Best Bang For Your Buck?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>I’m a high school junior looking into where I want to attend college. I attend the oldest coed catholic high school in the country, nationally recognized for academic rigor and achievment. I currently have a 3.73 GPA with 6 honors and 1 AP class over my three years. I scored a 30 on ACT + Writing. I’m interested in political science with a French minor for a future in international aid. I am a coach for Science Olympiad, I have placed 2nd in my region for Model UN, and placed 23rd out of 19,000+ on the National French exam. With all that in mind, what school has the best overall academics for relatively cheap or possibly cheap with scholarship offers? Catholic school has put quite a dent in my parent’s wallets and I’m only looking at about $25,000 in college savings. Location and size are not of concern to me, and any help is much appreciated!</p>

2

<p>A few of the big scholarships listed in <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt; may be within your reach and worth considering as safety candidates (of course, the school needs to be academically appropriate and one that you would like to attend).</p>

<p>But also check the net price calculators of your in-state public universities to see what the net price after need-based financial aid would be there.</p>

3

<p>I’d check out University of Alabama… They’re really generous with Academic Scholarships; here’s the URL <a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html[/url]”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>More competitive schools like Tulane, Vanderbilt, Tufts, WUSTL, GWU, and Duke also offer good merit aid, if you can get in. </p>

<p>A state school could also be another good option for you, too.</p>

4

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<p>Academically, Financially, Top Political Science Program, Located in the State Capitol for excellent internship opportunity.</p>

<p>See: [“Buckeyes</a> in the Statehouse” - YouTube](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuwAr6eMi9U]"Buckeyes”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuwAr6eMi9U)</p>

<p>**National Buckeye Scholarship for non-Ohio residents **</p>

<pre><code>Award amount
$10,000 ($40,000 four–year value)

Criteria

Ohio State is committed to enrolling a diverse and talented student population. The National Buckeye Scholarship is awarded on a competitive basis to non-Ohio students required to pay the out-of-state surcharge who are admitted to the Columbus campus for autumn semester. Those considered rank in the top 40 percent of their graduating classes and have ACT composite scores of 28 or higher or combined SAT Critical Reading and Math scores of 1260 or higher.

Notes:

* Except where noted, the National Buckeye Scholarship can be combined with any other merit scholarships, as long as the combined total does not exceed the total cost of an Ohio State education.
* This award is renewable for a maximum of eight semesters (or the equivalent) of full-time undergraduate enrollment, provided the recipient maintains a 2.5 or higher GPA (earned by no later than the end of the first year), and nonresident classification remains unchanged.

</code></pre>

<p>Source: [url=<a href=“Merit-based scholarships - The Ohio State University”>Merit-based scholarships - The Ohio State University]Scholarships[/url</a>]</p>

<p>Best of Luck & Go Bucks!! :)</p>

5

<p>Do scholarship boards and admissions look more highly on GPA or ACT/SAT? My GPA is nowhere near stellar, but do schools take into account the fact that I attend a school with a very thought grading scale and a school that is known for its difficult academics? I intentionally am taking easier classes this year and next to boost my GPA. Would I have any edge over someone with the same stats from a public school? I also plan on taking the ACT at least two more times. The 30 was on my first try and I’m hoping to get a 33. Also, would you suggest a double major or doing the major/minor route?</p>

6

<p>Generally they look more closely at GPA for admittance, but scholarship competitions (the ones at large schools) seem to require a decent GPA (3.5-3.7) and then the rest is done by ACT/SAT… At more selective schools, who knows. Either way, get your ACT annnnnnd your GPA up as high as you can.</p>

7

<p>I did happen to see the link you previously posted and if I am lucky enough to earn the UA or President Scholar scholarships at Bama, do you know if they can they be used in conjunction with outside scholarship money?</p>

8

<p>I would suggest the best bang for your buck will be in state U’s in your state (looks like you are in Michigan so UM is an obvious choice and an excellent school). You can also look at private schools where you are above the average class profile by a decent amount and may qualify for merit aid.</p>