Parents of the Class of 2019

[TB'sWidow]

This may be a dumb question but this is my first go round with a child going to college but I hear about students getting a full ride, can someone explain how they get a full ride?

 

[Southernmiss]

This may be a dumb question but this is my first go round with a child going to college but I hear about students getting a full ride, can someone explain how they get a full ride?

3 of my kids have done this by their ACT scores,National Merit Semi finalist, GPA and activities and class rank. My kid's full rides have been 4 year scholarships given by their college.

Each college will list their available scholarships based on ACT/Sat scores under financial aid in the college's website. It is very important to pay attention to the application deadlines given by the college.

My boys all had ACT scores of 32 and were either #1 or 2 in their classes of 300 with great weighted GPA's.

Some people are mistaken that colleges are tripping over themselves to give full rides to all great students.

But that is not the case. My kids are fortunate to be good students in Mississippi and their colleges in Mississippi were are able to give them 'full rides' based on the above criteria.

 

[tink1970]

This may be a dumb question but this is my first go round with a child going to college but I hear about students getting a full ride, can someone explain how they get a full ride?

In my DD’s situation she has a full ride at UF because UF rewards National Merit Scholarship Finalists complete COA (cost of attendance) scholarships via the Benaquisto Scholarship program. It’s available at 7 Florida universities and open to both in and out of state students. Similar scholarships are available to NMF at ASU and UAlabama.

 

[mjkacmom]

3 of my kids have done this by their ACT scores,National Merit Semi finalist, GPA and activities and class rank. My kid's full rides have been 4 year scholarships given by their college.

Each college will list their available scholarships based on ACT/Sat scores under financial aid in the college's website. It is very important to pay attention to the application deadlines given by the college.

My boys all had ACT scores of 32 and were either #1 or 2 in their classes of 300 with great weighted GPA's.

Some people are mistaken that colleges are tripping over themselves to give full rides to all great students.

But that is not the case. My kids are fortunate to be good students in Mississippi and their colleges in Mississippi were are able to give them 'full rides' based on the above criteria.

And it also depends on where you live. Dd had a 34 on the ACT, 4.280 GPA, definitely in the top 10 students out of 300+, 9 AP classes, the rest honors, tons of UC’s, and couldn’t even get into to honors college at Rutgers (and they gave her around $3500 merit). I don’t think any NJ college would offer a full ride. Well, except community college.

 

[TB'sWidow]

Southern miss & tink 1970 thanks for your responses. Dd is an excellent student with great scores but has not been offered a full ride. Dd has been given good scholarships to bring the cost down to several schools but no full ride. I was curious as to what goes into schools offering these, again thanks for your insight

 

[Southernmiss]

And it also depends on where you live. Dd had a 34 on the ACT, 4.280 GPA, definitely in the top 10 students out of 300+, 9 AP classes, the rest honors, tons of UC’s, and couldn’t even get into to honors college at Rutgers (and they gave her around $3500 merit). I don’t think any NJ college would offer a full ride. Well, except community college.

Exactly. That's why I added that we are in Mississippi.

Oldest ds applied to schools all over the country where the pool of great applicants is huge. He was accepted to Notre Dame and waitlisted at Vanderbilt.

Our motto has been go where you can get a good education, marketable degree, and graduate with the least amount of debt. In state schools won out for the 1st 3.

Oldest ds has a Master's in accounting (like your oldest) and works for one of the Big 3 firms in New Orleans after an internship there. One test away from his CPA.

Our youngest is a high school junior, has a perfect ACT score and wants to go to an Ivy... I have no illusions that she'll walk in and get everything she expects at an Ivy-- the great student pool is huge.

We will be making some in state and out of state public school visits with her soon and will encourage her to also go where she can get a good degree with the least amt of debt.

 

[mjkacmom]

Exactly. That's why I added that we are in Mississippi.

Oldest ds applied to schools all over the country where the pool of great applicants is huge. He was accepted to Notre Dame and waitlisted at Vanderbilt.

Our motto has been go where you can get a good education, marketable degree, and graduate with the least amount of debt. In state schools won out for the 1st 3.

Oldest ds has a Master's in accounting (like your oldest) and works for one of the Big 3 firms in New Orleans after an internship there. One test away from his CPA.

