What are my chances for the Terry Scholarship? (+Texas Tech UMSI Program)

Paying for College
1

Demographics

  • US domestic
  • State/Location of residency: Texas
  • Type of high school: Small-Town Texas 4A (class size ~250)
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity: Female / Russian
  • Other special factors: First generation

Intended Major(s) Computer science, but open to change that

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.89 out of 5.0
  • College GPA (for transfers): 4.0 (Dual Credit Classes)
  • Class Rank: First
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 35 ACT (34 Math, 33 Science, 36 Reading and English, no essay)

Coursework

Dual Credit Only

Junior Year: 8 single-semester classes - US History 1&2, Environmental Science 1&2, Statistics, College Algebra, Medical Terminology, Pathophysiology

Senior Year: 6 single-semester classes - Pre-Calculus, Calculus I, Government, Economics, Composition 1&2

Awards

All-State flute player Sophomore year

Qualified for All-Region and All-Area Flute Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Year

2 Years in a row as Most Valuable Wind Ensemble Member Sophomore and Junior Year

First chair flute player Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Year

Extracurriculars

Worked as a TA for US History professor (Helped him edit his dissertation as well) Junior Year

Marching Band Flute Section Leader Sophomore & Junior Year

First Chair Flute Player Sophomore, Junior, Senior Year

Volunteered at animal shelter (Maybe 30 hours? Covid messed everything up for me)

Played marching band solos on flute and piccolo Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Year (Also had a flute solo at a Spring concert in 8th grade)

Competed at an All-State marching band contest Freshman and Junior year (Earned 6th place Freshman year and 2nd place Junior year)

Competed at an All-State Computer Applications Competition Junior Year

Member of the Lone Star Youth Winds (Elite Concert Band in Texas) Freshman and Sophomore Year

Member of HOSA and NHS

Essays, LOR

ngl I hate writing essays with a passion so maybe 7/10 at best if I try. Should have some solid LORs from my band director and the professor I did TA work for

Notes

Cost Constraints / Budget

Household income at ~$120,000 per year with around $100,000 in my college fund. EFC ~ $25,000

Extra

I’m looking at the Terry Scholarship for Texas Tech or Texas A&M. Please tell me if my stats are good enough to get the scholarship. Is my EFC too high? Would telling them I need the money to go into medical school debt-free change their minds about my financial need?

Also, if anyone is familiar with the UMSI program at Texas Tech, I’d love to know what my chances are for getting into that. I took several health courses in hs and volunteered for a dentist I know to get clinical experience (I know it’s not the best place to volunteer, but everything is super strict because of covid)

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Slim because the odds are long for everyone. Your family income is likely way too high though. Your family can afford both schools and med school possibility won’t matter.

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I know nothing about the Terry but I know many students with stats like yours that have received very generous merit scholarships approximating a full ride at Texas Tech. Are you likely to qualify for National Merit?

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Are they just automatically offered? I thought my biggest scholarship amount at Tech was about 9k per year through their automatic freshman scholarship program. Do they have more scholarships than that? I haven’t taken the PSAT, so no national merit for me.

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pinging @TVBingeWatcher2 whose daughter (HS class of 2021) has similar stats to yours and got a very generous merit package. She might be able to give you more details.

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The only thing for sure is that if you don’t apply, your chances of being awarded the scholarship are zero.