My SAT score is 2120 (800 critical reading, 590 math, 730 writing). I might take the SAT again so I can try for a perfect score on writing and a 600 on math.
3.81 GPA, mostly honor’s courses
My parents have told me they’ll only help pay for college if I go to a Christian university, and even then, they won’t be able to pay large sums. So scholarships are my only hope!
I’m looking for colleges that offer significant merit scholarships/full rides. I know that my SAT scores are good but not stellar, which is why I may take it again in December or January. Any recommendations on schools were I could receive a considerable amount of financial aid?
How do they define Christian? Does that include Catholic universities?
Are you National Merit commended or semi finalist? If so, Liberty offers full tuition.
It is very hard to find full rides. Are you going to qualify for need aid.? And if you go to a Christian college how much will they pay? Is Ohio Wesleyan going to pass muster? Look at Calvin. Are they not willing to help with any instate NC publics they want only private or just you want private?
Liberty’s definitely my top choice as far as Christian schools go. I’m not a national merit scholar but I still qualify for a large amount of money. After scholarships, Liberty would be cheaper for me than a state school would.
I’m interested in schools that aren’t Christian as well. Yes, it’d be nice to go to a college that matches up with my beliefs, but it’s not an absolute must for me.
You could take a look at Baylor. They have an easy scholarship and cost estimator tool on line.
If you take SAT again, I’d really focus on Math. Most schools use CR+M when looking at scores, so increasing writing won’t really help you.
Have you checked out Mercer?
Forget about trying to get an 800 in the W…it won’t help. You need to bring up your Math
Elmhurst in Illinois.
http://www.elmhurst.edu/
Gordon College in Massachusetts.
Elmhurst isn’t exactly a Christian college in the sense that places like Hope and Liberty are - it’s affiliated with the United Church of Christ. I would expect a fair number of non-Christians there, too - Muslims, Jews, Hindus, atheists…
We toured there last January, and I didn’t see anything hinting of anything decidedly Christian aside from the chapel on campus.
It’s more like a Catholic college, in that it is fairly secular except for church affiliation.
(edited to correct church affiliation)
@BeeDAre, yes, I agree. I suggested it because the OP indicated that the “Christian college” is her parents’ criteria, and perhaps not necessarily hers/his. It wasn’t clear, at least to me, how strong the affiliation/influence needed to be. A close friend’s child is there, with slightly lower stats, on their Presidential scholarship, in their Honors College. She’s loving it.
Take a look at Messiah in Pennsylvania. Wonderful school.
I second the Messiah recommendation. I’d love for D17 to consider it, but she has no desire to be that close to home (15 minutes).
Geneva, St Vincent in PA
The netprice calculator on the college websites should give you an idea on the amount of merit and/or need based aid you might qualify for.
Elmhurst is not a Christian college, although nearby Wheaton definitely is.
I think Elmhurst is a good option for a student who wants a small LAC close to Chicago but in a very safe (but not boring) suburb. OP’s stats would put her in top of the applicant pile, I believe, so she’d get merit there.
It’s a very pretty, compact residential campus right in downtown Elmhurst.
I’d also suggest Valparaiso in northern Indiana.
I may have missed this, but what are you interested in studying?
Do you have any geographical preferences/constraints? Or preferences regarding size of school, urban vs. suburban vs. rural location? What is your home state?