merit aid for B student?

[Anonymous]

Smart kids with ADD overcompensate until academics become too demanding. They are also quite capable of focusing on something that interests them, such as reading. I am not saying your child has ADD, but it is worth talking to a psychiatrists. Grades do not tumble from a 4 to a 3 just because she is suddenly not interested...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College is not for everybody.

This is so ridiculous.

I know lots of kids who had B averages and SATs that were like your DDs and got into colleges with some money. One in particular went to a midwestern state flagship university and got the equivalent of in-state tuition.

This is what I'm hoping for, except DD does not want a Midwestern school. That's why I thought maybe Vermont, CT or Delaware might come up with the equivalent of in-state tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in the donut hole: too much money for FA, not enough to afford privates or OOS public.

DD has a 3.9 unweighted, but she's a junior and is floundering this year. She'll probably end up with a 3.2 at the end of the year at the rate she's going. Her SATs will probably be around 1200 based on her PSAT scores, according to her high school counselor.

I am starting to compile a list of places for DD to visit during spring break, but aside from our in-state schools, what other colleges will accept someone with her stats, and give her merit aid? She has one somewhat unusual interest, is a non-varsity athlete, no special talents except that she's nice and funny and people like her.

She's social and outgoing, so she'll feel fine in a large OOS public, but we can only afford it if she can get merit aid. She'd probably prefer a SLAC, but are there any that would give her enough merit aid to match in-state tuition?

Any suggestions? I'm thinking U Delaware, U VT, maybe Penn State? Any other ideas? Northeastern, maybe?

There are plenty of SLAC's that would give her merit aid, but probably not enough to reach in state tuition.

If she wants an SLAC, I'm not sure why you're looking at Penn State. I'd look at state schools that resemble SLAC's instead: Mary Washington, Saint Mary's (which ever is OOS, I assume you're already looking at the one that's instate) Truman State, etc.. . .

Also, is she willing to go to a private school where her stats are on the high end? You'll find the most money there.

OP. Thanks for those suggestions. We're in MD, so I know about St. Mary's. Truman State I've never heard of. Is Mary Washington the one in Williamsburg? OOS is not cheap though for public SLACS, so not sure if we could afford Mary Washington or Truman State.

She'd do fine at a large university, but would prefer a small college. She had a 3.9, so I was looking at better schools, but this year she's fallen apart, so we have to aim our sights a lot lower.

Keep those suggestions coming, please! this is so helpful!

U. of Mary Washington is in Fredericksburg. It is a SLAC and bears no resemblance to the College of William & Mary, which is in Williamsburg.

Whether the other schools you were looking at are "better" is up for debate, but I will tell you that brand-name schools do not, by and large, give merit aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College is not for everybody.

This is so ridiculous.

I know lots of kids who had B averages and SATs that were like your DDs and got into colleges with some money. One in particular went to a midwestern state flagship university and got the equivalent of in-state tuition.

This is what I'm hoping for, except DD does not want a Midwestern school. That's why I thought maybe Vermont, CT or Delaware might come up with the equivalent of in-state tuition.

For the most part and with limited exceptions, schools in the Northeast and on the coasts do not give merit aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of Mary Washington is a public school in VA. They do offer merit $ sometimes. Also, Randolph Macon in VA is a small private but awards generous merit money. There are tons of small privates in PA that offer generous merit $ as well. Hopefully she will be able to get her grades back up before 1st semester of her senior year but if not, the other PPs are pretty accurate that the large flagship state colleges are significantly more competitive than they were even 10 years ago. But there are tons of SLACs that offer merit $. Good luck.

Could you name a few PA schools that give generous merit $$ to a B student? Thanks!

I'll look into Randolph Macon.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=pennsylvania+colleges+that+give+merit+aid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Smart kids with ADD overcompensate until academics become too demanding. They are also quite capable of focusing on something that interests them, such as reading. I am not saying your child has ADD, but it is worth talking to a psychiatrists. Grades do not tumble from a 4 to a 3 just because she is suddenly not interested...

