<p>Hey, I'm a white male living in PA and I am going to apply to Pitt sometime this fall. I have an unweighted gpa of 4.0 (all honors and a total of 6 APs when I graduate) and my class rank is 7/1063 (top 1%) and I have good ECs; I don't feel like listing them here but I only have a ACT of 30. I plan on taking the ACT again September 12 (studying rediculously/hoping for 32) and then I guess I'll send my app in as soon as I get my score back (late sept/early oct.). Is this the best way to maximize my scholarship oppurtunity? I've visited Pitt and I really like it even though it's not one of my reach schools and I will probably major in bio or bioeng.</p>
<p>Hey, as a scholarship winner from last year I think I can answer this question. There are a number of scholarships you can try for at Pitt. They range from 5-10 k, to full tuition, to a few full rides. </p>
<p>Looking at your profile the biggest thing you have going for you is your GPA. In terms of the people competing for these scholarships 6 AP’s isn’t going to stand out. The biggest thing you can do for yourself is to get your ACT up and apply immediately (like that day) after you get it back. 32 is a good score to shoot for. That makes you honors eligible (which is great anyways). It also makes you much more likely to get some of the better scholarships. A 33 or 34 would be even better but you can only do what you can. </p>
<p>The good news is that if you get invited for the chancellors scholarship competition then your grades and standardized tests matter very little. It is all about the essays your write and, if they like those, the interview you give. I seriously think they give the essays and the interviews are given like 80% weight in the process. </p>
<p>Good luck. I definitely think with those stats you deserve to get something. Its just a question of how much which (perhaps unfortunately) depends a lot on that ACT score. If you have any more questions feel free ask them here or PM me.</p>
<p>yes, try to improve your ACT score and you will be set for a generous scholarship. i was top 5% w/ 33 ACT and was awarded full tuition (in-state). apply early too.</p>
<p>say I only get a score of 31 or stay at a 30, do I have a chance of a partial merit scholarship? I’m just curious because Pitt is one of my safety schools; however I’d really like to go here (I’m a huge Pittsburgh everything fan thats lived in Philly all my life but I have family there, and I visited and really liked it this summer). I’d really like to go here but I won’t get any financial aid but I would like to minimize costs for my parents b/c I’m debating on whether or not I try for med school.</p>
<p>Wow i was basically in the same situation that you’re in right now. I’m actually from around Philly too, I’m bioe/premed, and I had Pitt as a safety school during the summer too. I would say you’d get a partial scholarship right now, but if you get 32 or 33 you’ll most likely get full-tuition. </p>
<p>I basically had a full ride at Pitt vs. paying full price w/ no FA at Johns Hopkins, UVA, Carnegie Mellon… but chose Pitt because I knew saving a load of money would be so much more beneficial for grad school or maybe even med school. </p>
<p>So if you do get a generous scholarship really consider Pitt… the School of Medicine is right on the Oakland campus and UPMC is not far away at all. good luck.</p>
<p>Your SAT or ACT score is very important because that is what increases the college’s position on U.S. News and World Report’s list. Your GPA does not. All colleges are trying to move up in the rankings. Pitt is no different. I would say you need at least a 33 ACT for a full-tuition scholarship. In the past, from what I have observed, some kids with 33s got full-tuition scholarships, and some did not. No rhyme or reason that I could figure out. </p>
<p>Of course, no one knows how Pitt will dole out money in the future. I agree with what CuttingEdge said about the Chancellor’s. To be awarded that, however, you would need Ivy-level credentials. A very unique or standout EC would help with that. Just my two cents!</p>
<p>yea I’m just studying like crazy out of the Real Act (red) book and I’m going to start a 3 week online prep course which my college planner has suggested and hopefully I’ll be prepared for the ACT on sept 12. I still don’t understand how I can do pretty well in a huge high school with a rigorous curriculum and suck so bad on standardized tests.</p>
<p>I agree that the SAT/ACT score is very important - the higher the better. And yes, there is no set rule on what will get you a full or partial scholarship. If you read some of the past posts, students who have similar stats, some get scholarship awards and some don’t. It will depend upon what Pitt is looking for this year.</p>
<p>is there any “secret” to doing better on ACT? haha I could use any advice. my practice tests are around 31 average each time i take one</p>
<p>akittka, is it even worth it for me to apply to JHU b/c if you didn’t get merit $ neither will I and I won’t qualify for FA, yet it still would be a pretty big financial burden on my parents because I have a sister graduating hs a year after me. I’m also gonna apply to Notre Dame, CMU, PSU, UVA, Lehigh, and Lafayette but I think Pitt’s science programs are good enough considering I have an okay shot at getting some money to go there.</p>
<p>I know you’re addressing Akittka, but I’ll venture my opinion anyway. </p>
<p>All of the schools you mentioned will be very very expensive for you because they either a) don’t give merit aid or b) give merit aid only to the tippy-top utmost candidates. CMU is notoriously cheap with fin aid. UVA is super expensive if you’re OOS. PSU would be an okay deal for you because you’re in-state. Don’t count on any merit money though. </p>
<p>If you’re looking for merit aid, I recommend you peruse the threads in the Parents’ section that are devoted to the topic. And I commend you for thinking ahead!</p>
<p>I can speak to UVA as it is our state flagship. They do not offer “merit” money and yes it is extremely expensive for OOS. They do provide financial aid if you qualify. The full ride scholarships come from the Jefferson Scholars Foundation. It is an extremely rigorous and competitive application process. You have to be nominated for this. [Jefferson</a> Scholars Foundation: Undergraduate Scholarship](<a href=“http://www.jeffersonscholars.org/undergraduate/]Jefferson”>http://www.jeffersonscholars.org/undergraduate/)</p>
<p>I received no FA from any of those schools. they give little, to no merit aid too. maybe try to apply for outside scholarships or something? i’ll be honest i was crushed when i found out i couldn’t go to UVA or Johns Hopkins because of finances… Looking back though, I would have made a terrible mistake passing up on Pitt. </p>
<p>Lehigh does give out merit aid… i received 10k/yr but it was still too expensive.
Penn State is a great school (academically and financianlly) especially if you get into SHC.</p>
<p>oh and as for applying… ask your parents if they would even consider paying for those schools… if no, then i wouldn’t waste your time. good luck.</p>