Update on What I learned about free ride scholarships

[jerzgrlmom]

Some kids posted in the Rutgers forum that they got the big merit award but it doesn't actually cover all costs - maybe $2000 out of pocket. Plus the scholarship isn't automatic - depends on more than stats - essays are important. I'm assuming not everyone that would have qualified under the old system gets it anymore or why would they bother doing individual reviews? The old system awarded 1500 SATs and top 5% of class with an automatic full ride and $ or a free laptop (or was that TCNJ).

[GraduatingMom]

I just glanced at this thread, and did not notice any mention of USC. USC (Univ. of Southern California) offers a 4 year full ride MERIT scholarship to approx. 100 students, and a 4 year half tuition scholarship to 200 students. These are not based on need. USC's generous merit package has lured many top students from Ivy League schools. They are also very generous with need-based aid, offering grants rather than loans to families with demonstrated need.

[curmudgeon]

GraduatingMom. USC is certainly a generous school with a great merit aid program, especially for NMF's. I don't think it is a full-ride though. I believe it is limited to full tuition. http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/sg/e...ad_meritbased/

[kelsmom]

That is the second puzzling post I have seen in the past couple days. On the acceptances thread, someone said their child received a full ride to Bucknell. On the Bucknell site, though, there is no mention of full rides being available. So, here is my question: Are schools giving out merit scholarships that aren't advertised? Or do people just misunderstand what is being awarded? It sure seems like a waste for a college to give out a merit scholarship that they haven't advertised --- since these scholarships are used as a marketing tool to attract top candidates.

[curmudgeon]

kelsmom, people tend to believe what they hear and sometimes what they want to hear. There are no solely merit full-rides to Bucknell. You can stop looking.


That being said there are some invitation only unadvertised scholarships that exist at some schools (at least I know of one.). Almost like ghosts of the college internet sites.

Scripps has one they give out every year or so but you won't find it on their website (New Generation I think it's called. D didn't get it. ). And they way they give it out is to one of their JES scholarship weekend attendees.

[curmudgeon]

You'll have a lot of chaff to separate from very little wheat but you can always google " named college + merit + scholarship + full ". Keep resetting your terms.

[kelsmom]

Curmudgeon, I swear I wasn't looking at Bucknell for D!! But I am always keeping my eyes peeled (ouch!) for S ... 3 years down the road. By then, I hope to know about every full ride in the country (because I will be poor & in need of all the financial assistance my kids can scrape up). S keeps talking about going off to CA, so USC was another one that looked enticing. But there's that matter of ridiculously high rent for upperclassmen if it's just for tuition. Scripps --- ooh, that sounds good --- but that's a pipe dream for S. He's smart as can be, but his idea of EC's all have to do with playing guitar, writing music, listening to music, and going to concerts --- heavy metal, no less --- so we'll have to look for schools that appreciate his rather interesting hobby. Of course, he IS only a freshman, so there's still time ...

[curmudgeon]

Easier to edit than to explain.

[kelsmom]

I am feeling "bad" this afternoon. Did you catch my double-entrendre? If not, I'm not going to explain!! I've had my share of "splainin" today --- I taught a 9th grade Language Arts class & had to explain why the author called the knife "lucky" when it was plunged into Juliet's bosom (referring to "Romeo & Juliet"). That was more than enough for one day.

[curmudgeon]

I'm too confuddled to catch much of anything this afternoon. But I edited my post.

[kelsmom]

You got it ... subtle, but it's there!

[kelsmom]

I searched but couldn't find anything ont this thread about this, so am posting for others to consider. Michigan State University has Alumni Distinguished Scholarships that are truly full-ride, including tuition, room, board, and fees.

[Dramageek164]

Univerisity of Richmond (#34 National Liberal Arts Colleges) offers 50 full-tution scholarships which works out to approximately 1 in 15 people. Within the full-tuition scholarships, some are designated as also providing room & board. Even if you just get the full-tuition scholarship, that'll cut it down from $42,610 to $6,060...
http://www.richmond.edu/RichmondScholars

[Marsden]

^^^ wow that's an awesome deal to be offering 50 students at a small univ.

[calmom]

Kelsmom, I might have missed something in the dialogue between you & Curmudgeon... but Scripps is a woman's college, so it doesn't offer the sort of ride for your son that you have in mind in your scholarship hunt.

Also, I think it is unduly stressful for all concerned to place too much in the way of hopes for full tuition merit awards on a high school freshman -- better to have a frank discussion about finances now, but let the merit money concerns wait until you have a better idea of your son's GPA and test scores midway through junior year. That will give you a much better sense of where to look. I have to note that the landscape changed quite a bit in the 5 years between the time my 1st & 2nd children were applying to college, as well, in terms of what sort of aid was available (some colleges got better in that department, some got worse -- and my daughter's biggest "hook" became something that would not even have been imagined when she was 14.). So the list you develop this year may not really apply in 2010 when your son is sending out applications. (See SLMOM's post #45 for an example of what I am talking about).