What I've learned about full-ride scholarships

<p>kelsmom, I hope you weren't referring to me when you said 'self-righteous.' If so, I apologize for coming across that way!</p>

<p>As a stay-at-home-mom and homeschooler, I am a huge advocate for moms who choose to stay home with their kids.</p>

<p>I was just trying to make the point that a woman who has pursued some sort of career in the past will likely have the the sort of personality that will enable her to succeed in something else, even if it is for less pay and is not in the same field as her original career...as opposed to a woman who has never worked at anything other than minimum-wage jobs.</p>

<p>It is a sad fact that many professionals (whether they took a break from their careers to stay home with their kids or not) are often laid off or downsized, and have difficulties getting jobs at the pay level to which they were accustomed. I doubt that very many of those would end up at a minimum-wage job, though. (But I could be wrong.) I would think that success in ANY field would make one a better candidate for a job that is slightly better than minimum-wage, even though it may be much lower pay than the original field.</p>

<p>Bottom line is that moms who choose to give up a career often do so gladly. When I quit my programming job, I honestly thought that I would never go back to it. <sigh> I learned that it's good to always keep in mind that you never know when circumstances might change.</sigh></p>

<p>I do understand what it's like to be rusty. My programming skills were rusty, but they came back. I never did relearn algebra, though. I found a reasonably-priced tutor for him instead. I guess I could have done it if I'd had to.</p>

<p>kelsmom, why can't you get an interview? </p>

<p>Here's a suggestion: When it asks what you did for the last x years, put:</p>

<p>PROFESSIONAL MOTHER</p>

<p>then list your skills, being sure to give them the respect they deserve.</p>

<p>Such as:</p>

<p>Managed a household of x people. On call all hours of the day and night. Extensive research skills (researching colleges, etc.). Great people and phone skills. Money management skills. Negotiation skills. Integrity - pursued the occupation that I consider to be the most important in the world, regardless of the pay. Ability to inspire others - my child is now pursuing a future in...
Creativity. Able to multi-task.</p>

<p>You get the idea.</p>

<p>And that's not even including any job-specific skills or degrees you might have.</p>

<p>Sell yourself. Give yourself the credit you deserve.</p>

<p>We also won't be in Tahiti for our 25th next year. But somehow we're figuring out how to pay that approx $20T/year for our son's college.
Never did think it would be easy and it isn't. But a combination of student Stafford's, workstudy, equity loan and current income makes it work.</p>

<p>And $20T X4 years is ALOT of money to us.</p>

<p>Kelsmom & shedevil: No disrespect intended. I know there can be rough patches in different markets, industries, and locations. I'm still in the SAHM role, so I've not had to face a return to full-time work with a rusty resume. I know many, many women who've had great success, & I wish you both the best. </p>

<p>shedevil: I can't imagine an aerospace engineer not being snapped up as a private tutor! (I'd hire you in a heartbeat.) Around here, parents will pay up to $100/hour. I wish you luck, because your background should command a good income. I'm sorry to hear it's not the case at the moment.</p>

<p>There are many unemployed & underemployed in HI as well (yep, lots of folks who stopped out to raise their kids & are trying to break back into the work force with varying degrees--engineering, law, psychology, math, etc.) Some of it is the job market & cost of living. Tutoring is pretty lucerative in HI as well, tho the most I've heard is about $60/hour & prices vary pretty widely.</p>

<p>Well, whether it's $100/hour or $60/hour or even $25/hour that's not bad income for part-time working from home.</p>

<p>I know a former chemical engineer now homeschooling her kids and she charges $50/hour for chemistry and math tutoring. And she'd probably get more than that in areas of the country with a higher cost of living.</p>

<p>I would definitely look into it. Check with the homeschool co-ops in your area - they love to have access to high-quality tutors like you! Many of them can afford to pay for twice-weekly sessions for the subjects they aren't qualified to teach themselves.</p>

<p>Thanks for the suggestion. Right now I'm actually employed by his school to staff the math lab where kids come in for help. I love it. It is great to see when a light turns on. Sometimes kids just need it explained in a different way. Or an example that is not in the textbook. I really feel like a make a difference because once it clicks, it seems that everything falls into place for them and they get much better grades. Math was something that was fairly intuitive for me and my kids, but it isn't for all. My family always struggled with anything language related - vocab, writing, even speaking. I wonder if a tutor could help us with that? Maybe a tutor co-op?</p>

<p>Sure; you can find a tutor for just about anything, I would think. Too bad I'm not in your area or I would volunteer - that is my area of expertise. I taught writing and speaking skills at our homeschool co-op. But I'm sure there are others in your area. (Maybe not as many as there are math tutors.) I would defiinitely encourage you to address it now; writing skills are crucially important to college & college prep (especially with the new SAT having an essay component) and speaking skills are vital in the workplace. I realized that when I had to give presentations as a computer programmer 25 years ago. Who would have thought that a computer programmer would have to give presentations? Also, speech class completely changed my life; it transformed me from an introvert to someone who could express herself without fear. I made sure my son got speech class from the homeschool co-cop; it was not negotiable.</p>

