<p>I come from a middle class family that cannot afford a cent toward my education because they have too many loans and medical bills.</p>
<p>I am valedictorian of my high school and have worked my a$$ off my entire life (as I am sure many CCers can appreciate) so that I may attend an ivy league or another top school. </p>
<p>I recently got a full ride at Southeast Missouri State University. I'm happy because I have something to fall back on, but I am really upset because I feel like all the work I have been doing, the long hours of studying, and the social life sacrifices have gone down the toilet. </p>
<p>Today I bought a three-ring binder and tabs and have begun to exhaust every possible source of scholarships I can find in hopes that I will be able to somehow afford a better education.</p>
<p>Can anyone anywhere help guide me on the right path? Any advice? I am willing to not sleep the next five months if that is what it takes, so any information is welcome.</p>
<p>Will you qualify for need-based financial aid? Do the expected family contribution calculator at finaid.com and top schools including all the Ivies will meet all need if they accept you.</p>
<p>I did the calculator and it expects my parents to contribute about 20,000 (which they can't). The army would eat me alive. Does being a first generation American female help? Any scholarship ideas? I here Fastweb is useless.</p>
<p>Are you a national merit finalist? Many colleges will give full-ride or full-tuition to finalists.</p>
<p>Outside scholarships are hard to get, usually have little money, and won't reduce your EFC. A top college will generally give you an aid package like:</p>
<p>Cost of attendance: 45,000
Family Contribution: 20,000
Summer Job: 1500
Work-Study: 2500
Stafford Loan: 2500
Grant: 18500</p>
<p>Outside scholarships will first replace your stafford loan and work study. Additional scholarships will replace any grants you get. Unless you get 25,000+ in scholarships, your family is still expected to contribute 20,000.</p>
<p>You can still borrow from other sources to cover your family contribution, but the interest will be higher than for a Stafford loan.</p>
<p>The best scholarships come from the college itself. Look for good schools with smaller names that want to attract excellent students with merit scholarships. Liberal-arts colleges are typically the best bet. The New College of Florida is an excellent public liberal-art college, ranked 1st on US News and "Best Value" by Princeton Review, and gives many merit scholarship. In the end, it's not where you go for college, but what you do in college. Top schools do not necessarily offer better education. A professor at a small-name LAC who got his/her PhD from a state school will teach better than a TA at a top school anyday.</p>
<p>I understand where you are coming from.. that is why I didn't even apply to ivys.. but a lot of state schools give good aid.. and they are not bad schools.. Texas A&M gives good scholarships and out of state tution waviers, Tulane gives lots of good scholarships (if you did a lot of community service the scholarship is not Due until Jan.. so you have a little time)...
Also if you have any military background there are scholarships you can apply for militaryscholars.org and aerhq.org...
Try the essay scholarships at fastweb less people try for those.
Fastweb is only useless if you don't apply for any of the same scholarships.
Check with your counselor for any local scholarships.. voice of democracy from the VFW gives some serious cash for national finalists..
If you are a minority of any kind there is usually some sort of scholarship out there for you.. My family is Norweigan and I can apply for the sons of norway scholarship.. see..
Also there are a lot of scholarships for a certain major.. nursing, teaching, and other things.
Just try everything you can.. Best of luck!</p>
<p>While you may apply to the "ivys" you can find a similar education elsewhere at schools that will also give you merit awards. So many have been discussed on this forum. Also by having the skills to work hard and transferring them to college, you will do fine anywhere. Like the old goes, "it's not what you've got but what you do with what you've got that matters."</p>
<p>What you need to focus on is merit scholarships from colleges rather than outside scholarships which will not reduce your EFC. Bottom line is that all ivies and many top schools don't give merit aid, and schools that do only give it to top applicants. So you need to look at schools where you will be at the top of the applicant pool. There's a list of good merit aid schools on the parents board.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, when parents can't afford their EFC you're pretty much sc***ed.</p>
<p>Negotiate with the school. If it does not work out in the end, you can ask to be released from ED contract for financial reasons, but the alternative is usually a state school.</p>