SMU (possible full ride) VS. ASU Honors college (full + partial masters)

<p>So decisions are in and here's the verdict. I was accepted to UMinn, ASU Barrett, Southern Methodist, and NYU. I would be attending NYU but neither of my parents have been working for the last year and I do not plan to take out loans. The big choice is between ASU Barrett and SMU. At ASU I have been offered full tuition, I will only have to pay for one year of room and board. The scholarship lasts four years and since I will continue to my masters it will pay for one or two years of masters work. At SMU I personally know the dean of admissions and have enough connections and pull to possible illicit the same scholarship from SMU. I have spent time and both schools and I like them both a lot. I prefer a liberal environment but it is not a necessity. I have also been accepted into the hilltop scholars program at SMU which will allow access to more opportunities. Now I know I have talked your ears off but I always come to you guys and gals for help so any kind of help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you once again and I look forward to reading your thoughts. Post away!</p>

<p>P.s. - Some of you may not be familiar with Barrett but it ranks #4/5 out of public honors colleges in the nation.</p>

<p>What kind of scholarship do you have at ASU? How is the other 3 years of rm/bd covered? Are you saying after that you would be paying less because you would be living off campus or do you have scholarship money to pay rm/bd? Do you know that Barrett requires students to live in dorms for 2 years?</p>

<p>I have scholarship that covers full tuition and honors fees + a 1k a year compounding study abroad stipend. ASU gets less expensive because I have secured an RA spot that only requires an interview which I will ace. As an RA you get room and board covered in the honors dorms. It will cover my first year of masters for sure because the scholarship is guaranteed to last four years and will transfer to grad school (I asked). I already have one year of guaranteed credits and depending on my six AP tests this year I could have two years. Since none if them are in my major or play a significant role, most will transfer (again, I checked with a counselor). Hope that clears things up!</p>

<p>Yes I do know that they require that, I plan to love in the dorms all four years, I love dorm life.</p>

<p>Great plan. Good for you! I don’t know anything about SMU. Investigated UMN and ASU pretty thoroughly. Maybe you’ll meet my D at ASU if you go there this fall. She seems pretty set on it. And yeah, they are pretty generous with AP credit. Although you do need to take the 2 Barrett human event classes whether or not you have satisfied humanities req through AP. I’m sure they are great experience, but still, takes time in schedule. Also, you can’t test out of freshman comp completely, need to take one semester even if you have both AP English classes. I guess you probably know that already, sounds like you’ve checked things out thoroughly.</p>

<p>Yeah I have looked into it and I took an extensive tour of Barrett. The human event classes are awesome! I sat in on one during my tour in February and I loved it. I met with many of the professors and I know ASU and Barrett will be a marvelous experience. I hope your daughter enjoys it! I will most likely meet here since Barrett is quite compact! Best of luck to her though in the event that we do not bump into each other! </p>

<p>Back to the topic, if anyone else has any insight I would be more than happy to take it into consideration. Thank you again for your time college confidential posters!</p>

<p>Your major?</p>

<p>Have you taken a look at the catalogs and schedules at each school to see how well the academic offerings match up to your academic goals?</p>

<p>Also, what college GPA requirements are there to retain the scholarships at each school, and would they be affordable if you did not retain the scholarships?</p>

<p>I will be majoring in clinical psychology but I will continue on to grad school immediately after. SMU and ASU Barrett both have rigorous academics. My desired academic level would be NYU but they are out if my price range barring an increase in my scholarship. The only reason I would attend SMU would be if I could get the same scholarship or comparable. As I mentioned I will not be taking out loans. The GPA rec at ASU to maintain my scholarship is a 3.0 but I would be fine maintaining a 3.5 at SMU if need be. Academics have always been my strong suit. I am not worried about the scholarship transferring as I have many factors going for me. I have: legacy, shown interest since freshman year, received a special advanced placement application, work directly with our district congressman who graduated from SMU and would write me a letter, and I have established a relationship with the dean of admissions due to my 10+ visits to the campus and with several professors.</p>

<p>Most scholarship winners should be able to maintain a 3.0 college GPA, but 3.5 is riskier and typically requires GPA management (i.e. avoid taking “hard” courses even if they are of interest, etc.). It may not be a great idea to go to a college where getting below a 3.5 GPA effectively means “flunking out” in a financial sense.</p>

<p>Oh I fully agree, I just mean that if SMU would consider the scholarship I would be willing to maintain a 3.5. Merely illustrating my desire and aptitude that I believe I have. I have no doubt that the same requirements would carry over should SMU match my scholarship. I am merely wondering which school would be the better pick. If I bring my desires to the dean I would be obligated to accept it if he were to work with me. I would go in to our meeting with 100% desire to attend and I could not look back. I am just not sure which is the better pick since my ultimate goal is grad school. ASU honors also has a ridiculous reputation for Truman, Marshal, etc scholars and that looks very appealing. Also, there are plentiful opportunities to get published in undergraduate even as a freshman. They have this req in Barrett where you work on establishing your masters thesis while in undergrad and get sponsored by a professor so that you have a head start into grad school which is also appealing. I just know that SMU is seen as a much more prestigious school and the connections at both SMU and the city of Dallas are much stronger than those in Tempe, Arizona.</p>

<p>[Best</a> Clinical Psychology Programs | Top Health Schools | US News Best Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/clinical-psychology-rankings/page+2]Best”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/clinical-psychology-rankings/page+2)</p>

<p>For clinical psychology grad school, USNWR puts ASU above SMU #37 to #125.</p>

<p>[Ranking</a> of Psychology Graduate Schools — PhDs.org Graduate School Guide](<a href=“http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/psychology/rank/basic/2]Ranking”>http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/psychology/rank/basic/2)</p>

<p>PHDs.org ranks ASU 22-65 and SMU 169-228 for grad psychology, though they seem to be using ASU psychology and SMU clinical psych.</p>

<p>Thanks so much Celesteroberts, I saw that in world report. I’m just not sure how to take the numbers though because world report rates the universities based on grad schools and the endowment/research grants they receive. Thanks for the statistic though! Always helpful!</p>

<p>Any other helpful advice on school v. School would be helpful. If, in your opinion I would be wasting time at one, or paying for something that doesn’t really matter. Let me know! Thanks.</p>