Big Time Scholarships

[cbennett]

does anyone know if any schools/states/organizations offer big time(half or more)scholarships/grants which are not need based. Any info on florida schools or others would be much appreciated. GOOD LOCATIONS no idaho or utah .... schools.

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[dwigt]

does anyone know if any schools/states/organizations offer big time(half or more)scholarships/grants which are not need based. Any info on florida schools or others would be much appreciated. GOOD LOCATIONS no idaho or utah .... schools.

Don't think you have to worry about Idaho...

 

[dwigt]

And I know that Wash U offers several full tuition merit-based scholarships. I'm sure there are others that do as well.

 

[cbennett]

Also list if they cover all expenses not just tuition but living/personal/books/fees...

 

[Dr Durden]

WashU, Penn, Vandy, and Duke are some prestigious schools that offer merit aid up to full-tuition. You will be incredibly hard-pressed though to find any "full rides" amongst the more elite institutions.

 

[Anastasis]

Mich, Case Western (I think), Baylor (but if you're not TX - forget about it) - those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head to add to DrDurden's list

 

[Anastasis]

BTW, not to rain on your parade - but if you're hoping for a med school scholarship, you better not get your hopes up. It's hard enough getting in; for most school based scholarships you gotta have something quite remarkable for them to offer you one.

Just a bit of a reality check - if you think you've got a chance, then go for it! Hey - free money right?

 

[dwigt]

Mich, Case Western (I think), Baylor (but if you're not TX - forget about it) - those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head to add to DrDurden's list

Where did you find out about Baylor's scholarships? I could only find two sentences on their site. They didn't say anything about amount or quantity of awards.

 

[Anastasis]

Where did you find out about Baylor's scholarships? I could only find two sentences on their site. They didn't say anything about amount or quantity of awards.

A heads up from someone who got one. Sorry don't know much more about them than that

 

[maestro1625]

I know of two grads from my HS on full ride at Wayne State, and one who just earned on to Michigan... so it can happen. just not likely.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Baylor (but if you're not TX - forget about it)

cmon Baylor is so cheap for instaters that is practically is free!

 

[steppwolf]

does anyone know if any schools/states/organizations offer big time(half or more)scholarships/grants which are not need based. Any info on florida schools or others would be much appreciated. GOOD LOCATIONS no idaho or utah .... schools.

How do you feel about Mayonaise?

 

[owenmichael]

does anyone know if any schools/states/organizations offer big time(half or more)scholarships/grants which are not need based. Any info on florida schools or others would be much appreciated. GOOD LOCATIONS no idaho or utah .... schools.

Mayo offers 40% of there kids full rides, and the rest get half rides with significant grant assistance. I know Mayo shows preference to Arizona, Florida and Minnesota residencse because they have Mayo brances their. Thus, if you get into Mayo as an instater, the worst your gonna pay for tuition is 6,250 (thats a half ride because in state tuition is 12,500). That number does NOT include need based grants that most students qualify for which decreases tuition even more.
This yea, students that DON'T get full rides but half rides:
In state - Pays 6,250 (I don't know anything about additional free grants they give, but I think its around 1 grand)
Out of state - Pays 12,250 (because out of state tuition is 24,000 somethin)
but out of staters also get 4,000 in need based grants this year. Thus total tuition is 8,250.

Sorry for the long post... it sounds like your a florida resident so it might be of interest to you.

I know Miami offers significant scholarships as I was offereda 20,000 a year schol there (but their out of state tuition is so high to begin with that it was still more expensive than my state school)

 

[leahmaria]

some states (il, in) have full ride scholarships for instaters willing to serve in an underserved area in that state for four years after they're done with medical school...does anyone have more info on this, or if it is offered in other states?

 

[Mr. Tee]

cmon Baylor is so cheap for instaters that is practically is free!

It's the same price for both instate and OOS, isn't it?

 

[QofQuimica]

Mich, Case Western (I think), Baylor (but if you're not TX - forget about it) - those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head to add to DrDurden's list

No, that's not true. It *is* possible to get a scholarship to Baylor for OOS acceptees. However, they do not cover all of your tuition the first year, because the award amount is the same as it is for the in-state students. (OOS students can become in-state students after their first year.)

OP, I was a FL applicant. Our state schools (FSU, UF, and USF) do not award merit scholarships. U Miami does award some scholarships, but it is probably not going to be for full tuition. Most people apparently get enough scholarship money so that U Miami costs the same as any of the other FL schools.

