<p>I’m a frustrated parent. My daughter has a 3.9 weighted GPA, national honors society, varsity sports for 3 years, tons of EC’s, leadership positions, jobs, at a selective high school that doesn’t rank its students. She wants to attend a large school in the Midwest and has already been admitted to Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa State. Still waiting on Minnesota and University of Illinois UC. </p>
<p>However, we don’t have enough money saved to cover full tuition and room and board. The big issue is that she has terrible anxiety when it comes to standardized tests. Her best composite score on the ACT was a 23. While all her friends have lower GPA’s, they have much higher ACT scores. They are getting offers for scholarships and she has only gotten one offer from Iowa State. </p>
<p>It is really frustrating when she has been working so hard in high school and competes with these other students on every level, and surpasses them often. Yet it appears the big state schools don’t care about anything other than test scores when it comes to merit money.</p>
<p>I know she could apply to small LAC’s or a test optional school, but her current high school is very large and she doesn’t want to go someplace the same size or smaller.</p>
<p>Does anyone know of scholarships that don’t care about standardized test scores (or you can have a 3.X GPA and good EC’s OR high test scores? You hear all the time how test scores aren’t everything, but they sure seem like they are to us! Help!!</p>
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<p>…and probably be treated very well by them merit-scholarship-wise. A relative was in the same situation as your D and that’s the route she took and is attending a top 50 LAC on a near-full scholarship, and her GPA is as high there as it was in HS.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I think the huge schools have little choice but to go by the numbers and those tests are a popular number to use.</p>
<p>Maybe there are midwest Us doing something like American U says it is doing? [Test-Optional</a>, Undergraduate Admissions, American University](<a href=“http://www.american.edu/admissions/testoptional.cfm]Test-Optional”>http://www.american.edu/admissions/testoptional.cfm)</p>
<p>Many of the test optional schools require standardized test scores for merit aid consideration…so check that on each school website.</p>
<p>Most scholarships are based on a combination of standardized test scores and GPA.</p>
<p>At those big state Us, a lot of the exams will be multiple choice and fill in the bubble. Your daughter needs to feta handle on her test anxiety, or she will have lots of problems for at least her first two years.</p>
<p>How much money can you pay? Can you afford your own in-state public U if she gets a part time job and takes out a student loan? If not, then she needs to either follow the money to an LAC or start out at a community college.</p>
<p>Our state school is UIUC. It is one of the most expensive in-state tuition in the country. I think the net price calculator had it at about 29,000 tuition and room and board and fees and I’m not even sure she will get in. Many from her school do, but that ACT score may screw up her chances. </p>
<p>I just don’t think I can convince her to look at small LAC’s. Anyone know one that is larger than most or has a big school feel? Are we too late for this year? Or what about someplace like Northern Illinois or one of the other University of Wisconsin schools besides Madison? What are their real reputations?</p>
<p>We were hoping to contribute about 15,000 a year, but she will need to cover the rest. If she can’t do that with loans, we may have to sell our condo or refinance again and take out a 30 year mortgage or borrow from retirement. None of those sound good but we can’t take out a loan because we couldn’t pay it back (we are living paycheck to paycheck right now).</p>
<p>Concernedmom, listen well to happymomof1,</p>
<p>Financial reality is what it is. Your daughter needs to keep that reality in mind. I am one who will bend over backwards for education, but taking on considerable debt should not be an option when other options are available.</p>
<p>LACs and CCs are not the end of the world; starting out life with a mountain of debt is.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Maybe not too late for some but getting close if not.</p>
<p>One - perhaps too small at about 2K students but deadline at Denison is Jan 15, one of the later ones: [Academic</a> Scholarships | Admissions](<a href=“http://denison.edu/campus/admissions/financial-aid/academic-scholarships]Academic”>http://denison.edu/campus/admissions/financial-aid/academic-scholarships) - Denison is pretty generous with need-based aid too.</p>
<p>I got my masters degree at Western Illinois University. Is there any reason why your daughter can’t consider one of the other Illinois public universities beside the flagship? The others are less costly, and smaller.</p>
<p>Yes, thumper1, I think she would consider other Illinois public universities. She is applying to Northern Illinois because of cost and potential scholarships. But her school counselors keep implying that she is more UIUC material (I’m not so sure!). It is just so frustrating when she is at one of the top high schools in Illinois, competing at all levels with the other top students at this top high school. Yet, big state schools won’t offer money because of one test one day in her life.</p>
