anyone a pro with scholarship stuff?

[WDWMom]

Most scholarships are for those in the 4.0 and higher....would not count on it

Not true. Many are need based or reflect something in the students life. It could be where their parents work,place of worship, interests, possible major and more.

Your school counseling office will be the best place to start, but no need applying yet if she is a junior. Most scholarships being awarded right now are for the 2015 school year.

 

[Schmeck]

Our son is a sophomore this year. I think we'd know by now if we were mistaken about what his award was. Our state schools don't play games like that.

Not sure what your point is here. Does anything you have to offer here negate my suggestion that she do everything possible to get her daughter ready for the ACT (or SAT depending on region of the country)?

Does that tuition scholarship pay for room and board, fees, health care, books, travel expenses, etc, or just the line item on the bill called 'tuition'? That's what I was getting at. You can get tuition paid for, but there are other expenses as well, not covered under the term tution. Wondered what your defition of 'full tuition' was.

 

[mom2rtk]

Does that tuition scholarship pay for room and board, fees, health care, books, travel expenses, etc, or just the line item on the bill called 'tuition'? That's what I was getting at. You can get tuition paid for, but there are other expenses as well, not covered under the term tution. Wondered what your defition of 'full tuition' was.

Why the interrogation? you're really not coming across very well here. Are you trying to convince me that he should have turned it down because it wasn't enough?

We're happy with it. He's happy with it. There are an awful lot of his classmates who wish they had the deal he has.

OP, take the advice to do whatever you can to help your DD prepare for the ACT/SAT. It really does put money on the table. Have her take it and take it again. Every point matters.

 

[jrmasm]

Seems to me that "full tuition" means exactly that, full tuition.

 

[MOpGrad2013]

Check out College Confidential from The College Board. This is the group that runs SAT and AP.

OP--Has your DD taken her ACT or SAT yet? Or will she be in the March testing group?

Scholarships are based on so many different things. Some are need based. Some are numbers (GPA and standardized). Some are essay. Some are for choosing particular study areas. And now...even the raffle scholarship.

You can begin accumulation of scholarships in 8th grade. Some companies are even younger.

A 3.2 is nothing to sneeze at. Most colleges accept students with a 2.0 and ACT scores of 19. Every one will be offered some type of financial aid. Financial aid includes it all--grants, scholarships, loans and work study. If you head over to the CollegeConfidential site, you will be able to learn so much.

Our school counselors don't begin working with the kids regarding college until the senior year..by then, it's too late.

 

[Bluestars]

Although most kids aren't interested in the military, the ROTC has national scholarships available for those who are interested in serving in the military after they graduate. The scholarships are very competitive, but also very good.

In addition to national scholarships, many colleges have their own ROTC scholarships available. It's an option for kids who have an interest in one or more of the military branches.

My son received a national scholarship. His roommate did too. His roommate is studying nursing, but has plans to continue his education to become a doctor. He has hopes of the military paying for all of his education.

Anyway, it's another option available for those kids who are interested.

 

[sk!mom]

Dd18 is at an in state school, with no merit aid. She graduated with a 4.3, NHS, Spanish NHS, honor choir, all state and regional choirs, very active in community and school theater, a bunch of volunteer hours, all honor/AP classes, graduating class around 350.

She did get money from smaller private schools, and an out of state public school, enough to bring the costs down to 25,000 - 35,000 per year.

She did receive a few local scholarships, $1500 each, that went towards books. She also received enough money from her local safety school (5 miles away) that would have covered most of her costs, but she really wanted to attend a high ranked business school.

Scholarship money is à fraction of what it was when I was in college. Even 10 years ago, she probably would have had close to a free ride at her current university. And her SATs were just under 2000.

My DD's resume and experience was similar. She was 46th in a class of over 600. All PreAp and AP courses. Strong ACT and SAT scores. She did receive $5000 from her top choice school and that is where she's attending. She got quite a few local one time scholarships for this first year but they are nonrenewable. The University scholarship is renewable and we're hoping her strong first semester will lead to an increase. She's waiting to hear now. She's also applied for a department scholarship that would make up for the locals that aren't renewing if she gets it.

She didn't apply to the state flagships as they don't have her major. Her school has the program and it's ranked in the top 50 worldwide for that major. The school itself is not the top tier in our state which made her an attractive candidate. Her boyfriend and best friend are each at the two flagships and with similar resumes they got $0 aid. Her best friend has her exact resume...same extracurriculars, same classes, and their class rank was tied.

