Sharing College Info

[Feralpeg]

DD received word that she has been accepted at two colleges. I have a question that is probably going to sound really dumb. If they were going to offer a scholarship, would they have done so when they sent her acceptance letter. Or, do we need to contact their financial aide offices and discuss finances with them to see if she is eligible? Sorry, I'm clueless. Things have changed so much since I went to college.

 

[Michie]

Get ready for your head to spin! Scholoarships, FASFA, loans, grants, work study.

It depends on the scholarship. She can apply for a scholarship(s) even after she has been accepted.

 

[monarchsfan16]

Scholarships are generally merit based, whether it be academic, sports, etc.
*Usually* information about merit scholarships comes with the acceptance letter. I'm sure this isn't the case with all schools, but I think it was with all the schools I was accepted by last year.
The financial aid office deals with actualy financial eligibility. They deal with loans, grants (what many call scholarships), workstudy, and anything else that is based solely on financial eligibility. To see if she's eligible for needbased aid, fill out the FAFSA. You can file that anytime beginning January first.

 

[OhMari]

We are from WI and my dd goes to Northern MI University in Marquette MI. She received an academic scholarship because her ACT scores were high enough. It covered the difference between a Michigan Resident tuition and the out of state tuition. She had to keep a 3.0 average each year to get the scholarship.

I just read the state colleges have the worst record for any type of scholarships. You will find that private colleges rewards more scholarship. But private schools around here are in the $35,000 range were the state schools are in the $18,000 range. So if you get a lot of scholarships for a private college, your portion usually ends up to be what it would cost you to send your child to a State University.

 

[Aidensmom]

In my experience, but this was 20 years ago, scholarships coming from the actual school were offered with the acceptance letter, outside scholarships (such as the Florida Scholars Award, if that still exists) had to be applied for. Her guidance counselor should be able to help her find ones to apply for.

 

[Feralpeg]

Thanks for the info. She received the acceptance letter from UCF. They didn't mention any type of scholarship. I did do a search on their website that said scholarship notifications would be out by March 1st. We got an email acceptance to Florida State. It said her acceptance letter would be coming in about a week. We'll see what it says. DD has a 4.328 GPA. Her SAT and ACT scores were okay, but not over the top. I was hoping for a little something. Thank goodness we have Florida Bright Futures!

 

[horseshowmom]

DD did not receive her scholarships award notification with her acceptance letter. Let me give you some advice based on our experience (DD is a freshman this year).

Make sure you contact the financial aid office at the school (or schools) of your choice and talk with an admission counselor. While her high school guidance counselor is a good place to start, you need to develop a relationship with one of the college admission counselors (they should have intimate knowledge of what their school can offer you and should help work on your behalf).

You may have to work to get as much out of them as you can. I agree with what OhMari said about the difference in state and public schools and their offers. One of DD's friends had a 25 ACT and received a full scholarship (including room and board). That wouldn't have happened at DD's university.

At the public university DD attends, she had to complete an application for scholarships (actually more than one application in some cases depending on the scholarship). That's not counting the FAFSA, etc.

DD would NOT have gotten everything she got had we not talked to them several times to keep up to date. They have different deadlines for different things, and sometimes have extra things come up. The deadlines were very important (one of ours was Feb. 15th).

Develop a resume now listing not only academic endeavors but any extracurricular, community service, and/or leadership activities she's been involved in.

Google "Presidential Freedom Scholarship". If she's been involved in community service, can document 100 hours of service, and can come up with a matching $500 scholarship, they may give her another $500. I've found almost no counselors who know about this scholarship, and everybody I told about it last year has gotten it (including us).

If your DD is interested, there are several organizations that might be able to help her raise her ACT. My DD had a 32, so she didn't take it again, but our financial aid office told her that they'd accept her highest score up through June if she chose to take it again (although most of the aid would have already been awarded by then).

I hope this helps. I know we had to work hard on our own to make sure she got as much as she did. Fortunately, her school isn't costing us anything because of the scholarships, but we were surprised to find that they didn't just "offer" her everything without our having enough background knowledge to ask the "right" questions.

Good luck!

 

[Feralpeg]

sbclifton, Thank you very much! I will definately make appointments to speak to the counselors and talk options. I will also look into the Presidential Freedom Scholarship. I'll be glad when all this is settled!

 

[horseshowmom]

I can honestly say that it was a real learning experience for me. I had assumed that because she had a 4.0 (she didn't have access to AP classes, so a 4.0 was as high as she could get) and a 32 ACT that they would be falling all over themselves to make her offers.

That would have been the case had she gone to a private university, but since she was accepted into the early entry program for pharmacy school, she had to go to that university (which I honestly think they used against us to a point).

She has friends in the EE program who have ACT's of 28 and 30 who got very little in the way of scholarships other than the ACT scholarships that they automatically received. On the other hand, I have a friend whose son had a 31, and he received a full scholarship at a different public school (his major could have been taken at any university - not specific like pharmacy - our state only has one pharmacy school).

The fact that you have applied to two different schools may help you. Don't be afraid to mention (when you talk to the counselors at the different schools) that how much financial aid you're able to get (from the two schools) will be a major factor in your decision as to where to go. We actually got another $6000 scholarship after I complained that I felt like DD wasn't getting enough based on her credentials and that we were going to start looking at pharmacy schools out of state.

 

[luvflorida]

My oldest daughter graduated from the University of New Hampshire in May. She is now doing graduate studies at the University of Arizona.

If I remember correctly, we found most college scholarship information on each individual college's website, (but had to dig deeper for more information), and while on the tours of the various schools. I don't remember if additional information came with the acceptance letters. Daughter's high school had information on local scholarships that were available to the graduating seniors.

