Reach/Match/Safety classifications when money matters

Parents Forum
41

@CalBearsMom,

We have a similar strategy as you except for looking for full rides at top 10-25 schools. Those schools seem like a real long shot just for admission, I am not sure what an applicant would need to bring to the table to get a full ride.

I am finding the all the state schools in Florida look at basically the same metrics, it is just the level of applicants they accept that creates the selectivity, The private elites value different criteria; SAT II, different EC, LOR, etc.

Is it really worth the effort to create what is essentially a different profile to try to appeal to a higher tier of schools in the hopes of hitting the jackpot?

42

I would guess that the schools in the top 25 who give full ride scholarships look for the same starry qualities that the most elite schools in the country like HYPMS look for – EC awards at the national level…plus truly divine essays, LORs, leadership, and personality traits – playmaker/change the world types.

And if your kid is already applying to HYPMS, you’re not really “creating a different profile to appeal to a higher tier of schools”.