<p>Did you like Western Illinois? </p>
<p>I will try to listen to everyone’s advice and will share with my daughter. I am also worried about her abilities to pass classes that are purely multiple choice tests.</p>
<p>Also, does anyone know about the reputation of Iowa State? Their net price calculator was fabulous (about $20,000/year total), but I have no idea if that was reality for us or not.</p>
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<p>Is there time to take it again? Or try the SAT instead? With some prep?</p>
<p>Where are you instate? Is Iowa State less expensive than your state universities?</p>
<p>What is your daughter interested in studying? Iowa State is a nice school with a pretty campus. I would opt for that choice vs. an Illinois directional U. JMO I would also consider Truman State which gets some good press on cc from time to time though I don’t know much about it other than what I’ve read here. Are you in the Chicago area? If so, would she consider UIllinois- Chicago? Cheaper than UIUC. By the way, UIUC will look at her application holistically and she has a good shot at getting in based on her GPA ( I’m assuming she took rigorous courses ) and EC’s. What college at UIUC did she apply to?</p>
<p>Yes, according to the net price calculator, Iowa State is much less - 20K vs. 25K for NIU and 29K for UIUC. We are in the Chicago area. </p>
<p>She took the ACT 4 times already and we paid for a private tutor. ACT sub-scores changed with each test (some way up, some way down), but the composite was basically the same each time. She gets so stressed, I just can’t see asking her to try the SAT at this point. She started getting stressed just thinking about having to decide whether to answer a question or leave it blank. At least with the ACT, she could just fill in a bubble no matter what.</p>
<p>leftrightleft - thank you! She did take rigorous courses and has great EC’s. She applied to the division of general studies because she has no idea what she wants as a major.</p>
<p>Nice to hear good things about Iowa State. I hope they can really come in at 20K. I think with work/study and loans, we could swing this. </p>
<p>I know she would much prefer UIUC, though. All her friends plan to go there if they get in. Many from her school do get accepted. If she gets in, and we can’t afford it, it will be very depressing for her.</p>
<p>Oh, and she wants to go away, so I think UI -Chicago is out. But once the money issue becomes more reality, she may have to reconsider her thinking and stay home for a year to sort this all out. I hope that doesn’t happen, though, because it will be terrible for her confidence that has already been shaken by this darn ACT. </p>
<p>I will check out Truman State but I think I was concerned about their ACT requirements.</p>
<p>One option you may look into is Truman State in Missouri. Highly regarded school that is consistently ranked high in Missouri that is much less expensive than mu. Also less strict on entrance requirements and decent merit scholarships. I live in St. Louis and it is increasing in popularity each year. I do not know her major but you might want to check it out. It may also be closer for you than many of those other choices. I agree with the previous post you need to be realistic about choices. Also apply for independent scholarships in your community. Good luck!</p>
<p>Just retread previous post on Truman. My neighbors daughter goes there and loves it. Also some schools will take the best of each sub score and ‘super score’ the act which might help her. For instance William Jewell in the Kansas City area does that as well as the university of Arkansas. This would certainly help her overall score (take the best scores in English,math,reading and science then calculate the score from that).</p>
<p>South Dakota public universities have low list prices, even for out of state students. Iowa State at $20,000 per year seems like a good deal if you can afford it, though. Minnesota also starts at a relatively low out-of-state list price, so check if scholarships might bring its price down into reach. Minnesota - Morris and Truman State are two other low list price schools that may become even cheaper after scholarships.</p>
<p>Some of the schools listed at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-20.html#post16451378[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-20.html#post16451378</a> have lesser automatic scholarships for slightly lower scores.</p>
<p>Any possibility of trying the SAT and/or another ACT try (with additional preparation) before the deadlines for scholarships? With the SAT, random guessing gives an expected value equivalent to leaving blank, but guessing after eliminating a wrong answer gives a positive expected value compared to leaving blank.</p>
<p>One other thing to check is if any of the schools and scholarships superscore the ACT, which can help if she has four tests with different high and low sections.</p>
<p>Understand your dilema, had a similar one with my D. She is now attending Illinois Wesleyan - and I believe our visit and honest conversations with admissions greatly helped with both finanacial aid and scholarships, where we told them she was not a great test taker. She did however, do much better on SATs vs ACT and preferred the SAT over the ACT. I urge you to look at the LACs, our state schools couldn’t offer her the same scholarship levels as the LACs, even with travel!</p>