Our youngest is a high school junior, has a perfect ACT score and wants to go to an Ivy... I have no illusions that she'll walk in and get everything she expects at an Ivy-- the great student pool is huge.

We will be making some in state and out of state public school visits with her soon and will encourage her to also go where she can get a good degree with the least amt of debt.

Congrats to your ds, Dd just passed her 2nd and is studying for her 3rd. As much as I love her, her study spot is usually my dining room table. Hopefully she’ll get an apartment south of here with some friends, by her future employer. She’s been getting some excellent babysitting gigs ($20+ an hour), so at least she has an income. She took over ds20’s bedroom, who might be coming home in May for the summer (or staying at school, he pays rent in his fraternity house regardless). The nest gets tighter when they are all full grown!

 

[mjkacmom]

Funny you say that, my DS isn't really interested either. Their prom is next weekend. He's going, sans date but will meet up with friends and already said they are talking about leaving the dance early to go eat somewhere. He said he's ready for it all to be over because "everyone" is talking about it like it's "the most important thing ever, and it's just not." I had to remind him that everyone has different priorities and views on things and to some people, the prom is "IT", you know? He's just ready to focus on other stuff, including a competition coming up that could qualify his team for the national competition (which he's gone to the last two years and last year they won the silver medal). I told him to not wish the rest of the year away quite yet, it'll come soon enough.

No one leaves early here, it’s not allowed. No one drives anyway, and I believe they have breathalyzers. Most kids go away for a long weekend in groups, Dd has 50 in her prom house, I dread prom weekend.

 

[portocall]

Here in Louisiana they have scholarships for most students who do pretty well in high school. How much is based on GPA and ACT scores. My son qualified for the highest award. (High GPA and ACT score) He also received a pretty large scholarship from the one college he applied to. The University of New Orleans. So practically a full ride. Tuition, fees, a stipend for books and money towards dorm and meal plan.

 

[Eureka]

No one leaves early here, it’s not allowed. No one drives anyway, and I believe they have breathalyzers. Most kids go away for a long weekend in groups, Dd has 50 in her prom house, I dread prom weekend.

Interesting. For some reason, our school holds the prom an hour away. It’s also very early this year, it’s this weekend and they graduate May 30.

 

[Eureka]

Southern miss & tink 1970 thanks for your responses. Dd is an excellent student with great scores but has not been offered a full ride. Dd has been given good scholarships to bring the cost down to several schools but no full ride. I was curious as to what goes into schools offering these, again thanks for your insight

My DS had very good scores and gpa, lots of AP classes, sports and activities and also has not gotten a full ride offer anywhere. He did get $30k offers at two private colleges but that “only” puts them in instate tuition range. And neither is his first choice right now. Apparently our state’s national merit index is very high and he didn’t make the cut when he took the psat.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Well, 2 down and one more to go. Emory and Vanderbilt were a no, Cornell announces today but DD is pretty sure she won't get in there either. Once we officially here today, then she can make up her mind out of those she's been accepted to. She has done some applications for scholarships, so we'll have to wait and see what comes in on them, anything she gets would be nice to have at this point but only 1 of the schools she's been accepted to is really that expensive, and it's so tiny that she's not really interested in going. I do think that the rejections bother her a bit, but hopefully once this last one comes in, accepted or not, she can start looking forward to where she wants to go rather than dwelling on rejections.

Prom is the middle of April here, we told her last year when she bought a super expensive dress ($450) that she'll get to wear it 2 years in a row because we weren't buying another one, so we don't have to go and do any dress shopping here! They're going as a friend group again this year, and are talking about renting a limo since most of them are doing the same thing DD is with their dresses.

Her big thing she's looking forward to now is her National Park trip that she's planning with friends. They're making campground reservations and a couple of hotel reservations (I told her to call them first to make sure they can rent at 18 and don't require an adult over 21 in the room so she is). Otherwise it's just getting through the end of the year.

 

[mjkacmom]

My DS had very good scores and gpa, lots of AP classes, sports and activities and also has not gotten a full ride offer anywhere. He did get $30k offers at two private colleges but that “only” puts them in instate tuition range. And neither is his first choice right now. Apparently our state’s national merit index is very high and he didn’t make the cut when he took the psat.

