Thanks thumper1, I’ll look into University of Alabama. I think I missed Merit Finalist by one question I have to double check.
Also, I’m on totally the same page about keeping undergrad debt to an absolute minimum. It’s been a bit of a battle convincing my parents that odds are SUNY’s are going to be my best option.
With this in mind… should I be applying to mostly private schools and then just a couple of safety affordable schools, in hopes that I may pull one of these extremely competitive meaningful merit scholarships?
OR
Should I circle back to square one and apply to mostly schools that I can definitely afford or could most likely get merit based aid to make them affordable.
It seems that the first option is what my parents and even guidance counselor has pushed me toward, but it’s beginning to seem like it will be a waste of time and effort in the end.