I am going to attend Arizona State University at Barrett, The Honors College. ASU gave me a $2,000 scholarship for 4 years ($8,000 total). But even then I have been applying for all the scholarships I can. I have a 3.6 GPA (3.9 Unweighted), lousy test scores (1320 SAT, 19 ACT) but all A’s and B’s, number two in my class, and I’ve been involved in great volunteer work,presentations, workshops, and development projects in my school’s community (Implementing having a pedestrian bridge be built has been my biggest project). So it’s not that I’m not involved or I’m a decent student. I’ve applied for local foundations and business scholarships, the Border Patrol Foundation Scholarship, a 4-H Scholarship, a Vantage West Credit Union Scholarship, and several others. I’m waiting to hear about thsir decision, but I feel like nothing will really come about it. I just got another scholarship rejection email from the Dorrance Scholarship Program, and I didnt make it through the AXA Community Achievement Award or the Poshified Scholarship. All of my work of applying to 20+ scholarships us making me feel like I’m just not meant to go to college. I’m a first generation student and I feel like even more of a failure.
Your ACT score and your GPA are not high enough for competitive merit awards. Your weighted GPA is lower than your unweighted, which implies you did not take an aggressive course of study. Merit awards are based on the academic strength of your application for them in most cases.
Are you saying you cannot afford ASU?
Do you have other options?
The best scholarships come directly from the school itself. Applying for outside scholarships is generally a waste of time.
@thumper1 No, I cannot thoroughly afford ASU or Barrett
Are there colleges you could commute to from home? What can your family afford?
I think it says that she just confused the two. I cannot think of any scenario where a weighted GPA is lower than an unweighted one. Every system I have seen adds points for weighted courses, i.e. honors and AP.
At our school…the college prep level courses were the equal equal…between weighted and unweighted. Honors got extra points…and AP more.
BUT courses that were not college prep level got weighted less. So if a student took those courses, their weighted GPA would be less than their unweighted.
Our high school does “deduct points”, if you will, for lower weighted courses. E.g., an 80 in an AP course is 3.8, in Honors is 3.5, in Accelerated is 3.0 and in Academic is 2.5.
Here is the ASU merit scholarship calculator
https://scholarships.asu.edu/estimator
Your test scores appear to be the key factor.
Just for the reference of upcoming juniors, etc, even in situations where students are awarded outside scholarships, it usually takes a significant number of applications (in addition to high stats, financial need, other hooks, etc) to win: I applied for over 150, and received 15.
And 10% is a high win rate. I saw peers with similar stats apply to an equal number of receive 0. It really depends, so like other posters have said, you need a reliable institutional merit strategy (or a school you can just straight up afford).
Hi. I know it is frustrating putting in all the time and effort submitting scholarships and receiving none. My daughter is in the midst of applying for outside scholarships. Her goal is not to take the federal loan this year. Here’s what we’ve done based on her own research and and advice on CC.
- We've been strategic We targeted local and regional scholarship programs. We've also targeted those where she is well above the minimum requirement whether that be scores, GPA, service, talent etc. it appears you are looking for scholarships that are renewable. In our county, there are several that are 2000-3000 per year renewable for 4 yrs.
- Check your guidance office, local foundation office, bulletin boards at coffee shops, Naviance and then check them again for local and regional scholarships. Some foundations are small but have have 1000-2000 scholarships that are for the first year only.
- Read the rules carefully, then read them again. What are they really looking for? Make sure all components are addressed in your application. Make notes or better yet a spread sheet
- Research previous winners. Lists are available and there is usually a newspaper article on local winners. What made them standout and receive the scholarshi?
- Proofread. Then have someone else proofread. If you can , also have someone read your application and essay for content. Does it make sense, should you say more, should you say less. An English teacher should be helpful.
- Be confident, yet know that receiving enough in outside scholarships to cover the cost of attending ASU will be difficult. How much did you need? How many years do you need? Are there other colleges you have applied to that are offering more in scholarships and grants than ASU?
- National Scholarships: Most of the national scholarships have been awarded. They are difficult to receive because so many students apply for them. This is why in part, we focused on local and regional. Don't be discourage, strategize. I know there are several people @COurtney Thurston comes to mind who have done really well with National Scholarships. I suspect they will offer you advice.
Thus far, we’ve heard from 2 of the 5 local/regional scholarships she’s applied for. She’s received both totaling 3000 dollars.
Have you been accepted to any affordable schools? Are there any colleges within commuting distance of your home? If the financial aid package you receive from a school isn’t affordable, you need to choose another school. How much can your parents pay each year?
What do you want to major in?
Can you start at a community college close to home?
I’ve been on several scholarship committees and I can tell you what we looked for; you also need to know that our small scholarships attracted hundreds of local applicants. We could only choose one winner.
Our first determiners, in selecting winners, were based on GPA and test scores, then essays, LOR, and lastly EC’s.
So, our top contenders were generally scoring over 2100 on the SAT and over 32 on the ACT, A GPA close to 4.0, a very compelling essay with no grammatical errors, and a passion for future goals.
We sometimes chose students who might not have had great scores, but whose inspiration in doing well, was consistently noted by teachers, coaches, and other students.
Your test scores stick out as not being in the ballpark for most scholarships since most committees have to stick to the candidates that will be able to compete, academically, at the tough universities.
Did u apply for FA?
Hello @Madison85, I am majoring in Health Sciences.
Hello, @GMTplus7 , yes I applied for my FAFSA, still haven’t heard back from ASU about my package.
Thank you @“aunt bea”. I feel pretty lame now, but your insight as a prior scholarship committee really helps. Thank you once again!
@Lovenetc, look at other options that you can afford. If Arizona is using their public state dollars, then you may be out of luck for good financial aid.
No, I stuck with ASU. I am not sure what my parents can contribute or help with. I don’t really want them to pay for my education. I know they will have to help with a lot, but I have worked so hard just to get through high school, let alone college or Barrett, an amazing program. Just my preference. I filed my FAFSA, and I hacven’t heard back about my package yet, but I have a strong feeling it won’t be anything but loans all because my parents make over $100,000 and it’s assumed that college savings is the only thing my parents had to worry about. @austinmshauri