Do privatge colleges still give full tuittion scholarships...

[Michelle in AL]

Back in the day, dh was offered 3 full tuition scholarships in Alabama. One to Univ of So. AL, one to Spring Hill College and one to Birmingham Southern, for his ACT score of 30.

 

Are you finding that private colleges still offer this for ACTs of 30 or greater? If not, what kind of scholarships are you finding they offer?

 

I'm trying to estimate how much we'll have to pay.

[newbie]

:bigear:

 

I am wondering the same thing, we are getting merit, but that only covers half, out of three, no full yet.

 

But, she does not have a 30 ACT.

[Halftime Hope]

some give full-ride (everything!), some give full-ride plus a stipend, and some give full or partial tuition.

 

Check with the colleges. Most offer enough to take the edge off, but leave you with a hefty bill, unless you have a phenomenal student.

See previous threads on this board. :)

 

 

Back in the day, dh was offered 3 full tuition scholarships in Alabama. One to Univ of So. AL, one to Spring Hill College and one to Birmingham Southern, for his ACT score of 30.

 

Are you finding that private colleges still offer this for ACTs of 30 or greater? If not, what kind of scholarships are you finding they offer?

 

I'm trying to estimate how much we'll have to pay.

[JFSinIL]

The best scholarships ds has gotten, tops for the schools he applied to, have been about half the costs of attending, at best. The few who have full tuition scholarships have made a competition out of it, not automatically granting the money based on tests scores or GPA. One school ds was one of 700 kids trying out for 20 full tuition scholarships over four weekends of interviews, essays, etc. at the campus. (no, he did not get one.)

 

You'd have to look at individual schools to see what their top merit awards are. Ds got top awards of $16,000 per year and $18,500 per year...but the schools cost over $40,000.

[creekland]

Different colleges do things differently. At those my son applied to one had automatic merit aid (check the list, see what you get) with no extra competition and they didn't offer full scholarships to anyone (to my knowledge). My son did get MORE than was on the list, so it was a minimum guarantee.

 

At both other colleges they had competitions - lots of students, few scholarships. The minimum ACT to get invited to one was 31. I don't recall the minimum for the other. While my son didn't win one of the top named scholarships, what he got offered from the college ended up being pretty much a full tuition scholarship (though 5K of that was in loans). Since that one was his first choice college, we opted not to go to the other competition. Even though he didn't go to that competition, they still sent a letter later offering more aid than the minimum they offered to those that got invited. I guess they were hopeful he'd change his mind. I may be a little biased, but I think he was an attractive candidate for each place he applied.

 

It's not an exhaustive list, but checking for colleges on this list of Colleges that go the extra mile... is a good starting point. The one my son is attending is on this list, but that's not why he's going there. He's going there because it has the best program for his major and is a good fit for him.

 

http://www.insidecollege.com/reno/The-Experts-Choice-Colleges-that-Go-the-Extra-Mile-to-Make-It-Financially-Possible-to-Attend/352/list.do

 

Otherwise, the general "rule" is the lower the stats are for incoming students, the more a high score will get merit aid as schools are trying to increase their scores. Just beware that sending a student to a VERY undermatched school (for them) is likely to lead to an inferior education compared to a higher matched school (assuming academic majors - NOT music, art, PE, and other non traditional academic deals where the scores won't have any correlation). Professors can only teach to the level of students they have. While incoming scores aren't an absolute to the individual, they most certainly do match overall ability. Sometimes an inferior education matters. Sometimes students get bored with it. Be certain to get a good match for the student and what they want to do with their future. While $$ are important, they aren't everything. We eliminated schools below a certain number from consideration right at the beginning and I don't regret it at all. I want my son studying with academic peers to a certain extent.

[JFSinIL]

d

It's not an exhaustive list, but checking for colleges on this list of Colleges that go the extra mile... is a good starting point.

