merit aid for B student?
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Anonymous
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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? |
Anonymous
| Oh, forgot to add. She's not a partier, and does not want a party school. |
Anonymous
| UCF, Temple |
Anonymous
| Hofstra, too |
Anonymous
OP here. No, not Florida. No, no. no. Mid-Atlantic or Northeast, preferably. Temple's in a really bad neighborhood, no? A friend's son, a so-so student, got a full ride to Temple, but turned it down. (He has great SATs, though.) His mom thought the neighborhood was dangerous around Temple. Hofstra, hmmm. I'll look into that one. |
Anonymous
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 
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Anonymous
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? |
Anonymous
| 3.2 and a 1200 SAT isn't merit worthy. Thus the crappy options . Merit is merit for a reason. |
Anonymous
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. |
Anonymous
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Could you do a tour more locally, to start getting a sense of big/small, urban/rural, etc . . . ? For example, if you're in MD, you could do a MD tour and look at Hood, Goucher, Loyola Marymount, McDaniel, UMBC, Towson, St. Mary's and Salisbury, which would give her a sense of different kinds of options. Then if she decides that she really loves one of those schools, you could look further afield at schools that are similar.
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Anonymous
Have her thyroid tested at doctor Depression screening - second. My daughter was doing fine in school but floundering physically and mentally. Thyroid was off she feels much better now. |
Anonymous
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. |
Anonymous
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Whenever these kinds of threads come up ("good schools for a 3.2 GPA student, etc.") the suggestions are usually way too selective. A 3.2 isn't going to get you into Penn State. Maybe it would have 20 years ago, but not today. Most of these big football schools have become very difficult to get into. Even places like UCF are tough. Temple might be doable, but don't expect any merit aid.
Your best bet would be finish an AA and then transfer to a flagship. If a community college isn't what you want, then you'll probably have to get a degree from a mediocre regional state school. |
Anonymous
| Some of the small, lesser-known privates give a lot of merit aid for students with your DD's stats. Locally, Hood and McDaniel would give her a fair amount. York College of Pennsylvania also has good merit aid. You might get the cost down to close in-state state school tuition. State schools that we looked at didn't provide much in the way of merit aid unless the student had very high stats. |
Anonymous
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Look at the schools in the Colleges That Change Lives book: McDaniel, Goucher, Ursinus, Juniata, Clark. Consider Ohio schools as well: Wittenberg, College of Wooster, Denison, Ohio Wesleyan. Also look at Kalamazoo College, Lawrence University, Augustana College (IL).
St. Mary's College of Maryland might work and the U. of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg is lovely and affordable from OOS, even without merit aid (they do give it). Buy and read the book The College Solution, which will tell you how to find schools where she will get in and get merit aid. |