Just wondering if anyone has had success getting private scholarships for a regular kid with high stats.
My daughter is just starting with the SAT, but she has a 97 unweighted average, 101.5ish weighted average. She’ll probably end up with around 8 APs, and otherwise all Honors classes in anything that has that as an option. She’s just starting her junior year, but let’s say she ends up with a similar GPA after her junior year, and let’s say she ends up with an SAT in the 1500 - 1550 range. She seems pretty motivated to study for the SAT and has two AP tests so far with a 5 on each - CS and AP World.
She’s a regular kid in the sense that she’s not a spectacular athlete and has no special talents that make her stand out. The only thing that might make her stand out a little bit is that she’s looking to study either Engineering or Computer Science and she’s female. Also, she’s fairly artistic, so she could probably put together a nice art project for schools that give that as an option, but she’s not at the level where she would stand out at an art school.
All of a sudden I feel really bad saying all these bad things about my daughter I’m just trying to paint an accurate picture. She’s a great kid. But I’m just wondering if she should put a lot of time into applying for private scholarships. She told me that she’s willing to put a lot of time into writing essays if it would give her a shot at scholarship money.
One more piece of info. She’s fine going to one of our in-state public options, but would like to try to get into a smaller private if she can get enough money. Since the max merit scholarship at most privates only gets the cost down to 50 - 55K, we’d need an additional 10 - 15K in private scholarships to make the privates enticing. She’d probably be willing to pay 40 - 45K for a private.
What do you all think? Is it worth putting the time into applying for private scholarships, or should she put the effort elsewhere?
Just realized something I didn’t make clear. By private scholarships, I don’t mean merit scholarships from private universities. I mean scholarships from private non-educational entities, like foundations.
Many schools do not allow for stacking scholarships so outside scholarships will reduce the merit aid you are getting from the school itself.
IMO, you are better off finding schools that have generous merit awards. That $40-45K mark is doable for a high stats kid.
For example, RPI would hit that budget for a high stats kid, especially if their school submitted their name for the RPI medal award.
Clarkson, a small NY private, will also come in at budget with their own scholarships for a student with your daughter’s stats. They are very strong in engineering/CS and have great career outcomes.
If she’s wanting out of state, Purdue will be in budget as well and have a great program.
Really…the best scholarships come directly from the college your child attends. I know you said not merit awards from the colleges…but really…that’s your best bet.
The best money is from the schools themselves - but here’s a few examples:
I helped a friend’s niece obtain a - I forget - I think $2K scholarship one time - that turned into four years. Or maybe it was $500 that turned into four years.
We googled for local area scholarships as the big ones are impossible.
Both my kids got money from my employer - one $2K one time and one $1K one time. It offers scholarships on a four year or one time basis depending on need - up to I think $2 or $4K a year. It’s budgeted and i’m sure depending on how many apply, that’s how they determine who gets.
Many private scholarships have a need component - the first I mentioned above did.
btw - colleges, in addition to their own money, offer many endowed scholarships in addition…so and so is giving $1,000 to a resident of this county who studies at that school…or to a nursing student, etc. but those also often have a need component.
In general and not for everyone, but pursuing private money is both inefficient and likely not overly successful but I think it’s best to start with your employer (if a corporation) and then local scholarships - things from Rotary to car dealers to HOAs (yes, we have one that gives two $1K - one to a resident and one to a non-resident), etc. They set up a foundation.
Majoring in CS or engineering just means it’s harder to get in, the vast majority of merit scholarships come from the universities themselves, and basically you apply to less selective universities where your stats put you at the top, so mostly safety schools. Two of mine went this route, and attended colleges that gave them decent merit over more selective acceptances, and it worked out great.
@tsbna44, did your kids’ schools count the private money you got against you? Did they subtract the amount of the private scholarships from what they would have given you?
Not sure this is true - some go lower. Whether they have engineering or a major of interest is different. And if they don’t have engineering they might have engineering physics.
There are smaller publics with engineering - for example UAH - where she’d be under $20K. And Purdue was mentioned - full pop under $50K - really $40K - and they’re not the only - but it’s large.
What do you mean by this:
She’d probably be willing to pay 40 - 45K for a private.
Is she paying and if so how much? She can only borrow $27K total over four years and you’d not want to borrow a nickel over that.
Are you funded and able to help pay for her college?
My Brainiac elder daughter went to University of Buffalo because they did offer her a full ride.
She got into top tens but she decided to save us money because she thought she was going to medical school, and that we would put our most of her college funds towards her medical school costs. We had three kids that we had to put through school at full fees.
Turns out she ended up loving engineering and computer software so she double majored and came back to California and is killing it. She is now a manager involved in hiring and recruiting talent and trains junior engineers.
She has purchased her property, in the most expensive housing market here in San Diego and has quickly risen up the ranks.
She keeps getting headhunted. Her overall experience at SUNY Buffalo worked well for her. At the time, there were only three females in her electrical engineering department and I think there were the same three females in the CS department.
Edited to add: the other two females were active military. They were older than her by 8-10 years, but she was at their maturity level. She was also a tutor for EECS.
@Mjkacmom, yes, my daughter is going to apply to some less select schools to see what kind of money she gets. Were you able to get any of them down into the 40’s?
@tsbna44, thanks, I’m aware of the limit that the student can borrow. 40 - 45K is what we can afford as a family. It won’t be all on her.
We’re full pay too, and I was under the impression that, like you said, stacking is only an issue if you’re receiving financial aid. We won’t be getting any financial aid.
Can others chime in if you know. If my daughter is receiving no financial aid, but gets a 30K merit scholarship from a private school, and then gets a 5K scholarship from a foundation that has nothing to do with the school, will the school lower her merit scholarship by 5K?
Private merit money can have outside aid added in and usually without penalty. It is need based aid that cannot be stacked with other aid at some places.
The other thing is that private scholarships often have restrictions. For example, you might get a full tuition award from the college…but then get a private scholarship that can ONLY be used for tuition. So one would go to waste.
@tsbna44 noted local scholarships. Most of those are smaller numbers and are for one year only and can’t be renewed.
That’s why I would suggest that you look for colleges with a good chance of merit from the college…that would bring your coats to the price point you want.
@thumper1, thanks for the clarification. Yes, I looked into a private scholarship for one of my kids and it was for only one year.
We’re definitely going to look for merit aid from the colleges themselves.
Speaking of that, can anyone point me to a recent thread with updated info about large merit awards. I know there are a bunch on here. I can search myself, but if anyone has a favorite thread on this topic, I’d be interested in hearing about it.
With your daughter’s supposed stats (you list a 1500 SAT), she can get a tinge under $20k with regular merit aid but you have to be open geographically and otherwise.
And then there are schools where she can try for the Hail Mary full rides.
Yes, my 3.95 34 ACT went to UDel honors with a $17,000 a year scholarship, my 3.95 33 ACT went to Clemson honors with a $10,000 a year scholarship (not her best offer, but she loved it, they keep giving her more, senior with a 4.0). 8th and 10th out of 300 in HS. They both wanted larger schools. 9/7 AP’s with mostly 5’s, rest 4’s, first one graduated a year early, second has 121 credits going into senior year, so could’ve graduated a year early.
I’m just trying to paint an accurate picture. She’s a great kid. But I’m just wondering if she should put a lot of time into applying for private scholarships. She told me that she’s willing to put a lot of time into writing essays if it would give her a shot at scholarship money.