What I've learned about full-ride scholarships

[fudgemaster]

Instead of looking for full ride scholarships from schools, couldn't you apply to scholarships that weren't so restrictive to which school that you must attend? There are a lot of scholarship programs that allow you to use the scholarship money at any college of your choice.

And I am a bit dubious about the caliber of education at these honor colleges in the third and fourth tier. I was offered a full ride scholarship at a second-tier state college, but ultimately declined the offer because the academic rigor wasn't comparable to that of the top universities.

[dstark]

I don't get the criticism of the OP or the choice. If you don't like the way the OP is handling the college process, then don't do it her way.

People don't have to criticize, or say I did it this way instead.

MomfromTexas did it in a way that fit her family. MomfromTexas, thanks for sharing.

[HImom]

Thanks for the perspective, TexasMom. My son is a NMF & applying to 2 schools that offer full-rides to NMFs. He's also applying to some other schools & we'll see how everything sorts out come April. It's good to have conversations & options.
For our parts, hubby & I both scored high on the SAT & went to state Us & did just fine. My sibblings & in-laws also were good students & scored well on the SATs & all went to in-state U & did fine & ALL got into the grad programs we wanted (law school, masters in special ed at UMichigan, med school).

There are many routes to getting what we want & need. I loved going to the OOS large U. I enjoyed creating an honors program in my major, working directly with faculty in my major, being a teaching assistant as a sophomore, holding a national office in the YWCA, co-chairing the Board of Directors of campus Y & so much else. I honestly don't believe I or my sibs were short-changed by going to public Us, even if they didn't have the "rank" or "tier" of privates & even the UCs. Wouldn't have traded my college experiences for anything!
We all were able to begin our careers after college & grad school nearly debt-free, so we could save to buy homes of our own, etc.

My brother who went to top tier private for 2 years as transfer undergrad & got his BS there felt UCSF was fine med school, where he matriculated & graduated (tho he was accepted EVERYWHERE--including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, etc. he applied). Upon graduation, he got into every residency & internship he applied for & also got every job he's ever applied for.

[HImom]

She's giving advice--folks can choose to take it or ignore it. She's not FORCING anyone to agree with her advice or values but dumping on someone because their values differ from yours is very UNCOOL! I think folks at CC are wise enough to recognize their own values & decide for themselves whether advice is consistent or inconsistent with those values.

[xiggi]

Hmmm, why thumbing your nose at a free ride at a full ride at a Tier 4 school? Schools listed in that category are not exactly community or junior colleges!
Why criticizing momfromtexas for solving her admissions puzzle in a way that fits her budget and seems to make her children happy? Is she handicapping her children for life by sending them to a finishing school? Hardly!

Do we look down at athletes who PICK a Tier 4 school because the school are powerhouses in specific sports. One such school -also named in this thread- is UT at El Paso (UTEP.) Yes, the school that is shown in the latest feel-good basketball movie. While attending a school in that forgotten little tip of Texas is not for everyone, there are thousands of students who enjoy the school and the possibility to stay closer to their families. What might be less known is that such Tier 4 school DOES have a number of very solid departments that send hundreds of very well prepared students to graduate schools or well paying jobs. For the record, one of my uncles went straight from UTEP to Harvard Medical School.

There are different ways to climb a mountain, even the highest ones!

[patient]

I'm with HImom and dstark and joev and others who appreciate someone who comes on the board and offers, in a nice way, to share information about a certain approach to scholarship and college choice.

Calling someone else's choices "ridiculous" and "misguided" and slinging arrows at someone who is simply sharing information is really not appropriate and is actually counter-productive. Don't you know how to disagree in a polite way?

[eulenspiegel]

"that fits her budget"? Presumably we are talking about parent contribution beyond financial aid, and unwilling to pay for even room and board.

If it is the right thing to do to send you child to U Texas El Paso on a football scholarship, do it. If it is the right thing to do to send your child to a 4th tier honors college because it's the right thing to do for your child, do it. If having the child take on such enormous debt that it would hobble her future, don't do it.

If you are so into parents' life style or finances in some other way that you send your child to an inappropriately unchallanging college to save a few bucks, even covering the room and board of supporting her at home, you have values that should be acknowledged as such.

Politeness is overrated in the face of error.


Also, "Do we look down at athletes who PICK a Tier 4 schooL"? I do, unless he/she couldn't do better academically, unless perhaps a professional contract is in the offing.

[dstark]

MomfromTexas, what kind of grades do you think you need to get some of these scholarships? I looked at your original post and it seems you have to have very strong grades to go along with the SAT scores. Probably close to 4.0 gpas. True?

[JeepMOM]

EUL........... - UUUMMM have seen no mention from the OP about their financial situation - affordability or not - which is no-ones business but theirs.

To the OP - you have done some great research - which I am sure will benefit many others.

[emeraldkity4]

I found this list from Kiplinger which is Free!
and you can sort by % of aid given and how much loan students have at graduation.
Best values in private colleges
They also have lists for public colleges too.

[overseas]

Remember also that many students just out of Stanford and Harvard and the like who want to get into the "education profession" take their first jobs at schools like UTEP. I had a great professor once who had just graduated from Stanford. He taught a US history class at a UT school in the Rio Grande Valley. And that said, school is what you make it. We are so lucky in the US to have thousands of wonderful institutions.

[overseas]

The Kiplinger list is a great first start for those trying to navigate the college finance process.

[HImom]

For what it's worth, I thoroughly agree that opportunities are what an individual makes of them. There are wonderful educational opportunities in large public state Us as well as elites & everything in between. Yes, there of course is a difference between the different settings.
I don't believe I or anyone I know who attended a large public was "shortchanged" because we didn't go to a higher-priced elite college & would gladly make the same choices again. There are many wonderful schools in the US.

[curmudgeon]

OP. Great job. From one research hound to another, you are playing the game well in an attempt to meet your family's needs. I applaud your effort. Bravo.

Folks need to realize that the Honors College at Ole Miss is a heckuva great place, run by a heckuva smart fella (no full-rides or even full tuition unfortunately) and was my daughters first choice when we started the search. That the scholarships and most importantly the opportunities offered the recipients of the McDermott at UT-Dallas are phenomenal. The same can be said for the highest scholarships at Texas State.

And now to clinch that we are with the OP in more than just spirit , my high stat kid's first choice school (as of today anyway, it's always in a state of flux ) is a third tier school. Texas Tech. Why? Well,

1) She hates A+M and Texas

2) We needed an in-state safety and

3) There is a program called UMSI that she wants so badly she can taste it.

If she gets it (which is highly unlikely) she'll be admitted provisionally to med school (no mcat), have medical and science mentoring and research opportunities out the wazoo, special treatment deluxe with registration, dorms, semester abroad etc. and graduate as a physician with zero debt without bankrupting her parents. Sounds pretty good to her. And guess what? It will be MORE money than some of her private school choices as there are limited scholarships. LOL. So, in summary-a third tier school without a free-ride may be my kid's first choice school (if she gets the program). So, I guess to some I'm even dumber than the OP. LOL.

[fudgemaster]

The truth is that you'll never know if you've been shortchanged. Although you may be really successful at a state school, you may achieve a different level of success if you were at a private school.