<p>In post #37 mom2collegekids, who seems to know all things UA, says in recent years kids with OP’s stats have received $11,000/yr unlisted award, and if she can get 30ACT she will receive 2/3 off tuition, which is a listed award. The listed award she qualifies for with her 29 is only $3500/yr.
[Out-of-State</a> Scholarships - Undergraduate Scholarships - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html]Out-of-State”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html)</p>
<p>Alabama OOS tuition was $22950 for the Fall 2012/spring 2013 school year. It’s not that inexpensive (unless maybe you’re looking at $20K+ in-state tuition at UIUC). A student with an ACT of 30 or more can bring that number down quite a bit.</p>
<p>Ok I’m studying really hard to get my ACT to a 30! I just can’t seem to get science! Also, does anyone on here know anything about the difficulty into getting mg into UIUC’s supply chain management program? It said something about a separate application and then an interview, does this mean that it’s even harder to get into this program than the regular business program? And if so, do I have a chance? Sorry this is kinda off topic but I was just wondering! Lol</p>
<p>For the science, the trick is to realize that most of the time you don’t have to read the whole long passage to get the answers. Exception is the questions where they contrast viewpoints of a controversial issue. Generally you can scan the questions/answers to get an idea what they are asking and then study the graph. You need to get good at reading all kinds of arcane charts and things, but not necessarily at really understanding the science behind it. I worked on this with my D who got her science score way up practicing once she got the hang of it and realized it’s more mathlike what you need to know. Still she missed a couple, the hardest section of test definitely.</p>
<p>With a 31 ACT and 3.8 GPA, are there California and New England schools giving a ‘good amount of scholarship money’? Thanks, CJC (Denver, CO)</p>
<p>Thanks for that science tip, so far I’ve taken a few practice science tests to prepare and have scores 30/31’s (hopefully they’re accurate…?) and am hoping that that will really improve my composite act.</p>
<p>University of South Carolina sounds like a really good option, thanks for that suggestion! It seems pretty affordable with the scholarships that they offer! Does anyone know anything about the student life there, atmosphere, dorms, or job opportunities? Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m going to University of Alabama next year, but I thought I’d share my experience with you! (Ironically, I am on my way home from my bama bound orientation.) </p>
<p>I initially started looking at Alabama because of the scholarship money. If you can get your score up one more point you get 2/3 off tuition. If your in engineering, a 30 will get you full tuition and a 2500 dollar stipend.</p>
<p>The money really drew me in, and I started to look at the campus more. The campus is practically new,
I really encourage you to check it out. Besides the aesthetic appeal of the university, the friendliness of the South has blown me away. </p>
<p>On the academic side, UA has some really amazing programs that you should check out as well. They have an extensive honors college and even a New College where you can build your own degree. </p>
<p>Anyway, I’m rambling, but if you have any questions, let me know!</p>
<p>Also, I feel your pain on the ACT! I brought my score from a 29 to a 30 to finally a 31. It’s possible - don’t give up!</p>
<p>OP: I am very late to the party here lol 
but on page 1 you mentioned wanting to be challenged more by a school – the only thing to keep in mind is that in order to be eligible for high merit aid, you’ll likely have to be higher in stats than most admitted students (say, 80%) – so there’s a good chance that you won’t find yourself “challenged” at most schools that offer you lots of money. Better fit/higher “tier” schools will offer you less $$ but more in terms of rigor/challenge/whatever.</p>
<p>Lots of " marks here because every college is different and every student is different. The most generous merit award I got was full-tuition at University of Pittsburgh, which I visited and actually loved even though it was the least “prestigious” of my colleges. I ended up accepting MIT’s offer, but Pitt was still excellent – I’d recommend considering it, even though it’s not in one of the states you mentioned!</p>
<p>edit: Actually, I’ll amend that - I don’t know how much merit aid you’d get with a 29 at Pitt, but if you get a fee waiver for the application (they mail those out sometimes), I recommend it. It’s also rolling admissions which is great because you hear back in like two weeks.</p>
<p>@maddsm thanks so much for telling me your experience! I’m definitely considering Alabama as an option now! You mentioned a specific scholarship they have for engineering, do you know of a scholarship for business by any chance? Also, any ACT tips!? Haha I’m taking a section practice test each day hoping to get my score up!!</p>
<p>Second the advice to read the QUESTIONS first on the science section of the ACT, then go back to the passage/chart(s)/graph(s) to find the info you need to answer them. the time crunch is way too intense if you do otherwise. (I say this as a parent with a science background who is a fast reader and took some practice tests in the process of helping my kids prepare.). my kids did well with this approach.</p>
<p>Taking practice tests, and of course figuring out where your weaknesses lie, can <em>significantly</em> raise one’s ACT score.</p>
<p>Interesting to hear about Pitt but since you were admitted to MIT your stats are probably very high all around and merit aid was more readily available.</p>
<p>Something for OP to consider is the level of financial aid in the form of grants she might have access to. I’m going through this process with my son and have found that some of the more prestigious schools are more generous with FA so its not just about merit aid. Try using some of the cost estimation calculators to get an idea of what some schools you are interested might end up actually costing. You’ll need to get info from your parents but its helping my son refine his search.</p>
<p>Hampton University. </p>
<p>A score of 29 covers the cost of Tuition, Room & Board.</p>
<p>Thanks thT science tip has helped a lot! I’m scoring 32’s consistently on science now:)hopefully the real scores will be the same as these practice ones! </p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about Cal Poly SLO’s undergrad business program? The website is Vague about the major they offer, and also if anyone knows how good of a program it is? Gracias:)</p>
<p>We visited St Edward’s University in Austin and loved it. It’s slightly smaller than you’re looking for, but it’s just down the road from UT. They have an automatic $15000 scholarship with a 29 ACT and top 15% class rank. [Freshman</a> Scholarships | St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas](<a href=“http://www.stedwards.edu/admission/newfreshmen/scholarships]Freshman”>http://www.stedwards.edu/admission/newfreshmen/scholarships)</p>
<p>Ok thanks ill keep that one in mind! Besides my question about Cal Poly SLO’s business program, I have another question (sorry I have so many!!), is it absolutley ridiculous for me to think I have any chance of being admitted into UNC chapel hill?</p>
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<p>I don’t remember the O/P’s background but fyi, Hampton is a HBCU.</p>
<p>Nikki, time to do some investigating yourself. Look up the Common Data Set for UNC. Section C1 will tell you the selection %age, C7 will tell you what they use for admission, and Section C9 will tell you stats for enrolled students. Look at the data and you can make your own assessment.</p>
<p>UNC-Chapel Hill has a cap on # of OOS students they can enroll. Since it’s a desirable competitive school, this means getting in as OOS student requires higher stats and everything else than if you are instate. Not much scholarship money for OOS. They do have a few great scholarships for a handful of kids, but they are SO competitive. If there is something about you that is very special, then maybe, but otherwise, it would be a long shot for you to get admitted. Michigan and Berkeley are similar. Michigan takes more OOS kids so you don’t need to be that much better than instate, but they have even less scholarship money than UNC for OOS.</p>
<p>Ok thanks everyone. So I took the ACT again last Saturday but unfortunatley the science section was impossible (as agreed upon.by almost everyone) but im waiting for my results!</p>
<p>A lot of you mentioned univ of south Carolina, and it looks like a great option. However do any of you know of theres any way to get exempt from the fine arts requirement? Theres no way I can work another class into my schedule, but I dont want not taking a fin arts class to hold me back! Thanks!!</p>