College Scholarships

amother

Periwinkle

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 1:41 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Right, I figured that. So the question is if the student is at a significant disadvantage when it comes to taking the SAT because of their inferior education...? It's still a very smart student we're talking about, could they still do very well on the SAT or does it rely too heavily on what they learned in High School?

A student can do SAT prep independently and score well if she's a strong learner. But in the case of a strong learner who scored well on the SAT and also has a high GPA on her HS transcript, what does a college have to lose by offering a schedule? She's a great candidate.

DrMom

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 2:22 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

SATs test mathematical reasoning, reading and logical thinking.

You can get SAT prep books from your local library to help prepare.

Note that just because you have great grades and good SATs does not guarantee you a scholarship. There's a lot of competition out there. You can apply for all sorts of private scholarships as well. Again, check your local library for resources.

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 9:23 am

Not all colleges, notably the very elite schools, offer merit-based aid, but many do. Check the websites of the schools you or your child is interested in.

Some colleges are moving away from SAT's, making them optional or not required at all for admission (and by extension, merit-based financial aid through the school). Additional essays, recommendations and other demonstrations of aptitude/achievement will be required.

As for distinguishing one school from another, that's what admissions officers do - they are familiar with different schools and know what's what. They typically say that they are impressed by students who take (and excel in) the hardest courses offered by the school, but they understand that some students simply don't have the opportunity to take harder classes. If your child is the first from particular HS to apply, the guidance counselor and/or principal can provide additional information.

A highly motivated and capable student can fill in the blanks, so to speak, by taking online or community college courses.

amother

Slateblue

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 10:24 am

There are all kinds of scholarships and most are not based on pure merit - and even "merit" is calculated differently.

It really depends on what school one is attending as many schools have very specific scholarships that were endowed to provide money for specific circumstances. My friend who became wealthy endowed a scholarship for women studying in a specific field.

If money is necessary to get a college education, then start researching what is available. Obviously in NYC, the city universities are a great bargain as is the state university system to a lesser degree. In California, many budget conscious people go to the local community colleges for the first two years and one is guaranteed admission after two years of credit to one of the four year universities.

Or if it is a specific other school or field, then there is generally a financial aid department at the college who can provide helpful information.

amother

Firebrick

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 10:39 am

Macaulay Honors College is free if you are in state (NY) They even give you a laptop.
If you are out of state, you pay the first year while you acquire residency and then you are free afterwards.
Whether you child will get in or not- I don't know. I believe you need a 32 ACT (don't know about SAT) for them to even read your application, but if you meet that criteria it is all about grades and essays. It is very competitive.

amother

Linen

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 10:54 am

cm wrote:

There's a multiplier used in calculating a GPA. For example, an AP course might be multiplied by 1.2, and accelerated course by 1.1. So a student with a 90 in an AP course will have a better GPA than a student with a 100 in a regular course.

In addition, colleges are well aware of which schools offer more rigorous curriculum. That said, they may also be impressed by a student who does well on their SATs from a less-impressive school (also known as "affirmative action").

All of that said, merit scholarships are few and far between, and usually offered to students who far exceed the norms of a particular school. IOW, if the mean SAT score for a school is 1290 (on the 1600 scale), then a student who got a 1560 might receive a merit scholarship.

We did find that we were offered more than we expected without it being styled as a merit scholarship. For example, an out of state public university offered my student in-state tuition. A private university knocked off about half its tuition -- which still left it at about $40,000 a year.

BTW, someone referred to SUNY and CUNY. The tuitions are actually almost identical, but the fees are a little higher at SUNY. Several of the SUNY campuses have vibrant a Jewish life.

amother

Salmon

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 12:40 pm

hi. I am pretty sure that Touro college gives merit based scholarships. I remember my friend who had high SAT and GPA getting a significant reduction. That was 20 years ago.

I wouldn't want to pry into people's finances so this a perfect forum where people can answer anonymously.

Is anyone willing to tell me what kind of scholarship their daughter got to Touro if they got a 1400 on the SAT with 97+ GPA as well?

amother

Copper

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 12:45 pm

amother [ Salmon ] wrote:

I had a 99 GPA in high school and got a 1480/1600 on the SAT. They gave me a $13,500 scholarship. Tuition was $15K at the time. They told me that if I re-took the SAT and got a 1500, they would give me a full scholarship. I decided not to bother because the rest was covered by the state's Regents scholarship (nothing to do with the Regents, it's based on high school GPA ranking).

My sister had a 98 GPA in high school and got a 1380/1600 on the SAT. She got a $13,500 scholarship with tuition at almost $18K. This is very recent.

I believe she told me that now, anyone who got above a 1350 on the SAT can get the $13,500 scholarship. I could be wrong, though.

amother

Copper

Tue, Jul 30 2019, 1:04 pm

amother [ Salmon ] wrote:

Thank you copper.

I know that I sound ignorant, but is the 18.5k tuition per semester?

Do you know if they offer merit scholarships for the freshman center (the credits that you get in 12th grade)? My DD is gonna be participating this year.

No, per year (not including summers).

The freshman center credits are already heavily discounted. When I was there, it was $100 a credit for freshman center as opposed to $595 a credit regularly. So the scholarships don't apply to freshman center.