Like Anastasis said, you should not count on getting a scholarship. They are few and far between, and the competition to get into med school is nothing compared to the competition to get merit funding while you're there. Plan to have to fund your entire medical education without a merit scholarship, and if you do wind up getting one, it will be a pleasant financial surprise. Best of with your apps.

 

[Anastasis]

No, that's not true. It *is* possible to get a scholarship to Baylor for OOS acceptees. However, they do not cover all of your tuition the first year, because the award amount is the same as it is for the in-state students. (OOS students can become in-state students after their first year.)

PSST!! Don't tell them that!! I want LESS competition!!

J/K

Actually now looking back on that, I dunno why I put it I stand corrected by the great and mighty QofQuimica. That's means Queen of Chemistry right? (j/k don't hit me!)

 

[QuantumMechanic]

It's the same price for both instate and OOS, isn't it?

nope, 6.5k a year for Texans, 20k a year for OOS

 

[ablumoon]

some private orgs that provide money for grad school: paul and daisy soros fellowship (based on merit: 1/2 tuition anywhere + 20,000 grant: usually goes to elite, top students across the country) and the jack kent cooke foundation (based on need: i believe it pays for a full ride, or close to it on graduate school)

 

[kypdurron5]

WashU, Penn, Vandy, and Duke are some prestigious schools that offer merit aid up to full-tuition. You will be incredibly hard-pressed though to find any "full rides" amongst the more elite institutions.

Any idea whether these merit-based scholarships are based upon GPA, MCAT, or both?

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Any idea whether these merit-based scholarships are based upon GPA, MCAT, or both?

if it were only as simple as GPA*10+MCAT

 

[Dr Durden]

Winning these is definitely more than a numbers game as I have yet to hear an admission officer not brag about shooting down 4.0 and 40+ students. However, while I have little doubt that high stats will aid the quest for a "YES!" letter, there almost certainly has to be something more to catch a committee's eye. As to what that is, your guess is as good as mine. We premeds are an over-achieving bunch and it is truly hard to be a standout.

But enough of my musings, here's a few lines from an actual website: "Selection criteria include: outstanding academic performance and achievement, a broad range of intellectual interests, demonstrated leadership, commitment to interests other than academic work, and unique life experiences that may contribute to a medical career" - Penn's Twenty-First Century Scholars Program. There's about ten of these full-tuition awards per class (but only nine after I get through with my interview ).

In all seriousness though, I whole-heartedly agree with Q and Ana. Hope to be surprised with merit aid, but don't count on it or let it determine your self-worth. Best of luck this year!

 

[cbennett]

I was thinking more about schools along the coast (or NYC) anyone know of any?

 

[cbennett]

There's about ten of these full-tuition awards per class (but only nine after I get through with my interview ).

Tens a heck of alot more than i was expecting. Hell, thats not too bad of odds.

 

[maestro1625]

Any idea whether these merit-based scholarships are based upon GPA, MCAT, or both?

well Wayne State gives 3 full rides per class. as I said above, I know 2 of the guys who got them from last year's class. One had a 39 MCAT, the other had a 31, so numbers aren't everything.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

There's about ten of these full-tuition awards per class (but only nine after I get through with my interview )

dude if anyone from TN is gettin it, its gonna be me

 

[coco11]

.

 

[QofQuimica]

PSST!! Don't tell them that!! I want LESS competition!!

J/K

Actually now looking back on that, I dunno why I put it I stand corrected by the great and mighty QofQuimica. That's means Queen of Chemistry right? (j/k don't hit me!)

Dude, you can't apply for the Baylor scholarships, as far as I know. That's a school where one day they just pleasantly surprise you. on the Queen comment.

kypdurron, no, scholarships are not just based on MCAT and GPA, though those things do matter to some extent. There is actually quite a bit of subjectivity in deciding who gets a scholarship. If the school really wants you to come, and if they believe that offering you the money will make a difference and convince you to pick their school over another school, they are more likely to offer you one. So it's just a "simple" matter of getting them convinced that they really, really want YOU to come instead of 8 zillion other equally qualified people. You see the problem here.

cbennett, I didn't apply to any CA schools, so maybe someone else can comment on them. But I can tell you that most of the Ivy schools (with the notable exception of Penn) do not award merit scholarships. I do know that AECOM offers scholarships, and there are probably some other solid non-Ivy New England area schools that do as well. If you're willing to stay in the South, many of the Southern private schools award scholarships. I know that Emory, Duke, Vanderbilt, Tulane, and Baylor do, along with Miami as I described before. And like others have said, many of the top midwestern schools also award merit scholarships. I recommend if merit scholarships are important to you that you seriously consider applying to several private midwestern schools that offer them, like Wash U, U Mich, U Chicago (Pritzker), Case Western, Mayo, and U Pitt. Other people could probably list more that I've missed.

