Questions About Merit Scholarships

[Jazzy]

Still learning about the college application process...

 

I've been doing some reading online about merit scholarships. Is it true that grades/test scores above the 75th percentile for a particular school make the student LIKELY to earn merit scholarships at schools that offer merit money? Or is it still a long shot?

 

I've found a number of schools that might be a good fit for my 11th grader that offer merit scholarships, but they are not guaranteed based on certain test scores and gpa. How would I know whether or not he has a good chance of earning these scholarships?

 

Also, I have been thinking about things I might/might not do differently with younger children. If you were starting out with a freshman who is strong academically and has a variety of interests, and you want to help the student along a path that would end in the likely outcome of a college scholarship, what kind checklist do you have in mind in terms of things the student should have/do? I'm not looking for a particular path, just a general idea of what makes a student competitive for merit money.

[JanetC]

I use collegedata.com for my guesstimates on merit

 

Look up a college, click on the money matters tab, see the percentage of students without financial need who got merit. That's where I would want to aim.

 

If X percent of those kids got merit, you want to be in the top X percent of the admitted pool.

[GoodGrief]

It really varies according to the school and the scholarship. "Likely" is probably a strong word if we are talking about competitive full-tuition or full-ride scholarships, unless the school has stated that such a scholarship is automatic. There's a wide range for "merit", from a drop in the bucket token amount to funds that significantly cover costs.

 

A school's NPC usually factors in scholarships for which the student would be automatically eligible. However, it does not factor in the competitive scholarships.

 

The College Confidential financial aid and parent forums really can be educational, if a bit discouraging initially.

 

Junior year is an important year, as it is the last full year scholarship committees see. If your student has been on a solid academic path, he will want to continue that, with classes that challenge him and good grades. If he has stumbled a bit in the past, this is the year to show growth and certainty that he is prepared for college. I would have him prep hard for the upcoming PSAT, and plan to be well prepared for the SAT either this fall, or in the spring, so that he's got time for a retake. If he hasn't done any SAT subject tests or AP exams, it's time to consider doing that, with adequate preparation. AP exams are in the spring. Testing dates vary for the subject tests, so you want to look at the College Board site and plan ahead. Summer is sometimes a good time for that.

 

Work on writing. Essays are a huge part of scholarship consideration.

 

When it comes to competitive scholarships, extracurricular activities are often important. These can take a variety of forms (volunteer work, employment, sports, fine arts, academic pursuits, etc), but "leadership" and "community service" are two aspects that are often emphasized for the big scholarships. If he has activities that he currently enjoys, he should look for ways that he could demonstrate personal growth in that activity throughout this year.

 

And he should plan to have a solid senior year schedule. Committees in general like to see a plan for increasing rigor throughout high school, and they will look at grades mid-year and at the end of the year.

 

The plan to select a "safety" school (one that you know you can afford and that he will want to attend) is a good one. If he is a strong student with a solid chance at large competitive scholarships, he may want to consider applying widely, keeping in mind that though this can have a big payoff in the end, it is a more expensive way to go. There will be costs incurred, not just for app fees, but also for travel to interviews and such.

 

 

Edited September 20, 2017 by Gr8lander

[8filltheheart]

I agree with Gr8tlander that likely is too strong of a word for non-automatic scholarships.  I would say being the top 25% of applicants via test scores is the minimum hurdle to jump.

 

Look into how many of each are awarded.  Sometimes it might be only a handful.  See if the profiles of past winners are posted on the school's website.  What sort of outside of academic engagement are they looking for?  Read the school specific site on CC and see if you can find out any info there.

[GoodGrief]

I'll add that another possible factor in a competitive merit award is the committee's opinion on how likely the student is to attend the school after the award is made. This is where showing interest in the school comes into play. Get on the school mailing list early, visit if possible, and show specific knowledge of the school in communications and essays.

[goldberry]

For us, since money was an important deciding factor, we only considered the automatic scholarships when comparing schools.  Heard way too many stories of amazing students who were offered zip.

