<p>My EFC is 0. Any idea on what scholarships I should apply to or what kind of grants i’d be getting/tuition paid for by certain colleges.</p>
<p>You need to apply to some colleges that you know that you definitely can afford and definitely will get in. For most people with a 0 EFC, that means local 4-year and 2-year public colleges that they can commute to from home.</p>
<p>Before applying to any college, you also need to carefully look at its financial aid info on its web pages to find out their policies and whether it’s worth it to you to apply there. You also should check the college’s common data set (Google the college’s name and “common data set”) to find out what percentage of students who need aid get it; what percentage of student’s financial need is covered by the college; and what percentage of that is in loans and grants. Also check the merit scholarship info on colleges’ web pages.</p>
<p>You are late looking for outside scholarships. However, usually the easiest ones to get are local scholarships as well as scholarships attached to particular colleges. Your GC should have info. Many times colleges’ merit aid requires special applications and earlier deadlines than their regular admissions deadline.</p>
<p>In addition, you can find some excellent books about scholarships. Check Amazon.com as well as your local bookstores and GC’s offices. </p>
<p>Also check the resources pinned near the top of this board in Roger Dooley’s post.</p>
<p>From your info below, which I found on another of your posts, I am concerned about where you are applying. I’m assuming that you’re in Ohio. Your best chances of excellent aid probably are Ohio public schools.</p>
<p>Your chances of admission are low for Duke, Hopkins, Northwestern, W&M (which is extraordinarily difficult to get in from out of state), NYU and Boston College. Your scores and grades are low for those schools and your ECs will not stand out in their admissions pools. Since you lack APs, your courseload also is not as rigorous as that of most students applying to such colleges. NYU also is known for having bad financial aid. If you get into W&M, you’re unlikely to get the aid that you need because public institutions usually provide financial aid only to residents of their states.</p>
<p>If you want to go out of state, you will have far better chances of getting the aid that you need by applying to schools that are generous with financial and merit aid and where you also have stats in the top 20-25% of their applicant pool.</p>
<p>Check the scholarship info pinned to the top of Parents Forum, too.</p>
<p>3.5 GPA
26 ACT
Varsity Academic Team, International Club, Drama Club, National Honor Roll
Taken: Honors English 10,11, Honors Chem, Honors Physics</p>
<p>I’m applied to:
Duke
Northwestern
Johns Hopkins
Syracuse
NYU
Boston College
William and Mary
Denison</p>
<p>Got into:
Ohio University
Ohio State University</p>
<p>The thing is, I want to go to school out of state. I have an EFC of zero so I’m not worried about the extra costs.</p>
<p>I am assuming you have a list of colleges that interest you at this time. The more selective schools are the ones that tend to give 100% of need, and many of them have 1/1 deadlines for apps. You should look at a USN&WR book or subscribe to their service so you know which schools give 100% or near that in aid. Do keep in mind that most schools do not meet 100% of aid. Too many kids think that the full ride carpet is rolled out with a low EFC, but that is not at all the case. EVen schools that do give full need often have heavy loans and workstudy components to their packages. It can be critical that you have a few financial safeties in terms of schools that you can afford on govt money, local ones that NSM refer to, because you may not get 100% need filled the way you want it. In addition to self help parts of the package, most full need met schools require an addition financial aid form, their own or PROFILE that may come up with a whole different picture of need. FAFSFA is good for eligibility of govt money, but for schools that use an additional form, and those who do not guarantee 100% of need, it is just a guideline. I don’t even know a school that uses FAFSA only and guarantees 100% of need, come to think of it.</p>
<p>I just saw NSM’s second post. You do have a list of schools that tend to give 100% of need. THey are pretty much all reach schools. If you are in the URM category, or truly a hardship case (documented by counselor, pastor, social worker), or first generation to college, you would have a stronger case for admissions in those schools, but they are pretty much tough goes for even top students, for the most part, and your stats are not way up there. You might want to look for a Denison type school that gives 100% of need that is out of state, as they will give you some more consideration. If you are a male, some former all female schools, or other LACs that are looking for more males such as Providence College would be a good place to look. Some of the Catholic schools other than BC (which is very competitive in admissions) is another good place to look as many are seeking geographic diversity. Even with a zero EFC, you are going to have to worry about extra costs, because many schools do not guarantee 100% of need, and even those that do, are not accepting the FAFSA EFC. Even those who concur with the zero EFC, are not going to give 100% grants, and a large loan/self help package may not be a wise thing for you. But right now, I think you need to look for some 100% or close to it, need met schools where you are a good strong match or a pursued candidate. I don’t see that on your list at this point.</p>
<p>What do you guys think of the following schools, how they suit me, and my chances:</p>
<p>Emerson
Marist
Siena
Skidmore
Smith
Union
U of Rochester</p>
<p>Smith and Rochester are reaches.</p>
<p>What you need to check first is the financial aid that the schools offer.</p>
<p>Since you are female, take a look at Mt. Holyoke, which may be trying to reach out to low income students.</p>
