<p>Hello. Well, it's been almost 3 years since I've graduated high school. I decided to join my family's business after school, but it has recently gone down the tank (wasn't planning on that). My question is, do you guys know of any schools that will offer me a full ride academic scholarship or close to it? I had a 4.0 unweighted GPA, 2350 SAT, lots of clubs, state AP scholar etc. I was not national merit, however. I know for a fact that I will not be able to get any letters of recommendation, since I've fallen out of contact with my old teachers and such. Guidance counsellor has passed away too. So to state my question again, where can I get a full ride merit scholarship or close to it with a 4.0 GPA, 2350 SAT, but no letters of rec. (just test scores and transcript)? Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>The University of Alabama has some nice guaranteed merit scholarships:</p>
<p>[Out-of-State</a> Scholarships - Undergraduate Scholarships - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html]Out-of-State”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html)</p>
<p>=)</p>
<p>You have 2 problems…</p>
<p>1) if you’re applying for fall admissions, you’ve missed many deadlines.</p>
<p>2) many/most scholarships are for incoming freshmen who are still seniors in high school.</p>
<p>:(</p>
<p>Incoming freshmen, I agree. The best merit scholarship availability is for first-time college students, not for people returning to a new college after a break from a previous college, not for people transferring in directly from a different college. (Transferring AP classes or dual enrollment credits from high school is okay, but if you have credit for classes taken after high school, you aren’t a first-time college student any more.)</p>
<p>Still seniors in high school? I don’t recall seeing this listed as a restriction for the scholarships I have looked at; it is worth looking at the restrictions listed for each school that offers merit aid. </p>
<p>I think the OP will be eligible for merit scholarships. This is a tough time of year to be looking to apply and get merit scholarships (but I think it can still be done if the OP is very flexible w/r/t where the college is). Better options if the OP applies next September/October/November for the following fall.</p>
<p>See U of Alabama rule:
</p>
<p>From Bama’s website… [FAQ</a> - Undergraduate Scholarships - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/faq/]FAQ”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/faq/)</p>
<p>*How can I be considered for scholarships?
As an entering freshman <a href=“applying%20for%20the%20Fall%20semester%20following%20your%20senior%20year%20of%20high%20school”>B</a>**, you will need to send a completed application for admission, official high school transcript (grades 9-11), official ACT or SAT scores, application fee, and the completed scholarship section of the application for admission by December 1 of your senior year in high school.
*</p>
<p>Bama also has a Dec 1 priority deadline for scholarships.</p>
<p>Bama’s rule is not unique…it’s in the “fine print” of other school’s scholarship offers, too. I’m not saying that it’s true for every school, just many that I’ve looked at.</p>
<p>Thank you - I stand corrected! So really, even if you plan to take a gap year and you will look better for college admissions purposes in the fall of your gap year, it sounds like if you want merit aid at Alabama you need to apply right away during high school and then see if they’ll let you defer admission for a year…</p>
<p>I am wondering about the merit aid rules for four subgroups of schools that offer merit aid:
- Must apply senior year of high school, and must attend right away (can’t defer the admission for a year)
- Need not apply senior year of high school, but must attend right away (can’t defer the admission for a year)
- Must apply senior year of high school, but can defer admission for a year
- Need not apply senior year of high school and can defer admission for a year </p>
<p>For Ohio State, you can’t defer admission. If they accept you, you have to come, or else re-apply. They offer a lot of merit aid. I hope that you are still eligible for merit aid even if you take a gap year. (I hope that Ohio State is in the second group.) I don’t see anywhere that it says you are not, but I missed that for Alabama. I wonder if Alabama lets you defer admission for a year…
[The</a> Ohio State University: Scholarships](<a href=“http://undergrad.osu.edu/merit.html]The”>http://undergrad.osu.edu/merit.html)</p>
<p>It’s all confusing. 
</p>
<p>Re: deferments…
I don’t know what Alabama might do for various situations. It wouldn’t hurt to ask. </p>
<p>And, I don’t know what the reason is for making students apply senior year. I don’t know if it has to do with the way that schools report the stats of their incoming freshmen (for ranking purposes). Maybe they’re only only allowed to include “traditional incoming freshmen”. </p>
<p>If the school benefits (reporting-wise) from having a high stats freshman (no matter how old he is), then denying the scholarship doesn’t make sense to me.</p>
<p>I do know a Bama girl who did take a gap year and used her scholarship when she arrived later… But, I don’t know how difficult that was to arrange. She was very young for her grade, so I don’t know if that’s why the school agreed.</p>
<p>And, I agree, taking a gap year can be an issue, scholarship-wise, if not sought during senior year.</p>
<p>I know the scholarship my daughter has at her State U (full tuition plus some additional money) specifically said she was required to start college the fall after graduating high school. It is the same for the 2 better scholarships at her school (well I know it is for the next one up and I think it is for the top one, which is national Merit).</p>
<p>You would probably have to check with the schools you are interested in.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>I’m thinking that schools require such for some reporting reasons. Afterall, they give those big $$ to benefit themselves. And, if they lose the benefit by giving it to an older student, then they aren’t going to do it.</p>