 

I still wonder out loud if I should have pushed DD into sports for scholarship purposes. So much more money there. :glare:

[Gwen in VA]

We played the scholarship game fairly hard. The kids did apply to in-state schools as backups, but they NEEDED merit aid to attend the schools they wanted to go to.

 

#1 -- Never ever assume that anything (except if they are based exclusively on scores) is likely. Dd1 received a full-tuition scholarship from a school that is almost identical to a school that didn't even accept her. We're still wondering about that -- but the whole admissions / merit aid thing depends very heavily on the individual reader. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

 

#2 -- Cast your net wide. Apply to a wide variety of schools. Sometimes college admissions people "see" things about our kids that we don't, so they put them in baskets and boxes that we wouldn't. If the kid applies only to schools that put him in Box X, that limits his options.

 

#3 -- Instead of worrying about what will look good, try to help your kid develop into as interesting a person as you can. Many people assured me that my future engineer should do Lego Robotics and skip all this weird kite stuff he did, but the colleges he applied to seemed pretty impressed by the kite stuff, the paid-for trip to India, the national awards, etc. Seriously, people told me even AFTER acceptances that he would have done better if he had just stuck within the box and done the more normal stuff. SERIOUSLY? Help your kid become as wild and wooly and out-of-the-box as he wants to! Unusual sticks out in a world of soccer teams, national honor societies, and high school choirs. (I am not saying anything negative about those activities -- merely that they are "normal")

 

#4 -- Do remember that you cannot control the college application process, but you can strongly influence your child's education. Give your child a great education, help him develop his interests and passions, and know that you have helped grow a great person. Let the college stuff take care of itself!

 

[catz]

 

 

I still wonder out loud if I should have pushed DD into sports for scholarship purposes. So much more money there. :glare:

 

I really doubt it actually pays for more than just a handful.  I have a kid that is looking at applying to music schools.  He has been taking piano for 11 1/2 years.  He has perfect pitch, can sight read, accompany, has been playing advanced repertoire for several years, etc.  His piano teacher is proposing he audition for all sorts of crazy high end competitive programs I don't even think he would like.  He may be in a good position for talent based scholarships at some programs.  But I would literally be embarrassed to put in print how much money we have put into letting this kid pursue music.  I have no regrets.  It hasn't always been but it is becoming his vocation and passion.  But I know people dropping many thousands of dollars per year to let their kids pursue sports at a high level and many of those won't even play in college.   Our neighbors were just talking about a $250 hockey stick for their middle schooler.  Heck my brother is spending thousands on his 5th grader playing a couple sports. :huh:   I think these activities are great if you can afford them.  I just think the likelihood of any kind of payout at college time is unlikely given the financial investment involvement much of the time.  

 

[katilac]

Our experience was that top 25% made it likely to be offered something, but for the bigger money, you really need to be top 10-15%. 

[Jazzy]

When you say apply widely is that referring to the number of schools? If so, about how many?

[snowbeltmom]

 

 

I still wonder out loud if I should have pushed DD into sports for scholarship purposes. So much more money there. :glare:

 

If it makes you feel any better, the amount of money you would have spent throughout your daughter's youth in order for her to be competitive enough to play sports at the college level would have far outweighed any athletic scholarship money she would have received.

 

There is not as much athletic money out there as many believe (especially for a male). Many times you can't believe what you hear when it comes to sports and scholarship money.  For example, I have had parents tell me that their kid received a full athletic scholarship when their kid is attending either an Ivy or a D3 school.  I just smile and nod, but most people don't know the reality and believe them.

 

[teachermom2834]

 

If it makes you feel any better, the amount of money you would have spent throughout your daughter's youth in order for her to be competitive enough to play sports at the college level would have far outweighed any athletic scholarship money she would have received.

 

There is not as much athletic money out there as many believe (especially for a male). Many times you can't believe what you hear when it comes to sports and scholarship money. For example, I have had parents tell me that their kid received a full athletic scholarship when their kid is attending either an Ivy or a D3 school. I just smile and nod, but most people don't know the reality and believe them.

