Based on the following snippets from original post:
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I desperately need aid and will be looking to apply to schools that offer ample merit scholarships.My GPA is about 4.45 … I scored a 1370/1520 on my PSAT (in the 99th percentile), and will be receiving my ACT and SAT scores in a few weeks.
In college I want to double major in biology and international relations, as I want to pursue a career in either veterinary medicine or intelligence.
if you have any suggestions for schools with large endowments/that offer plenty of merit scholarships, please feel free to add your two cents … Also, studying abroad is very important to me, and I’d love a school with a very aesthetically pleasing campus
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I would suggest looking into the University of Mississippi for the following reasons:
PROGRAM FIT: Ole Miss has an excellent program in the Croft Institute For International Studies, where you can pursue a BA in international studies. Ole Miss ALSO has the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies where you can pursue a minor in that field. So the combo platter of international studies and intelligence/security really fits well with your academic / career goals.
Croft Students also must do a semester or a year of study abroad, which checks another box on your list. Croft also requires you to concentrate on a specific language/region, in conjunction with their Dept of Modern Languages. Ole Miss offers the Chinese Flagship program, one of only 12 in the nation, so if you have any interest in Chinese you should really give it a look.
The Barksdale Honors College is a highly rated honors college with a very strong liberal arts emphasis. This will give you some measure of the experience of a small liberal arts college, within a larger university.
Here are some links to these programs:
http://croft.olemiss.edu/home/
http://ciss.olemiss.edu/
http://chinese.olemiss.edu/
http://www.honors.olemiss.edu/
If you could somehow get accepted into ALL of these that would create a really cool and unique college experience.
MERIT AID: Automatic Full-Tuition scholarship for 33 ACT / 1440 SAT (CR+M). virtually Full-Tuition scholarship for 32 ACT / 1400-1430 SAT (CR+M). plus opportunities to add additional scholarships that could cover room and board, which is already cheaper than many universities. here’s more info:
http://finaid.olemiss.edu/scholarships/#8
http://finaid.olemiss.edu/scholarships/
CAMPUS: no firsthand knowledge, but Ole Miss is known for having a gorgeous campus.
there is still time to apply for Ole Miss Summer College for High School. if you can get your ACT/SAT back before May 1, you can qualify for scholarships for up to full cost (program fee, room, meal plan. my son can go to both summer sessions for free (the program would have cost us $4000 otherwise). the deadline for 2nd session is June 1,
which is especially relevant for you because that’s when they have the Intelligence & Security Studies Program, and you will certainly know by then if you qualify for a partial or full scholarship. so here are the links for Summer program:
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/schs/index.html
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/schs/programs.html#ISS
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/schs/about.html
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/schs/financial_information.html
oh and Alabama give full tuition scholarships for 32 ACT / 1400 SAT (CR+M)
hope this helps