Same boat, $28,000 from private’s, $17,000ish from out of state public, bringing them down to in state public, average $27,000. I just made her apply to a lesser state school, she did but insists she’s not going there after all of her hard work. Looks like grad school will be over $150,000 out of state, so she did agree to consider in state program.

 

[mjkacmom]

Well, 2 down and one more to go. Emory and Vanderbilt were a no, Cornell announces today but DD is pretty sure she won't get in there either. Once we officially here today, then she can make up her mind out of those she's been accepted to. She has done some applications for scholarships, so we'll have to wait and see what comes in on them, anything she gets would be nice to have at this point but only 1 of the schools she's been accepted to is really that expensive, and it's so tiny that she's not really interested in going. I do think that the rejections bother her a bit, but hopefully once this last one comes in, accepted or not, she can start looking forward to where she wants to go rather than dwelling on rejections.

Prom is the middle of April here, we told her last year when she bought a super expensive dress ($450) that she'll get to wear it 2 years in a row because we weren't buying another one, so we don't have to go and do any dress shopping here! They're going as a friend group again this year, and are talking about renting a limo since most of them are doing the same thing DD is with their dresses.

Her big thing she's looking forward to now is her National Park trip that she's planning with friends. They're making campground reservations and a couple of hotel reservations (I told her to call them first to make sure they can rent at 18 and don't require an adult over 21 in the room so she is). Otherwise it's just getting through the end of the year.

We spent $400 on her dress (some of her friends spent $800) because for other formals, proms, sweet 16’s she’s either borrowed or went with more inexpensive options. She’s going to a prep school prom with a friend from town, she will borrow for that. Plus, dd16 will be able to wear it to stuff. Most here only wear dresses once, but then loan them out and borrow.

 

[Eureka]

I forget who it was whose DS also applied to Georgetown, but my DS got an email saying they are releasing decisions this Saturday at 5 p.m. (Eastern time). He'll be at dinner with his friends before the prom but still plans on checking then.

 

[bjscheel]

I think it's more common in the Midwest and South to have automatic merit based on GPA/tests that can go up to a full ride. There are a few full tuition ones we looked at in the Midwest but they were for schools that weren't easy to get to (hence needing to entice students) and we didn't want to deal with the travel.

DD brought her cap and gown home yesterday. I said oh, you can decorate your cap now! She morosely said "I guess". It's another hit to her sentimental side.

Today she won a $2000 scholarship and another dinner with the Governor. This one comes with an award to her HS too for teaching financial literacy so that's cool. So far so good on the outside scholarships I hope this roll she's on continues!

 

[laughinplace199]

I forget who it was whose DS also applied to Georgetown, but my DS got an email saying they are releasing decisions this Saturday at 5 p.m. (Eastern time). He'll be at dinner with his friends before the prom but still plans on checking then.

That's me. DS said he heard that decision letters were mailed yesterday, so the letter may or may not come by Saturday when the decisions become available online. Either way, it'll be nice to know, even though DS pretty much knows it won't be good news. This was his one big reach school. I"ll be happy to have the answer so he can move on and start deciding between the other schools he was accepted to.

I hope your DS gets good news and has a great time at the prom!

 

[Eureka]

That's me. DS said he heard that decision letters were mailed yesterday, so the letter may or may not come by Saturday when the decisions become available online. Either way, it'll be nice to know, even though DS pretty much knows it won't be good news. This was his one big reach school. I"ll be happy to have the answer so he can move on and start deciding between the other schools he was accepted to.

I hope your DS gets good news and has a great time at the prom!

Hmm, we are local to Georgetown so if that’s true about letters being mailed, my DS could possibly have his today. This was a reach for him as well. Honestly I think that’s true about most everyone and Georgetown...they just don’t take too many kids. He’s got pretty realistic expectations about it even though for studying government and politics, it’s his first choice. Good luck to yours too!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Prom is still a month away. Despite DD being kind of awkward & introverted, she loves the dances and will happily dance with anyone & everyone at Prom.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

This may be a dumb question but this is my first go round with a child going to college but I hear about students getting a full ride, can someone explain how they get a full ride?

Sometimes, it can also be because you’ve chosen a poorly attended program. Schools with lower academic standards might offer a full ride to a top student in order to raise the bar somewhat. DD’s school of choice received an 80 million dollar gift to start an engineering program. So, to try to fill up their program, the school is offering 20 full rides to incoming freshmen who pursue engineering.