He was accepted at several great schools, but the difference in $27,000 (the cheapest tuition, room, and board out of state, after merit scholarships) and JUST room and board in-state (because of the Florida Bright Futures scholarship) was just too great.
Liz:
We had a wonderful thing happen here. Debby is going to Lebanon Valley College in PA, majoring in music, specifically music recording technology. According to all of LVC's literature, the highest merit scholarship they offer is 1/2 tuition. They give these out on the basis of class rank (which Debby, being homeschooled, did not have), so she went through an interview process (which all homeschooled kids, plus any kids whose schools don't rank, are put through for scholarships). She earned the 1/2 tuition scholarship, but when we got the final award package, even with other grants, student loans, etc., that still left over $14,000 per year to pay out of pocket - not possible for us.
We were very subdued. This is one of the few liberal arts schools in the country that offers a degree program in Debby's choice of major. It is the only one that is close to home (about 4 hours away), which she wanted. And it was by then too late to apply elsewhere.
A week or so later, the college called. They have been keeping in touch by phone, and I figured this was another of those "are you ready to turn in papers x, y, and z?" calls. Debby took the call in another room, and when she came out, she was crying. They had asked her if she had received her awards letter, and if she was happy with it. She then asked if they knew of any other scholarships she was eligible for, any way at all that she could get more money. The counselor then asked, "Would a full tuition scholarship help?"
Apparently, the college has something called the President's Scholarship - unadvertised, not awarded every year, but pulled out when a deserving student qualifies. It's worth full tuition (@25,000 a year) for four years, rising as tuition rises to cover the full cost.
To say that we are thrilled is putting it mildly. It means the difference between going and not going, period.
I have no idea how many schools have something like this "stuck back" to pull out when needed. But don't let a school's apparent lack of good scholarships stop you from applying. In retrospect, Debby should have looked farther and applied to more schools, just in case. But, lucky for her, this worked out!