I didn’t think of Delaware State at all, but I have heard some bad things about them that have deterred me from looking (from friends who attended). I’ll give them a second chance, though.
A good friend’s son is a UAH (engineering) grad and still lives in Huntsville. I will see him this weekend at a wedding. I’ll see if the opportunity arises to ask him about minors, but if you don’t want to major in Poli Sci, you have many other options. UAH seems to only has Spanish, French and German. Not Arabic. IMO, reading your desires, if you have the opportunity to pursue a school that offers your major and has a robust study abroad program (“At Goucher, our commitment to international education and study abroad programs are at the core of who we are. Thinking globally is embedded in everything we do, like having universal study abroad for all students. You will be ready to join a global community.”)
That seems a logical route to pursue.
1 Like
The issue (to me) with a school like Colgate is it’s need aware. Schools like it are for the wealthy.
They go deep - the average grant was $62k - not enough for you but a lot. The issue is 1/3 get a grant. So they attract wealth. Other schools provide need aid to a much higher percentage.
It doesn’t mean don’t apply but eyes wide open - they’re not looking to full pay many.
1 Like
You don’t have to go out of your way to do that haha, but if you do, that would be very appreciated!
I will say that Arabic is an absolutely, 100% must have at a school. I’ll do deeper research into UAH and their potential (or not) Arabic program, but I do need Arabic.
Yes, that is what you were supposed to do.
Good luck with that phone call.
1 Like
I had heard about their need aware status, which further deterred me from adding it to the final college list. If I can get the word (or something close) of a financial aid officer that it would be affordable, I would reconsider.
Thank you so much! I’ll let you know how it goes.
Thank you all so much for your continued help! I’m heading to bed for the night, but I’ll research all the colleges you’ve all posted about throughout the next couple days. Your help seriously means a lot; I feel like I’ve learned so much in such a short time. Thank you. Really.
OP needs a place to attend and there will be trade offs they may have to make and those usually start with financials.
IR is a subset of Poli Sci. Some break it separately. Others call it out as a focus area of Poli Sci. It’s semantics.
Another thought - IU, Arizona, and Ole Miss are the three federally supported language flagship schools I think Ole Miss will hit budget but need to validate. IU and Arizona won’t but the Language Flagship might provide money. You might reach out to all three and ask.
If offering Arabic is a must-have, then as others above suggested, it might be easier to eliminate schools that don’t offer it. While you could in some cases get a course or two that you want at a nearby college, IMO, unless you are attending a school that is part of a consortium, you could possibly run into challenges cross registering.
1 Like
Report back on your Goucher visit!
1 Like
You can Google various websites for schools offering Arabic. Most are reaches but meet need. See their curriculums to validate they are deep enough in content.
Ole Miss is on the list of top schools - and as a language flagship you will have speaking, study abroad, and employment (most likely) built in as the Feds sponsor these flagship programs which come in several languages.
If Arabic is a must, that may be a better way to build a list.
But ensure Ole Miss or another as inexpensive that will meet your needs while being a sure thing admission wise is on the list.
After that, your list can be as you want - so you can ensure all schools not only offer Arabic but to a significant course breadth (like Ole Miss).
1 Like
In our experience, the colleges ignored what we put in the special circumstances but all of them made adjustments in our favor when contacted about the issue after my kids were accepted.
1 Like
Please note that you can always appeal a financial aid offer after it is made. That is what we did with our special circumstances and every college provided additional grants. We had listed the same information on the CSS profile special circumstances area but it was ignored as part of the original review but taken into account when we appealed. (The correct term is to ask for a professional judgment review. Many/ perhaps all colleges will even have forms available to help you with this process ).
2 Likes
Be aware that often students answer the financial aid phones and provide generic advice. You may need to speak to an actual financial aid officer, and that may require an appointment. Don’t take the word of a student worker for something important!
2 Likes
I had heard about their need aware status, which further deterred me from adding it to the final college list.
I would not be deterred by this. You should be one of their top applicants. They make it clear that while they are need aware, they are also prepared to meet full financial need for their top applicants. That’s you!
