<p>Hi guys, </p>
<p>My family is one of those families that make too much for a lot of financial aid but too little to actually pay for it all. So I was looking for schools that have good merit aid that are also really good. The only ones I know of so far are:</p>
<p>Wash U in St. Louis
U Chicago</p>
<p>Do you guys know of any others like these?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>To give you any schools we need to know your info: state, grades, rank, scores. Both the schools you listed are HIGHLY competitive for their merit aid. There are other schools that are easier to get $ from.</p>
<p>Ummm…your stats? (Much merit aid is tied to GPA/test scores). Your desired major? (Doesn’t matter if you get a lot of aid at a school that doesn’t offer it!) Part of the country you’re looking for? (Good merit aid can “shrink” if you’re always having to get airfare to get home…). Big U/small school? (Many small LACs have excellent merit aid packages.) It’s going to be such an individual thing, especially the criteria of what “really good” means. I’d suggest you get yourself online at schools that interest you, check their scholarship and financial aid pages, compare yourself (esp GPA and test scores) against their offers, and go from there. Also look at the Net Price Calculators when you’re on their site – although the totals they suggest aren’t guaranteed, it can help you know if you are competitive for enough aid to make your attendance worth it.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/52133-schools-known-good-merit-aid.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/52133-schools-known-good-merit-aid.html</a></p>
<p>WashU and UChicago do have some merit awards. I don’t know much about UChi’s awards (or if there are only a few), but I do know that UWash tends to target its merit awards to highly desirable students…often ones with tippy-top stats and/or those who are desired because they help with regional or ethnic diversity.</p>
<p>Do you have tippy top stats? Do you have some kind of hook…such as URM status or you come from a state that has few applicants?</p>
<p>Edit…</p>
<p>Oh my…you’re a sophomore? No real test scores yet? (practice tests aren’t really going to tell us what you’ll really get).</p>
<p>It’s too early to tell…</p>
<p>Here are stats BTW I’m from Northern VA, major in neurobiology and minor in international relations</p>
<p>Class Rank: No class ranks</p>
<p>GPA: no unweighted at my school, Currently my GPA is 4.33 (will be about 4.55-4.65 end of junior depending on future grades)</p>
<p>Classes:</p>
<p>7th
Alg. 1 HN (A)</p>
<p>8th
Geom HN (A)
Spanish 1 (A)</p>
<p>9th
Bio HN (A)
Photo 1 (A)
World History HN (A)
English 9 HN (A)
Spanish 2 (A)
Alg. 2 HN (A)
PE 9 (A)</p>
<p>10th
Chem HN (A)
AP Stats (A)
AP World History (A)
English 10 HN (A)
Precalc w/Trig HN (A)
Spanish 3 (A)
Leadership/Student Gov. (A)
PE 10 (A)</p>
<p>11th (planned)
AP Chem
AP Calc BC
AP Us History
AP Lang
AP Physics B
AP Spanish
Advanced Composition/ Writing Center</p>
<p>12th (planned)
AP Bio
Multivar Calculus/ Matrix Algebra
AP US Gov./AP US Comparative Gov.
AP Lit
AP Physics C
Spanish 5
Advanced Composition/Writing Center OR Human Anatomy </p>
<p>ECs:
Model UN since 9th grade (running for leadership pos.)
Debate Team ( since 10th grade, almost gar. Secretary position)
Math Honor Society/ Mu Alpha Theta
Art Honor Scoiety
History Honor Society (next year)
Science Honor Society (next year)
Spanish Honor Society (next year)
National Honor Society (next year)
Volunteer at highly renown hospital (app. 250 hours by end of Junior year)
Rec league basketball since 4th grade, plan to volunteer coach next fall and then rest of highschool
Founder of UNICEF club (President)
Founder of Mock Trial Team (President)</p>
<p>Summer:
Gov. School or Penn Summer school or Harvard SSP this summer
Research internship at local college next summer, applying for TASP</p>
<p>Scores:
SAT: Taken 8 practice tests, estimate 2250-2350
SAT II:
Bio: 740 (Took last year after Bio HN)
Will take World History and maybe Chem/Math II this June</p>
<p>As for no real test scores, I have taken 8 practice tests, all falling consistently in the range of 2250-2350</p>
<p>Once you have taken your 11th grade courses AND have the real SAT scores in hand, you will be in a better position to determine schools to target for merit aid.</p>
<p>Re: your college major…you are a 10th grader in high school. Maybe you are certain of your intended major at this point…but you do need to know that the VAST MAJORITY of students change majors multiple times in college.</p>
<p>AND lastly…you are in VA? VA has some of the most terrific public universities in the country. I would start there.</p>
<p>Pay attention to the PSAT next year. It will determine if you make National Merit which opens up a number of great scholarships.</p>