Stats:
ACT: 33
GPA: 4.0 UW, 4.4 W
APs: 8- 4 4s, 4 5s
Dual Enrollment: 3
Rank: Top 2%
ECs: Probably the strongest part of my application
Background: Hispanic, Female, Upper Middle Class (Likely No Aid) , Texas, Intending to major in political science
Ideally, I’d love a full ride/ full tuition or close to it! I know that’s super competitive, so I’m open to anything. I’m not too worried about prestige, but I really want a school with great resources and programs. I’m definitely interested in less selective schools if they’re likely to give good merit aid.
I already have these schools on the list:
- Notre Dame
- Nebraska
- UT Austin
- Baylor
- Arkansas
- Alabama
- TCU
- SMU
- OU
- Ole Miss
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Do you qualify for need ? What is your budget assuming no full ride avail. Did u research full rides at places like TCU ?
Troy can be a full ride.
The Scholars PLUS Award
- 33-36 ACT/1450-1600 RSAT and a 3.7 GPA
- Tuition, full housing and meal plan
You can look at UAH and Miss State as well as Kansas and WVU. In state you have Tier One at Houston - it’s competitive but why not you? The Johnson at W&L.
You can certainly go all in at $25-30k. Some like Prairie View would be worth a look too.
Central Michigan would be $20kish. Grand Valley low cost too. UNM another to look at. FSU, too, if you get an OOS waiver or start with them abroad. W Carolina will be under $25k for tuition, room and board.
Have you run NPCs for meets need schools? If so, what do they say ? Likely no aid doesn’t mean no aid - run them and see.
Assuming you don’t get a full ride - then what is your budget ? What do your parents say they are willing (and able) to pay.
Depending on career goals, I agree you don’t need a high end school for poli sci. My kid at Charleston was a Charleston Fellow. She got tuition plus $1250 a semester sent to us but it’s not assured. Some of her money was service based - she started a club to help integrate refugees into the community. I think that scholarship was &4500 . But while I’m not recommending the school, she interned for the state in summer, a high level think tank in Dc in the fall during the DC semester basically transcribing speeches, and now works in a community service based education program with Ivy, top publics, and others from schools like hers. Even ex doctors and ex military.
So whether you are at Houston or Harvard, you have a chance to stand out. That’s my point. That part is up to you though.
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Did you take the PSAT? If so, how did you do?
I already have TCU on the list! I have run NPCs, I will receive no aid. My parents will not be paying anything ( other than helping me move and travel expenses ). Ideally I don’t want to pay more than 15k a year.
I did, I’m a rising senior so I took it last year and did ok. I’m not the strongest tester. My act at 33 isn’t amazing but took literally everything i had lol.
Do you have $15K/year? Have you been working and saving money? Or how are you paying?
Best I can tell, the most TCU has is a full tuition scholarship. And it will be hard to get. Room and board will be over budget and those wealthy students get plenty of spending money on top.
If you don’t use all your common app slots - then sure take a flyer and ‘hope’ for free tuition - but it’s not really worth the app based on your criteria unless I’m missing something.
Texas will have other low cost options like Prairie View and more. I pointed out Troy is a full ride.
At ULL ((Louisiana Lafayette) instate cost is $24k. You’ll qualify based on your academics.
Now take this off:
Live Oak Scholarship
ACT 32+ | SAT 1420+
3.0+ cumulative GPA
$3,000/semester for eight semesters
$5,960/semester for two semesters to cover freshman year housing & meal plan (suite-style shared unit)
When reviewing cost, look at tuition, fees, room and board. Those are direct costs.
Others like books, transport and personal vary by what the school wants to say vs reality so I exclude.
.
Do you have to go to a big school or would you consider a smaller Liberal Arts College?
Trinity (CT) sounds kinda perfect for you. Has merit, though I don’t have details and terrific Poli Sci, which makes sense given their outsized influence in Hartford. State Capital and Mayor’s office gives you many internship options to see how politics works real-time.
I prefer big schools but I’m honestly open to anything!
TCU is close enough to where I could commute/receive a housing distance waiver.
I missed your parents paying nothing.
So you can’t afford any school on your list short of Troy or Prairie View or similar like Alabama A&M.
You can apply for full rides like the SMU Presidential, W&L Johnson and colleges with Stamps Foundation scholarships. There are many.
Otherwise you likely need to go to community college and stay home. Sorry. But things have a cost and you don’t want loans in the amounts you’ll need.
Look at each school to see what the stamps offers. All these are incredibly unlikely - just to warn you.
The reason I ask is because Tulsa has a great scholarship for National Merit Semi-Finalists (you don’t need to be a Finalist).
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Arkansas and Ole Miss meet my criteria! So does Nebraska!
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I am not, but looking at University of Tulsa it seems like a great option! Thank you
Fair but it’s highly highly unlikely to be affordable. Those scholarships should not be assumed.
UNT has tuition of $12k with merit up to $12k. Can you commute there?
Frankly, if my kid wasn’t living on campus, I’d have sent him to a CC. Not to say you need to but.
I wish you luck but you are chasing a sub 1% possibility.
How will you pay room and board etc. I’m not sure you’d even get free tuition.
Even free tuition won’t work for you.
Ole Miss - unless I’m missing something is $45k for tuition room and board OOS You get $30k off roughly. So that’s $15k unless I’m missing something.
I would have a full ride at Ole Miss + full tuition at Nebraska through their National Recognition Scholarships. Arkansas does reciprocal tuition so the cost is almost the same as UNT.
You’re ahead of me !! Well done. - well ole Miss says tuition and housing when combined with other aid. So there may be food costs.
Do me a favor though - call each and make sure it’s current info. On their total scholarship page, it’s not there. You just want to make sure it’s still current vs they forgot to remove the page.
Some schools (Bama I know) pulled these after the Supreme Court ruling on race based admissions.
For you I hope you are right but double check verbally or via email as I don’t see it on their overall list. Often times schools/companies forget to remove web pages.
Best to be careful so you’re not caught off guard later, just in case. Best of luck.
Nebraska’s is still in place but thanks for the reminder to check Ole Miss!