Which schools should I try for? Average Texas student with strong ECs.

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Gender: Female
Race: White
State: Texas
High school: Public, somewhat competitive</p>

<p>GPA: My school is currently saying I have a 3.595 weighted and a 3.614 unweighted. Obviously, that is incorrect. I'm working with the counselors on getting that straightened out.
Rank: 37/290 currently, will go up once my GPA is fixed
SAT (first attempt, retaking): M:560, CR:560, W:650
ACT: 25 Composite, 26 English, 25 Math & Reading, 24 Science, 9 Essay
AP: English Language & Composition- 3</p>

<p>9th grade classes & ECs:
Pre-AP English I
Pre-AP Biology I
Algebra I
World Geography
Spanish II
Yearbook Staff (head photographer)
Volunteer Organization (trustee)
National Junior Honor Society
Piano (National Piano Guild)</p>

<p>10th grade classes & ECs:
Pre-AP English II
Chemistry
Geometry
Pre-AP World History
Spanish III
Volunteer Organization
Piano Lessons (National Piano Guild)</p>

<p>11th grade classes & ECs:
AP English III
Physics
Algebra II
AP US History
AP European History
Newspaper Staff
Journalism Team (captain)
Volunteer Organization (in-school)
Volunteer Organization (outside of school, Manager)
Piano Lessons (National Piano Guild)
Future Career and Community Leaders of America</p>

<p>12th grade classes & ECs:
AP English IV
AP Environmental Science
Pre-Cal
AP Economics
Dual Credit Government (summer class)
Intro Accounting- night class at local college
Newspaper Staff (editor-in-chief)
Yearbook Staff (section editor)
Journalism Team (captain)
Volunteer Organization (in-school)
Volunteer Organization (outside of school, Manager)
Piano Lessons (National Piano Guild)
Future Career and Community Leaders of America
National Honor Society (will be inducted in the spring)</p>

<p>AWARDS & HONORS:
9th grade:
President's Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence
Chosen for National Junior Honor Society</p>

<p>11th grade:
Various journalism awards at the state, regional, district, and local levels
Temple Sweetheart (volunteer award)
Chosen as All-American Scholar
Washington Journalism and Media Conference: National Youth Press Correspondent nominee
National Student Leadership Conference: program nominee
National Young Leaders Conference: program nominee
People to People: leadership program nominee
United States Achievement Academy: English Award
Chosen as a published author in the Creative Communications essay and poetry contests
National Society of High School Scholars</p>

<p>I have roughly 500 hours of volunteer work.</p>

<p>I've already applied to U Alabama, U Arkansas, and Baylor. Alabama has already accepted me. Does anyone have suggestions on other schools I should apply to? I also need ideas for schools that could give me the most financial aid/scholarship money, considering the fact that I come from a low-income family ($26,000/year, roughly).</p>

2

<p>Bump?
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.</p>

3

<p>What do you want to major in, any idea?</p>

<p>Why do you want to go out of state, if money is an issue? I think you definitely should apply to a few oos schools that you like, because ya never know, but usually, even with scholarships at oos schools, you end up paying less in state.</p>

<p>Actually, unless I am misinterpreting something, you sound like you are in a lot of luck, to me. Every single Texas state school we have looked at (not to say all of them do, but ALL the ones we have looked at do) have something similar to this one at Texas Tech. (which is a really great school you should look at.</p>

<p>[Texas</a> Tech University ::Red Raider Guarantee](<a href=“http://www.redraiderguarantee.ttu.edu/]Texas”>http://www.redraiderguarantee.ttu.edu/)</p>

<p>"In an effort to increase access to higher education, Texas Tech has implemented a plan to guarantee free tuition and mandatory fees up to 15 credit hours per semester to new entering freshmen who are Texas residents, enrolled full-time with family adjusted gross incomes that do not exceed $40,000.</p>

<p>Eligible students must apply, be accepted for admission and have a complete financial aid file before May 1, 2010 to receive the guaranteed funds. Any applications received after May 1, 2010 will be awarded based on available funding. Students may qualify for the program for up to eight (8) semesters of full-time enrollment. Under this program tuition and mandatory fees will be paid by a combination of federal, state, and institutional funds. Examples of funds include, but are not limited to, PELL Grant, SEOG, Texas Grant, Texas Public Education Grant, Texas Tech Grant, scholarships, etc… "</p>

<p>Wish there was that much help for families in our situation…definitely don’t have the money laying around for the full cost of college but make just enough not to qualify for a dime worth of aid - it’s going to be all merit based for us, le sigh.</p>

<p>Anyway if you dig on the websites I bet you can find most schools have this. I remember for sure that Sam Houston, West Texas A&M (which is a little gem of a school if you are after certain qualities, has some excellent programs, and is so affordable) and Stephen F Austin had similar guarantee programs for students under a certain income level.</p>