All that to say that the cost of college has far outpaced most schools endowments. We also now live in a climate where everyone is going to college. More students mean that the dollars are cut in more smaller pieces. IMO, your best bet if you need aid is to have your student apply for schools where they will be a top student. Even with that, I'm a doubter when people claim free rides for academics unless your student is a National Merit Scholar and even then they would need to choose a college based on awards.

 

[Chocolate Cake]

I'm a doubter when people claim free rides for academics unless your student is a National Merit Scholar and even then they would need to choose a college based on awards.

There are plenty of schools that give "full tuition" (which is what a previous poster did say...not "full ride") based on SAT and ACT scores.

 

[Chocolate Cake]

OP, take the advice to do whatever you can to help your DD prepare for the ACT/SAT. It really does put money on the table. Have her take it and take it again. Every point matters.

You are 100% correct. I don't know why someone would question you on this

I know several kids that got full tuition based on their SAT scores alone.

 

[IDoDis]

Like others have said, she should take the ACT and/or SAT test -- more than once. Her scores will improve vs just taking the test once. My DD's scores improved each time she took it. I highly recommend "The Real ACT" book to use for practice tests. Many schools have automatic merit scholarships that don't require a separate application that are primarily based on ACT/SAT scores and GPA. Scholarship opportunities for freshmen are listed on each school's website. Usually colleges want the 6th semester transcript with the application, so whatever your DD can do this semester to boost her GPA will help for merit- based money.

If your DD has a job, have her check with her employer for scholarships. Also, check your local credit union association. Many state credit unions have scholarship funds for students who attend an in-state school. My state's CU association gives out between $150k and $200k in scholarships each year ($1,000 per recipient) from unclaimed money. The GPA requirement is a 2.8 and the application is simple. Every little bit adds up.

 

[sk!mom]

There are plenty of schools that give "full tuition" (which is what a previous poster did say...not "full ride") based on SAT and ACT scores.

I'm well aware of that. I said I doubt claims of "full rides." Many people will claim full ride when they mean full tuition. My DD's tuition is about $7200 per year so her $5000 scholarship covers most of that. That figure does not include fees nor room and board.

 

[Southernmiss]

There are plenty of schools that give "full tuition" (which is what a previous poster did say...not "full ride") based on SAT and ACT scores.

And there are a few who still offer a full ride-tuition, room and board, books and meal plan. Oldest ds has one. Our expenses have been minimal-auto and healthcare for his college. He's a junior. We feel like we won the lottery with his offer because they are few and far between.

2nd ds has a nice offer with a similar resume to oldest ds, but the school ds#2 wants to attend will not offer a full ride. Both dss have the same ACT score. Ds#2 will take it again as just one more point will mean another 2000 dollars a year at his college.

It's certainly a learning experience that's for sure.

 

[IDoDis]

And there are a few who still offer a full ride-tuition, room and board, books and meal plan. Oldest ds has one. Our expenses have been minimal-auto and healthcare for his college. He's a junior. We feel like we won the lottery with his offer because they are few and far between.

2nd ds has a nice offer with a similar resume to oldest ds, but the school ds#2 wants to attend will not offer a full ride. Both dss have the same ACT score. Ds#2 will take it again as just one more point will mean another 2000 dollars a year at his college.

It's certainly a learning experience that's for sure.

Yes, every point higher counts. DD received a scholarship for tuition, fees, and a little leftover. However, had she gotten one more point higher on her ACT, she would have had a full-ride equaling 11k MORE per year to cover housing and meals.

 

[NewRVLady]

OP read this-

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/10-things-kids-applying-college/story?id=26897509

It was on a very similar thread you started in Nov where many DISers gave you similar advice you see here

 

[Happy Snowman]

I was slightly exaggerating
OP's DD has almost a 3.2-to me that isn't in the leagues of top kids all applying for scholarships


My brilliant nephew attended a High School for gifted kids 10-12th grade-all started with 4.0-all got into Ivy Leagues & Top Tier Universities, and even he only got a little scholarship $$ (he was one of the top 5 grads and had 35 out of 36 on his ACT)...now at Carnegie Mellon studying computer robotics and artificial Intelligence


Has she taken the ACT or SAT? This should be done THIS SPRING!!

That is because the Ivy's and similar do not GIVE merit awards. I'm sure if they were all that brilliant that they would have had full ride, or close to full ride offers at other schools.

