<p>
Good question … even better they are offering the merit scholarships while expanding the school and building facilities at an incredible rate … the only way I can see it work is the state of Alabama has decided to make a huge investment over a period of years to raise the profile of UofA … and when that they eventually will have to cut back on their investment at some point. A lot of schools have been heavier into merit scholarships and after a period of time backed off.</p>
<p>Sylvan, there was a time when a lot of the state universities gave full freight to , say, NMS winners. It was an automatic award for those in that category. Not any more with just a few exceptions. </p>
<p>I don’t know why Alabam can do this. If you look at Pennsylvania, the two top state schools are University of Pittsburgh and Penn State. Pitt has one of the nicest merit award programs in the country. Plus they do give finanical aid packages–one can hope, any ways. Penn State has nearly nothing substantial and their financial aid stinks. In that case, from what I understand, Pitt has a lot of private money it can throw to those awards, and chose to do so. Not so much Penn State.</p>
<p>Ironically, I know a couple of boys from around here who are going to 'Bama. One for the money, Two for the show, ha, ha. Quite fitting. The one got a very nice award and his first choice Penn State gave him $2500 and he is an OOSer. The other one was also coincidentally looking at Penn State, and felt that the atmosphere (especially these days given events at the respective schools ) was more to his liking at Alabam. Also a good friend of mine has a son there aleady.</p>
<p>Cpt, Pitt and Penn State are not really state schools of PA, here are the PA state schools:</p>
<p>Campus<br>
Bloomsburg<br>
California<br>
Cheyney
Clarion
East Stroudsburg<br>
Edinboro<br>
Indiana
Kutztown<br>
Lock Haven<br>
Mansfield
Millersville
Shippensburg<br>
Slippery Rock<br>
West Chester</p>
<p>In the 1970s,Penn State university became a state-related institution. As such, it now belongs to the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, and is not part of the fully public Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education</p>
<p>mom2collegekids, I am not arguing the point of a graduated scale if you read my post. I am only stating there has to be a cut-off at some income level and obviously the ones at that cut-off level would be less bitter if the ones just inside the cut-off are getting minimal aid as well. So I think we are essentially arguing the same point. ;)</p>
<p>
Without knowing the AP offerings at the school I can’t make a prediction. If the 4.4 student had 15 AP classes but the 3.8 student’s school only offered 4 then I think they could compete. I would be more interested in UW GPA for comparison.</p>
<p>Sylvan quote:
ETA: and FGS can anyone explain to me why Alabama is able to do this when most (or no) other state schools can?</p>
<p>This question gets asked a LOT… I would have sent the answer by PM, but since this is a common question, I’ll post it here…</p>
<p>About 10 years ago, President Witt was hired from the University of Texas system. His goal was to make Alabama a destination for the state’s and the country’s best and brightest. Because the state has a small population, it doesn’t have the Top 10% restrictions that Texas has. *He knew that with the small state population and the much larger acreage of campus, he could implement ideas that he couldn’t do elsewhere. *</p>
<p>Dr Witt (just named Chancellor of the UA system) is truly a visionary. </p>
<p>His plan had many facets, these are just some…
planned growth of enrollment and facilities
Improve local & campus infrastructure.
Capital Campaign drive that met goals early, so then a new plan was made!
build new STEM facilities,
(he added over 45 new buildings to the campus and remodeled existing ones.)
fund scholarships for top students,
hire the best profs (since few other schools are hiring, timing has been great.).<br>
buy adjacent land (added 300 acres to an already large campus)
And, most importantly, because this is a state school…Still be assessible to the URMs and rural kids with modest scores because they may not have had the best K-12 education. </p>
<p>You may laugh, but even returning Bama to being a football powerhouse was part of the plan…because that brings in money from the networks, provides free publicity, and keeps alumni/donors happy. (I love Cpn’s post…one for the money, two for the show.) A day in Bryant-Denny stadium is a show…music, dancing…and oh yeah football.</p>
<p>He had a 10 year plan and met goals early. He had a capital campaign drive to fund scholarships and new/remod facilities. The fed gov’t also helped with funds for STEM buildings.*</p>
<p>Within a very short time, applications went from about 8,000 per year to about 25,000. The acceptance rate went from about 70% down to about 44%. The middle quartiles went up.*</p>
<p>BTW…Bama posted the largest net profits of any university for its athletic program. About $33M in athletic profits for last year…mostly all from football. That’s after funding all sports (men and women), their coaches, faciities, sports scholarships, uniforms, travel, etc, *And…yes… some of those profits fund academic scholarships. </p>
<p>Back to the subject matter…</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>*Quote:
Originally Posted by diana3
The average UC GPA for Berkeley admits in 2011 was 4.4. Do you think a 3.8 kid has much chance to compete?
