How much financial aid do you think I will receive?

Paying for College
21

<p>Bossgirl,
It is worth it to invest in one of the college guides such as the US News College guide that you may be able to find at local bookstores or magazine racks. I think it costs less than $10.</p>

<p>Also check out the web sites of colleges that are mentioned.</p>

<p>Mount Holyoke is an extremely well regarded women’s college in Mass. Here’s the website: <a href=“http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/facts.shtml[/url]”>http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/facts.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Yes, more than grades and scores are involved in college admission. This particularly is true when one gets to the more competitive colleges. It tends not to be as true for in state public institutions, however.</p>

<p>It is a big advantage to be able to write college essays well. Often the difference between an OK essay and one that tips you in for admission or merit scholarships is the amount of time spent editing and revising your essay.</p>

<p>Here’s a link on CC to how to edit your essays: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=25018[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=25018&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

22

<p>Most schools in the top 20 give excellent financial aid. </p>

<p>Just to name a few…</p>

<ol>
<li>Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Brown
Upenn
Dartmouth
Columbia
Duke
Emory
Stanford</li>
</ol>

23

<p>You also seem like an excellent candidate for need-based outside scholarships. Have you heard of the Horatio Alger Scholarship? You should apply for that. I won that scholarship.</p>

24

<p>I’d recommend applying to schools that meet 100% of need and also to schools that you know you can get merit scholarships and will be accepted. You need the back up of a school that both will accept you and you will be able to afford. Then if you get in to one of the top schools that will meet your financial need, you’d be able to go there, but if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be left without a college next year.</p>

25

<p>I am currently aware about fasfa, and I intend to fill out this form. I believe that it has to be completed by January 1st.</p>

26

<p>I applied to the Horatio Alger Scholarship. I finished my application 2 weeks ago and I sent it off. Vtoodler you actually one that scholarship. Congradulations! I hope that I come out, I have my fingers crossed.</p>

27

<p>I won the Missouri Scholarship.</p>

28

<p>Northstarmom, I looked in many stores and I have not seen it anywhere. Maybe they only have those kinds of books in certain states. Does anyone know of websites that can provide the information that would be in the book? I looked on the internet and I found that the Department of Education offers some scholarships. Did anyone you know try to get some of these scholarships/grants?</p>

29

<p>Bossgirl,
Did you look in the education part of the reference section of bookstores? The college guide books often are where you get SAT and ACT prep books. </p>

<p>Where I live, one also can find the Time, Newsweek and US News college guides on magazine racks, but if you live in an area where not many people go to college, maybe regular stores don’t carry the college guides.</p>

<p>Check out the US News college guide’s web site. It is worth it to pay the $15 or so to be able to access all of the info. Even if you can’t afford that, you can get some info from the general info that’s posted: <a href=“http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankengineering_brief.php[/url]”>http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankengineering_brief.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you have a credit card, you can get some wonderful college guides used from Amazon.com and other sites.</p>

<p>Also check out fastweb.com, which has lots of scholarship info, and is a free site.</p>

30

<p>Thank you all for the advice. I really appreciate it.</p>