<p>What you are describing by 'tutor co-op' is essentially what a homeschool co-op is.</p>

<p>Good information.</p>

<p>I'm a high school junior starting to look at colleges. I have a 4.0, lots of AP classes, probably national merit and high test scores. Always been at or near the top of my class and liked it. I've got my eye on third tier universities that would give me full rides. This is because my family will only give me $12 thousand a year, and i probably won't qualify for need based aid. however my family will give me the $12 grand whether or not i need it. So if i get a full ride then I will graduate with $48 grand in the bank. I think its worth it for me to start med school with $48 grand instead of lots of debt. I'm just saying that for some people a third tier school is a good option.</p>

<p>You will find people on these boards who agree with you & people who disagree. I am in your camp. You are wise. Do realize that true full rides are very rare, and you may have to pay room & board. $12k per year will cover that at (almost all) schools. Stick to your guns & don't let the status-lovers talk you out of what you believe is best for YOU. Good luck.</p>

<p>It can really work well for students who are able to find mentors at third tier schools because there are some amazing ones out there who will be happy you are at their school.
I tried to convince our son to seriously consider some of the schools that offer full-rides to NMFs, but he really felt he needed the peers he would have if we went to a more academically rigorous place. We deferred to him & he's very happy with the school he chose which paid 1/2 tuition since he's a NMF. He's doing very well in engineering and we're just glad he's thriving at the school of his choice. He's not planning on med school, but if he does go to law school or other grad school, he'll have to earn his own $$, since we're paying his room, board & 1/2 tuition.</p>

<p>Actually, there are still quite a few schools that give full-rides--tuition + room + board for NMFs, but be sure to check the requirements for maintaining the award. You can also ask the school how many students retain their awards. There are generally GPA requirements; some are pretty rigorous while others are much more "relaxed." One school I read about had most of the NMFs losing their scholarships after a year because they couldn't keep 3.5 GPAs. The school should be willing & able to share that type of info.</p>

<p>AzSU & U Az both give full-rides to NMFs, in-state or non-resident. There are others as well.</p>

<p>jcnz56<br>
I have two friends with children in Med School. One kid went to Duke, one to U of Oklahoma (and not even in their honors program). Both got accepted at the same med schools. You could go to OU for nearly free as a NM scholar and have a big part of med school paid for..... (no, I am not an OU alum or even a fan, I just like schools that pay big scholarships)</p>

<p>Wow, I think what the OP provided here was fantastic! And another great example about the generosity of people on this board.</p>

<p>Regarding the naysayers, I think they are frustrated to have their choices thrown into question. </p>

<p>The reality is this whole ranking and 'tier business' is ridiculously overrated and often sad to read. I speak as someone who has graduated and taught at top 10 universities, and our whole family is immersed in academia teaching and in administration. I fully support whatever family wants to do but none of us should be criticizing others for not getting sucked into the MARKETING of academia. And that is what it is. Marketing. </p>

<p>I would have absolutely no qualms sending my kids to a 'fourth tier' school if it suited their major, and they liked the school, and it saved us $$ (and we can afford any school without worrying about debt). Why? Because I KNOW from the inside that this whole business of being 'different calibre' or 'not being challenged' is a delusion. Pure and simple But it's a powerful one indeed because it can get people to pay $50k a year for it and go terribly into debt. Exactly what the marketing departments of universities have wanted.</p>

<p>Full rides may be rare as kelsmom says, but they are out there. You don't have to settle for a third tier school. Do a bit of research, identify the right schools and you might end up with the best of both worlds - a top school and a full ride. Certainly worked in our case - so think positive and give it your best shot. Good luck.</p>

<p>My nephew recently graduated from a 4th tier school in California where he had a full ride. He was top of his high school class with all 5's on multiple AP tests and above a 4.0. He chose mathematics as his college major and graduated once again top of his class. He started graduate school at a UC this fall and flunked out of one of his classes due to lack of good preparation in his college program. He is currently reconsidering whether he should continue. There is a difference between schools and sometimes you get what you pay for.</p>

<p>I took a few community college classes while I was homeschooling for high school. One of my professors had previously taught at Harvard. One can find intellectual challenges at any school; it just gets harder as one goes lower on the rung. That doesn't mean it's a shame for a smart kid to go to a lower-tier college.</p>

<p>I'll give a counter example to collegemom16. I graduated with a PhD from Northwestern (which was and is also the top school in our field). Classmates came from all over: some ivies, some Wisconsin at small-town-you've-not-heard-of, a few at regional schools that don't make the top 100 list, lots of state schools. You could not tell the difference. The recruitment committee doesn't care because they also know it doesn't make a difference. We varied in our abilities, but it most definitely wasn't predicted on which school we graduated from. </p>

<p>Guess which classmates are full profs at Harvard now? The two from undergraduate schools you'd not have heard of. </p>

<p>There are many many reasons a student flunks out of graduate school. To attribute it to his fourth tier college may be erroneous. </p>

<p>But hey if you want to believe the hype, the universities are happy to take your tuition!</p>

<p>The college job market is so competitive, especially in the liberal arts, that you will find outstanding teachers and scholars at all levels.</p>