<p>I also strongly suggest that you consider transportation costs, which will be soaring due to increasing airfare. Since your EFC is 0, I also assume it would be difficult for your parents to drive you to and pick you up from a college that is a distance away. That will make it hard for you to get your belongings to college. Your parents also would probably have to miss family weekends. You also may not be able to go home except for Christmas and at the end of the school year, which can be hard – far harder than you may anticipate now.</p>
<p>Your best way of figuring out your chances for admission and aid would be too look up the colleges’ common data sets, which provides detailed admission as well as financial aid stats. Also check the colleges’ web sites. Doing this is far more reliable than asking anonymous strangers here for your chances.</p>
<p>You are late doing all of this, and have missed many college and scholarship deadlines. You need to quickly do the research to find colleges that you can afford and will likely get admitted to.</p>
<p>Emerson
Marist
Siena
Skidmore
Smith
Union
U of Rochester</p>
<p>I’m a male lol…</p>
<p>But, my family plans on moving down to where I am going to live because the Section 8 will cover anywhere in the US. I plan on living in dorms so commuting isn’t such a problem. I also plan on working.</p>
<p>You need to do a lot more research about colleges. Smith, which you had on your list, is a female only college.</p>
<p>Your family’s idea of moving to where you go to college sounds unrealistic. Moving costs money. Section 8 housing can be hard to get. Certainly, too, they’ll need some kind of employment. </p>
<p>As for your plan to work while in school, that’s normal for students on need-based scholarships. You’d be expected to work parttime during the school year, fulltime during the summer, and you’ll also be expected to take out loans. Depending on the college, those loans may be very hefty.</p>
<p>Emerson specializes in the arts, particularly in the performing arts and writing. Are you planning to go into communication or the arts? If not, Emerson is not for you. Although Skidmore has a similar artsy bent, it is a liberal arts college, with strong departments in the sciences and social sciences as well.</p>
<p>I’m curious how you came about your list. Is your GC advising you, or are you doing all this on your own? </p>
<p>Most competitive schools have application deadlines of January 1, at which point your preliminary financial aid information needs to be submitted. That gives you two days. Some schools, such as Northeastern (you may want to look at that one), have a February deadline, but earlier applicants get priority.</p>
<p>To get the best financial aid, even with an EFC of zero, you need to be at the top of the applicant pool. Sure, apply for the reach schools, especially since you probably have a fee waiver, but also make sure you lower your sights to include schools that are less competitive. You cannot afford to fall in love with any one school until you have the financial aid offers in hand. Also make sure the schools you apply to have good programs for what you want to study. If, for example, you want to study history, Emerson would be absolutely the wrong choice for you.</p>
<p>Also, I strongly suggest that your family drop their plans to move with you to college. My guess is that your parents have never attended a residential college because otherwise they would understand the importance of distance during your undergraduate years. Yes, you want to be able to go home for breaks, but, trust me, you won’t adjust as well to college life if your family expects to see you every weekend. The time you spend out of class but on campus is just as important as the time you spend attending lectures.</p>
<p>NSM is right on, as she usually is. You need to do a lot more research if you are coming up with Smith. THe quickest way to start if with the SN&WR Ultimate College Directory. I believe their on line service is $15. If you find yourself in a Borders or Barnes&Noble, you can peruse through this thick directory for free. There is a section that is called "Where the Money Is: Schools that Award the Most NEed-Based Aid. By picking schools where the average need met is near 100%, you can up your chances of having some schools that will meet your full need, if you PROFILE is the same as your FAFSA or if they are FAFSA only school. You then need to pick some schools where you are well in the upper 25% stat wise as you already have a good reach list and are looking for matches and safeties. Schools like Sewanee, Wooster, DePauw are some examples. I would fire off a few apps to some of those. I would then look at local options as true safeties. Which local schools can you afford on govt money which is what FAFSA guarantees you? When all of your apps are answered, hopefully, you have pickings in every group, with a variety of packages. You can then pick and choose what your next step is to be. </p>
<p>There is no problem having schools lik Northwestern, Duke and BC on your list as they are 100% need providers, but you needed some mid range schools in the same category for providing need along with local safeties. Most state schools like OU and OSU do not meet full need, and they are not cheap.My friend’s son just graduated from OU and he did not get his full need met, and most of what he got was loans. Another has two girls at OSU and they were offered loans only. To get substantial money from these schools, you need to have something they really want, that they are willing to pay for. Sky high stats are the obvious thing, and you don’t have that. So you need to be looking at schools that have money and are willing to pay for you, so your stats need to be in the upper 25% at least. For merit money, most often much higher. You will be expected to work and borrow with only some grants, in most cases. </p>
<p>As to moving your family to whereever you go, that is a whole different issue that can be addressed once you get into a school. I 'll take it that you want to go to a school regardless of distance and cost to travel home. Though that does give you more options, Ohio does have a number of good choices for you with colleges that offer decent money such as Wooster. Not to mention the many state and local options you have.</p>