SoCal Schools likely to give big merit to her: LMU, Concordia, Cal Lutheran, Soka, even CSULB has a full tuition scholarship. But, of course, these are not tippy top schools. There may be others, but those are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head.
Mudd was already mentioned but CMC and Scripps also have merit scholarships. But these are going to be much more difficult to get (as these schools are very competitive) and for the most part not as large. (On the other hand, they meet full need so if you have a low EFC, that is just as good…Pomona also meets need)
Scripps is easier to get merit from than Mudd or CMC.
Thanks a lot, I have a lot to look into now.
To answer why California, I guess all the tech opportunities are attractive for stem kids.
She took SAT in March already, it is near perfect, so she does have all the numbers.
Concerns mostly will be soft side like essay, interview. She is shy.
Rutgers used to have hard formula, not any more now.
In general, it is harder to get any merit money now.
As for NMF, everyone want you to make them your first choice, in the end we only have one chance?
Here is Rutgers FAQ:
Q: What factors are considered during the awarding of first-year merit-based awards?
A: Academic criteria are essential to the scholarship awarding process. Cumulative grade point average, final course grades, the strength of an applicant’s academic program, and SAT or ACT scores are considered. In addition, the overall competitiveness of the applicant pool and available funding are also considered. There is no specific set of credentials that guarantees an award.
All first-year admitted students who apply by December 1 (and transfer students who apply by the specified deadlines) are considered for merit-based awards and offered the highest monetary award for which they qualify.
She will have to pick one school for NMF, but not until after she receives acceptances/merit offers so she can compare.
Santa Clara is in northern CA with good tech connections and offers some merit.
Some of silicon valley and tech employees in CA did NOT go to college in CA. Sure some do…but it’s not a requirement to get a job there.
And there are tech opportunities in other places as well.
if someone asked I want to get a good deal on a car what do you recommend - wouldn’t you narrow down some parameters before making suggestions?
Why not provide the same level of caution before simply throwing out school names?
^Actually, I was surprised no one asked for the whole run down of stats and preferences…but maybe because the question was taken more as “what schools give merit”. So people answered that question. Doesn’t mean they recommend the specific schools for the OP.
The OP has the stats (NMSF and a 36 ACT and a GPA >4.0 in a later post).
Yes, but very few preferences other than merit aid. Hence the “simply throwing out school names”.
A friend works at a top silicon valley tech company and went to University in the deep South as a non traditional (aka older) student. When she was still in school, her list of internship options was a STEM kids dream. They tend to care about your skills more than your diploma.
Brandeis was quite generous with its merit scholarship.