Does that tuition scholarship pay for room and board, fees, health care, books, travel expenses, etc, or just the line item on the bill called 'tuition'? That's what I was getting at. You can get tuition paid for, but there are other expenses as well, not covered under the term tution. Wondered what your defition of 'full tuition' was.

Full tuition, at most schools, means that covers tuition and fees. Part of this is because any awards above the "required" cost of attendance can be taxed. Now there are ways to get around that via various grants or attaching some kind of "work" to the scholarship but usually that is why schools will give full tuition scholarships out vs "full-rides"

I'm well aware of that. I said I doubt claims of "full rides." Many people will claim full ride when they mean full tuition. My DD's tuition is about $7200 per year so her $5000 scholarship covers most of that. That figure does not include fees nor room and board.

I agree that when a lot of people say "full-ride", they really mean full-tuition. I have a friend like that, she keeps saying her DD got a full ride, then complains about how much they are paying each month to cover the rest LOL. She got a mostly full-tuition scholarship and had a second one that is covering most of her tuition. She still has to pay the $10,000ish for room and board, books, etc.

Getting one scholarship that is a full ride is not very common, however, many schools will give out several scholarships that added up, cover all or most of their costs. Also, most schools figure in transportation and "personal expenses" into their costs so it's possible that they would have everything covered. Our kids have all of their costs covered via various merit awards, including books and the excess transportation, etc. that becomes their spending money for the year. The main scholarship is full tuition, which covers tuition, fees and such. They also got a combo of other merit awards for various things that end up covering books, room and board.

OP, one thing with outside scholarships is that often schools will not stack those scholarships, so if you get $2000 from XYZ Company, the college takes $2000 away from the award they gave. I don't agree with the practice but it happens at most schools, not all, but most. Winter of senior year is really when she will be eligible to apply for most of the outside scholarships anyway so it's probably not really worth putting too much time in now.

I have to agree though, with a 3.2, unless she is a underrepresented minority,n or gets a 35 or 36 on her ACT, she won't have a great shot any any big dollars but you certainly do not need a 4.0 to get scholarships......and just an FYI for most, colleges usually remove any weighting so calculate your real chances on their GPA out of a 4.0 scale.

 

[barkley]

That is because the Ivy's and similar do not GIVE merit awards. I'm sure if they were all that brilliant that they would have had full ride, or close to full ride offers at other schools.



Full tuition, at most schools, means that covers tuition and fees. Part of this is because any awards above the "required" cost of attendance can be taxed. Now there are ways to get around that via various grants or attaching some kind of "work" to the scholarship but usually that is why schools will give full tuition scholarships out vs "full-rides"



I agree that when a lot of people say "full-ride", they really mean full-tuition. I have a friend like that, she keeps saying her DD got a full ride, then complains about how much they are paying each month to cover the rest LOL. She got a mostly full-tuition scholarship and had a second one that is covering most of her tuition. She still has to pay the $10,000ish for room and board, books, etc.

Getting one scholarship that is a full ride is not very common, however, many schools will give out several scholarships that added up, cover all or most of their costs. Also, most schools figure in transportation and "personal expenses" into their costs so it's possible that they would have everything covered. Our kids have all of their costs covered via various merit awards, including books and the excess transportation, etc. that becomes their spending money for the year. The main scholarship is full tuition, which covers tuition, fees and such. They also got a combo of other merit awards for various things that end up covering books, room and board.

OP, one thing with outside scholarships is that often schools will not stack those scholarships, so if you get $2000 from XYZ Company, the college takes $2000 away from the award they gave. I don't agree with the practice but it happens at most schools, not all, but most. Winter of senior year is really when she will be eligible to apply for most of the outside scholarships anyway so it's probably not really worth putting too much time in now.

I have to agree though, with a 3.2, unless she is a underrepresented minority,n or gets a 35 or 36 on her ACT, she won't have a great shot any any big dollars but you certainly do not need a 4.0 to get scholarships......and just an FYI for most, colleges usually remove any weighting so calculate your real chances on their GPA out of a 4.0 scale.

