merit or need based aid. Running the NPC should help OP figure out what their actual offers might be, v. assuming that because they’re not in the “free lunch” category they won’t qualify for anything. They might not but running the NPC on these universities will help us help him/her better
If OP gets a 33, there’ll be good choices. If OP ends up with a 30, there’ll be fewer choices but still good choices (Tulane has special scholarships for Louisiana residents for instance).
An issue is that many Christian colleges have a low-ish endowment, so that the net cost would have to be balanced with the Christian nature of the college to establish value (St Olaf and Loyola NO are both Christian in the general sense but not Christian in the conservative 'non Catholic, non mainstream" sense since St Olaf is Lutheran and Loyola is Catholic.)
well I say basically no financial aid because I’ve used those calculators and get little to nothing. but it’s whatever at this point, I’ll just focus on my test scores and look more at my options once get those scores.
Good luck…and do the best you can do.
There is a college for everyone out there. There is one for you too.
Which of these specific colleges have you run the NPC on?
What’s your FAFSA EFC? (precise number)
Each college calculates differently. They each have their own formulas. Few universities even “meet need”. All allocate merit differently. You need to run the NPC for the colleges from the list that you haven’t run in on, and report the results, so that we can help you and advise relevant colleges (beside those ones), which will be neither 40K in debt like Baylor (Baylor doesn’t meet need) or UNO (which has merit but academically insufficient for a premed).
FWIW, the reason I mentioned Union (TN) is because I know they have a full ride scholarship and I know students have been pleased with it. I’m not exactly sure why @Publisher is so turned off by the school. How the college is doing with finances really doesn’t mean anything if the OP were to get a good offer to go there. They have > 2000 students (just googled), so aren’t exactly “failing.” They are slightly larger than Berry for comparison.
Berry could possibly be a good selection. I don’t know anything about the school nor know anyone who has gone there (or considered it) IRL. The OP would definitely want to be sure they at least have a chance at an affordable scholarship. An email to admissions could answer that question fairly quickly. If so, it could be worth looking at. If not, I’d cut it from the list.
@TheBlueRock Definitely put some time into test prep. A higher score never closes doors. It can be worth thousands - or not - but at least it will keep you in the running for more potential options.
I am concerned about Union University in Tennessee because of its very poor financial grade of “C-” assigned by Forbes. At least with respect to financials, Union University is struggling–if not failing. Maybe Forbes is wrong, maybe Forbes confused it with Union College.
Berry College by way of contrast is an outstanding school with a gorgeous campus, great facilities & strong (B+) financials. And Berry College awards lots of merit scholarships.
All I want OP & his family to do is to make an informed decision. And to avoid UNO if OP has an ACT score of 30 & intends to go to medical school.
I doubt Forbes confused the two colleges, but I also don’t feel their rating of a “C-” is terribly significant for a college that is still attracting quite a few students - seems to be increasing with their attraction too.
Some colleges have oodles of endowment and supporters. Some don’t. Christian colleges generally don’t. It doesn’t mean they’re failing. It mainly means they can’t give as much aid. That said, they often give some aid and whether it’s a good option (financially) or not will depend upon what the individual gets.
Berry might award lots of merit scholarships, but if they are the typical small amount given to most students they won’t be enough for the OP to afford them. If they have some competitive full rides or full tuition - then they could be worth trying for. I don’t see any of that size listed on their website, but the OP can check with them to find out.
Merit aid is strange. A few years back I saw an article discussing how parents/students feel that cheaper colleges are inferior. That mindset can even be seen now in the way many folks perceive state colleges compared to private (overall comparison). Yet, the human mind loves feeling they got a bargain. Many/most less than tippy top private schools reacted to this info by raising their prices and then giving students a “rebate” in the form of basic merit aid (5-20K pending how much they want the student). The overall cost could still be 35K (as an example), but 35K in sticker price makes them look “cheap” and “inferior.” 35K after a 10K merit award makes it seem like one is getting a bargain and is “loved.” The vast, vast majority of students at our school get some sort of “scholarship” at the 4 year schools they apply to. They aren’t all in the Top 25% of students applying to those schools. It’s really just a “feels good” offer making the college look more attractive.
However, some schools use significant merit aid to attract students who would otherwise go elsewhere. A student at our school chose Wake Forest with a full ride over Stanford at full price (not really full - she had roughly 20K+ per year in other scholarships that would have lowered the cost). She’s perfectly happy at WF and is getting a really good college education for free. That’s the sort of merit aid the OP needs - not necessarily full ride, but truly meaningful. Those awards are usually rare with only a few available at schools that offer them making them very competitive, but nonetheless, someone gets them so go ahead and try. Then there are some schools that are really trying to move up in the ranking and offer them totally based upon stats, but I don’t know of any Christian school in that category.
Perhaps that may be a reflection of having lots of students who are weak academically and/or financially. But the OP is strong academically and will not have debt there, so the usual causes of dropout risk are not present for the OP.
It may also be that the OP will shine brightly in the eyes of the faculty and pre-med advising people there.
Obviously, the OP should investigate whether there are graduation rate problems with UNO that are school caused, rather than due to student characteristics. But s/he should not write it off automatically, especially if it is the only affordable option that is parent acceptable.
If the OP needs a full ride to afford some other school, that means that s/he has to apply “down” in college selectivity, which likely means schools with low graduation rates because the students are not that strong.
UNO is not a good environment for one targeting medical school.
Re: #54
Because?
thanks for all the recommendations! I went to Tulane’s net price calculator and if I achieve my projected score on the ACT it estimated that I would pay about 14k a year, which would be awesome. Maybe I’ll end up there. Anyway, thanks again!
Be sure to also investigate the Christian clubs at secular schools you like. That could very well help your parents see that plenty of dedicated Christians opt for these schools - no parent is forcing them to attend these clubs. They’re totally voluntary. You won’t be alone.
will do
One additional thought. Ask each college (Tulane, UNO, any other you like) where recent grads have gotten accepted into med school. Have that list on hand when discussing schools too. Still ditch any that are totally unaffordable (no hope for a good merit award) as high debt is never recommended from undergrad, but with your affordable options - that and knowledge of the clubs you could join might help support your position that a different school would fit you better.
You can apply to a fair number and only have to make that final decision once you know all the financial info in the spring.