<p>I am looking for advice regarding a young man that I am trying to help. He is a GREAT kid. Has a difficult home life (actually left home last year for a few months and will have to move out again soon, I think). 29 ACT, Top 15% of class, good EC’s, beloved by teachers. MISSED most of the EA deadlines due to lack of family support/falling through cracks. Will most likely be eligible to waive parental signature of FAFSA due to homelessness so will have EFC of 0%. Will turn 18 in January. Interested in languages, film, computers (but not science). Willing to move anywhere to attend school.</p>
<p>He is applying to our state flagship, but didn’t get his scores sent so will be RD. I am thinking that he would be an attractive candidate elsewhere, but obviously the $ is going to be a huge issue. I REALLY want him to live in a dorm so he will have some stability for a while.</p>
<p>Is this a pipedream? I am open to any suggestions at all…</p>
<p>What about Northeastern? If his home situation is that bad, he may qualify for a torch scholarship. It’s a scholarship for kids who have overcome difficult situations. I think a GC has to nominate you. It would make school just about free.</p>
<p>Plus, Northeastern has a co-op program, which would give him the chance to earn some money along the way.</p>
<p>I would start with the list of schools that meet 100% of need. Schools like Davidson also convert loan aid to grants so the kids graduate debt free. Not sure what they have for programs for him though. What is his GPA? He has a descent ACT score to get him into pretty much every school in the nation with the exception of maybe a handful of schools. His life story, however, might get him in to any school–success against the odds. Is he a minority? If so, he can apply pretty much anywhere and have an excellent chance of getting in.</p>
<p>As for his interests, what long range goals does he have for a job? Those interests are kind of all over the place.</p>
<p>Thanks, folks. His has a weighted GPA of 4.0. Has taken all Honors or Advanced classes with 5 AP’s. Not too sure about future career… has considered linguistics but still unclear. Will definately check out the Torch scholarship.</p>
<p>He is a racial minority- multi- race but AA to the world.</p>
<p>Does he have teacher and GC recos ready to go? Fee waiver approval? I’d say start filling out Common app ASAP. A apps due Jan 1 in many cases. With fee waiver, put in several apps.</p>
<p>With his combo of a not so good life, minority status and good grades and test scores he is golden. Does he have a dream school? Apply there for sure. I would again go for the schools on the 100% need list. </p>
<p>With the film and computers–any interest in animation for movies or maybe special effects? If so, any school in California with a strong architecture program might be a good option. A lot of animators/special effect companies hire architects. </p>
<p>I would consider Georgetown if he wants linguistics. The film part is throwing me off for suggestions though.</p>
<p>Below is a link to some organizations in MA that might be of help. It is from the Pathways to College website which provides a list of organizations in each state that can assist with the type of situation you have described. </p>
<p>He should get his GC on his team right away so he or she can do whatever is necessary to bring this young man to the attention of the right people.</p>
<p>He may also want to look at Berea, whose mission is to educate students from disadvantaged backgrounds. (Not an automatic safety, but looks like he has a very good chance of admission, and it does provide a full ride to all students.)</p>
<p>^Yes. I am pretty sure that when you submit the FAFSA it is automatically submitted to the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance. I seem to recall that they automatically follow-up to notify you if you are eligible or not. Their web site is [Massachusetts</a> Office of Student Financial Assistance](<a href=“Office of Student Financial Assistance / Massachusetts Department of Higher Education”>http://www.osfa.mass.edu/)</p>
<p>How about some of the better LAC’s like Amherst, Oberlin? Middlebury since he’s interested in languages. It sounds like he has a compelling story which probably gives him some wiggle room with how his ACT score will be looked at. He might want to throw in some ivies as super reaches.</p>
<p>“probably gives him some wiggle room with how his ACT score will be looked at.”</p>
<p>A 29 wouldn’t be a terrible hurdle for a black male at most schools, even if he were from a Huxtable type environment. Throw in the fact that he’s been homeless/in foster care, and that’s not going to hold him back. I’d put a couple of Ivies on the list for sure. Cornell, Penn, or Brown might work. Wesleyan is terrific for film and meets need. How does he feel about a rural campus? I bet the Midwestern LACs (Grinnell, etc.) would snap him up. There’s still time to get good essays in the bank.</p>
<p>One reason I thought of Northeastern is that, in part because of the co-op program, it’s a year round school. Take summer courses and you can live in the dorm. </p>
<p>At many schools, he’d have to leave the dorm each May and find a place to stay. That isn’t going to be easy. Most kids who have completed one year or even two years of college aren’t going to earn enough to find housing and eat for the summer on their own. </p>
<p>So, personally, I’d recommend that he look at colleges with summer sessions and check out whether HE CAN GET AID FOR THE SUMMER. (I watched a young foreign student have a melt down when she found out after the fact that her aid package did not cover the summer courses she was taking. It was too late into the summer to withdraw without paying tuition.)</p>
<p>I would not recommend Emerson. It’s an excellent school for what it does, but it doesn’t “sound” to me as if this student is clear enough about his educational objectives to go with its focused approach. </p>
<p>And I too think it would be better if he stayed fairly local so he can access the adults in his life who provide some stability and would be able to at least see some friends during vacations, rather than being stuck in dorm in some Midwestern LAC or, even worse, having to leave that dorm for winter break with no place to go. If the dorms at a local college close, it’s more likely he can find a good place to stay with old friends, adult mentors, or new classmates. And, the co-op program might let him earn enough $ to have some options.</p>