Like other posters have said, you need to ask, ask, and ask again and do everything you can to get the information you are looking for. There are tons of scholarships out there. Your daughter's high school should be able to help you find scholarship information and the colleges that your daughter has been accepted to should be able to answer any questions.

Our daughter chose the University of New Hampshire because they have an excellent theatre program and that was her field of study. She also looked at NYU, Ithaca, and the HART School of Performing Arts, but she didn't want to go too far away from home. She received a Presidential Scholarship for all four years because she graduated in the top 10% of her class. Daughter actually graduated in the top 5%, but there wasn't a different scholarship for that. The scholarship cut her tuition rate in half. She received college credit for several AP courses and exams that she took in high school. She also received a $2,000. scholarship that was given to a promising Freshman in the Musical Theatre department, and she didn't even apply for it! Anything that daughter thought she might qualify for, she applied for. Some she got, and some she didn't.

I know it can be very confusing. I remember FAFSA forms, scholarships, grants, loans, etc. If in doubt, ask!! You never know what a college is willing to offer!!

 

[chrissyk]

You need to fill out the FAFSA as early as you can for your DD's financial aid offer. Do you already know that she qualifies for Bright Futures, though? It sounds like she might, and that could pay for some or all of her college expenses.

If you get differing aid packages, negotiate with the FA offices at the schools! You wouldn't believe how much they'll come up in their grants to attract a student that they really want.

sbclifton, I personally believe that applying early entry/early decision does limit aid offers. I don't think that you were imagining it. It seems to be so hip to apply early entry these days...my mother was telling me about how this friend's daughter got in early entry to this school, and that friend's daughter got in early entry to that school...I told her that I think that it will hurt their chances at good financial aid. It's playing your hand to say "you're my first choice" in that way, KWIM? I can't blame the student for wanting that acceptance in hand earlier in the year. It's a load off their mind. However, from an aid perspective, I just can't believe that it doesn't affect the package. BTW, it's just stupid that a school wouldn't come way up in aid for a young woman with your daughter's grades and scores who wanted to major in what is essentially a hard science.

 

[golfgal]

The school I attended sent out the acceptance letter, the financial aid/scholarship stuff came later, maybe a few weeks later for some of it. They have a school sponsored scholarship for top students, if your GPA is 3.75 our of 4.0 and above you get and automatic $10,000, lesser amounts for slightly lower GPS's. That is the only scholarship that anyone "knows" about right away although they don't send the official notice until your financial aid package comes which is April or so after the FFA stuff is done. There is also negotiation room in some of the packages, more so at private schools then state institutions.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I'd contact the Financial Aid Office no matter what and inquire about it. I started out at a community college in FL. I remember attending something where they mentioned they had scholarship money available because not enough people applied for it!

 

[Tiggeroo]

did you complete the fafsa? Did you get your EFC from them and an award letter. If I remember right we got the acceptance. Then a couple weeks later we got the financial aid package from the state then a bit later from the school, which included the state package on it.

 

[LightBurnsBlue]

Too bad she's not a minority...I had average (3.5 gpa) grades in HS and a 32 ACT score, but I got a full tuition scholarship to my school because I'm half-mexican. I don't really think it's fair, but I wasn't going to turn it down just to have another person snatch it up.

 

[wdwgirl03]

I got accepted to Marquette and then they sent me a separate letter for my scholarship.

 

[msdznyduck]

DS didn't get into his early decision first choice, but we are hopeful he will still get in under regular decision. His SAT was 1380,(math 760.) but the college he chose is very selective. What is hurting him is his class rank which is about 160 out of about 700 seniors. He has AP classes and does well,(he has above 95 in all classes first marking period, and so far the second he is the same.) and is taking 3 advanced math classes this year, since he wants to teach high school math.
THe other college he applied to has accepted him, but no scholarship info came. We will be starting all the paperwork for financial aid, etc soon.
My question is: if he wants to wait for his first choice to make a regular decision, which will be made by April 1, is it too late to fill out applications, etc for scholarships, or should he start now. Does he need to know which college he is going to accept before applying for financial aid, etc?----I am just clueless when it comes to this.
thanks

 

[foxfire]

This was 10 years ago and things may have changed but my DS received a full academic scholarship to a private college, his first choice, and it was offered in his acceptance letter. We had visited the campus prior to his senior year of high school and he was asked to apply then. We opted to wait until he had gotten his ACT and SAT scores because we wanted those included on the initial application. Both scores were very high and were definitely noted as being a consideration in the scholarship offer as well as his high school grades, which included all of the AP courses offered at his school.

 

[Feralpeg]

My question is: if he wants to wait for his first choice to make a regular decision, which will be made by April 1, is it too late to fill out applications, etc for scholarships, or should he start now. Does he need to know which college he is going to accept before applying for financial aid, etc?----I am just clueless when it comes to this.
thanks

I am clueless as well. DD just took the SAT again about 3 weeks ago. I wanted to make sure her score was in before I filled out the FAFSA. I will be doing that very shortly and then making appointments with the Financial Aid offices at both schools. This is very stressful. We are lucky in the fact that DD has already qualified for the 75 percent level of Florida Bright Futures. I'm hoping that her SAT has come up enough to bring her to the 100 percent level. She gets great grades, but doesn't do well on the standardized tests.

msdznyduck, Good luck to your son!

 

[horseshowmom]

My question is: if he wants to wait for his first choice to make a regular decision, which will be made by April 1, is it too late to fill out applications, etc for scholarships, or should he start now. Does he need to know which college he is going to accept before applying for financial aid, etc?----I am just clueless when it comes to this.
thanks

I think you can fill out everything at both schools. Once you decide where you're going, you would just decline the offer from the other school.