*</p>
<p>Absolutely! We have NO idea how many of those 4.4+ kids “managed their GPAs” or went to school with high grade inflations.</p>
<p>We have no idea of how many of the 3.8 kids took more rigorous course or maybe English isn’t their first language. Or their school doesn’t grade inflate…</p>
<p>Im not sure if this changes any view at all. I agree that low income classes have it bad in regards to prior schooling to college. I come from a Middle-Class family were my EFC is a little more than 5000. However, I’m still expected to pay 26 grand/ year at some colleges, knowing that my family contribution should only be arond 5 grand…this I dont understand one bit…I’m not sure what the system is for financial aid…but if my EFC is 5 grand…i was hoping I would be expecting to pay something at least near that amount for college…</p>
<p>In reply to the original posting: </p>
<p>I am probably what one would call lower class because of my Pell Grant eligibility. I am a 30 year old college student. I work full time. I did not attend college out of high school. My parents could not afford it. So I waited and attended community college much later than I ever thought I would. My Grant pays for most of my community college which is why I chose to attend a C.C. first. If I am lucky when I transfer I will not need to take much out in loans because I know what I can and cannot afford. I will not be attending any 30k a year colleges. All I am attempting to do is climb into the middle class. </p>
<p>But with that being said, I cannot claim to know your situation and what you are going through. I just thought I’d share a “lower class” story to let you know there is always a way. But I think you already know it. :)</p>
<p>Sent from my PC36100 using CC</p>
<p>Thank you mom2ck for that very helpful explanation :).</p>
<p>Tigergirl, hang in there. You are more typical of the average college student than the kids you see posting here.</p>
<p>Families with EFC of 5K can absolutely go to college for not much more then that, of course, it likely isn’t a school their child wants to attend, and to that, i say too bad…</p>
<p>About the GPA. Our public school offers about 13 AP courses. D (valedictorian) had above a 5.2 while S just squeaked into the top 10% of the class with a 4.4. You really have to look at class rank.</p>
<p>Desiladki, I’m sorry that someone did not explain how the college financial aid scene works. Your EFC which is generated by FAFSA is only a number to qualify you for federal money. Though many colleges and programs will also use the figure as a guideline, it only guarantees you the federal PELL grant if you fall below a certain number, and you are right at the edge, so if you get any PELL money, it would be a small amount. It also qualifies you for Federal Loans. You can borrow up to $5500 in Stafford Loan as a student without having to have credit or a co signer. That’s all that is guaranteed with the EFC.</p>
<p>Colleges that use only ask for FAFSA for financial aid do not usually meet 100% of need. In fact, very few colleges meet 100% of need even if they ask for more info such as having a PROFILE completed. THose colleges that meet full need tend to be the most difficult for admissions. So the chances of getting full need met without loans are very small.</p>
<p>You should sit down and figure out how much you possibly can pay for college, and what your parents can pay as well. That $5K number means nothing, remember. It’s what you can actually pay that matters. If the answer is very little, or nothing, you need to look for a state school, community college if you want to go to college. You may want to work part or full time and go to school part time, paying as you go. Perhaps borrow some Stafford money to get you started. That is the way most people in this country do college, by the way. Don’t let the high profile stories fool you.</p>
<p>If you have high test scores and grades, it is possible to get merit money or get into schools that are more likely to offer close to what they charge. That is something to discuss with your school counselor. If you went through the process this year, and netted out nothing affordable, you can either do as I said in the above paragraph, or maybe reapply to a whole other set of schools next year. Take a look at MomfromTexas 's thread on Full Ride scholarships and see what you can get using her techniques. It means considering schools that are probably not on your radar screen. </p>