 

http://www.insidecollege.com/reno/The-Experts-Choice-Colleges-that-Go-the-Extra-Mile-to-Make-It-Financially-Possible-to-Attend/352/list.do

 

 

 

One of the colleges my son just turned down (!!!) is on that list... and just sent a letter noting that if it is finances that are the stumbling block, to give them a call!!!!

[mcconnellboys]

National Merit Scholars get full rides even to private colleges still, but I don't know about others....

[creekland]

One other thing we've come across. Most colleges want diversity in geographical homes of their students. Therefore, one can often get better scholarships from a school farther from home that doesn't pull in as many applications from your area. If your student doesn't want to come home every weekend, this can be worth consideration.

[Michelle in AL]

Thanks everybody, we're touring our 1st campuses on Monday and Tuesday. It appears that all 3 offer some type of full tuition, although it's not clear how many of those scholarships are given out.

 

Thanks too Creekland for the list, 2 of what I think are her "reach" choices are on there: Emory and Davidson. 2 other colleges that I hadn't really considered are close by to us: Tulane and Loyola New Orleans. Anyone know anything about either of these?

 

This week we'll tour UAB, Samford University and Birmingham Southern. I'll report back in case anyone is interested.

[newbie]

DD's nbr 1 pick is on the list. We havent heard yet, please pray its a full ride.

[choirfarm]

 

It's not an exhaustive list, but checking for colleges on this list of Colleges that go the extra mile... is a good starting point. The one my son is attending is on this list, but that's not why he's going there. He's going there because it has the best program for his major and is a good fit for him.

 

http://www.insidecollege.com/reno/The-Experts-Choice-Colleges-that-Go-the-Extra-Mile-to-Make-It-Financially-Possible-to-Attend/352/list.do

.

 

Ok, grin..the only two Texas schools that are on the list are Rice.. IF IF IF you can get in. This one is like Harvard or Yale, so getting in is the hard part and then SMU, which in my mind is an expensive party school. At least is was "back in the day." I also didn't go there because it was too close to home, but never looked at that school seriously.

[creekland]

Ok, grin..the only two Texas schools that are on the list are Rice.. IF IF IF you can get in. This one is like Harvard or Yale, so getting in is the hard part and then SMU, which in my mind is an expensive party school. At least is was "back in the day." I also didn't go there because it was too close to home, but never looked at that school seriously.

 

I've never looked into how they made their lists. They claim to have experts - and not all schools on lists are ones that appear to donate money to the site (a plus in my mind). I have browsed several other of their lists and looked at schools we are interested in to see what lists they are on. It's interesting to look at, but like anything else, just a start in the "selecting colleges to further investigate" process.

 

Rice is one my middle son might consider... :001_smile: SMU has never appeared on our radar.

 

I'm not sure we want as far from home as Rice is and my son was turned off reading about their acceptance/legality of alcohol in the dormrooms, but I told him they are bound to have living areas of students who choose not to follow that scene. I also told him pretty much anywhere he goes there will be a drinking crowd - even if not approved of by the admin. We're not teetotalers ourselves, but there's a difference between the party crowd and us. That said, you have to wonder about a U that advertises it's ok to keep booze in the room. What crowd ARE they trying to appeal to? He's got a point there. It may not stay on our list long. However, their financial tendencies and science research suitability keep it there for now. Whether it makes the cut of places we'll shell out time and money to visit remains to be seen. His list is pretty long.

[choirfarm]

 

I'm not sure we want as far from home as Rice is and my son was turned off reading about their acceptance/legality of alcohol in the dormrooms, but I told him they are bound to have living areas of students who choose not to follow that scene. I also told him pretty much anywhere he goes there will be a drinking crowd - even if not approved of by the admin. We're not teetotalers ourselves, but there's a difference between the party crowd and us. That said, you have to wonder about a U that advertises it's ok to keep booze in the room. What crowd ARE they trying to appeal to? He's got a point there. It may not stay on our list long. However, their financial tendencies and science research suitability keep it there for now. Whether it makes the cut of places we'll shell out time and money to visit remains to be seen. His list is pretty long.

