My journey to college is almost at an end, but there is still one more task left to complete: making the decision. Due to family’s inability to assist me in paying for college, financial aid is playing a large role in my commitment. I have narrowed my search down to two colleges. The first college is Murray State University and the second is Lindsey Wilson College. Both colleges have made exceptional financial aid offers however, a major difference between the two is found in scholarship retention. Based on the information below, I’d like to ask you, the College Confidential community, which option I should choose.
Murray State University has offered me two scholarships from the university itself. The first is the Trustee’s Scholarship, which is also accompanied by a $1,500 stipend. The second scholarship is $500 and is offered through the Hutson School of Agriculture. The scholarships are worth $10,820 combined. Despite the scholarships’ effectiveness in making Murray State University more affordable, they do have conditions. The Trustee’s Scholarship has the most demmanding requirements of the two. The Trustee’s Scholarship requires recipients to mantain enrollment in the Honors College, mantain a 3.2 grade point average, enroll in at least one honors seminar per semester, study abroad, and complete a thesis. I fear the Honors College and grade point average requirements would prove to be a daunting task for me given my inability to pass even a single Advanced Placement class while in high school. The other scholarship has one simple requirement: be a freshman majoiring in agriculture. Because the scholarship is only offered to freshman, this is a scholarship I’d have for just one year.
Lindsey Wilson College is offering me several scholarships. The scholarships have simple requirements, and none prevent me from retaining my scholarship after my freshman year. The largest scholarship, valued at full tuition, has the easiest requirement I’ve seen for any scholarship: mantain a 2.5 grade point average. The entire financial aid offer is renewable for eight semesters, which would have me covered for my entire stay in college as well.
Which option do you believe would be the best for me?
If you don’t think you can maintain the 3.2, take the Lindsey Wilson offer. It can be a lot of pressure on you to maintain that gpa. You could ask at Murray how many students keep the scholarship and how many lose it. If 80-90% keep it, I think it might be worth the risk. If it is below 50%? I think it is too risky
You spoke about how much each school will give you.
But that’s less important than the bottom line after the scholarships are factored in. How much will each cost, including room and board, after you factor in the scholarships?
With a $4,987 unsubsidized and a $513 subsidized loan, Murray State University would cost me nothing. In fact, they would have to refund me $586 if tuition or room and board doesn’t cost more than it did this year. Lindsey Wilson wouldn’t have direct expenses either. Lindsey Wilson would require a $3,172 unsubsidized loan, but that’s much less than what’s needed for Murray.
Don’t underestimate how exhausting college gets. I’m in my junior spring and I’m pretty ready to check out. I can’t imagine if I was required to enroll in an honors seminar every semester, study abroad, and do a thesis. No way.
@SolarGoat
If you haven’t been able to pass an AP class, I wonder if you are ready for college yet.
I am not saying that to be unkind, but consider your skill set before you start taking on loans. The loans remain due even if you do not graduate.
AP is relative to the program taught - since there is no set curriculum if you were not in a strong AP program it is not surprising you did not do well on the AP exams. How are your SAT and ACT scores?
I’d take the less stressful and less restrictive route and go with Lindsey Wilson - something to consider as well, are you locked into a major with either scholarship?
@NJRoadie
I don’t have any other options. If I don’t go to college, there isn’t much else I can do. I have a visual impairment, and finding work without a college degree is almost impossible. If I can’t succeed in college, then what else am I supposed to do?
@SnowflakeDogMom
My highest ACT composite score is 33. As to your second question, none of the scholarships above require me to major in a specific subject except for the $500 scholarship at Murray State University which requires students to study agriculture.
I would take Lindsey Wilson College. School is alot of pressure already and you don’t need the extra stress on you. Especially If your parents are not able to contribute financially if your GPA drops.
So the aptitude is there, your 33 shows that. Do they both offer areas of interest to you?
Honestly, they both look like good schools, the issue is the requirements to maintain and for that reason alone I’d go with Lindsey
@SnowflakeDogMom
That’s another problem. Murray State University has an animal science program, but Lindsey Wilson does not. Lindsey Wilson does have a biology program though. I’d much rather major in animal science than in biology, but I don’t want to find myself in a situation where I can’t pay for college because I lost a scholarship.
Depending on how it’s administered, the study abroad requirement could easily end up costing more money than the added value of the scholarship.
In addition, having to study abroad, having to take an honors seminar, and having to keep up a high gpa will rule your life in college, coloring every class selection you have to make. You won’t take chances to stretch and grow at the risk of not getting an A. You will have to spend a semester away from campus at a time when you might be finding an amazing on-campus opportunity. Your honors seminar will take up a class slot every semester that you might have wanted for some other class that was important to you.
About 10 additional classes will be available to you at Lindsey Wilson without the seminar and study abroad requirements. This will give you plenty of opportunity to specialize in animal science. I see that the biology major there requires you to select an emphasis for your major, there are several pre-defined emphasis programs but they also allow you to roll your own. So you can basically create your own biology degree with an animal science emphasis.
Employers and grad schools don’t care if your degree is “Biology” or “Animal Science”. The classes you take, the research you do, recommendations from professors, and the grades you get are what will matter (plus the GRE for grad school).
I would go the least stressful route. If you are worried about the getting a 3.2 GPA then you already know your answer to that one. Don’t do it, it’s too high of risk.