I'm a senior in high school and looking for a college with a decent academic reputation within 1000 or so miles of Maryland where I may be offered a nice scholarship (half +) between running and athletics. I am positive I will not qualify for financial aid anywhere. I will be responsible for paying for 50 of my college costs.
I am a good student (3.8 unweighted, 10 AP, 1550 SAT) and pretty good runner (9:24 3200 as a junior). I began contacting coaches a while ago but don't think any of them will offer near a half scholarship. Based on what I read on the board, I thought a large scholarship was out of the question but I was recently was offered a couple of full rides by colleges that I didn't initiate contact. Unfortunately, I don't feel that either one is a good academic fit. I was shocked that one of these schools is fully funded and my coach was too because it is so small. Trying to figure out what schools have many scholarships is confusing. Since I got these offers that were unexpected I wanted to see what else I might be missing but don't have the time to search each college out myself.
Thank you in advance for your replies.
Distance Scholarship
Report Thread
-
-
My son has the same issue as you do with a 1:56 and 4:22. We live in NC.
-
You are going to get decent offers from lower level mid majors and HBUs in your local area with those kind of times.
You are good, but there are a lot of sub 9:20 guys around the country and the world, for that matter. If you are waiting for the Power 5 to contact you with big athletic offers, don't hold your breath. -
I think you will find that the top schools will want 18yo. distance recruits to be able to break 9.00 in the 2m but will take a 9:10 guy in the 3200 if he really proves himself over CC. I'm talking about those getting significant aid from power conferences. Schools obviously end up taking guys with less than those times.
So, if you were offered a full ride at a school I'd jump at it if it was a good place. If it doesn't live up to your expectations have a good year and try to transfer. You still will have got 25% of college for zip in your Fr. year. -
NAIA, my man. You can find a real good team at a decent school and get some significant money.
-
lmao. just run fast and transfer. 9:24? go for a 9:04 your freshman year at this full ride school and go to an even better one. do well in xc, maybe a solid sub-32 10k or a 26 8k.
-
Come up with a list of all the schools that meet your academic and distance criteria. Drop any school that is a top level program or that is a very good sprint program and then send letters to all of these coaches. I would even send something to the D3 and schools. Most won't be able to help but a number of them do some sketch stuff with 'academic' scholarships to help out athletes. The issue you are likely to run into is a Goldilocks scenario. As you have already found out at the level you are at there are going to be schools that are interested in you and willing to help, and particularly if it looks like you are showing improvement this year help a lot. A ton of programs are will to spend on a guy who runs 9:10 or better as a SR. Thing is there are also a ton of programs that simply won't spend money on an athlete at your level. They would certainly be glad to have you but in the world of competitive college track those scholarship dollars need to go a long way and your not fast enough to be worth the gamble for many of these schools.
At some point you may have to make some hard choices. Is it more important that the school meet your distance criteria, your academic criteria or your financial criteria. Those are all very important and it isn't going to be simple thing but time is of the essences and you need to get contact going at any place that is close to your Goldilocks zone now or you risk them promising money elsewhere and you should star figuring out what is the most important aspect to you in case none of those schools come through so that you can find the best set up for yourself. -
In Need of Scholarship wrote:
I'm a senior in high school and looking for a college with a decent academic reputation within 1000 or so miles of Maryland where I may be offered a nice scholarship (half +) between running and athletics. I am positive I will not qualify for financial aid anywhere. I will be responsible for paying for 50 of my college costs.
I am a good student (3.8 unweighted, 10 AP, 1550 SAT) and pretty good runner (9:24 3200 as a junior). I began contacting coaches a while ago but don't think any of them will offer near a half scholarship. Based on what I read on the board, I thought a large scholarship was out of the question but I was recently was offered a couple of full rides by colleges that I didn't initiate contact. Unfortunately, I don't feel that either one is a good academic fit. I was shocked that one of these schools is fully funded and my coach was too because it is so small. Trying to figure out what schools have many scholarships is confusing. Since I got these offers that were unexpected I wanted to see what else I might be missing but don't have the time to search each college out myself.
Thank you in advance for your replies.
You have great academic credentials, but, unless you can get into an Ivy, Duke, or Stanford, I would look at D2 or D3 universities that are strong but would offer you significant money. Or just go to an in-state university that will give you the full ride you are seeking.
Your undergraduate degree won't mean squat once you are in the workforce anyway, unless it's from a top-tier school or a good networking school. Plus, an undergraduate degree won't do much for you immediately unless you major in something like computer science, robotics, or chemical engineering. If you do a liberal arts degree, you are looking at graduate school and more money...
So, go to a strong university like an Ivy or a Williams or Amherst, or try to get a lot of money from some place like the University of Maryland. Personally, I would do the latter if you can get your education paid for. -
Advice is similar to thinking out loud except I would encourage you to go to a top tier ivy if you can. The networking and prestige is worth a lot, both from an earnings standpoint and - depending on your personality - personal fulfillment.
Earnings from an ivy can really pay off over 10-15 years. -
Off topic, but if your parents are making so much money that you're positive you won't qualify for financial aid anywhere, then their income must be in the mid 6-figures at least. If they're refusing to pay for half your college costs then they must be real assh0les and I wonder how they made so much money in the first place if they're so delusional. Maybe they inherited it. God I hate people sometimes.
-
You're not telling the truth somewhere in your words. If you really scored a 1550 on the SAT, you should be trying for a full academic ride. Go on as a walk-on for running and see what happens after a year. As someone mentioned, you're not getting aid if your parents make that much denaro.