 

Very interesting. I hadn't heard that. In Texas it is known as our Harvard and really brainy kids go there, not partying ones. That said, you can find anything you want at any campus: partying at a religious one etc. The scores are so high to get in and it has many more requirements than other schools, but it has a REALLY good academic reputation...so much so that my oldest doesn't even want to try. He says he can't get in.

[creekland]

Very interesting. I hadn't heard that. In Texas it is known as our Harvard and really brainy kids go there, not partying ones. That said, you can find anything you want at any campus: partying at a religious one etc. The scores are so high to get in and it has many more requirements than other schools, but it has a REALLY good academic reputation...so much so that my oldest doesn't even want to try. He says he can't get in.

 

My middle son should be competitive anywhere he wants to try to get in. At that level, nothing is guaranteed, of course, as it is competitive. I'm pretty sure he told me the alcohol tidbit after reading about the school on Princeton Review's site. It's one of the main ones he goes to after receiving his mail every day. I can't guarantee it though - and he's gone on a youth retreat for the weekend, so I can't ask.

 

The other negative mark on Rice's line is that they get a "yellow" on political tolerance from Choosing the Right College. We tend to be Libertarian/Conservative, so I'm really unsure about him going to a less than politically tolerant place. Again though, we won't know for sure until we visit and get a feel ourselves (IF Rice makes the cut for a visit). There are other places with less (or different) negative marks. So far, the University of Rochester only has one mark in that column... winter weather!

 

Next year will be a big one for us when figuring out who to visit. For now, he's just gathering info. He's a sophomore.

[choirfarm]

 

The other negative mark on Rice's line is that they get a "yellow" on political tolerance from Choosing the Right College. .

 

Interesting. I've never heard of the yellow/green and so I googled and found the site. That could be really helpful. It was funny to read about Southwestern. My grandparents went there. My dad got a full scholarship to Yale and my grandparents were appalled at how it was "ruining" their son and made him withdraw and go to Southwestern his junior year to a conservative Methodist school so he could relearn his values. It was between Southwestern and Baylor for me. I had no idea it had gotten so liberal, but then it is close to Austin which is AWFUL... It is a completely different world there.

 

Christine

[creekland]

Interesting. I've never heard of the yellow/green and so I googled and found the site. That could be really helpful.

 

I'm finding it helpful for the colleges it covers. It doesn't cover them all though. I'm hoping they are going to add more. I hadn't thought a whole lot about it until we watched the documentary, "Indoctrinate U." That was pretty eye opening and has made us more aware of looking for colleges that care less about politics and more about education. Several are connecting the two, and unless you are part of that connection (already agree with political views) it seems like it'd be a fairly miserable place to spend 4 years.

 

That said, we don't feel the need for a school that 100% mirrors our views either. Ideally, a mix is nice as it's important to understand all views IMO, but with tolerance. However, I think I'd pick one that aligned more with us than one that is slanted the other way if we had to choose just for personal preference. Ideally for him (his words paraphrased) he wants one where he can learn about science and research without politics getting involved. It bugged him in Indoctrinate U how many students were saying profs were involving politics in things like Organic Chem - not related to the subject at all - just preaching their views. (For what it's worth, Rice was not one of the U's portrayed in the movie.)

 

Anyway... we've gotten far off the original thread and I need to hit the grocery store as I was working all week and couldn't bring myself to go there after work. Just sharing info otherwise. Folks can take it or leave it as they desire! To each our own. I know I've appreciated gleaning info from others when we've been searching... since this college search thing is so easy... :tongue_smilie:

[emubird]

My daughter is getting offered about 2/3 tuition scholarships at the several schools she applied to. She got over a 30 on the ACT (30 seems to be the cutoff for these schools). She also has a 4.0 in the college classes she's taken in high school. The average ACT scores at these schools is somewhere in the 23-28 range.