<p>New Mexico doesn’t have a lot of schools, but they are real generous to Texas students as far as being lenient with the out of state tuition. My best friends’ daughter is going to New Mexico Tech, <a href=“http://www.nmt.edu/which[/url]”>http://www.nmt.edu/which&lt;/a&gt; nobody has ever heard of, and it’s an absolute gem if you want to go into tech fields - pretty much every freshman can do research from day one, and your jaw will drop at the tuition and scholarships. I only wish any Texas schools were as cheap. Of course their focus is tech, if you are into the arts it’s not an option, which means it doesn’t help us any, alas. But I would suggest anyone who wants a really quality tech program they can afford to look into it. Socorro is a spot in the road but it’s a quick trip to nearby big city of Albuquerque, so it’s not all that bad.</p>

<p>There’s affordable gems like that to be found if you look. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>I’m a marketing major. Also, I plan on applying to A&M because I know that their business school is very strong and the alumni connections will be very beneficial if I choose to stay in Texas. Plus, they’re more likely to give financial aid than UT (where I am also applying). I’m not sure if I could get in to either one, though.</p>

5

<p>I don’t know much about marketing in Texas schools, we’ve been all about theater, but I am pretty sure there’s a pretty good array of schools with good marketing programs.</p>

<p>Are you talking about applying to A&M in College Station? They probably are a bit more generous and easier to get into than UT - UT doesn’t give money to ANYONE lol - but look into West Texas A&M - the one I mentioned - in Canyon, Texas. (close to Amarillo) Like all branches, it’s a lot cheaper than the flagship, and easier to get into. (you would absolutely get in, from the looks of it, and get scholarships.) It happens that WTAMU has a very strong business program - the T. Boone Pickens School of Business - so it’s certainly worth looking into, unless you are just really positive that you want a very large school (over 20,000 students). </p>

<p>You probably are looking at grad school if you are interested in a marketing degree and I would suggest you consider, if that is the case, that the only thing that matters about your undergrad degree is that it will get you into your grad school, that you can get it without a pile of debt so that you can better afford your grad school, and that you simply will enjoy your time there - paying extra money (that you might not have and have to borrow) just for a name that is prestigious to everyone is not necessary, all that is necessary is that the grad programs you want have respect for it and won’t see the school as a liability,(which I seriously doubt WTAMU would be seen as a liability) and that your professors will help you and that the school will prepare you for it. I would suggest you use the same criteria where ever you look.</p>

<p>Texas has a lot of great schools other than just the main campus of UT and A&M. What I have found so far is that the branch schools will generally tend to have a handful of strong programs, so if you do your research thoroughly and select well, you can get a solid education at a good cost. I wouldn’t just assume all programs at all branch schools are equally good to each other, or as good as the flagship, but depending on the branch, many of the programs really are excellent. Call the schools and ask questions and research them, and look past the two or three big ones; you have nothing to lose by investigating all your options.</p>

<p>If you are concerned that the academics at a branch would not be a high enough standard for you, (because they are lower than the big flagship campuses) then look at their honors programs, which will have you taking classes with the cream of the crop of that particular school, and getting as close to the best of both worlds as I think you can get in public school. Plan 2 at UT is as hard to get into as an Ivy, but honors colleges at a less selective school are going to probably be more like regular courses at a more selective school. But at a much lower cost.</p>

<p>Edit: also they have a similar program to the one at Tech called The Buff Promise. "West Texas A&M University has committed 100% of its available resources to cover fall and spring in-state tuition and fees for undergraduate Texas residents who have an annual family income of $40,000—the median income level for our region—or less. This commitment began in fall 2008 and is known as the “Buff Promise.”</p>

<p>Buff Promise is designed to reassure academically talented students from low- and middle-income families in Texas who may not feel that a university education is possible. Buff Promise will expand upon an already robust aid program that awards more than $36 million in assistance.</p>

<p>To be eligible for Buff Promise, students must:</p>

<pre><code>* Be a Texas resident.

  • Be an undergraduate student starting enrollment at WTAMU in fall 2008 or later.
  • Submit all required financial aid, scholarship and admission documentation by April 15 each year. Students may still submit these documents: last year most eligible new students who applied after this date still received the Buff Promise awards. (Continuing students must submit the scholarship application by Feb. 1 each year.)
  • Meet all WTAMU admission requirements.
  • Meet eligibility requirements for a Federal Pell Grant.
  • Complete full-time course load (12 credit hours minimum per semester, 30 credit hours minimum per year) and maintain satisfactory academic progress while at the University.
  • Have a family income of $40,000 or less. In some cases, family size will increase this amount."
    </code></pre>

<p>There are probably at least several other mid size schools in Texas, some of which are also branches, that are similar to WTAMU in these things, so start investigating!</p>

6

<p>Look at TCU in Fort Worth. They love EC’s and Volunteerism. They’re also quite generous with aid, both merit and need-based.</p>

<p>Of course, A&M would be good, but the Neeley School at TCU does very well in the “undergraduate business” rankings. Their career placement is top-notch, too.</p>