In Need of Scholarship wrote:
I'm a senior in high school and looking for a college with a decent academic reputation within 1000 or so miles of Maryland where I may be offered a nice scholarship (half +) between running and athletics. I am positive I will not qualify for financial aid anywhere. I will be responsible for paying for 50 of my college costs.
I am a good student (3.8 unweighted, 10 AP, 1550 SAT) and pretty good runner (9:24 3200 as a junior). I began contacting coaches a while ago but don't think any of them will offer near a half scholarship. Based on what I read on the board, I thought a large scholarship was out of the question but I was recently was offered a couple of full rides by colleges that I didn't initiate contact. Unfortunately, I don't feel that either one is a good academic fit. I was shocked that one of these schools is fully funded and my coach was too because it is so small. Trying to figure out what schools have many scholarships is confusing. Since I got these offers that were unexpected I wanted to see what else I might be missing but don't have the time to search each college out myself.
Thank you in advance for your replies. -
Sliding Scale wrote:
You are going to get decent offers from lower level mid majors and HBUs in your local area with those kind of times.
You are good, but there are a lot of sub 9:20 guys around the country and the world, for that matter. If you are waiting for the Power 5 to contact you with big athletic offers, don't hold your breath.
I have talked to a few P5 schools about being a walk on and I may do just that.
If I could get a good offer from a mid major that had an OK academic reputation, I would be very interested. My challenge is to figure out which ones will do that. I'm hoping that someone on the board might suggest a few based off their experience because I would like to save time. -
yeah, as someone mentioned, you are not being honest. you scored a 1550 on the sat and you're not a sub 9 minute 3200 runner, so what are you expecting? go for academics and be a walk on. not that hard to figure out and you have counselors and a little thing called the internet;)
-
millimeter wrote:
You're not telling the truth somewhere in your words. If you really scored a 1550 on the SAT, you should be trying for a full academic ride. Go on as a walk-on for running and see what happens after a year. As someone mentioned, you're not getting aid if your parents make that much denaro.
In Need of Scholarship wrote:
I'm a senior in high school and looking for a college with a decent academic reputation within 1000 or so miles of Maryland where I may be offered a nice scholarship (half +) between running and athletics. I am positive I will not qualify for financial aid anywhere. I will be responsible for paying for 50 of my college costs.
I am a good student (3.8 unweighted, 10 AP, 1550 SAT) and pretty good runner (9:24 3200 as a junior). I began contacting coaches a while ago but don't think any of them will offer near a half scholarship. Based on what I read on the board, I thought a large scholarship was out of the question but I was recently was offered a couple of full rides by colleges that I didn't initiate contact. Unfortunately, I don't feel that either one is a good academic fit. I was shocked that one of these schools is fully funded and my coach was too because it is so small. Trying to figure out what schools have many scholarships is confusing. Since I got these offers that were unexpected I wanted to see what else I might be missing but don't have the time to search each college out myself.
Thank you in advance for your replies.
I am telling the truth. The SAT was made easier in March of 2016 and a 1550 isn't quite as high as it was in the past. I haven't gotten my class rank yet but between tough competition and grade inflation, I may not be in the top 10% of my class. I will apply for scholarships but they are not typically decided until around March from what I understand. Some SEC schools have terrific scholarships that you can qualify for based on grades and SAT scores and I am looking there some. -
listen&learn wrote:
yeah, as someone mentioned, you are not being honest. you scored a 1550 on the sat and you're not a sub 9 minute 3200 runner, so what are you expecting? go for academics and be a walk on. not that hard to figure out and you have counselors and a little thing called the internet;)
Thanks for the kind words. If you can't anything constructive to this thread please troll elsewhere. -
Thinking out loud wrote:
Your undergraduate degree won't mean squat once you are in the workforce anyway, unless it's from a top-tier school or a good networking school.
Please recognize this. OK academic reputation means nothing. The only step up you see in opportunity comes from ivy or near-ivy level schools. Everywhere else has no real connections and essentially only prepares you for medical or law school, unless you graduate with an engineering degree. -
Says the troll himself who claims to have scored a 1550 but doesn't answer to 2 different posters with legitimate posts and concerns, but calls one of them a troll. You're the troll or you are just plain ignorant, which is it? Kids who score 1550 don't come on here asking such moronic questions. Grow up and do your own research clown.
-
I don't recommend going to a school that you aren't excited about, but offers you a full ride for a year and then transferring to a school that's a better fit. You could get in a situation where you need to redshirt your first year at the new school and/or they aren't as motivated to offer you an athletic scholarship as a transfer student. A 1,000 mile radius from Maryland covers virtually the entire Eastern US and Midwest--that's too broad. Talk to an academic counselor at your HS about options to finance college. Most people find a way to do it without an athletic scholarship. Taking out student loans to pay for college is not the end of the world. You don't want to be in a situation where you are attending a college that doesn't meet your academic interests because they gave you a scholarship, or in the case of some schools you have to pick a soft major to accommodate the time demands of being on a varsity team. Look into what the community college options are and transferring to a 4-year school you want to finish at. Some have XC and track teams.
-
Lots of coaches read these threads, so if you're looking for interest, you might want to put an email on here so that they can reach out to you. I'm sure you would get interest; but can't guarantee what type of offer. What you're looking for academically matters too. That should be your biggest deciding factor, so you've gotta take that into account. And I didn't see you mention what you were looking to study or what you want to do for a career after school.
-
You're looking in the right direction. Some SEC schools have standardized scholarships.
You may want to try Miami Ohio (http://miamioh.edu/admission/merit-grid/), South Carolina, Alabama and Indiana.
Talk to your counselor. They'll have a full list.
Good luck!