 

She's been taking classes at the college with the highest average ACT scores of the group she applied to. There were a number of further scholarships at that school that she applied to, but she didn't get any of them. She finds that a little odd, as she's discovered that she really hasn't run into any intellectual peers at this school, so we're not sure who's getting the scholarships. She must be in classes with kids who got them in previous years, but, well, the level of intelligence and motivation being displayed by her fellow students is remarkably unremarkable. All we can figure is that they're awarding full tuition based on things other than the student's ability. It's probably not so much extracurriculars that they're looking at (i.e, they're probably not awarding these to oboe players because they happen to need an oboe player as these scholarships were strictly for science students and I don't think the committees awarding them had any input from the rest of the college). If they were just looking at extracurricular activities, I don't think my daughter would have been at any disadvantage in that area.

 

Right now she's leaning toward the school with the lower average ACT scores. Not only did they give her a bit more money, but her interactions with those students at scholarship weekends impressed her a lot more than the kids at similar weekends at the other school. They just seem more engaged. Also, I happen to work at this school in the dept she wants to go into, and when we compare notes on students abilities and intellectual curiosity, it does seem that this lower ACT school actually has more kids in the dept she's interested in who seem to get what's going on. And the professors seem pretty similar between the schools (about the same number of really good teachers, the same number who lecture by just reading the textbook to the class, etc)

 

I don't know why the "lower" ACT school seems like it has the somewhat more involved, smarter kids. I wonder if the dept she's interested in (physics) just attracts all the smart kids in that school. Or maybe ACT scores don't tell very much of the story as to how kids do in college. If the school with the higher ACT average is just trying to get their average up, they may be attracting in a lot of kids who only have high ACTs going for them and nothing else. Or the school might be cooking their averages by not including a lot of groups in the scores they report.

 

I'm just coming to the conclusion that looking at the average ACT or SAT scores at a school probably isn't very enlightening. It may tell you something about how much scholarship money you might hope for, but it may not say much about the intellectual ability of the students.

[coopers5]

Just want to say: my daughter was selected to receive one of the Johnson scholarships at Washington & Lee University, a private liberal arts school in Lexington, VA.

It is a full ride+ scholarship. Absolutely astounding. (over $50K/yr in value)

So, when I saw this thread, I felt it was appropriate to place this news here. Yes, some private schools do offer full rides. They all have different programs, different kinds of money available. You just have to research. She applied for this, got selected for the competition. They pay your way to campus, a trip during which you are interviewed twice for one of the coveted Johnson scholarships.

I'm so proud of her and thankful to God.

 

JC

[Halftime Hope]

You must be *so* proud of her; goodness, what an accomplishment! Way to go, mama and daughter!:hurray:

 

 

 

Just want to say: my daughter was selected to receive one of the Johnson scholarships at Washington & Lee University, a private liberal arts school in Lexington, VA.

It is a full ride+ scholarship. Absolutely astounding. (over $50K/yr in value)

So, when I saw this thread, I felt it was appropriate to place this news here. Yes, some private schools do offer full rides. They all have different programs, different kinds of money available. You just have to research. She applied for this, got selected for the competition. They pay your way to campus, a trip during which you are interviewed twice for one of the coveted Johnson scholarships.

I'm so proud of her and thankful to God.

 

JC

[Jane in NC]

Hurray for your daughter and you! Congratulations with an extra pat on the back to you for a job well done!

 

Wow!

 

Jane

[Kathy in Richmond]

What wonderful news! Congratulations to you and your daughter!

 

~Kathy

[Michelle in AL]

What great news JC! I have a younger dd who is interested in Washington and Lee too.

[creekland]

Just want to say: my daughter was selected to receive one of the Johnson scholarships at Washington & Lee University, a private liberal arts school in Lexington, VA.

It is a full ride+ scholarship. Absolutely astounding. (over $50K/yr in value)

 

 

Congratulations!!!

[mcconnellboys]

Exactly. And some schools really want to pull from certain areas it seems, too. So my son was absolutely courted by some schools, while others an equal distance away in another direction were not that interested at all....