One of the commonest questions that I hear from school students and their mum and dad is about grades and SAT scores. A lot of them accept that unless you have got a perfect 4.0 GPA or score higher than a 2000 (out of 2400) on the SAT’s, it will not affect their financial support. But is this true?
Each varsity and college has its own internal rules, but I have found that there are particular break points that most schools use when distributing merit based financial aid.
Non-public Schools: At most private colleges, academic or merit help is awarded to inbound students based on their SAT or ACT scores. An SAT score of 1,800 or higher (out of 2,400) or an ACT score of 23 or higher (out of 36) will typically qualify for some educational grant cash. The higher scores will sometimes qualify for more. Most non-public colleges offer as much as 50% of their complete cost in merit help to qualified scholars in an effort to make their college comparably priced to a state school.
State Schools: While state schools generally have a lower price of attendance and offer less merit based financial support, those with better grades and test scores will be offered those academic greenbacks. The test score levels for most state schools are the same as private colleges, but each college may slide their scale down or up depending on the group of inward bound freshman every year.
Community Colleges: A lot of community universities do not offer merit based aid or scholarships. But the cheaper price of these colleges can be a real attraction for some scholars that need to study 2 years at a community college then move to a four-year university to complete their degree.
Possible Solutions:
If you need to get those SAT or ACT scores higher try the following techniques. Ranked from least dear to most expensive , but remember if you can get an additional $2,000 to $15,000 annually for four years… They are all “Relatively” inexpensive.
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FREE SAT/ACT Prep Programs: There are a range of free resources out there to help prepare and improve scores. With a fast search on Google, you will find sites like – Number2.com, CollegeBoard.com and 4Tests.com. They each have some great free help.
SAT Prep. Books: A fast book search on Amazon or Barnes & noble will find many good books to help increase your scores. Have a look at “Up Your Score”, “Cracking the SAT” and “How to Survive the SAT”. For under $20, you might add enough additional points to be accepted for more educational help.
SAT/ACT Software: There are a great many programmes available from Kaplan, Swift and others that will provide masses of help and practice examinations. These programs run from $10 to about $50 and if you like interactive PC preparation, they can help significantly.
SAT/ACT Online Prep Programs: Many companies offer both online prep programs and private tutoring programs. For as little as $80 or as high as $2,000, you can use Sylvan Learning, Princeton Review and Huntington Learning Centres to help structure an internet or in person program to help brace your weaknesses. You can always start tiny and if you want more help, take on a personalised approach.
School Sponsored Prep. Programs: Ask your local highschool direction dep. if they offer any programs. Many high schools have specific faculty members that offer SAT/ACT prep classes in the evening during the course of one or two weeks. They usually charge a fee for workbooks and attendance that will range all the way from $200 up to $500. It might be a better concept to take a class from a different high school in your area where your student will be exposed to a different group of teachers. Infrequently, all it needs is a different perspective to make these examinations easier to grasp.
But if your student is already choosing a local community school, you might like to concentrate your efforts on the lower cost preparation choices as little merit help will be offered. So make sure you chat about the alternatives, judge your present situation and plan a strategic plan that will most closely fit your wishes.
Annie Husket is a single mummy with 2 youngsters aged 6 and 4. She works in a nearby community teaching toddlers art. She likes youngsters and during her spare time, she likes to share her experiences and thoughts with others on how she wrestled with finances, getting a loan, a mortgage, making ends meet, all along.