<p>Hello everybody! I'm a white female from California with a valedictorian perfect GPA and 2390 SAT (missed a question on the math section with a 790). I also have a lot of the other "stuff," extracurriculars in and out of school, leadership, sports, ect. in addition to the high numeric stats (check my chance me if you want more info). Essentially I have a decent application. My family is divorced, which means our EFC comes out at ~$20,00, which is more than we can afford because my dad's currently going through financial troubles that the FAFSA/Profile won't account for. I was wondering which respectable schools could offer merit aid to a student like myself. I've heard that WashU, UMich, and UChicago are all known for merit aid, could anyone confirm/deny this? I'd like to stay near a city, and on the West/East coast or in the midwest. I have a strong interest in neuroscience with high profile lab experience and college coursework. To give an idea of the types of schools I prefer, Stanford, Pomona, and MIT are all high on my list. Are there any other schools that are known for merit aid that you generous folks could recommend? I'd especially appreciate information coming from current students. I'm willing to chance back or answer any questions you have on your own threads, just post the link in your replies. Thank you again!</p>
<p>Any Ivy League - They will give you full ride for a student with your stats.</p>
<p>Ivy Leagues don’t give merit scholarships. Op, apply to he Emory Scholars program (google it, I’m on my phone), Vanderbilt, Case Western, Tulane, University of Pittsburgh (potentially full tuition), USC, and University of Alabama Birmingham if you want a true safety.</p>
<p>You may also qualify for regents at UCSD or UCLA. </p>
<p>When I wrote Alabama-Birmingham, I meant that you’d get a free ride from them assuming you apply before the merit scholarship deadline.</p>
<p>First, the previous post is wrong - Ivy League schools don’t give merit aid.</p>
<p>How much can your family afford? You say it’s less than $20K, so that means you probably need a full tuition scholarship, possibly more.</p>
<p>Look at the sticky thread for Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride scholarships at the top of the Financial Aid forum. With those stats, you’d be competitive for any and all of them. Also the other sticky thread with Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride scholarships has schools you might want to consider for safeties.</p>
<p>Any Ivy League - They will give you full ride for a student with your stats.</p>
<p>Why would someone post this??? </p>
<p>Neuro…are you a likely NMF? What was your PSAT?</p>
<p>You need a strategy:</p>
<p>1) Apply to a few schools with competitive merit (like UChicago, WashU, etc), but because the awards are “iffy” you have NO IDEA if you’ll get an award or if the award will be big enough.</p>
<p>2) Apply to a few schools that will give you ASSURED HUGE merit for your stats. These can be your financial safeties.</p>
<p>how much WILL your parents pay? </p>
<p>If you only get a half-tuition scholarship, your parents will still be expected to pay their EFC or more. So that won’t work.</p>
<p>If you get a full tuition scholarship (not likely at top schools), your parents will still have to pay for room, board, books, fees…about $15k per year, so will that work?</p>
<p>What is your career goal???</p>
<p>First, yes I am fully aware that Ivies don’t give merit aid, hence why I’m asking this question. The schools on my current list are mostly ivies and ivy equivalents, with the UCs as safeties (I’m guaranteed admission to a UC based on GPA and SAT scores as an in-state resident). The only schools I have on said list that offer merit aid are UChicago, UMich (triple legacy), and maybe Duke. </p>
<p>mom2collegekids, because I’m unfortunately from california which has NMF set at extremely high levels, and I was suffering from an infection caused by black mold exposure at the time, my low PSAT score of 216 hits just below the cutoff. I’d likely be a NMF in 45 other states, go figure. My family can realistically afford $5,000-$10,000 at most. The rest would need to be covered by loans, I’m willing to take out $20,000 over the four years. So yes, I could stretch to $15,000 a year to pay. My mom’s is the only income that will actually contribute to my college education, my dad makes $50,000 a year but he is currently going through bankruptcy and can’t in actuality contribute anything. The FAFSA and Profile don’t take bankruptcy into account when calculating EFC. That makes our EFC higher then what we can actually afford. My career goal is to go into STEM, particularly in biology. I’d love to go into pure academic research and potentially teach at a college level, but since that doesn’t pay well I’ll probably go into biotech to pay off those loans and make a decent living. A PhD is a definite for me in terms of continuing education beyond an undergraduate level. Making money isn’t a goal of mine, but I do want to make a decent enough amount be able to support myself and (future) kids. </p>
