Parents expecting me to obtain a full track scholarship

With your grades/scores and running, you'd have a chance to get in a school like UChicago that offers generous grant-only (no loans) aid. They're DIII, so no athletic scholarships, but you'd be surprised at how much aid you would get. Look at some net price calculators for some grant only schools (this is UChicago's https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/calculate)

With that ACT score you could get tuition covered at quote a few schools... if you go to a smaller school you'll get more money. All depends on where you want to go.

Those are my exact PR's from High School.

I got my books paid for, and no scholarship. The next year, I got like 12%, and books. I seem to recall it peaked at like 20%. I ended up running in the low 4's in the mile, and low 14's in the 5k, and 1:50 flat in the 800. Track runners get shit for scholarships unless you are literally one of the best in the nation, or you're a girl.

I had other scholarships, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Hopefully you already applied to some of them.

Hi,

Others have said this...but they haven't stressed it enough. You should be focusing heavily on the Ivy League.

All Ivy League schools will let you go for free if your parents don't make very much money. So, effectively, you would be getting a full scholarship. And, even if you can't go for free, based on the income information you provided, these schools would be among the cheapest for you to attend. (source is a little dated...I believe the thresholds for going to free are even higher now:

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-ivy-league-financial-aid-packages-stack-up-2016-3

)

Ivy League athletics use the Academic Index system. This is a combination of your test scores and class rank (maybe also GPA). Since your academics are good, you have a chance at a high AI. Which means you don't have to be quite as fast to get the coach to support your application. (AI calculator:

https://www.goschoolwise.com/tools/academic-index

)

Your PRs are decent -- decent enough, probably to get you a visit and put you on path to acceptance. I did you run these times as a sophomore? If you did, then you're likely to be quite competitive. If you could shave a few seconds off the mile or 8...you would be in decent shape.

1) I'm assuming you are a senior. Here is an unconventional plan. Sit out a year. You need to get faster. It's too late for Ivies now anyway for the most part. BUt if you run like 4:10 or 9:05 this year, they'll be happy to have you. So sit out the year and then go.

2) Community college isn't a bad idea. Cornell has a guaranteed transfer rule for certain GPAs at community colleges. If you can get into an ivy with a 90k parents income, you'll get a ton of financial aid.

3) Navy/Air Force is free and you get a guaranteed job.

Don't have time to read through all the replies. I assume you are a junior. Start looking at D3 schools. With those grades, scores, and times you should be able to get some healthy scholarships and grants from your state and private schools. Top US News and World Report liberal arts schools have money to throw at "scholar athletes". In the B1G region you might want to look at Carleton, Grinnell, and Macalester.

Iowa and Minnesota athletic conference schools will find considerable money for a student athlete of your caliber. Out west you have Pomona and Claremont. Occidental has a good track program but doesn't have the endowment like the Claremont Pomona consortium.

Higher ed is a scam, but you need that diploma in the real world, otherwise the cards are stacked against you. Without a diploma you fight uphill all your life in terms of making a living.

So, what is the easiest and most cost effective way to get a diploma from a recognizable brand? Personally, I would not consider a school unless it's a big state school with a solid reputation. If you have, for example, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Michigan or Ohio State on your resume you will be just fine.

What you do is stay at home and knock out the first two years at the local community college and then transfer into the in state big school as a junior. You save loads of cash in your first two years, enough to mostly cover your next two years. Plus, community college is easy.

As for track, forget it unless the cc has XC or track. If you are going to a school where you would be good enough to be on the team, then you should probably upgrade your school. You will not be a pro athelete so prioritize sports accordingly. You can run all you want on your own.

hs kid wrote:

Here are my PRs:

800 1:56

1600 4:22

3200 9:37

They've seen me win a few local races but think the B1G universities I am interested in attending for academic reasons should be awarding me a full scholarship. Neither one of them went to college themselves and if I don't get a scholarship they expect me to work 40-hrs per week while in school to cover my tuition and room & board because they didn't save a dime for my college education and "know plenty of people who financed their own educations". Per what they reported to FAFSA, their combined incomes are $93,000 annually. I have only gotten one B+ in high school and the rest A's. ACT score was 32.

Discuss.

Nice troll post.

Your chances of a full scholarship is ZERO.

Heck you would be lucky to get your books paid for at a D2 school with those times.

Your chances for financial aid are on the academic side not athletic side.

Working during college is not unreasonable and perhaps you should get a part time job now and start saving money.

If you go to an in-state school and live at home your college expenses are minimal compared to spending $60K a year and going to a non-state school.

Ever heard of student loans?

rojo wrote:

1) I'm assuming you are a senior. Here is an unconventional plan. Sit out a year. You need to get faster. It's too late for Ivies now anyway for the most part. BUt if you run like 4:10 or 9:05 this year, they'll be happy to have you. So sit out the year and then go.

2) Community college isn't a bad idea. Cornell has a guaranteed transfer rule for certain GPAs at community colleges. If you can get into an ivy with a 90k parents income, you'll get a ton of financial aid.

3) Navy/Air Force is free and you get a guaranteed job.

