<p>Hi, whciv01. A long answer coming your way! …</p>
<p>I’m not sure if you’re asking which schools have provided the best scholarships to my kids, or if you’re asking where my kids have found the best private scholarships, or if you’re asking about TAMU’s scholarships in particular.</p>
<p>My kids have had very little luck with the huge private scholarships that one hears about – like Kentucky Fried, Best Buy, etc. No luck at all with those.</p>
<p>One of my kids did earn a very elite corporate scholarship and to this day we’re not exactly sure how they got his name! We think that maybe this scholarship is somehow linked to his NMF status. Basically, this corporate scholarship group sent him an email in the fall of his senior year and asked him to apply. He did. Many months later, he was notified that he was one of 12-20 kids selected from across the world for the honor! That scholarship required the FAFSA, btw. But that’s the only really large, private scholarship either of my kids ever got outside of those that were awarded through our local school district, through our town, or through a university system.</p>
<p>So, we haven’t had a lot of luck with the classically need-based, private scholarship route.</p>
<p>On the other hand, my kids have had great luck with the other three routes – local school system, local community, and the university system.</p>
<p>Your son should be sure to check with his guidance counselor’s office for a possible list of scholarships that are awarded through your district or town. I’m not sure if they’ll have such a list, but if they don’t, you might want to inquire within your school district’s office and/or your local town. That’s one place to start. In my kids’ case, there was a list in their counselor’s office with all of the websites and/or addresses for applications, application deadlines, contact numbers, etc. My kids were very successful with this. THIS would be the time to start looking – well, actually, in mid-to-late September, or so, as the back-to-school dust settles. As I recall, most of the deadlines for such scholarships in our area (generally awarded to high school seniors in the spring) fell between mid-November and early February. So, that covers the school district and local community. </p>
<p>As for the scholarships that were awarded through the university system, my kids applied the same way your son just did. They applied EARLY. They applied THOROUGHLY. They complied with every single guideline listed on the admittance and scholarship applications, to include filing the FAFSA when required. In my TAMU son’s day there was an optional Essay C that was required for scholarship consideration. Naturally, he wrote one. And he took his time writing it and editing it and re-editing it. Not sure if that Essay C still exists on the Apply Texas site. But there’s probably something similar to it if not. As far as TAMU itself goes, that’s ALL my son did to apply for scholarships. He applied for every applicable scholarship that he might come close to earning at every single school to which he applied, though. And he was awarded many. But for TAMU, his scholarships came to him based ONLY on his TAMU application through the Apply Texas site.</p>
<p>With stats like your son’s, he may well earn a few scholarships from various groups within TAMU’s Scholarship program. Of course, I wouldn’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised … particularly if his school is a large and competitive school (which would make his top 1% and 4.0 even more relevant; no offense intended at all, please! that just seems to be how these things often go). Even if his school is a smaller school, he may well still qualify for a handful of scholarships. Others here on CC with stats similar to his might be willing to tell you (probably through PM) how they fared with TAMU scholarships. That would give you a better idea of how your son might fare.</p>
<p>Basically, there is no way around the awful wait. One must just WAIT until the spring to hear the final results – for admission, and for scholarships. It’s agonizing, I know! But there are no formulas I know about for admissions or for scholarships.</p>
<p>TAMU, like many or most large schools, has TONS of scholarships to offer – some from the university itself, some from separate departments within the university, some through private donors or endowments or memorials or groups who are looking to do some good for others. You might be surprised how many scholarships there are out there! Some are really large and some are not so large, but every little bit helps, AND it’s possible to get several that can be stacked. Those can really add up. Of course, large schools like TAMU also have TONS of entering students each year! So the available scholarships do spread thin. Not everybody gets one. It’s hard to answer questions like yours because (a) I’m just a parent, just like you … it’s just that I happened to have a kid earlier than you did, lol, and (b) everything is so subjective – just because something came together for one kid doesn’t mean it would come together for another kid, even if it appears that all things are “equal.” </p>
<p>I warn you, I am no expert! I really only know of my own kids’ experiences, that of their close friends, and that of my close friends’ kids. But I can attest to the fact that there are a large variety of scholarships available at most large universities. Top students in various arenas often get one, but on the other hand, we know plenty of kids with great academic stats – stats that were very close to my son’s academic stats, but who weren’t NMF’s – who got absolutely nothing from TAMU! So, I don’t want to mislead anyone or give anybody false hope. I only want to encourage everybody to apply early, apply thoroughly, and file that FAFSA if it’s required! :)</p>
<p>All my best to your son, whciv01! I hope great things come his way! :)</p>