<p>whenhen, I’m really hoping for Regents at a UC. Especially for biology, UCSD is probably the best (and most affordable) place for me to go for undergrad. I’m planning on going on for a PhD. </p>
<p>Lastly, I’d really prefer to geographically stay on a coast or the midwest. That does essentially rule out Tulane, Vanderbilt, and UofA. I know this sounds picky, but I’m not a huge fan of the “walled garden” nature of USC’s campus. I prefer a school that is located in a thriving, college-centric community not far from a city, with a “campus” feel. I do truly appreciate everyone’s help, and would love more suggestions.</p>
<p>UCs are not safeties if you can’t afford them. </p>
<p>Run the NPCs at the schools you like that don’t give merit. They don’t use FAFSA EFC, they use their own formulas, and some might well be affordable.</p>
<p>With only $5-$10K contribution from family, you’ll need a full tuition scholarship + self help or loan, or you’ll need a full ride. It’s tough to get those kinds of scholarships if you are ultra picky about the school.</p>
<p>I’m a likely candidate for Regents at some of the UCs, including UCSC, UCSB, and UCI. I have automatic admission at UCR and UCM. That automatic admission normally comes with Regents as well. My scores place me well above all of their averages. That would bring cost down dramatically. In addition, because the FAFSA only uses one parental income from divorced families, my EFC for them and any other FAFSA only school is much lower, at ~$9,000 a year for UCSD, UCLA, or Berkley. That’s within a range I can afford. I’ve run the NPC at all the schools I’m applying to, most come out between $20,000-25,000 a year. I’m trying not to be ‘ultra picky’, but I would like to attend a respectable university with a good biology program in the wide swaths of the US that I have identified. USC is still a viable option despite the fact that I dislike the campus due to the financial aid opportunities. However, if I’ll be unhappy at a school for four years because I disliked everything about it except the aid package, I’m not sure said institution would be worth it.</p>
<p>Some merit scholarship possibilities:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-19.html#post16145676[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-19.html#post16145676</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-2.html#post15889078[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-2.html#post15889078</a></p>
<p>For UCs, do you mean to say that FAFSA EFC is $9,000, or net price is $9,000?</p>
<p>UCs tend to assume a student contribution (Stafford loan and work earnings) of about $9,000 (varies somewhat by campus) added to FAFSA EFC, so if FAFSA EFC is $9,000, the net price would be about $18,000. However, if FAFSA EFC is $0, then the net price will be the student contribution of $9,000.</p>
<p>If the various UCs are like Berkeley, a Regents’ scholarship would replace the student contribution with additional scholarship, effectively lowering the net price by $9,000 compared to a non-Regents’ scholarship scenario.</p>
<p>*I’m really hoping for Regents at a UC. Especially for biology, UCSD is probably the best (and most affordable) place for me to go for undergrad. I’m planning on going on for a PhD. *</p>
<p>Apply to all the UCs…you’re likely going to get a large Regents from at least one of them. Will you qualify for Blue and Gold? If so, that’s more money. </p>
<p>If I remember correctly, the amount of the Regents award can vary by campus and by need. Seems like some give larger awards, and some give tiny awards if there isn’t much need??? </p>
<p>??? If you’re considering UChicago, WashU and UMich, then you shouldn’t be eliminating those other schools due to geography. That doesn’t make sense.</p>
<p>BTW…UA-Birmingham does have Neuroscience if that’s your goal, but I wouldn’t recommend that school for you as an OOS student. </p>
<p>UA (the flagship) is in Tuscaloosa and is more how you’ve described (located in a thriving, college-centric community not far from a city, with a “campus” feel.) and has a very good bio program. UA has many Calif kids attending. Calif is the #5 state that sends kids to Bama. </p>
<p>Bama has a drop-dead gorgeous campus. I’m from Calif so I know what the UC’s, USC and other Calif campuses look like. </p>
<p>With your stats, Bama would give you free tuition for sure. However, for your SAT, and a bio major, you’d likely also get $4k per year stacked on top…if you were to apply soon (the app is live now).</p>
<p>U Rochester hasn’t been mentioned yet. It’s in NY, but not coastal - unless you count Lake Ontario. It does have opportunities for large merit aid and a great neuro or brain & cognitive options as majors with tons of research opportunities.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh would work for neuro (and research) too, but it doesn’t have as much of a campus feel. It’s more urban. It’s also less coastal. It would likely offer a large merit award.</p>
<p>UAlabama does NOT have neuro and no, a combo of psych and bio are not the same.</p>
<p>more offbeat choice - RPI. Since females are a minority, they often offer large merit scholarships to attract them especially the most qualified ones. Excellent in sciences as well as engineering.
