Is it realistic to depend on scholarships?

[sybbie719]

<p>

One problem I have with other schools, I guess, is my parents. They’re pretty strict as far as school goes, and they have and will refuse to allow me to apply to schools that don’t have high enough rankings (they call all other schools “mushroom schools” and throw away any mail I get from them before I can see them).

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<p>But your parents also have to make a realistic assessment that the net-net of the whole college process is that you are going where your grades and money will take you.</p>

<p>Sorry if this is harsh, but no matter how high the feel the rankings is at Fordham if it is not a financially feasible option for your family, it is just time to move on. I agree with swimcatsmom that no school is worth taking out 35k/year in loands.</p>

<p>Based in the infomation that you posted regarding, you are not a competitive candidate for this big scholarships. Being a non-NYS resident, you are not eligible to apply for a smartstart scholarship. While you may get accepted to fordham, the reality is the money that you need to attend will not follow. If Fordham was/is your dream school it is time to dream a new dream instead of wishing and hoping to attend a school that could be a financial nightmare for you in the future. As far as Fordham is concerned you need to just move on.</p>

<p>In order to get merit money you should try to target schools where your stats fall at least in the top 75% of the admitted students. It will take a lot of legwork (or fingerwork) on your part but it can be done. cast a wide net and you may be pleasantly suprised at what you may catch.</p>

<p>good luck</p>

[hawk_15]

<p>Be careful about your debt–it is not really worth assuming the burden for undergrad. Check out this link from a NYU grad</p>

<p>[I’m&lt;/a&gt; Graduating From A College I Can’t Afford | NYU Livewire](<a href=“NYU Journalism - Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute”>http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/livewire/money_work/gen_debt/)</p>

[claremarie]

<p>If you are absolutely certain that you are headed for law school, then you need to be ruthless in choosing your college. You will need to conserve your financial resources for law school, which means cutting your undergraduate debt load to the bone. Legal recruiters will not care where you went to undergrad. Most of them will only care about the rank of your law school and how well you did there.<br>
U-Md is a huge school. You may never see your high school classmates. There are lots of great professors and programs there – and if you can qualify for the honors program, that would be a great option. Ask around to find the most rigorous and demanding professors. My husband was one of them for many years, and LOVED working with smart and motivated undergraduates, many of whom ended up attending top-rated professional and graduate programs.<br>
If you work in DC for a year or two between college and law school, you can save $$ for tuition and, if you live in Virginia, qualify for in-state rates at the law schools of U-Va or William and Mary.<br>
If you end up deciding that law school is not for you, you will still have the option of attending other graduate programs, not having taken out huge debt for undergrad.</p>