@Family99. My son about 3 years ago got a at least half scholarship with a 3.9 unweighted and 34 Act being out of state for engineering FYI.
@Family99 – after being accepted my D was invited to apply for scholarships/honors programs at NC State; however, she did not do so because she ended up with some other offers that were higher on her list. She was not an engineering student.
I think your student stands a good shot at merit scholarships!
He can continue down the ROTC path. Can always decline or take a 3 year scholarship to test the waters for the first year. ROTC scholarship winners are expected to be leaders. First there, last to leave.
I’m keeping this thread going (somewhat selfishly) because it is my record of how this college application journey has been going for us, and how much can change throughout the senior year.
DS has now whittled things down to 3 schools. He started with a list of 12-14 schools (4 OOS merit scholarship focused programs/ safeties, 1 in- state match, and 5-8 ROTC reaches.) Once he decided that ROTC was no longer the direction he wanted to travel, that took the application numbers down to the 4 safeties, his match (NC State), and we still put in 1 reach (Georgia Tech). GT stayed on the list for the sole reason that he had already completed the application and we thought there was a tiny chance he would be eligible for a merit scholarship that would bring it into range.
A couple months down the road and I can tell we are getting close to the finish line! He was accepted at all 4 OOS programs with great merit scholarships for tuition. However, he decided after some more research that two of the schools weren’t compelling to him, so he has turned down his acceptance offers. He was accepted into NC State, but was not a finalist for their full ride merit scholarship. He was deferred at his reach (GT), and decided to withdraw his application since the likelihood of merit aid was extremely low.
Of the three remaining, there is no clear or obvious choice yet. We are waiting to hear on some additional scholarships and fellowships he has applied to and won’t know about until March/ April.
Some lessons we have learned along the way:
- For some of the safeties/ rolling admissions schools, getting into the university was relatively simple. The true effort began when applying for honors colleges, fellowships, scholarships etc. I can't believe the number of essays he has written in the last 6 months!!
- I am so glad that he had a couple of good options before his senior year even started. That removed a whole layer of anxiety that I think he would have had otherwise.
- I'm also really glad that he has three options where he will finish his degree with no debt. And, if he goes to the schools where he has more merit aid, he will likely be able to continue into grad school without incurring debt (based on the total education budget we have given him to work with)
This turned into a bit of a novel! Thanks to all the other parents on CC who have pitched in with advice and their own experience. I’ll come back in March/ April when he get to his final decision.
Happy to see this update! What are the out-of-options he was accepted into and what were the merit offers? How is he feeling about them vs. NC State?
Also, can you remind me of his stats?
Curious b/c we are also NC residents and my S21 will be applying engineering. I don’t think he’ll be in the running for merit at most places, unless his test scores surprise me. Bright kids w/ 4.0 but not a good test taker so far. 
Please keep us posted!
NC State is such a nice school…
Thanks for the update, @ChapelHillMom! It is a journey, and I am glad that it is progressing so well for your son. Looking forward to hearing the next update!
@AlmostThere2018 : he has a 35ACT from one sitting, 4.0UW, has taken a rigorous class schedule with APs: US History, European History, Calc BC, Physics C, Stats and Chemisty. His AP scores are 4/5. He is an Eagle Scout and some other volunteer work. He actually cares for a disabled sibling before and after school which has impacted his ability to join in sports and other clubs, but I think has helped him develop into a pretty amazing person.
Other than NC State, he has kept University of Alabama and Ole Miss on his list. Both have fantastic merit aid and extra programs. He has visited Ole Miss and really liked the campus and how personal and welcoming they have been. He will visit UA in a couple more weeks, and so far they have also been very engaged with him. For both those schools, the merit based aid is actually given automatically based on stats- so you can go to their website and see where you think your S21 would likely land.
Good luck, and feel free to DM me if you have more specific questions.
Sounds like a cool kid. Can’t wait to hear his final choice!
This may be the final update…although the world is changing so quickly at the moment I won’t say the decision is etched in stone!!
A summary from the beginning, where the original list included:
Strong auto-merit options: Alabama, Alabama Huntsville, Ole Miss, Univ New Mexico
Match/ local: NC State- financial/ academic/ well-liked by DS. So a true match.
Reach: GT, MIT, Northwestern, Rice; USNA: only an option if DS got ROTC or an academy appointment.
Mid-process update: DS realized that the military wasn’t the right fit for him at this time. All the reaches (except GT) came off the list. UNM and UA-Huntsville removed due to DS narrowing down on preferences.
Final update:
Georgia Tech: deferred for ChemE. no merit aid. He decided not to pursue a RD spot.
NC State: Accepted to nuclear engineering and the Honors college. No merit based scholarships.
UA: accepted for chemE, Randall Research Scholars program and honors college. Presidential scholarship.
Ole Miss: accepted ChemE; Flagship Mandarin, honors college. Great scholarships which brought total out of pocket (including spending/travel) to about 7k per year.
All three had pros/cons. And, in the last month or so, factors like proximity to home, and long term financials also became more prevalent in our final decision discussions.
In the end- he is going where he felt like they wanted him the most, and where he thinks he will thrive: Ole Miss. Great connections with professors. The dual degree program. A very personal approach in post acceptance communication.
He had three great options. Perhaps a small part of me is curious about the “could have beens”, but overall so pleased that he has found a good fit that is accredited, affordable, personal etc.
I hope others are enjoying this journey…challenging with all the unknowns at the moment…and thanks for hanging in there with me while I used CC as my diary of this process.
Congrats! We loved Ole Miss. Their language programs are top notch and the personal attention they give to top students can’t be beat.
Congrats! We are big believers in going where they want you- and that a strong student will bloom where they are planted! …and graduating from college with an engineering degree, in a program that you are excited about- for less than $30K all in?! superb!
Congrats to your son and tks so much for reporting back!