If you don’t apply, you definitely will not be admitted and will not receive any aid. That would be a shame since it’s a school which offers the programs that you want. On the other hand, if you apply, you have a shot. Just to put things into perspective, only 23% of last year’s freshman class last year submitted SAT scores. Of that group, 1530 was the 75th %ile and you were way above that. Another 14% submitted ACT scores, so 63% were admitted without submitting any test scores! I assume that they didn’t submit them because theirs weren’t good enough to enhance their applications. The college will assume that as well. In that context, your scores are way more impressive than they appear when compared only to the test score submitters. Compared to ALL applicants, they are beyond stellar. Some colleges which are test optional, tell us that they will consider test scores if submitted, but they are not important. Colgate tells us straight out that test scores ARE important to them.
Further evidence of your exceptionality. Only 27% of last year’s freshman class had a gpa of 4.0. So, you are already roughly at the 75th%ile in that category. In other words, it’s not common for Colgate to be bringing in students with straight A’s like you. Furthermore, you expect to be your school’s valedictorian or salutatorian. Colleges value that. A lot.
My take on it is that Colgate will want you to come and will make an attractive financial offer. Assuming that they do, you can make it more attractive by telling them that you cannot afford to come unless they improve it. Chances are that they will.
Good luck. 
2 Likes
Excellent points by @MMRose !
@echoo :
There are thousands of colleges and universities in the US, and you will be able to identify some financial safeties. But if certain things are a top priority to you, that is a smart way to go about your search. If you are open to FSU and you would consider an International Affairs major and your desire is to do a study abroad, you can consider their program where you spend your first year abroad and you will then get an OOS tuition waiver such that all your tuition will be calculated at the instate tuition rate. For all 4 years. https://www.international.fsu.edu/FYA.aspx That makes FSU affordable. You will have to consider transportation costs to/from school but overall it should easily come in budget. You many need to make some compromises, but clearly you are a smart student who has a clear direction. You can find the right schools to fit that. You wouldn’t buy an outfit that you don’t like and doesn’t fit just because it’s inexpensive.
2 Likes
Even without the Johnson Scholarship W&L stands a very good chance of being affordable with need-based financial aid. I do think you’d be an excellent applicant for the Johnson Scholarship so encourage you to apply if you apply to the school. My D21 was a Johnson Scholar so feel free to PM me if you have questions about the program or her experience at W&L.
Johnson Opportunity grants and other financial resources are available to support experiences for any student, whether that is study abroad or another project to broaden a student’s knowledge.
While I dont know the strength of Arabic studies specifically I do know W&L had a number of Fulbright, Critical Language Scholarships and other fellowships/scholarships awarded for further study and experience of the Arabic language and culture. As well the interdisciplinary programs in the politics department are very well-respected, with strong ties to DC and industry. Here are a few links to the language and politics departments.
You may also want to look at Mock Convention, Shepherd Program and/or Bonner Program depending on your interests.
Best of luck!
4 Likes
If you apply to UMD, make sure you do so in the early round. They fill the majority of their incoming class in the early round.
4 Likes
Not irrational at all! (I’m speaking to study abroad, not a gap year, which is up to you, if you can find the right program.) Please pursue this opportunity, especially if your’e interested in IR. Look for schools that will maintain your level of financial aid if you decide to study abroad – a lot of schools will do that, especially those where a majority of students spend some time abroad. Ask if they’ll cover extra expenses (books, transportation back and forth to the US) as well – some will for students on need-based aid. There are many year-long programs, but I think it’s more typical to do a semester, because the courses you take abroad don’t always count toward your major. So not everyone can afford a whole year. For the most flexibility, look for schools that don’t limit you to their own study-abroad programs but will allow you to join a different institution’s program (I think probably most schools allow this).
There are also a few schools for which your tuition for a semester abroad will be based on the costs at the school you’re visiting (not the school you usually attend). That’s almost sure to be a lot less expensive. For example: my D attends Bates and is abroad this semester. Our costs are about 75% of what they normally would be, and that includes tuition, housing, transportation, and all fees. Not all schools do that (some just charge the usual tuition), but it’s worth asking how study abroad will work financially at any school you’re considering.
2 Likes