<p>Take care, and good luck.</p>
<p>
My son’s public only offered 6 AP classes so the highest theoretic GPA you could have is just above 4.31. My son had a 4.26 with 5 of the 6 available classes (didn’t take AP History). He never had a grade below A in his 12 years. Would he be able to be competitive in a school that has a 4.4 average GPA. I would hope so since he is attending a top private. That is why a weighted GPA does not give an accurate picture of ability. Class rank might be better but you could have 20 kids with the same GPA and the kid with one tenth of a point lower would be ranked 21st. Is he really 21st?</p>
<p>Most selective colleges strip the GPA down to an unweighted value and to a standard scale. They then look at the calibre of courses, the rigor of the school, if AP courses, how most kids taking such courses fared at that school on the exams. </p>
<p>Two of my kids went to a private school that did not weight at all, and I saw kids get into Ivy league schools with a 3.3, 3.4. I saw kids get turned down for gpa at some schools that would not adjust for the way the school graded too, but for the most part the selective college recognized the school and how it graded. Class rank was irrelevant in this situation. The kids were all preselected.</p>
<p>I agree with Diana. I’m on the same boat as her. I don’t think… people should be so harsh on her opinion though. I know there HAS to be a cut off point somewhere.
My parents make 59 k a year for four people with an EFC of 5362, I’d have to take about 10 k worth of loans for UCI. I was kinda happy. That it is 10 k. I also work hard as a student. As a middle class. Everything I have… I earned in some kind of manner. Nothing is always handed to me easily. I have a 4.00 cumulative gpa. I received a chancellors scholarship so I get 4k for UCI the first yr then 2.5k the second yr… and the rest none… so the amount of loans I need would increase through time.
However I’m not happy that I dont qualify for WORK STUDY… or other LOANS reserved for the “Financially needy” Why? Cause I have to take out 10k worth of loans while they only need oh I dont know probably 5k to 8k worth of loans yet it gets covered with work study… and other loans with low interest rates.Though I’m trying my best to reduce that amount of loans. I mean you gotta do what you gotta do to pay for your education.
Nothing comes free in this world. I’m not going to be mad or jealous of the people who really need it. Why? Cause I have friends who fall into their category and I can empathize their situation. And they are great people who have gotten full rides and I’m very proud of them. But people can be a bit more courteous with their responses since the middle class are facing a tough situation.
But for me? I just tough it out and persevere. I have to work thrice as a hard with applying for scholarships and more to fund for my education… But I dont give up.
I’ve applied to 32 scholarships. 11 rejections… 19 waiting and 2 acceptances. Just don’t lose hope.
There’s money out there you guys. You just need to work for it. Instead of envying the poor just invest your time with scholarships.
And another thing that really annoys the heck out of me is when students apply to scholarships even though they’ve already gotten full rides. I’m like come on… Give others a chance! Please don’t be selfish when you’re probably going to be using that extra money for personal expenses anyway.
In this school year…I’ve learned so much…I’ve learned so much on the horrendous things money can make people do and I really dislike it. I just wished that people would stop being so selfish and expect that everything will come free in their life. </p>
<p>I’d also like to point out that the Blue and Gold scholarship does not give about 15 grand to families who make less than 80 k. The Blue and Gold program is probably around 2-4k… It depends on the funding of the UCs.