But there would have to be some red flags aside from grades dropping suddenly. I thought the thyroid suggestion makes sense because of our family history. But I have not seen any red flags for ADD in my DD -- what would suggest ADD aside from dropping grades? The counselor did not suggest a psychiatrist, nor did she mention ADD as a possibility. That's why I'm curious what would she have to see to suggest taking DD to a psychiatrist? And DD has been quite capable of focusing on her schoolwork in the past, so the ADD idea doesn't make sense to me unless I'm missing something. What would overcompensating look like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smart kids with ADD overcompensate until academics become too demanding. They are also quite capable of focusing on something that interests them, such as reading. I am not saying your child has ADD, but it is worth talking to a psychiatrists. Grades do not tumble from a 4 to a 3 just because she is suddenly not interested...

But there would have to be some red flags aside from grades dropping suddenly. I thought the thyroid suggestion makes sense because of our family history. But I have not seen any red flags for ADD in my DD -- what would suggest ADD aside from dropping grades? The counselor did not suggest a psychiatrist, nor did she mention ADD as a possibility. That's why I'm curious what would she have to see to suggest taking DD to a psychiatrist? And DD has been quite capable of focusing on her schoolwork in the past, so the ADD idea doesn't make sense to me unless I'm missing something. What would overcompensating look like?

Working much harder than her classmates to achieve the same grades.

Btw, vermont did not match insate rates with 3.5 gpa and 31 act here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in the donut hole: too much money for FA, not enough to afford privates or OOS public.

DD has a 3.9 unweighted, but she's a junior and is floundering this year. She'll probably end up with a 3.2 at the end of the year at the rate she's going. Her SATs will probably be around 1200 based on her PSAT scores, according to her high school counselor.

I am starting to compile a list of places for DD to visit during spring break, but aside from our in-state schools, what other colleges will accept someone with her stats, and give her merit aid? She has one somewhat unusual interest, is a non-varsity athlete, no special talents except that she's nice and funny and people like her.

She's social and outgoing, so she'll feel fine in a large OOS public, but we can only afford it if she can get merit aid. She'd probably prefer a SLAC, but are there any that would give her enough merit aid to match in-state tuition?

Any suggestions? I'm thinking U Delaware, U VT, maybe Penn State? Any other ideas? Northeastern, maybe?

There are plenty of SLAC's that would give her merit aid, but probably not enough to reach in state tuition.

If she wants an SLAC, I'm not sure why you're looking at Penn State. I'd look at state schools that resemble SLAC's instead: Mary Washington, Saint Mary's (which ever is OOS, I assume you're already looking at the one that's instate) Truman State, etc.. . .

Also, is she willing to go to a private school where her stats are on the high end? You'll find the most money there.

OP. Thanks for those suggestions. We're in MD, so I know about St. Mary's. Truman State I've never heard of. Is Mary Washington the one in Williamsburg? OOS is not cheap though for public SLACS, so not sure if we could afford Mary Washington or Truman State.

She'd do fine at a large university, but would prefer a small college. She had a 3.9, so I was looking at better schools, but this year she's fallen apart, so we have to aim our sights a lot lower.

Keep those suggestions coming, please! this is so helpful!

U. of Mary Washington is in Fredericksburg. It is a SLAC and bears no resemblance to the College of William & Mary, which is in Williamsburg.

Whether the other schools you were looking at are "better" is up for debate, but I will tell you that brand-name schools do not, by and large, give merit aid.

Sorry, using shorthand. Didn't mean "better" just "more selective." DD1 did get merit aid from "brand-name" colleges, but DD1 had much higher stats than DD2.

Thank you for clearing up the confusion between W&M and Mary Washington. I thought W&M was a SLAC, a very selective one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smart kids with ADD overcompensate until academics become too demanding. They are also quite capable of focusing on something that interests them, such as reading. I am not saying your child has ADD, but it is worth talking to a psychiatrists. Grades do not tumble from a 4 to a 3 just because she is suddenly not interested...

But there would have to be some red flags aside from grades dropping suddenly. I thought the thyroid suggestion makes sense because of our family history. But I have not seen any red flags for ADD in my DD -- what would suggest ADD aside from dropping grades? The counselor did not suggest a psychiatrist, nor did she mention ADD as a possibility. That's why I'm curious what would she have to see to suggest taking DD to a psychiatrist? And DD has been quite capable of focusing on her schoolwork in the past, so the ADD idea doesn't make sense to me unless I'm missing something. What would overcompensating look like?

Working much harder than her classmates to achieve the same grades.

Btw, vermont did not match insate rates with 3.5 gpa and 31 act here

Thanks, this is helpful. Not good news about Vermont, though.

