I have a 34 act and 3.8 gpa. my extracurriculars arent too impressive although i do have volunteering and a few academic clubs.
I was talking with a college counselor and she said it would be possible for me to get a full ride to some universities. I was wondering what some of the best ones I’d have a shot at are. Im willing to go anywhere in the US
One she mentioned that I particularly liked was St. Louis University.
Doubtful that you would get a full ride to St. Louis University. Both of my kids applied there and their merit scholarships were something like half or 3/4 tuition.
A full ride scholarship includes tuition room board and maybe books. Those are very hard to get without being national merit finalist.
It doesn’t look like you’d be competitive for the top scholarships at some better schools because generally you would need better test scores and a strong resume of accomplishments
Don’t believe things that your school counselor tells you about such things. They often are clueless.
Please tell us more. What is your major or what is your intended career goal and how much can your family contribute towards college each year
There are probably some lesser-known schools that would give you a free ride
I should trust a stranger on the internet over a licensed professional. no thanks
If you are a national merit scholar then your odds are better for full rides at many schools. Not neccessarily the schools you want but schools who need to buy some high IQ hard working students to raise collective level of student body.
3.8 and 34 won't get a full ride in the local 4 yr U here. A uni with no CC page LOL, Are you talking FA or merit? And define college counsellor? Indeed the strangers you chose to ask on CC are often way more informed. What kind of rank do you think you have? The 3.8 GPA (as a junior too) is what would kill your full ride chances in my locale.
Does the counselor mean merit or needs based aid? Many people (including college counselors sometimes) confuse the two.
For merit - do you have a PSAT score in range with NMSF cut off in your state? Some schools have merit $ for NMF.
I quickly looked at Saint Louis University and see most of their merit scholarships are $3-20k. COA is well over $40k.
There are threads about automatic scholarships here on CC. Maybe one of the schools here would be of interest to you. http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/2006094-2017-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-p1.html
@toast247 You came here to ask “strangers on the internet” for advice on colleges that you could get a full ride to. Realistically, many guidance counselors are not properly trained to identify admission stats for every college out there. Full rides are like finding a needle in a haystack, they are not abundantly out there, and kids with tippy top stats are shut out year after year. What @mom2collegekids said is true. As a parent that has been through this process twice, the best thing you can do is research, research, research. And, these strangers on the internet have helped me far more than any guidance counselor ever could.
You came to CC asking for information. @mom2collegekids provided you with useful information that you do not want to hear. So you dismiss her in an insulting way. What type of “licensing” does this college counselor have?
Full rides are difficult. Here’s what I have at the University of Alabama. It’s a near full tuition scholarship. Auburn and Mississippi State offer similar programs:
Presidential Scholar
A student with a 33-36 ACT or 1490-1600 SAT score and at least a 3.5 GPA will be selected as a Presidential Scholar and will receive $100,000 over four years ($25,000 per year). Students graduating with remaining scholarship semester(s) may use these monies toward graduate school and/or law school study at UA.
What’s your EFC?
If you don’t know, use FAFSA forecaster.
Look through this thread…start at the beginning because it very much digressed at the end. See if there are any schools listed on this thread that would be good for you.
St. Louis University doesn’t have any guaranteed full ride scholarships…none. While it’s possible you could get a bunch of aid from this school…it’s absolutely not guaranteed. And the school is quite costly at over $57,000 a year.
@mom2collegekids was being upfront with her information, that you asked for, and now are dismissing because you didn’t get the answer you wanted. You got the truth.
Let me expand on what you wrote:
Most students that may have good funding, have perfect SATs/ACTs with GPA’s above 4.0. They also have incredible EC’s and are strong in sports.
So, how is this counselor providing you with scholarship information that you have a “shot at”, since she seems to think you might get some full-ride scholarships?
I’m a licensed professional and my kid was a Nat’l merit winner. Unless he attended a NM school, which he didn’t want to do, he wasn’t on a full ride anywhere. You don’t appear to be a NM winner. So right now, I’m assuming you may have a slight chance at Alabama, but it won’t be a full ride. You need to pay for R & B. Paying for your education will probably be a very common alternative.
There are licensing boards for people who tell students which schools will give them free rides? Really? Where?
People could probably help you more if you answered mom2collegekids questions. It’s unfortunate that you are willing to dismiss the comments of a contributor that has over 83,000 posts and is labeled a Champion in Financial Aid. She has helped a lot of people and you rebuffed her.
@toast247:
A 34 will give you access to competitive full tuition scholarships as well as some automatic scholarships.
Full rides based on financial need also exist at about 80 colleges and a 34 would make you competitive for admission there, but if your EFC is high then those colleges will NOT be possible.
A high EFC means a merit scholarship strategy, whereas a low EFC means a “meet 100% need college” strategy.
That’s why we need to know your EFC.
Some, but few, guidance counselors are trained to be college counselors. Private schools typically have a college advising department. At public high schools, it’s luck of the draw. There’s no college path to becoming a guidance counselor. Often, counselors studied psychology in college and may have no understanding of the college admission process outside of their state’s public universities. Some are prohibited by their district from asking questions involving the merit aid v. need-based aid question, which orients a student’s strategy when s/he’s aware of the difference.
You’re right to be suspicious of “strangers on the internet.”
But, as luck would have it, you were offered advice from one who knows her stuff. I realize you haven’t been here long enough to realize that. But, just as a general rule, it probably would have been a better idea to phrase your skepticism in a less caustic manner.
It doesn’t have to be “counselor vs strangers on the internet.” Take the advice of both; either may have resources that the other is unaware of. So go back to your guidance counselor, and ask what other schools she suggests. And perhaps politely give @mom2collegekids the information she requested, in an effort to help you.
There’s no way of knowing who will have the information that will get you what you ultimately want. It’s best not to burn any bridges as you navigate unfamiliar waters.
Your first post mentions a college counselor. Is your family paying this person to help you? If so, they should provide you with a list of colleges where you can get a full ride. If the list you’ve been given is full of schools that don’t offer free rides or offers them but not for your GPA/test score combo, I’d probably take my business elsewhere.
Many families have used CC to find affordable options. The longtime posters can probably help you too, if you let them. Your major is important because it won’t do you any good to get a list of schools that offer full rides but don’t offer your major. Your family EFC is important because it won’t help to get a list of schools that offer great need based aid if your family isn’t eligible to receive it. It’s great to be cautious on the internet, but if you give us a little information we can help you.
So what suggestions did the licensed counselor give you?