<p>What can I personally do to make my application stand out more and garner more FA?</p>
<p>Stats:
3.3 GPA (It used to be a 1.7, will probably be a 3.4 after this semester)
3.5 GPA in major (Anthropology)
CC Honors program
Phi Theta Kappa
280 volunteer hours with Girls Rock Camp
145 hours with various art galleries around Austin
Employed full-time with a part-time job as well
Published articles on national websites, and participated in multiple group art exhibitions, photographs have been published in multiple arts magazines/journals
Associate art editor for online arts magazine that I helped found, curator for online blog on female artists</p>
<p>If it matters, I have an estimated EFC of 4704 for this year.
I also am looking to major in something relating to art & anthropology, namely Native American Studies, Art History, or American Studies. </p>
<p>Is there anything I can do personally to help me get more grants and scholarships? What are the best strategies for transfer students who need more aid, but don’t qualify for non-stafford loans?</p>
<p>Financial aid for transfers is hard to come by but it does exist. You just have to search for it. With that EFC you will probably get a small pell grant of around $1,000. </p>
<p>There are schools that offer merit based scholarships for transfer students. Start looking for those. Also remember a lot of deadlines do come early so now is the time to plan.</p>
<p>You need to talk to the tranfer office of your college and fin dout what schools and programs they know for transfers. They can often give you some ideas.</p>
<p>The admissions office (which looks at your app) is typically different than the FA office. The FA office may never see your app.</p>
<p>You’re in Texas. Your best aid will likely be from Texas publics since the state of Tx has its own aid. </p>
<p>Also apply to Texas publics that you can commute to…you may not get enough funds to cover room and board.</p>
<p>I realize that the FA office will not see my app, but admissions can flag it for merit aid and that’s what I need most. I applied to schools for this upcoming term, was accepted to every school I applied to, and couldn’t pay for any of them- even the state ones. Sadly, there are no state schools in Texas where they offer what I want to learn most- Native American Studies or Art History with an emphasis in contemporary or Native American art. Nor are there any schools that I know of with a large NDN population/strong community.
I did this process last fall and got nothing. I have to do something else this time around, I’m just trying to figure out what? I’m to the point where I’m just going to stop going to school after I finish my AA because I cannot afford school afterwards.
Also, I am 27 years old and do not want to live on campus.
By commute do you mean live off campus? Or do you mean drive from one town to another? I currently do not have a vehicle and rely on public transit in Austin, I am not allowed to drive at this time due to medical issues. I do not forsee being able to afford a vehicle in the next year.</p>
<p>Commute means any school you can get to from where you live now. But because none of the local schools offer the major you’re looking for, that could be a problem.</p>
<p>The one obvious solution that I see would be to approach this from a slightly different direction . . . yes, you want to specialize in Native American art, but could you start with a B.A. in art, and postpone the more specialized studies ’til grad school? If you’re willing to do that, and perform well over the next two years, you might be able to get a teaching fellowship that would help pay for grad school.</p>
<p>Or, major in anthropology now, and specialize in Native American studies in grad school?</p>
<p>Most schools don’t offer the kind of specialized major you’re looking at - so even if you were offered a full ride to a prestigious college, you might still have to pursue a more general major as an undergrad.</p>
<p>So, focus on what’s affordable and close by, get your B.A., and then pursue your dreams in grad school.</p>
<p>@2redhares–</p>
<p>You may want to look at University of New Mexico. Your 3.5 GPA will make your eligible for the Amigo Transfer Scholarship (full tuition plus $200/year for transportation expenses)</p>
<p>[Transfer</a> Scholarships :: | The University of New Mexico](<a href=“http://scholarship.unm.edu/scholarships/transfer-scholarships.html]Transfer”>http://scholarship.unm.edu/scholarships/transfer-scholarships.html)</p>
<p>UNM has a robust Native American Studies Dept. and a well-regarded fine arts program (Lithography/print-making, painting and photography are all especially good.)</p>
<p>Add to that the anthro dept is ranked in the top 25.</p>
<p>If you want Native American art—you can’t go wrong studying in New Mexico which has more Native American artists than anywhere in the US.</p>
<p>~~~~</p>
<p>I know one college/program that specializes in Native American traditional and contemporary art studies–</p>
<p>Institute for American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.iaia.edu%5B/url%5D”>http://www.iaia.edu</a></p>
<p>Transfer student information here:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.iaia.edu/admissions/admissions-application-process/transfer-degree-seeking-students/[/url]”>http://www.iaia.edu/admissions/admissions-application-process/transfer-degree-seeking-students/</a></p>
<p>[edited to add: I thought enroll was limited to those with tribal affiliation, but I was wrong. All applicants are welcomed.]</p>
<p>Excellent suggestion, WayOutWestMom!</p>
<p>WayOutWestMom- I have been in talks with IAIA, but they do not accept any federal financial aid, only tribal aid or outside scholarships and my tribe does not give scholarships if you live outside of the Cherokee Nation area so that’s not really an option though it is very inexpensive. I also only have a 3.3 GPA overall, I have a 3.5 GPA in my major so I don’t qualify for the Amigo Scholarship, but I will look at what UNM has to offer. </p>
<p>I realize that I may not get to major in what I want, but there are great colleges that offer what I want, this is good list of programs with American Indian Studies programs:
<a href=“https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~rnelson/asail/guide/guide.html[/url]”>https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~rnelson/asail/guide/guide.html</a>
Sadly, there is not a single TX school listed on the list 
Do I have a chance at any of the schools on that list? </p>
<p>Ideally, I am looking for an interdisciplinary program that will allow me to fuse many areas together- art, anthropology, feminist studies, and Native American/ethnic studies. I think a small LAC would be best and maybe offer better aid than a state school like OU or UNM since I am out of state. I like Smith and Mills, Dartmouth would be amazing (but is highly unlikely.) I was accepted into Evergreen State but couldn’t afford it for this fall term, I might update my app with them and see if they offer me more aid with an increased GPA, etc.</p>
<p>Smith meets full need for accepted students, so that might be an option. Forget about Mills - it will be unaffordable.</p>
<p>See, I couldn’t get a straight answer on FA about Mills which makes me wary. They just keep telling me to apply and sending me application fee waivers.</p>
<p>Do you think I could get into Smith? I think once in I could do very well. They have a very strong Anthro program and the Five College Consortium offers a Native American Studies certificate. I have a lot of experience with feminist issues which I think might be a strong pull for a place like Smith. They also have a nontraditional students program-The Ada Comstock Program.</p>
<p>Mills does not meet full need. I know two students who have applied there and been very disappointed.</p>
<p>Well, you certainly can’t get into Smith if you don’t apply . . . so why not give it a shot? :)</p>
<p>Do you know if Bryn Mawr meets full need as well? They have the McBride Program that is similar to the Ada Comstock Program. I looked on their FA site, but it doesn’t mention transfers or those in the McBride Program specifically.</p>
<p>My understanding is that Bryn Mawr’s “full need” policy applies to all undergraduate students, and that should include both transfer and McBride students. But, if you have concerns, you should contact Bryn Mawr directly, just to be sure.</p>
<p>Thank you for your help. Any schools I am seriously considering I will be contacting directly, I am just trying to come up with a small list of potential schools at this moment, thus general FA questions. Can you suggest any other schools or programs that meet my criteria? For the past few years I was seriously only researching art schools and didn’t consider most LACs so while I know many schools I don’t know their general transfer policies or programs.</p>