 

Oh yes, this. My son's sport is baseball and we know many kids who went D1. Even at SEC schools they got partial scholarships at best and many are walk ons paying their own way. The head coach of the local SEC baseball team was on the radio one day and said "if you hear someone say they got a full baseball scholarship do not believe them. It just doesn't happen".

 

I know it does happen in very rare cases but I wouldn't ever suggest people plunk time and/or money into a sport for an athletic scholarship. I always told people their money would be better spent on tutors and test prep than sports if scholarship money was the goal.

 

My son plays D3 and has academic scholarships and financial aid. I hear people we know talk about him getting a baseball scholarship and I always correct them so as not to keep perpetuating the idea that baseball pays off in scholarships.

[8filltheheart]

When you say apply widely is that referring to the number of schools? If so, about how many?

Since scholarships are absolutely necessary for my kids, applying widely meant researching schools where their stats guaranteed scholarships that brought them within budget and schools where their profiles made them competitive for top scholarship consideration. After we generated that list, they selected schools they knew they would be happy to attend and we could afford and applied to 2-3 of those and then around 5 schools where they were competitive for top scholarships.

 

The goal was to ensure they had options in the spring and could make a choice based on where they had "grown" in the spring. (My kids have tended to mature a lot in their views about college during the process and what they think in the fall may not match what they believe in the spring. Having options is good.)

[Plateau Mama]

For us, since money was an important deciding factor, we only considered the automatic scholarships when comparing schools. Heard way too many stories of amazing students who were offered zip.

 

I still wonder out loud if I should have pushed DD into sports for scholarship purposes. So much more money there. :glare:

Unless you are playing D1 there isn't any money in sports. If you have to push your kid into sports there is no way they are playing D1. Even at D1 they only get a handful of scholarships a year. Most of the time they spread them around by offering 1/2 or 1/4 scholarships. (They might get 2 full scholarships and they can break it up to 4- 1/4 scholarships, 1 full.). Also keep in mind D1 is a year around commitment. 40 hours per week. Lots of travel in season.

 

What happens when your child gets injured and loses the scholarship? We told our DD that althletic scholarship $$ is not going to be figured in our COA. It is just a bonus.

 

I know a gal who got a full ride to play soccer. She got to the school, summer session, loved the teammates and hated playing college soccer. Hated it. When she decided to drop soccer almost every one of the teammates came to her and said they were only playing because their parents are making them or they couldn't afford to go to school without the scholarship.

 

We told

[goldberry]

Of course you guys are right about sports.  In addition, I have a DD who regularly walks into walls, so there's that!

 

Our state schools (which DD wanted to attend) offer very little in the way of merit.  That was frustrating.  She did not want to go out of state.  There are a couple of private colleges with better offers, but one is crazy selective and DD did not want the stress of that process.  I encouraged her to give it a shot, but she didn't want to. The other is religious, and she rejected that one for a few different reasons. 

 

So when we were touring, it was frustrating to meet other parents with kids on a full swimming scholarship, a full soccer scholarship, etc. at schools where the *maximum* merit aid was just a drop in the bucket.

 

We were part of a competitive science team with lots of really sharp kids.  Several of them ended up with sports scholarships rather than academics.  The ones that got good merit scholarships had to go out of state.  It was just frustrating.  I guess my point is that the good scholarships don't always match up with what a kid's desires or needs are.

[teachermom2834]

Living in a state without affordable in-state options would be very frustrating. Even if the state schools aren't a first choice knowing we have access to them at reasonable cost is comforting.

 

I feel for those that don't have the state universities as a reasonable option.

[Julie of KY]

It's frustrating for me that I feel like my boys can get much more money going out of state rather than staying in town at the flagship university. It certainly was true of my oldest. We will be casting a wide net for the second because I don't feel like we have a good safety in state - his safety (easy admit and good automatic money) is six hours away. My kids would be sure to be admitted, but even with very competitive resumes the merit money is somewhat random.

[GoodGrief]

When you say apply widely is that referring to the number of schools? If so, about how many?