CalGrant A. if you have the grades for it gives you 12 k a year. But that must be maintained… and As I see it… it’s also unstable since the governor is suggesting on making the gpa requirement higher and cutting the maximum amount you can get from cal grant A.</p>
<p>cityincolors12, you do realize work study is not “given” to students but is an opportunity to work to make the amount, right? The only difference between them and you getting a job on campus is the government subsidizing a portion of the wages instead of the employer paying the full amount. Also, only the real low EFC (zero or close to it) students may be getting $5K more in aid then you, at least from a federal standpoint. We are barely Pell eligible and my kids only get about $1500 from Pell. My D has to take the maximum out in loans (we are not in CA though) every year.</p>
<p>Cityincolors,</p>
<p>Do you understand what work-study is? You don’t have to have work-study to work while you study at school. With work study because wages are subsidized by federal government sometimes the wages are a bit higher then non work study jobs and sometimes it is easier to get a job. But this is the only difference. You can still choose to work on campus and forgo loans.</p>
<p>And talk about pot calling kettle black… Do YOU realize that nothing in life is free? Somebody paid for all the need based grants you will be receiving.</p>
<p>*Im not sure if this changes any view at all. I agree that low income classes have it bad in regards to prior schooling to college. I come from a Middle-Class family were my EFC is a little more than 5000. </p>
<p>However, I’m still expected to pay 26 grand/ year at some colleges, knowing that my family contribution should only be arond 5 grand…this I dont understand one bit…I’m not sure what the system is for financial aid…but if my EFC is 5 grand…i was hoping I would be expecting to pay something at least near that amount for college…
*</p>
<p>I’m so sorry that you were poorly advised. EFC is just a federal number. It’s not a number that all the colleges have joined hands and pledged to respect and provide aid for those with need.</p>
<p>The fed gov’t came up with this formula, but guess what, the fed gov’t doesn’t run these schools. They’re mostly state and private schools. </p>
<p>DePaul and UIUC (your top schools) are under no obligation to do ANYTHING with your EFC except to see if you qualify for Pell (doesn’t look like it), or to see if you qualify for loans and work-study (which you do).</p>
<p>The bottom line is that schools like UIUC and DePaul don’t have a treasure chest of money to give away. They give what they can, but when faced with a lowish EFC kid, they often can’t do much or enough.</p>
<p>I don’t know where else you applied. If you have the stats to get into UIUC, your stats are probably pretty good. I don’t know if you applied anywhere else that gave you larger merit awards or grants. </p>
<p>I really don’t think even DePaul is affordable for you since you likely have full student loans in your FA pkg and you’re thinking of borrowing an additional $14k? Oh my…waay tooo much debt. And, with your family’s EFC, it sounds like they’re lowish income…so not a good idea to ask them to co-sign. </p>
<p>If necessary, you may need to do a gap year (don’t go to a CC or take any college classes) and reapply based on your stats. What are they?</p>
<p>The problem is that Ill state schools are horribly expensive. UIUC can probably justify their price but the others? Oh my!</p>
<p>So, even if you went to a CC for two years, you’d be faced with the same problem for the last two years…no means to pay and maybe no means to borrow that much.</p>
<p>I’d also like to point out that the Blue and Gold scholarship does not give about 15 grand to families who make less than 80 k. The Blue and Gold program is probably around 2-4k… It depends on the funding of the UCs.</p>
<p>you don’t understand the program. Blue and Gold is NOT a scholarship. It doesn’t give ANY money. It’s a promise. It’s a promise that if you earn less than $80k then you’ll get grants to cover UC university wide fees/tuition…some kind of combo of Cal Grants, UC grants, Pell (if qualified), SEOG (if qualified), etc. </p>
<p>Just because the UC grant may be $3k, that doesn’t mean that the pkg didn’t contain enough grants of various types cobbled together to cover fees/tuition.</p>
<p>Now, this is the part that isn’t too clear on the website… If someone has an income of - say - $75k, BUT…the person has large assets (stocks, bonds, rentals, etc) and their EFC is over COA…then I don’t think they get B&G. That makes sense. They’re not going to award if EFC exceeds COA. And, maybe there is an adjustment if EFC approaches COA. That isn’t clear on the site.</p>
<p>BTW…you should call your school and ask if they’ll replace some loans with W-S. Or get an off-campus job and borrow less.</p>
<p>
Sometimes getting outside scholarships doesn’t really help since the school just lops that off the need they were going to give you otherwise. Either you get $1K from the school as need grant, or you get $1K from the Happy Land Scholarship Fund. But you don’t get both. Students are on here all the time complaining about that.</p>
<p>S doesn’t get work study, but he has an off-campus job where he works about 10 hours a week. He could probably work more, but it would be bad for his grades, so we don’t want him to do that.</p>