<p>Not really a "what are my chances of getting in to ____ university?" but how can i increase my chances of getting a really good scholarship, such as a full ride.
What do colleges look for in students to give a full ride or a lot of merit to?
a) what is the ideal GPA, SAT, ACT, or other major test scores?
b) should I get involved in a LOT of sports and activities? (I only swim)
c) how much should I volunteer
d) anything else</p>
<p>I'm trying to get an idea of what I should get involved in throughout high school to appeal to schools for a full ride or a lot of merit. thank you!</p>
<p>the key element will be your SAT/ACT score. Below a 1400 CR+M/32 composite, the pickings are smaller, but for 1400/32 there are automatic scholarships and lots of competitive scholarships.
You don’t need to be involved in a lot of activities but you need to be among the best in your region/state.
If you volunteer, you can’t just spend time there, you need to actually accompplish something, initiate something, be responsible for something…
Be aware that if you have a very low EFC, the 100% need schools are likely to provide you with a full ride (sometimes including $5,500 in loans, sometimes not). Of course, these schools are among the most selective in the country.</p>
<p>The simplest way may be to get a very good PSAT score in Junior with good HS grades. NMF status will grant you great scholarships at many schools.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies! @Aquas98 , I’m not entirely sure what college I want to attend. I’m mostly looking for general scholarships that can be applied to any school. @MYOS1634 The SAT is changing now (and I’ll be taking the new one) so THAT’S GREAT. And unfortunately I’m too “rich” for a full ride but too poor to actually pay a significant amount of tuition.</p>
<p>Does anyone know of scholarships specific to students who want to pursue engineering (specifically civil)?</p>
<p>Merit “full rides” are merit based. It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor. The only thing that matters is your ACT/SAT scores (and, if they’re competitive, whether you’ve done impressive things.)
100% need full rides: run net price calculators. At the richest schools you qualify for financial aid up to 180k incomes.
Almost all financial aid of value is school-specific.
(The large national programs are need-based and aim to help high achieving, lower-income students whose parents can’t help them at all.)
Furthermore, if you win outside scholarships, it’s often deducted from the college’s package, not from your family’s EFC.</p>
<p>The New SAT only applies to students who are currently freshmen though. And I’m willing to bet that almost all colleges will make the essay mandatory (making it optional allows CollegeBoard to tack on special fees…) The offer of free prep classes through Khan Academy, expanding on what number2.com is going right now, sounds promising though, because right now the most predictive value of the SAT is income.</p>
<p>The new SAT is effective in 2016. Last time it was switched to new format in March when it was more or less the division between college application year.
I don’t agree that outside scholarships often deducted from the college’s package. That is depending on the school policy. Mostly, the external scholarship will fill in the need gap first. Some schools would reduce the loan component first. Also, some schools would allow stacking of multiple scholarships (internal or external) up to the CoA (may be even with some small extra). In other words, it may even reduce your EFC if you do get the merit aids.</p>
<p>@MYOS1634 unfortunately I AM a freshman From what I’ve read about the new SAT, it seems to be EXACTLY like the ACT. optional essay, no penalty deduction of points, more curriculum based. I don’t find the point in taking both of the tests except for the fact that colleges would be impressed by both. And of course top colleges will want the essay, so there’s no point in it being optional for some people. I want to take the old SAT in my junior yr in october (before the new SAT is put into effect which is march 2016) but I’m not sure that’s possible. Now that this has become a discussion about the SAT… I prefer the old one because it distinguished the education level more prominently than the new one. The SAT will now be based off of necessary knowledge based on what I have read so as long as a person is average and knows what is needed to be taught (the minimal standardized knowledge), more people will be scoring higher and colleges wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between average people versus the advanced. They’ll have to then rely on grades mostly. With the old SAT, you could tell if someone knew more than the other because the material was a wide range of knowledge.</p>
<p>Again, this is based on MY knowledge of the new SAT which may not necessarily be totally correct. If I’ve misread anything, feel free to correct me.</p>
<p>@MYOS1634 and although it’s an easier test which will practically guarantee a very high score, what’s the point in scoring high when everyone else with basic high school knowledge will too?</p>
<p>Standardized tests always measure the “percentile ranking” of students. So, no matter what the tests include, there will always be students ranked top 1%, top 5%, top 10%, top 25%, etc. On the new SAT, these distinctions will actually be on what matters for college (rather than arcane or random) and in ways that don’t disproportionally advantage high income students (right now, the SAT’s best predictive value is income, not college success. GPA is much more predictive of success. So the SAT needs to bring added value if it wants to justify its existence as a fee-charging entity.)</p>
From what I’ve read about the new SAT, it seems to be EXACTLY like the ACT. optional essay, no penalty deduction of points, more curriculum based. I don’t find the point in taking both of the tests except for the fact that colleges would be impressed by both. And of course top colleges will want the essay, so there’s no point in it being optional for some people. I want to take the old SAT in my junior yr in october (before the new SAT is put into effect which is march 2016) but I’m not sure that’s possible. Now that this has become a discussion about the SAT… I prefer the old one because it distinguished the education level more prominently than the new one. The SAT will now be based off of necessary knowledge based on what I have read so as long as a person is average and knows what is needed to be taught (the minimal standardized knowledge), more people will be scoring higher and colleges wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between average people versus the advanced. They’ll have to then rely on grades mostly. With the old SAT, you could tell if someone knew more than the other because the material was a wide range of knowledge.</p>