Prospects?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pepperdine University
1

<p>Hi, After much research and thought I think Pepperdine is one of my top choices for college. What are my current chances?</p>

<p>Junior, Male, Asian (Filipino)
Resides Oversees in Okinawa, Japan ("Military Brat")</p>

<p>Currently
GPA W - 4.1 (hopefully will go up next year)
SAT - 1820 (1st time)</p>

<p>Major Classes taken;</p>

<p>Freshman
Business Management</p>

<p>Sophomore
Honors Literature, Honors World History, Accounting I, Biology</p>

<p>Junior
Accounting II, Business Law, Chemistry, PreCalc, AP Language</p>

<p>Senior (Potential Classes)
AP Literature, AP Statistics, AP Government, AP Studio Art, Career Practicum (Internship & will be "teaching" alongside my old teacher in Accounting), Self Studying Economics</p>

<p>Leadership/Extracurricular
(2)VP > President - Future Business Leaders of America
(2)Treasurer > VP > President - Philippine Cultural Club
Historian - National Honor Society
Soccer 3 years</p>

<p>Other info:
- First in DoDDs (School District) Pacific to complete Financial, Management & Accounting Pathway
- Winner of various Essay Contests in the island.
- Recognized National Financial Literacy Test High Scorer
- One of the founders of charity program, in which we went and gave 40 impoverished students school supplies in the Philippines.
- Published Photographer for an island Magazine
- Various community service hours - in ways of Photography, actual help etc.</p>

<p>I've read that Pepperdine emphasizes on religious affiliation? Well I am Catholic but have not been involved in Church activities. Although I do hold religious/humanitarian beliefs which have resulted in the Charity group I've co-founded with my father. Does this hurt my chance at all?</p>

2

<p>Heya! To establish some credibility, I was accepted and will be attending Pepperdine this August. :)</p>

<p>Your stats are scarily similar to mine. They seem to be right on par with the Pepperdine median. However, Pepperdine does have a reputation of caring less about numbers and more about essays and ECs. Make sure to write thoughtful essays and keep up with your ECs!</p>

<p>Also, while Pepperdine is affiliated with the Church of Christ, it would ever -hurt- your chances of getting accepted if you are Catholic. There are plenty of students that attend Pepperdine who are not Church of Christ or Christian at all.</p>

<p>Hope that helps! All in all, prospects look pretty good, friend!</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the insight! And congrats to your acceptance into Pepperdine!
I’ve been told and based on contests etc - I believe that writing in general are one of my strengths. And in regards to ECs I understand the need to maintain and strengthen it so I try to make sure I only participate in ones I am truly passionate about. But if there are any other tips you could recommend, Ill greatly appreciate it!</p>

<p>And one more question since Pepperdine is pretty expensive, how good is their financial aid? Any examples or information about it?</p>

4

<p>Like kokiriforest, I’ll mention for credibility purposes that I was accepted and will be attending Pepperdine this Fall :]</p>

<p>I think you have really great chances. Your GPA, SAT and course rigor are solid, as are your extra-curriculars. I would definitely mention the charity you co-founded with your father, it would even be a great essay topic.</p>

<p>Your religion will not hurt your chances, though there are advantages to being Church of Christ. I was also raised Catholic, so I put that on my application.</p>

5

<p>Thanks gwu_girl ! And again congrats! </p>

<p>Hmmm the only real thing hindering me from Pepperdine is how expensive it is! I’ve seen some stuff about average debt after graduation, fees etc. And so how is the financial aid? Can someone elaborate on it, since im super worried about the cost.</p>

6

<p>Pepperdine is going to end up costing me $10k/year after scholarships and grants. My parents are paying $5k, and I’m taking out a loan for $3.5k and paying the rest. That’s really affordable.
Financial aid really depends on how much your family makes. I think if you bring up your SAT score you can possibly get merit aid, but they only offer it to the top 5% of applicants or so. I wasn’t eligible for that, but I got a Pepperdine Grant based on need and overall strength as an applicant.
The financial aid office is really good at finding all potential sources of money, and there are always outside scholarships.</p>

7

<p>Whoa that’s great, I was not expecting it to be that affordable. But thanks for the tips i’ll try to retake the SAT and get a better score!</p>

8

<p>Pepperdine does try to meet your financial needs, but you need to know your EFC. It is calculated when you do your FAFSA. Once you’ve done that you will ahve a better idea o how much you and your family will be expected to cover. Keep in mind that financial aid does usually include loans. The Pep grant is great and the Pep U loan is good too because it carries no interest,</p>

9

<p>Hmm I understand. My parents haven’t quite finished the FAFSA but once they do I’ll definitely post to see any thoughts about it. But thanks for the reassurance about Pepperdine’s FA.</p>