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My son, a senior, has been named a semi-finalist......can someone give me some feedback on what type of college scholarships anyone has received or their child has received?
I am trying to get as much information as possible to plan. He is taking the SAT again next month to see if he can better his score. Unfortunately for college, he is not a "need" case....meaning we do not qualify for the 'need based" programs. So, his education will be out-of-pocket and we would love to get a full ride, if possible.
The National Merit Program does have some great money. The bad news is that most of those scholarships are restricted to certain types of students. Such as....a parent has to work for xyz corporation, or of Swedish descent, or going to study nursing, just all sorts of things. The major colleges will also sponsor several, but the student must designate that particular college as their first choice when they take their SAT. Certain ethnic groups also qualify for some. We have a an old family story about an Indian ancestor that would have qualified my boys, but that's all it was....an old family story, no proof and the only living person that would know, denied it.
To give you an idea of how it works. A boy at my church scored in the 86 percentile. His father worked for one of the sponsoring organizations. He got a full scholarship. All three of my sons scored in the 99 percentile, one was even in this boy's class. One of them got a $200 LOAN and that was all any of them received. One girl was a Luthern Minister's daughter and got a 50 thousand dollar scholarship from one of the national Luthern organization. She also scored lower than my son.
You can get a booklet that will list all the sponsoring groups. You may find he qualifies for one.
There are National Merit scholarships sponsored by National Merit, and Merit scholarships sponsored by colleges and others sponsored by corporations. Semi-finalists should talk to their high school counselors about what's available to their particular situation. Be sure to ask about community-sponsored scholarships like the Elks Lodge or the Jaycees, many will offer a small merit-based award, and those small monies add up. Also, if your son has a particular college in mind, talk to their financial aid advisors. Even if you've been determined a non-need qualifier, the financial aid office will know of merit-based programs and other alternative aid programs available to you. Establishing a relationship with the financial aid office will definitely work in your behalf. Be aware also, that some financial aid packages decline over the four years; it's presumed that the student has more vested in the school over the years and will be reluctant to transfer. I do know of some National Merit Scholars who transferred to obtain fresh financial packages. If you are not need-based, investigate in-state schools, both private and public. Many state institutions offer free tuition to Merit Scholars.
PS---The naming of the college as a top-choice thing isn't written in stone, the schools know they are dealing with 17-year olds. The top-choice can be changed.
PS---The naming of the college as a top-choice thing isn't written in stone, the schools know they are dealing with 17-year olds. The top-choice can be changed.
Good to know.....he is actually only 16 right now and it seems quite difficult to make such a huge decision at this age!!!
It makes it even more difficult because his major, Middle Eastern Studies, is not offered everywhere so the pool of schools get much more select.
Thanks for the input. On another note, do schools send offer letters, spelling out what they are offering?
I wish I count have taken a course on this when I was taking lamaze (sp) classes
First you'll get a ton of literature from schools all over the country. You may also get phone calls. There will be invitations to take tours, and personal letters from college admissions officers. Some schools have students involved in the recruiting process who will offer to host your son and let him get a feel for what living on campus is like.
In my experience, you won't receive financial packages until after he's applied and been accepted. It really pays to spell out to the admissions director what you hope to receive, because, frankly, the admissions director can communicate to the financial aid director that they really, really want your son, and while schools might deny it, this can influence the financial aid package. Also, if school B has put together a really good package, but your son has his heart set on school A, tell the admissions director. School A may not be able to match school B, but they might be able to sweeten the deal a little. It's not like buying a used car, but there is negotiation involved.
He will probably start getting tons of stuff from every college you ever heard of. They all love to get the students that will boost the general IQ level of their students. He will probably get some that will be willing to go a little extra in order to get him.
His interest in the Middle Eastern Studies may be an important factor. Any school with a good department in that area might be well worth extra investigation. They might have special scholarship aid just for that. If his school counselor is worth anything, he/she should be able to come up with a list of those schools.
I can't begin to tell you what it means when he gets that acceptance letter. (I have to brag a little now.) We were new to the whole business with our oldest, so he applied to several on a Monday. Imagine how we felt when he got his letter by return mail from his first choice!!! We had a happy, happy weekend!
So, by both your responses, I get the idea that after he starts applying and gets accepted, then we may see offers come in....correct?? I am trying to get the timeline down. He has picked about ten schools to apply to.....we have told him to apply whenever he is really interested in studying because this is his chance to see the opportunites out there. He also has a younger sister, so this gives us a little experience when it is her turn:-)
As you said, Pad, it will be a weekend of celebration when we start to get those letters!!!! Congrats to your oldest.....where did he attend??
DC....thanks for the heads up on the "negotiations".:-)
Yes, he'll gets tons of literature inviting him to apply to just about every school you've ever heard of and then some, but like a credit card, an invitation to apply isn't a guaranteed acceptance. The schools weight applications in order to meet diversity profiles. High SAT scores are not the only considerations. But once he's received his acceptance letters, then the financial aid office will begin its process. And remember that it is a process, so you should feel free to contact them and inform them of any special circumstances, or significant changes in your financial picture. If you don't feel comfortable contacting the financial aid office yourself, use the admissions personnel. And have fun, because it sounds like you have a special child.
First off, you need to get to the Finalist stage for anything useful to come of it. Assuming you become a finalist, there are a bunch of schools who offer full ride scholarships. They are usually Tier 3 public universities, who are basically paying to increase their reputation. I have the National Merit Scholarship at ASU (Arizona State) for example. I have a tuition waver (which has been grandfathered out-- the younger classes now get a flat cash award) plus some money which partially covers living expenses. I'll be graduating next May. If you have questions about ASU, feel free to ask me. I know that university of Arizona has a similar deal-- slightly less cash though. The best deal I've seen is at OU (Oklahoma)-- full ride tuition that covers up to FIVE years-- including 1 year of graduate school, including summer sessions, free room and board.
Oh, by the way, you and your son probably don't want to hear this, and nobody asked for my opinion, but I would drop the Middle Eastern Studies major idea.
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