SUMMER 2009 EDITION
SCHOOLS»
High school high achievers intrigued by in-state options
With a goofy grin and a subtle swagger, a charismatic Sid Misra walked into Panera Bread, a hangout for Rock Bridge High School students.
And like many high school students heading into their senior year, Misra is faced with the brutal task of college applications.
Misra should have no trouble standing out from his peers with his diverse and award-heavy resume. Not only did he earn an exemplary score of 35 on the ACT, participate on the debate team and play the tabla, an Indian percussion instrument, but he also appeared on national television with his stint on MTV’s popular show “Made,” where he attempted to transform himself into a quarterback for Rock Bridge.
Misra's credentials are remarkable, even by Ivy League standards. He is interested in going to the East Coast for college, his top choices there being Harvard and Princeton universities. Misra is also taking a long, hard look at MU.
“The financial situation has caused me to reconsider college choices and really feel the need to be more discerning,” Misra said.
Misra's case is far from a rarity; private school students have been considering MU more because of the merit-based scholarships available, said Charles May, MU senior associate director of admissions.
“We’ve seen an increase of applications across the board, including those with higher test scores,” May said.
Including room and board, in-state tuition for MU in the 2008-09 school year was $16,585, and that’s before merit-based scholarships, according to Collegeboard.com. Tuition including room and board for Misra’s top out-of-state choices, Harvard and Princeton, costs $47,020 and $48,682, respectively, and those schools don’t offer merit-based scholarships.
Misra says need-based financial aid packets won’t help him because though he would struggle with tuition, he isn’t far enough on either end of the financial spectrum. He would receive little or no money from Princeton or Harvard.
In addition to the in-state discount, Misra’s academic achievements would qualify him for numerous merit-based scholarships at MU that would nearly pay his tuition
.But MU isn’t the only school getting more attention from high-achieving applicants.
Melody Chambers, director of admissions at Truman State University in Kirksville, said, “We’ve always had a high number of high-achieving applicants applying here, but it does appear that more students with 30s and higher on the ACT and a 3.8 or higher GPA are choosing to enroll here.”
Chambers attributes this trend in part to the economic downturn.
“I would be hard pressed to say it has no impact,” she said.
Chambers also said that in addition to the financial factor, applicants may be starting to think that the level of education at public and private schools are comparable.
“People who had been previously looking at private schools are taking a harder look at public institutions,” Chambers said. “Truman gives a private school feel without the cost.”
May said he thinks MU, a public university, can compete with smaller private schools.
“Education in particular fields are as good, if not better, than a lot of Ivy League schools,” May said.
That’s comforting for Misra, who might have a difficult decision ahead.
“A lot of people from Columbia used to think that MU was a bottom-tier school, but I think that Mizzou is pretty good in almost all subjects, and it will cost me about $40,000 less a year than Ivy League schools,” Misra said.
It must be tough to choose between fulfilling his Ivy League dreams and conserving money at a comparable school, but don’t expect Misra to make his decision soon; despite his nearly flawless transcript, he is a procrastinating teen at heart.
Asked how far he had gotten on his applications, Misra flashed his quirky smile and said, “I should probably get started on those.”