<a href=“https://www.rpi.edu/dept/bio/[/url]”>https://www.rpi.edu/dept/bio/</a>
[Cognitive</a> Science Department - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)](<a href=“http://www.cogsci.rpi.edu/]Cognitive”>http://www.cogsci.rpi.edu/)</p>
<p>Northeastern and BU are worth considering. I know a girl who got large merit aid awards from both, BU being the biggest.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus and mom2collegekids, I do qualify for Blue and Gold at the UCs. My dad’s income of $50,000 is the only one that will be factored into financial aid calculations (my mom’s of $90,000 isn’t counted, as custody is really split 50/50 its sensical to have my dad hold 51% and be the custodial parent according to FAFSA rules). So my tuition would be free. Financial aid would cover some of the room/board and other assorted fees. Hence, my total net cost of attending would be (depending on the specific UC) $8,000-$10,0000, which I could cover with help from my mom and work/study. mom2collegekids, you do remember correctly. Regents only guarantees $2,000 a year for all UC campuses, but does vary according to if the student demonstrates need. I’ve seen peers with Regents offers at different UC schools that vary by huge amounts. A peer with similar academic standing from my school this year got the minimum Regents at UCLA ($2,000 a year) but got a much higher award ($8,000 a year) from UCI, where she ended up attending. The UC campuses have “wiggle room” with regents, and seem to use them to attract students they have a high interest in. I personally know a substantial Regents offer at UCSD might sway me to attend over an ivy that would need me to pay $20,000 a year. That’s what the UCs seem to use Regents for, keeping the students they really want in the UC system instead of losing them to ivies or equivalents. </p>
<p>UA seems to have a larger business focus, which is not my forte. They also don’t seem to have a neuroscience program, not even a focus within a bio or psych degree. I could amalgamate psych and bio, but I’d much rather have an actual program and opportunities to work in a lab that’s focused on neuroscience, which is easier to find at a university that makes this area of research one of their primary focuses. The campus does look beautiful though.</p>
<p>U Rochester has a great program, and the river alongside campus and lake nearby help dramatically with my water requirement (I prefer a campus with lots of trees and greenery). I had considered them before, but somehow failed to add it to the list. Would you think my high SAT, course rigor, GPA, and ECs could make up for not being a NMF? The same question applies for BU, although I dislike that their neuroscience and neuro-related bio programs are BA degrees just because they’re in the college of liberal arts and sciences instead of the more appropriate BS.</p>
<p>I didn’t mean merit aid, I meant financial. Sorry, excuse my retardedness.</p>
<p>The problem is, there’s a gap between what the ivies say I can afford, and what in reality I can actually afford. All Ivies, Stanford, MIT, and most privates use the Profile in addition to the FAFSA. The profile counts both parental incomes. My parents combined income is $140,000. Although the ivies do account for divorce in their calculations, and would meet 100% of demonstrated need, they all calculate that I could afford $20,000-25,000 a year, which is not feasible because of my dad’s inability to contribute. So in short, no. The ivies would not cover enough of my tuition to make it possible to attend. Besides, all of them are long shots even for a student with great scores and ECs. I’m hoping if I do get lucky and get in to one of the reach schools on my list, I could talk to the financial aid office and see if anything could be done. I’m not sure how lenient these schools are with taking special circumstances (like a parent’s bankruptcy) into account.</p>
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<p>I think your stats would make you very competitive for one of their top awards… it’s no guarantee, but it would be worth trying.</p>
<p>If strength of program can overcome location and urban-ness, Pitt could still be a good school to try too. Their neuro program is extremely good. They were my guy’s second choice. Fortunately, URoc ended up financially feasible for him as he does prefer the “campus” there (and smaller overall with higher level peers than Pitt - though in top programs, Pitt gets high students too).</p>
<p>Emory could be worth a try if you think you’d like Atlanta. You said Vandy was out… they were out for my guy too, but because they were too Greek, not due to location. Case Western would probably be too urban and they don’t have as extensive of a neuro program in his opinion.</p>
<p>I’d definitely try your UCs, but also with your stats, try for some of those top awards at really good schools. You might end up surprised. If not, you’ll have your safeties. If you made the cut for top scholarships, Pitt and URoc would fly you out for a visit/interview, etc.</p>
<p>Scripps might be a good fit, but they only have 2 scholarships that large and one of them is only given out every 4 years.</p>