I'm late to this thread, but keep having the kid take the tests. Many colleges do a "superscore" where they take the highest grade of each test to roll it into a composite. DS got 36/36 on his ACT for Reading, and that stuck with him for each time he retook the test, so by the time he did his 3rd ACT his composite was in the 30's. When you're in the 30's for your ACTs, the Merit Aide rolls in from colleges. (He did well on his SATs, but the ACT is what's been beneficial for him.) DS has been offered very high merit scholarships from several private schools and admitted to the Honors Program at many others, but his best deal thus far is Indiana University Bloomington as he's a direct admit to the Kelley School of Business with the IU Excellence Scholarship that takes care of almost all tuition. We'll be able to cover just about all the rest with little debt to him, and there will be more scholarship $$ rolling in too, likely from Kelley. The September ACT test here is known as the $50 that brought in $36000...
Once you're admitted to a college, there is additional scholarship money controlled by the school besides the Merit Aide which is based on grades and test scores. DS has been doing dual credit for the last two years and that will transfer to IU, but not the private schools, which makes IU that much more attractive. Purdue does not have as much in Merit Aide as IU, which is also a reason why IU is such a good deal.
He started testing in spring of junior year, and all of the college applications were completed in August. Many universities have a limited amount of money to hand out, and its gone early. He's had most of his admissions for several weeks now, which has been nice--but disconcerting to classmates who did not apply as early.
So start testing early, and often--because it can be 'worth it' for scholarship money. We will do the same thing for DD (currently a sophomore) just to see where her test scores might be and where she may end up for college. She has better grades than her brother but probably will not test as well. Will know in a couple of weeks when the PSATs from October show up.
Congrats to your son and everyone else that is having success with the college process!
I have few comments based on what you wrote.
My daughter didn't apply to a single school that superscores so don't bank on that option.
I am shocked by the level of merit aid some schools have versus others. My daughter has received the presidential scholarship at every school she has heard back from at this point. That award has been as high as $25,000 per year to as low as $1,500 per year.
For years I have heard that private schools offer more than state schools which brings the private school price down to the level of the state school. For us, that hasn't been the case at all. While the private schools have offered tons of money, the state schools are always cheaper here. That has just been our experience. I am sure it varies.
For my daughter, I believe she has decided on a private school in our state. It is a smaller school and a better fit for her compared to our grossly overcrowded state schools. In this case, it will actually be cheaper to attend the private school versus the state school, but that is only because she will be able to complete her degree in two years (she is dual enrolled and will have her AA) versus three years at the state school because classes are so hard to get there. If she did an equal number of years at both schools, the state school would have been much cheaper.
The private school offers a great honors program which is a huge draw for her. Our state school programs are nothing more than smaller class sizes. While that is a huge draw since the regular classes are so overcrowded, the classes aren't really more challenging. This private school seems to offer what I would deem a true honors program. I'm sure this varies by state. Our overcrowded schools contribute to these issues, but I have heard many of the universities across the nation are overcrowded so it is something to check into.
Finally, DD didn't take the PSAT. She wouldn't have had a good score at that time because she was struggling in math. All of the schools she has been accepted into so far only have one merit scholarship higher than hers and that is for National Merit Finalists. So far, that award has only been an extra $1,000 more than what she is being offered. While I'll take anything a school wants to give her, the amount is not big enough to have impacted her decision so she does not regret skipping it. I am curious if this is the norm at other colleges? I always assumeed NM Finalists ended up with a free ride.
Congrats again to everyone!
Our first quarter is late in ending due to the hurricane. The kids had no quarterly's and they're panicking about how few grades they have for the quarter. I feel so bad for them, they have enough stress just trying to get on with life let alone worrying about grades.
You should be very proud!