 

That's a personal decision and depends on your financial situation, and your student's ability to generate essays and such. Costs beyond application fees include the fees to send test scores, potential fees from dual enrollment institutions, travel costs for visits (which may be required if he is selected to interview for a scholarship.)

 

My last college applicant had a higher than typical number of schools on her list...about 19 in the end, which included our 2 in-state schools. In her case though, extreme uncertainty about the sort of school she wanted and geographic isolation/decreased ability to visit schools before applying played a role.

 

Certainly you want to research schools and make sure each one to which he is choosing to apply is a fit as far as programs and such, not simply on the potential availability for scholarships. And then I would encourage him to prioritize the list, in case he does begin to experience some application fatigue.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

We played the scholarship game fairly hard. The kids did apply to in-state schools as backups, but they NEEDED merit aid to attend the schools they wanted to go to.

 

#1 -- Never ever assume that anything (except if they are based exclusively on scores) is likely. Dd1 received a full-tuition scholarship from a school that is almost identical to a school that didn't even accept her. We're still wondering about that -- but the whole admissions / merit aid thing depends very heavily on the individual reader. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

 

#2 -- Cast your net wide. Apply to a wide variety of schools. Sometimes college admissions people "see" things about our kids that we don't, so they put them in baskets and boxes that we wouldn't. If the kid applies only to schools that put him in Box X, that limits his options.

 

#3 -- Instead of worrying about what will look good, try to help your kid develop into as interesting a person as you can. Many people assured me that my future engineer should do Lego Robotics and skip all this weird kite stuff he did, but the colleges he applied to seemed pretty impressed by the kite stuff, the paid-for trip to India, the national awards, etc. Seriously, people told me even AFTER acceptances that he would have done better if he had just stuck within the box and done the more normal stuff. SERIOUSLY? Help your kid become as wild and wooly and out-of-the-box as he wants to! Unusual sticks out in a world of soccer teams, national honor societies, and high school choirs. (I am not saying anything negative about those activities -- merely that they are "normal")

 

#4 -- Do remember that you cannot control the college application process, but you can strongly influence your child's education. Give your child a great education, help him develop his interests and passions, and know that you have helped grow a great person. Let the college stuff take care of itself!

This is a great post. Help your kids be the best them possible.

 

Some schools will decide they are essential parts of the incoming class and some won't.

[daijobu]

 

 

So when we were touring, it was frustrating to meet other parents with kids on a full swimming scholarship, a full soccer scholarship, etc. at schools where the *maximum* merit aid was just a drop in the bucket.

 

 

 

If it makes you feel better, from what I understand about these athletes (not from personal experience), it's not like they are getting free money.  They must continue to devote a lot of time to their sport while they are in college, more like a job.  And it preclude all but the most accomplished students from pursuing demanding majors.  

 

But yeah, why can't academic merit match the sports scholarships?  

[Jazzy]

Thanks, everyone! This info has been very helpful.

 

Do colleges ever award more merit money than what is listed on their websites?

[Gwen in VA]

 

Do colleges ever award more merit money than what is listed on their websites?

 

Yes, colleges can give whatever aid they want to whomever they want.

 

My kids have received several merit scholarships that were either for more than we thought they would be or for scholarships that weren't listed on the website.

 

Also, my kids have received stacked scholarships -- two scholarships for half-tuition translates to one full-tuition scholarship! (Many schools do not stack their scholarships, but some do!)

 

[MysteryJen]

There is money for girls sports. Quite a bit if your child is pretty decent and ambitious about getting it. D1, D2 and NAIA all have money and many schools will stack athletic and academic money. And it depends on the expense of the sport. All sports cost, but some (looking at you, tennis) have costs above and beyond what we paid for swimming. Now, we would have paid money for sports for our girls even if there were no scholarships available. Because they loved it and it was good for them. It is akin to music/dance/drama for other people. For us, sports have value in and of themselves.

 

For boys, assume no money in sports. That way you will not be disappointed. 

 

We are big fans of automatic scholarships and have targeted college searches based on them. No use applying or getting in to a school you know from the outset you cannot afford.