<p>Can anyone offer some suggestions for my youngest son who will be entering his senior yr. this Fall? He is undecided on a major, but is considering math, physics, pharmacy or pre-med as of now. Things he doesn't want are small schools or rural areas. Will consider all areas of the country except west and southwest (we are from the northeast and it would be too far). We can help pay for a portion of college, but he will definitely need financial aid or merit aid. The more the better. Here are his stats:
ACT:34
SAT: 1500/1600, 2110/2400
PSAT: 227
GPA:3.6 (unweighted, school does not weight and has only taken 1 AP so far)
Class Rank: Top 25%
Thanks for any help or advice!!</p>
<p>Start here:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>If you have time to do the research, unbeatable research techniques are described in these two older threads:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>In the Parents Forum and the Financial Aid Forum there also are a number of threads on this general topic. Take heart! Your child has lots of good options!</p>
<p>We can help pay for a portion of college, but he will definitely need financial aid or merit aid.</p>
<p>How much do you need/want for merit? </p>
<p>For instance, if you feel that you can pay $15k per year, then your son probably needs a full-tuition scholarship. </p>
<p>If you feel that you can pay $35k per year, then your son probably needs a half-tuition scholarship. </p>
<p>BTW…will your son be a NMF?</p>
<p>Will you qualify for the need-based aid that you need? </p>
<p>I don’t know if UConn requires a higher GPA for merit…anyone know?</p>
<p>What is your geographic limitation?</p>
<p>We can afford about $10-$15, 000 yr. , but if he decides to go to medical school we will have nothing left to contribute to that. Also, we will probably not qualify for much financial aid. He will definitely be a national merit finalist, but not sure if he will continue to finalist…he has a 3 C’s on his transcript from freshman and sophmore yr. He would like to stay in the midwest or northeast if possible, but I think he may consider others as well.</p>