re. the stacking principle-it is important to research how individual schools handle this. some do as mentioned above while others work to make any adjustments as beneficial to the students as possible. dd's university does this-they take one application for all university administered scholarships so they can track who is awarded what. students are required to report and turn into the financial aid office any outside scholarships that they are awarded (and we've found that the majority of scholarships send the funds directly to the college of choice's financial aid office to disburse-or refund to the sponsor if a student drops out/drops below full time attendance). as financial aid learns of student outside scholarships they start reducing what they have awarded BUT only after they eliminate (dollar for dollar) any less desirable forms of funding-non subsidized loans first, then subsidized second before they reduce in-house scholarships. we've even been advised to look to if an individual outside scholarship is eligible for deferral to another academic year because it can be beneficial if your student gets to the point where an outside will reduce an in-house dollar for dollar to defer the outside until the following academic year when there's the possibility in-house might not be awarded (or as is the case with many sophomores-they are not as generous as when they were incoming freshman).


dd is in the situation where she's had taxes to pay for both freshman and sophomore year due to scholarships that exceed the allowable expenses so she files and pays up, but our CPA says that she is floored by the number of graduates who come in for a first time tax appointment (b/c after graduation they started full time jobs) and are shocked to find out that no only do they need to pay taxes on the scholarships they got for their senior year BUT they also need to do revised returns and pay penalties and fees for the 3 previous years b/c they didn't realize they had taxable scholarship income every year they were attending

 

[Happy Snowman]

re. the stacking principle-it is important to research how individual schools handle this. some do as mentioned above while others work to make any adjustments as beneficial to the students as possible. dd's university does this-they take one application for all university administered scholarships so they can track who is awarded what. students are required to report and turn into the financial aid office any outside scholarships that they are awarded (and we've found that the majority of scholarships send the funds directly to the college of choice's financial aid office to disburse-or refund to the sponsor if a student drops out/drops below full time attendance). as financial aid learns of student outside scholarships they start reducing what they have awarded BUT only after they eliminate (dollar for dollar) any less desirable forms of funding-non subsidized loans first, then subsidized second before they reduce in-house scholarships. we've even been advised to look to if an individual outside scholarship is eligible for deferral to another academic year because it can be beneficial if your student gets to the point where an outside will reduce an in-house dollar for dollar to defer the outside until the following academic year when there's the possibility in-house might not be awarded (or as is the case with many sophomores-they are not as generous as when they were incoming freshman).


dd is in the situation where she's had taxes to pay for both freshman and sophomore year due to scholarships that exceed the allowable expenses so she files and pays up, but our CPA says that she is floored by the number of graduates who come in for a first time tax appointment (b/c after graduation they started full time jobs) and are shocked to find out that no only do they need to pay taxes on the scholarships they got for their senior year BUT they also need to do revised returns and pay penalties and fees for the 3 previous years b/c they didn't realize they had taxable scholarship income every year they were attending

How can they not know??? The school has to send out the 1098-T???? Do they just ignore those???

 

[barkley]

How can they not know??? The school has to send out the 1098-T???? Do they just ignore those???

I'm guessing so, and it will be even easier for them to do this now that some school's (like dd's) are taking advantage of the non mailed option (1098s are posted to the student's account on-line and have to be printed out). I think there's also a general lack of knowledge among the students and a significant population of the parents. dd has friends whose parents tell them to save all the receipts for books and expenses so the parents can take one of the dependent tax credits but they don't do a return for the student or think to tell them to do one on their own. every year around march the student newspaper does a poll and asks students if they are ready for tax time, and the majority respond "I don't have a job so I don't have to worry about it"

 

[JanaDee]

Our son is a sophomore this year. I think we'd know by now if we were mistaken about what his award was. Our state schools don't play games like that. Not sure what your point is here. Does anything you have to offer here negate my suggestion that she do everything possible to get her daughter ready for the ACT (or SAT depending on region of the country)?

She just wanted to tell everyone for the umpteenth time her kid went to MIT.

 

[Happy Snowman]

Around here, 'full tuition' means just that - only tuition (around $860 for a state school) and does not touch the various 'fees' tacked on. For example, there's a $4k+ curriculum fee. Does it mean that your son got a full scholarship because of ACT scores, or just a tuition scholarship?

That's one thing everyone has to watch out for - the way colleges charge for tuition/fees/services. In MA, a student that gets advanced on the MCAS state testing gets free tuition to a state school, but as shown above, that pays for very little.

Also look at "needs based" funding for each college. Some fund with grants only, others consider Stafford loans as part of the funding and expect students to take the loans. Older daughter got tons of grants through MIT and didn't have to pay anything back. Younger daughter will have a small amount of Stafford loans when she graduates.

Financial aid and merit awards are not the same thing. Most financial aid does not have to be paid back, unless it is a loan at any school, however, your income has to be low enough to qualify for financial aid, and most people posting on this thread do not qualify for financial aid.