7

<p>wherever you end up applying, I would not suggest cluttering up the applications with listings of the nominations you put in your stats (people to people, NSLC, NYLC, etc). Although the letters you get from those kinds of organizations try to make it look like they are really selective programs, in reality they develop a mailing list from wherever they can much in the same way summer camps do. Although they do get lists of high achieving students for their mailings, they also take nominations from the students who go on their trips and their parents. So you might have gotten on those lists because of a friend who travelled with the program and gave them your name. focus on your journalism and writing and colleges will be much more impressed</p>

8

<p>Thanks everyone! I’ve also been thinking about SMU. I know that they have a wonderful business program, but I don’t know anything about their generosity with aid.</p>

9

<p>Bump? Thanks again.</p>

10

<p>Bump? Does anyone have information on SMU’s financial aid/scholarship opportunities?</p>

11

<p>Once your GPA gets fixed and your ranking changes, will you qualify for guaranteed admission into UT or TAMU?</p>

<p>If so, those schools will probably be the best with aid for you. Doesn’t Texas have state aid for low income students as well?</p>

12

<p>I might qualify for guaranteed admission, but I’m not sure. It just depends on how much my GPA goes up. </p>

<p>UT will be difficult for my family to do. I would LOVE to go there, but they don’t have a lot of financial aid. TAMU has the Aggie Assurance program that I would qualify for, though.</p>

13

<p>Bump again!</p>

14

<p>…and bump.</p>

15

<p>mom2collegekids,</p>

<p>UT is getting around the guaranteed admission to a certain extent somehow (I believe they got an exception in the legislation for themselves) and their admittance percentages are looking a lot more like a fairly selective private school than a public school these days. And they are notoriously skimpy with aid. Just about every public school will offer more, and many of the private schools will end up offering enough that it doesn’t cost any more to go there than to UT. UT has some very good departments but it’s not a cakewalk to get into or pay for.</p>

<p>SMU has a lot of money and can be very generous if it wants to be. Full tuition scholarships start kicking in around 1300 sat’s plus similar gpa’s and good leader ship and so forth. Here’s a link to a page with freshman scholarships.</p>

<p>[SMU:</a> Financial Aid - Scholarships](<a href=“http://smu.edu/Financial_Aid/Scholarships.asp#President]SMU:”>http://smu.edu/Financial_Aid/Scholarships.asp#President)</p>

<p>They have some pretty good ones but of course not everyone with those stats is guaranteed to be awarded.</p>

<p>I’ll tell you a really nice little gem of a school, if you are wanting to look at private schools (though with your family’s income you will need almost a full ride to afford one - but it can happen) that we looked at this summer and I was really impressed. Southwestern University, in Georgetown - just a bit north of Austin. Excellent liberal arts college, and they don’t have a football team so I guess they have money leftover because they are very generous with scholarships, too. Their undergrads admittance rate into grad schools is around and sometimes over 90 percent - it’s not a real well known school, but it’s excellent. I don’t know specifically about their business school but it doesn’t really have any weak departments.</p>

16

<p>Thanks! Bump again! (:</p>

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<p>President’s Scholar Award
Competitive merit-based award to approximately 30 entering first-year students</p>

<p>1350 for strong consideration (which is about an ACT 31)</p>

<p>Test Scores
Middle 50% of First-Year Students </p>

<p>SAT Critical Reading: 560 - 660<br>
SAT Math: 580 - 680<br>
SAT Writing: 560 - 660<br>
ACT Composite: 25 - 30</p>

<p>The problem for this student is that unless there’s an amazing jump in ACT score, she’s going to have to rely on need-based aid from the schools that give the best aid. </p>

<p>Sounds like TAMU will be the one.</p>

18

<p>My mother will flip out if I go to TAMU. (She’s a HARDCORE UT fan.) I guess we can’t really complain, though, given our financial situation. TAMU’s a fine school with a good reputation in Texas.</p>

<p>I just wish I could get into (and afford) UT.</p>

19

<p>Another private school that you might consider is Trinity in San Antonio. They have fairly decent financial aid for high need plus some merit money, (or at least they did a couple years ago with my eldest). Also, unless things have changed A LOT in the past couple years, those public universities with the guaranteed tuition and fee programs are not that great, if you’re really high need, unless your stats garner merit aid as well which is hard to come by at most of the public schools. Those schools will use your Pell Grant, SEOG and other state & federal grants first, before kicking in their own money, leaving most high need students short on the room & board portion unless you will be living at home. Add the fact that it looks like Texas will be cutting back on the Texas Grant program for 2011 fall, it doesn’t add up to a lot of help for a high need student, who’s not tippy top of the application pool. With my daughter, every Texas private school she applied to, came across with a much better aid package, than any of the Texas public schools, which is why my son’s list for this year, contains only 2 Texas public universities. IMO, It doesn’t speak too highly for our state when some OOS public schools giver better FA than our own.</p>

20

<p>That’s sad. Do y’all know anything about UArk or Bama? I’ve already gotten in at both, but don’t know that much about their FA.</p>

<p>I know I qualify for in-state tuition at UArk, but I know nothing else about there or Bama.</p>