I don't know how hard DD's classmates work. DD worked hard enough to get good grades the last two years, but this year has lost interest and focus, why I do not know. She says she gets bored with working and doesn't want to do any more of it, but she doesn't know why.

[Anonymous]

Most public universities are not looking to waive out-of-state tuition for average or slightly-better-than-average students. They want and need full-pay out-of-state students to make up for budget cuts. Some schools, like Alabama and South Carolina, are trying to improve their academic rep by courting high-scorers, but I'm not thinking a 3.2, 1200 is going to make the cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know that these schools are nit ideal, but you are on a very difficult quest. Merit with so-so stats is illusive at best. Time to have a chat with the student about her options with current grades

OP. I know it's difficult. But DD wants to take a tour during spring break, and I don't know where to take her aside from in-state schools.

Her grades are not going to improve. She's having a hard time this year. All her friends are doing well, and she's floundering. We're taking her to counseling, but her counselor is baffled by her sudden lack of interest in school. She's overwhelmed by all the work, and doesn't want to do it, basically. So, her grades will be Bs, not As, sadly. She's smart, but this is the path she's chosen. She does not like to work hard.

Sorry for the vent. I went to an Ivy, so this is a struggle for me, but I don't want her to go to CC if I can help it!

Any other suggestions? Please?

I would make an appointment with a psychiatrist at this point then. She might have ADD and is depressed about her grades. Even if she is just depressed, you need more than counselling. I have been there with my child, I feel your pain.

Not to derail the thread, but how did you know your child had ADD? My DD has always done well in school, put forth very little effort because she's smart, but she's never done well on standardized tests, especially math, even though she gets good grades (until this year) in math. She has a long attention span, reads for hours, doesn't exhibit anything I would associate with ADD. What were the red flags for your child?

Ironically, there were no real red flags for me, except her grades tanking in the beginning of junior year. And a lot of hours spent on homework. Took her in for depression, came back with ADD diagnosis...

Did you take her initially to a psychiatrist? Or did you start with a school counselor or a psychologist? I'm not interested in giving my child drugs, so I'm not sure why I'd need to take her to a psychiatrist. Are they the only ones qualified to diagnose ADD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most public universities are not looking to waive out-of-state tuition for average or slightly-better-than-average students. They want and need full-pay out-of-state students to make up for budget cuts. Some schools, like Alabama and South Carolina, are trying to improve their academic rep by courting high-scorers, but I'm not thinking a 3.2, 1200 is going to make the cut.

This is my feeling, absolutely. But there are always exceptions....

I want to at least show DD a few places out of state where she might have a possibility of getting in and getting enough $ to go there. Who knows, it might motivate her to work harder!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smart kids with ADD overcompensate until academics become too demanding. They are also quite capable of focusing on something that interests them, such as reading. I am not saying your child has ADD, but it is worth talking to a psychiatrists. Grades do not tumble from a 4 to a 3 just because she is suddenly not interested...

But there would have to be some red flags aside from grades dropping suddenly. I thought the thyroid suggestion makes sense because of our family history. But I have not seen any red flags for ADD in my DD -- what would suggest ADD aside from dropping grades? The counselor did not suggest a psychiatrist, nor did she mention ADD as a possibility. That's why I'm curious what would she have to see to suggest taking DD to a psychiatrist? And DD has been quite capable of focusing on her schoolwork in the past, so the ADD idea doesn't make sense to me unless I'm missing something. What would overcompensating look like?

Working much harder than her classmates to achieve the same grades.

Btw, vermont did not match insate rates with 3.5 gpa and 31 act here

Thanks, this is helpful. Not good news about Vermont, though.

I don't know how hard DD's classmates work. DD worked hard enough to get good grades the last two years, but this year has lost interest and focus, why I do not know. She says she gets bored with working and doesn't want to do any more of it, but she doesn't know why.

I hope you will get to the root of the problem. Otherwise, sending her to college might not turn out that great

[Anonymous]

Temple was a great option. Trinity and other schools aren't is the best neighborhoods but the continue to serve a real solution for B students or A students that wanted Yale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Temple was a great option. Trinity and other schools aren't is the best neighborhoods but the continue to serve a real solution for B students or A students that wanted Yale.

Trinity gives merit aid to only the very highest performers, about 5% of accepted applicants or fewer.