🍦Part 2 of Last-minute schools with Jan 15 Deadlines (Jan 10)

Hope you didn’t miss us too much over your break! Here’s the lineup today:

1. We’re Back: What to Expect from Scholar Scoops in 2025

2. Link Lounge Refresh: Scholarships due soon

3. Buzzer Beaters: Great schools to add to your list last minute, Part 2

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2025
ICYMI: We’re back. Here’s what you can expect from us.

It’s been a minute but Scholar Scoops is officially back and better in 2025. In the spirit of the new year, we’ve switched things up a bit. Here’s a rundown:

For Seniors: Until January 15, we’ll continue sending daily newsletters with college application updates, tips, and reminders to help you finish strong. After that, we’re switching to a weekly schedule with posts every Monday, focusing on the next chapter—resources for scholarships, finding roommates, booking housing, and everything else you need to prepare for life after admissions.

For Juniors: After January 15, most of our attention goes to you. Each week, expect carefully curated resources to kickstart your college admissions journey, from tips on everything from building a strong application to preparing for standardized tests and planning your timeline. Then, once August comes around, we’ll go back to our daily schedule and prepare you for applying.

Stay tuned for the same actionable advice and guidance, tailored to where you are in the journey. Let’s make 2025 your most successful year yet!

LINK LOUNGE
ICYMI: Decision dates and scholarships 💰

Decision Dates - the community-updated decision dates for all your schools

Equitable Excellence Scholarship Program - $5,000 for those who are “forces for good in their communities”

Mensa US Scholarship - $2,500 scholarship. Requires 550-word essay.

BUZZER BEATERS
Schools to apply to last-minute — Part 2: Large Public Universities

While not an exhaustive list, here are some great public schools that you still have some time to submit. Note though that these schools accept a lot of their students Early Action, especially for competitive majors—but it might still be worth a shot to apply if you can. Tomorrow, we’ll be doing Part 3 and covering a few private universities so be sure to check back in!

Purdue University, internship and career-ready (Jan 15)

🎯 Acceptance Rate: 50% (varies a lot by major)
📝 Average SAT/ACT: 1325/31 (various a lot by major)
⭐️ Top Majors: Engineering (23%), CS (12%), Business (15%)
📍 Location: West Lafayette, IN (66 miles from Indianapolis)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, incredible alumni network (Jan 15)

🎯 Acceptance Rate: 19%
📝 Average SAT/ACT: 1450/32
⭐️ Top Majors: Social Sciences (16%), Bio (12%), CS (8%)
📍 Location: Chapel Hill, NC (20 miles from Raleigh)

University of Maryland, top research school (Jan 20)

🎯 Acceptance Rate: 45%
📝 Average SAT/ACT: 1445/33
⭐️ Top Majors: CS (17%), Business (15%), Engineering (11%)
📍 Location: College Park, MD (suburb of District of Columbia)

University of Michigan, an overall experience (Feb 1)

🎯 Acceptance Rate: 18% (lower for competitive majors)
📝 Average SAT/ACT: 1440/33
⭐️ Top Majors: CS (15%), Engineering (12%), Social Sciences (12%)
📍 Location: Ann Arbor, MI (25 miles from Detroit)

DECISION DATES
Deadlines now turning into Decision Dates

Yes, this section has mainly been used to keep you up on track for those applications, but now we’ll start including more decision dates, so you know when to check those portals.

Purdue & UT Austin Confirmed Decision Date: Jan 15
USC Speculated Decision Date: Jan 17

THE ARCHIVE
Looking for past mailings?

You can view all our previous posts at our website at https://scholarscoops.beehiiv.com

IDEAS COME FROM EVERYWHERE
Have an idea for the newsletter?

Is there a question you’ve been dying to have answered related to college admissions? Or, is there something just nagging you about Scholar Scoops that you want to see fixed soon? We want to hear from you. You can submit feedback at https://forms.gle/7Rj2eBCiauEc5oNV8. Thank you so much!