But again, and this bears repeating for all of you current applicants: do NOT count on funding your medical school tuition with a merit scholarship. When y'all start interviewing and meeting the people that you are competing with for those seats and scholarships, you will finally start to understand what I am saying. There are tons of d*** impressive applicants out there, and many more of them deserve scholarships than there are scholarships to go around. It's great if you get one, but if you think that med school admissions is a crapshoot, wait until you get into the scholarship awarding part of the process.

 

[Gabujabu]

Clusterfunk, you seem to know a lot about the Soros Fellowship. I was thinking about applying to it, since I'm a "New American." However, I'm only a college senior and many of the people who win it are in their mid-late 20's, so they have a lot more experience than I do. Is it worth it to apply now, or would it be better to apply when I'm older? Thanks!

That's not exactly true... Soros is specifically for "New Americans" and is not necessarily 1/2 tuition (up to 16K/yr), not to mention Soros is only good for up to 2 years. I also believe you are restricted to American schools.

Cooke is based on merit AND need (although there is flexibility in the latter), paying up to 50K/yr for up to 6 years. Cooke can be used anywhere in the world that is accredited.

To date, no one has managed to win both Soros and Cooke, but since both organizations highly admire immigrants, a dual-fellow is imminent.

 

[cbennett]

.

 

[tennisguy896]

Clusterfunk, you seem to know a lot about the Soros Fellowship. I was thinking about applying to it, since I'm a "New American." However, I'm only a college senior and many of the people who win it are in their mid-late 20's, so they have a lot more experience than I do. Is it worth it to apply now, or would it be better to apply when I'm older? Thanks!

Sorry to butt in, but a good place to start is to read the biographies of last year's winners. It seems like they have all walked on water, created national organizations single-handed, and pimped slapped Chuck Norris for fun. But honestly, those who are older have more time to win fellowships, earn advanced degrees, etc... so they have a pretty significant advantage.

 

[tennisguy896]

Thank you for reminding me of this i forgot to put it in my original post. PLEASE DO NOT LIST SCHOLARSHIPS/GRANTS THAT PREFER CERTAIN GROUPS OVER OTHERS (ie.RACIST/SEXIST/CREED RELATED) OR OTHERS THAT USE OTHER SIMILAR PROCESSES THAT ARE IN NO WAY MERIT BASED, THANK YOU As my intention of starting this thread was not meant to promote unequality and prejudice acts.

Um, the reason for such "racist, sexist" scholarships is to ensure that all races and sexes have equal chances to gain the same education and such. In other words, they were created to challenge not promote "unequality and prejudice acts."

 

[cbennett]

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[cbennett]

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[kypdurron5]

Um, the reason for such "racist, sexist" scholarships is to ensure that all races and sexes have equal chances to gain the same education and such. In other words, they were created to challenge not promote "unequality and prejudice acts."

::sigh:: This issue has been debated since the beginning of time, and will continue to be debated in the future, which means...I can't resist >). I would actually leave your comment unchallenged if you were talking about being accepted based upon race or sex. Making sure there is a good mix of students ensures that there isn't a general bias in the acceptance process. However, race and sex have nothing to do with one's ability to afford medical school. And let's face it, MOST medical school students can't "afford" medical school (i.e. they must go into debt or get a scholarship). Thus, providing a scholarship to someone just because they have certain physical characteristics and not taking merit or need into account would indeed be promoting "racist, sexist, or other ideologically based biases."

 

[Gabujabu]

Yeah, that's what I originally thought. I had asked the question based upon reading those crazy bios!

Sorry to butt in, but a good place to start is to read the biographies of last year's winners. It seems like they have all walked on water, created national organizations single-handed, and pimped slapped Chuck Norris for fun. But honestly, those who are older have more time to win fellowships, earn advanced degrees, etc... so they have a pretty significant advantage.

 

[jackieMD2007]

Forget getting a scholarship. I'll take a big time loan if it means I can get into a school on my first cycle.

 

[butmylipshurtrealbad]

If you are going to go for scholarships from foundations like Jack Kent Cooke and the Soros, they are all going to have specific requirements because they are fulfilling the desires of the beneficiaries. If a new American came to America and made it, and wants to help others in his or her situation, it makes perfect sense. I don't think it is a matter of racism/ prejudice. I wanted to apply for Soros but couldn't because my parents never nationalized...no harm no foul, I got over it... We can only hope that someone who becomes really wealthy after med school decides to make some awesome foundation that wants to hand out scholarships like candy on Halloween