Is your High school a competitive school?
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no, just a normal public school. we dont have to like apply to get into it or anything
The more selective schools don’t give a lot of merit, if any, even for perfect grades and test scores.
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Most of the Ivies or most selective do not have merit aid. Also, most also do not have accounting.
You all really need some guidance. Please show your mom the thread so she can understand the potential challenges.
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It looks like SEEDS will likely help OP and their parent understand the financial aid portion of the program – perhaps when the OP is in 12th grade.
OP – since your mom is not wanting to engage in this part of the process right now, I would ask your SEEDS program at what point they will explain to you and your mom how need-based and merit-based financial aid works. It’s complicated, and different schools will offer different amounts of both need-based and merit-based aids from each other, even with the same financial information from your mom and the same GPA and tests scores from you.
Right now, the best thing you can do is focus on getting the best grades and SAT or ACT score that you can. It’s good to try practice tests for both the SAT and the ACT – some students do much better on one than on the other, and all colleges will accept either.
Good luck to you – I am confident you and your mom will figure this out!
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I personally don’t think OP should show their mom this thread. Mom sounds like a very private person and likely won’t respond the way you are thinking they will.
Since the OP is part of a long-running program that helps students like them apply to college and understand the college process, I think that OP and their parent will likely come to a better understanding of the process via the SEEDS program as time unfolds.
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Ok. I made the comment because OP wrote this but yes sounds like there’s something in place - but hopefully not too late.
12th grade is potentially too late.
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OP – Is this the program you are in:?
College Scholars Program FAQ - SEEDS – Access Changes Everything
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Why is 12th grade potentially too late? The OP can work on their grades and scores and most students don’t apply to college until fall of 12th grade.
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Potentially - based on when the education and discussion happens with the family.
You need to source a list, get organized with deadlines and such.
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It is early May of their junior year, and they are in a program specifically designed to help with this process for families like theirs. IMO, they are fine/early on this process and the only thing they can do right now to increase their college options would be to prep heavily for the SAT and ACT and work on keeping the highest GPA that they can.
Since back and forth is not allowed, I will bow out of this part of the discussion for now.
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My state has a similar program I helped with. I’d say it wasn’t helpful at all. I stopped participating. But however OP wants to play it.
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yeah thats the right one
Im not entirely sure how they plan to help with the aid part but they were gonna help with our personal statements and application or wtv for three weeks over the summer. Was yours one where you needed to get accepted into it or smth? I had to do an interview and write an essay and stuff to get in so it might be a little different
and yeah my mom said I got access to an act book thanks to the program so now I just need to ask her to buy one for the sat. Its strange bc I feel like my performance wasn’t any different for both of them so I hope I can see if that changes the next time I take them. I really care abt the ACT tho bc it has a science score
And yeah I just know its a bad idea to show her this, but I liked the suggestion about getting feedback from the program since they are a big part of the aid im even getting. I’ll try and reach out to them and maybe use them to get a budget out of her since she actually has to listen to them for this to work out.
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Oh yeah thats very informing, I just didn’t know much because we just now got into the part about applications now that we took our first act and “finished” our college lists (I didn’t……). I could probably book a meeting with one of them and have my mom join it to talk about this stuff but now that im seeing the 90-100% part, I really do understand why she felt so indifferent towards any budget, and I hope you guys see too
No. So maybe that’s better. It sounds like a mini questbridge. Good luck.
But the budget issue with mom will still be there so she’ll have to be open to what they tell you in the program. But it sounds like they will help shepherd for you.
Please ask them if they only work with specific colleges or if they have this financial aid program with any college you want to apply to and get accepted in. That is an important thing to know.
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