Why would you assume he's a senior? We're well past when college applications were due.

There are non-Ivies that are as generous with financial aid. The reason I mentioned UChicago was they are similarly generous with grant aid where his PRs would be more competitive. (Chicago also offers merit aid on top of need-based aid for some students.)

is a good list to start with. Not all of these are equally generous,however. Schools like Rice, Swarthmore, Amherst, the Claremont colleges meet full-need via grants. If you sort these by the size of endowment divided undergrad population, it gives you a good idea of what to expect.

Community college is a terrible idea for someone with a 32 on the ACT. This kid can get a full ride (either for academics and/or with financial aid) at plenty of four year schools.

windy city wrote:

rojo wrote:

1) I'm assuming you are a senior. Here is an unconventional plan. Sit out a year. You need to get faster. It's too late for Ivies now anyway for the most part. BUt if you run like 4:10 or 9:05 this year, they'll be happy to have you. So sit out the year and then go.

2) Community college isn't a bad idea. Cornell has a guaranteed transfer rule for certain GPAs at community colleges. If you can get into an ivy with a 90k parents income, you'll get a ton of financial aid.

3) Navy/Air Force is free and you get a guaranteed job.

Why would you assume he's a senior? We're well past when college applications were due.

I am a college senior. My high school track season has not begun. I have been accepted into all six schools I applied to last fall but not made a final decision. This is causing an overwhelming number of problems between my parents and I. I have applied to booster club and school district scholarships. Every little bit helps but the totals from those are maybe $10000 and that is if I get them all. Those will only take me through freshman year.

My parents are being completely ignorant about this process but in a way so was I because I didn't fully understand what type of situation FAFSA would put us in. My parents make too much money for us to receive a lot of aid and I am not going to bank on them taking out loans. To be honest the privatized loan process requires an approval and I am somewhat shaky on the likelihood the get approved. It is only now dawning on me that my parents are completely irresponsible with their finances. I described this as a fickle mess in a previous post. It's very true.

If your parent's expect you to take care of all your college tuition and aren't going to provide any financial help at all make sure they no longer claim you as a dependent on their tax returns.

That way you can get financial aid based on just you and not what they make. They should not get future tax breaks for you as dependent.

You may have to go CC route the first year or two, but that is a great way to save money. CC isn't just for the stoners and teen moms who have no other options. CC is also for those who it makes financial sense. The end goal is to get a degree with as little debt as possible.

There are tons of independent scholarships out there. Research them and apply to as when as you qualify for. Talk to to schools and see how much they will knock off tuition because of your academics.

If you are a senior the Service Academies are out for this, since applications needed to be in long ago.

Based on this and prior posts, I assume that you did not apply to Ivies and top D3 schools. This will make things tough, as it lowers the likelihood of a good financial aid package (unless a nice academic scholarship comes along).

I disagree with Rojo that you should sit out a year, but you should consider toughing out the first year, then transferring to a top school for better financial aid. With respect to this year's financial aid, you should send a copy of the best financial aid package you receive to the school you plan to attend. Haggling this way for financial aid does work. You'll be admitted to all 6 schools, so you should have at least 1 decent package to negotiate with.

I wish you luck.

Steve

If you want to maintain a balance and you have decent grades I would consider some of the DIII programs out there...With your running accomplishments you would be attractive to many schools and they might even be willing to work out an attractive scholarship program based on your academics ( If you talk to the coaches of your schools you are interested in they will go to bat for you) ..Good Luck

if it's such a no brainier to get a full ride then why is he asking?

Nothing could be more untrue. People transfer from community college into rock solid good schools all the time. It's not even a debate. It's a fact and you can look it up. Also, you haven't been to college so you don't know what you're talking about. You're just imagining something to be true that is actually not true in reality. I work with folks who have done this exact thing. Local community college into University of Southern California. Local community college into University of Colorado. Local community college into The University of Texas.

You save a s#it load of money, the classes are easy, and you end up with the same degree. Your analogy is not applicable at all. It doesn't work like that.

Your choice, of course. If you don't want to live at home then load up mountains of debt and see how you like graduating from college and having that hanging over your head for a LONG time. Lots of people do it. In my opinion that's a very bad course of action. Foolish.

hs kid wrote:

windy city wrote:

Why would you assume he's a senior? We're well past when college applications were due.

I am a college senior. My high school track season has not begun.

TROLL

If they are serious they would take you to an endo and get you on hgh treatments so you candle high mileage and weight lifting at same time. Your family doc can get meldonium and amphetamines. Depending on how competitive your school is, the strength coach should be able to get you EPO. If not, then your dad will have to get to know a college strength coach and pay him pretty well.

THEN, if you have the capacity to work your butt off, you can run D-1. Make sure your dad sees this. If you think there is any other way, you are delusional.

I can appreciate this concern from someone who has done well in college and isn't concerned about being admitted to a 4-year school versus paying the tuition. Many 4-year schools have transfer agreements with a local CC. So, if you know where you want to finish, look into this. You don't have to live at home if you attend a CC; it's another way to save money. Again, talk to a counselor at your HS about college plans and finances.