College Admissions Questions (4 Viewers)

[MindCrime]

My oldest son is a '22 grad. Just received his first college acceptance to Grand Canyon U in Phoenix. He toured there last winter and fell in love with the campus. But....

He is a baseball player and is interested in playing baseball in college. He has three different visits lined up at Division 3 schools near us (MN). He wants to see if any of the local area schools will grab him the same way GCU did. So while GCU is is first choice, he knows he can't play baseball there (Division 1). If he chooses GCU, he may play club baseball as they have a strong program that plays a varsity-like schedule, including travel.

My understanding is that GCU has around 16K students on campus but then buttloads more who attend there online. Anyone here have any experience with the campus/school?

No idea on GCU either, sorry. But your son and mine sound somewhat on the same paths. My son (hs senior) has played baseball for most of his life, but knows that even D3 is probably not an option for him, so he’s looking at IM (club) baseball as his route to keep playing the game. It’s low on his list when choosing schools, but he’d love tge chance to keep playing.

Right now is his biggest issue is that he’d love to be 1-4 hours away from home, loves the campus of South Florida (1.5 hours away). Also liked Florida Gulf Coast (3 hours away). But…. He wants to major in Forensic Science, and UCF has a top 10 Forensics program. Unfortunately UCF is literally 3 miles from our house. 

good luck!

 

[zoobird]

Right now is his biggest issue is that he’d love to be 1-4 hours away from home, loves the campus of South Florida (1.5 hours away). Also liked Florida Gulf Coast (3 hours away). But…. He wants to major in Forensic Science, and UCF has a top 10 Forensics program. Unfortunately UCF is literally 3 miles from our house. 

Easy solution.  He goes to UCF.  You move.

 

[MindCrime]

Easy solution.  He goes to UCF.  You move.

Oh boy, I hope he doesn’t see this!

 

[El Floppo]

floppinho started his orientation stuff at his HS, Dalton, the last two weeks and is over the moon excited about everything, from the kids to the curriculum and extracurriculars. Already has a group of new friends he's in constant contact with and cant wait to start. He starts his Juilliard pre-college program in a week too (we had to buy a crap ton of unforeseen percussion stuff...awesome) and is super excited about that too. 

I don't recall if I mentioned, but he luckily (mostly a lottery this year, I think) got in to his top public options too- Beacon and LaGuardia (the Fame school). the latter for acting- what it's best known for- and inexplicably not for music which was a head-scratcher. So proud of the kid and having his work and attitude (and luck) pay off for him.

oh...not sure who else yet, but we were wondering what kind of movers and shakers would be at the new HS in his class...first one we noticed is Gary Kasparov's kid. I'll keep an eye out for Eddie Fischer.

 

[Battersbox]

We've been delving into the college search this summer for my daughter, who is now a senior.

She's a great student, naturally bright but not like superstar bright. Still, she's put together what I think is a strong resume to get into probably any school save for the super-elite and probably a few of the 'public ivies'.

With that said, we're at a bit of a crossroads right now because to me, University of Illinois is clearly the best option since she's not clear on what she wants to study. She's visited 5 Big 10 schools, and so far her favorite is Wisconsin. The obvious problem is that will cost basically twice as much to send her there for 4 years.

My question for those who have gone through this process is: how do you balance desire versus good sense? Illinois vs Wisconsin, all things equal, are equivalent schools. How do I make my 17-year old understand that spending an extra $80k ($100k?) over 4 years to go out of state instead of in-state is wasteful? 

And I know there are plenty of reasons to pick one school over another, but my feeling is since she really doesn't know where her university life will lead, financial prudence must win out. 

 

[El Floppo]

We've been delving into the college search this summer for my daughter, who is now a senior.

She's a great student, naturally bright but not like superstar bright. Still, she's put together what I think is a strong resume to get into probably any school save for the super-elite and probably a few of the 'public ivies'.

With that said, we're at a bit of a crossroads right now because to me, University of Illinois is clearly the best option since she's not clear on what she wants to study. She's visited 5 Big 10 schools, and so far her favorite is Wisconsin. The obvious problem is that will cost basically twice as much to send her there for 4 years.

My question for those who have gone through this process is: how do you balance desire versus good sense? Illinois vs Wisconsin, all things equal, are equivalent schools. How do I make my 17-year old understand that spending an extra $80k ($100k?) over 4 years to go out of state instead of in-state is wasteful? 

And I know there are plenty of reasons to pick one school over another, but my feeling is since she really doesn't know where her university life will lead, financial prudence must win out. 

I would bet your kid understands, and most certainly will after explaining it to her like your post. better to have the discussion now and to come to mutual understanding...then you'll be better prepared when she finds out where she got in.

 

[Battersbox]

I would bet your kid understands, and most certainly will after explaining it to her like your post. better to have the discussion now and to come to mutual understanding...then you'll be better prepared when she finds out where she got in.

I should have been more clear in my post---we have laid it out for her in just that way...and she doesn't fully understand.

Part of me expected that, because how can a 17-year old understand what crippling debt is? They can't, not really. We've tried to teach her the value of a dollar, she works a job and makes her own money, etc. But when you're talking about $100k in debt to a 17 year old I just don't think it sinks in. I know it wouldn't have for me at that age.

 

[SteelCurtain]

floppinho started his orientation stuff at his HS, Dalton, the last two weeks and is over the moon excited about everything, from the kids to the curriculum and extracurriculars. Already has a group of new friends he's in constant contact with and cant wait to start. He starts his Juilliard pre-college program in a week too (we had to buy a crap ton of unforeseen percussion stuff...awesome) and is super excited about that too. 

I don't recall if I mentioned, but he luckily (mostly a lottery this year, I think) got in to his top public options too- Beacon and LaGuardia (the Fame school). the latter for acting- what it's best known for- and inexplicably not for music which was a head-scratcher. So proud of the kid and having his work and attitude (and luck) pay off for him.

oh...not sure who else yet, but we were wondering what kind of movers and shakers would be at the new HS in his class...first one we noticed is Gary Kasparov's kid. I'll keep an eye out for Eddie Fischer.

Whoa.  Dalton is a great school in NYC.  Good luck to him!

 

[SteelCurtain]

I should have been more clear in my post---we have laid it out for her in just that way...and she doesn't fully understand.

Part of me expected that, because how can a 17-year old understand what crippling debt is? They can't, not really. We've tried to teach her the value of a dollar, she works a job and makes her own money, etc. But when you're talking about $100k in debt to a 17 year old I just don't think it sinks in. I know it wouldn't have for me at that age.

I would recommend two things:

1.  Explain to her in terms she will understand.  The monthly payment on $100K debt is X for 10 years.  So that's less eating out, less happy hours, less vacations as she pays off that debt.

2.  Can you give her an incentive?  If you go to the less expensive school and graduate, we will give you $5,000 towards your first house/car/whatever.

 

[Battersbox]

I would recommend two things:

1.  Explain to her in terms she will understand.  The monthly payment on $100K debt is X for 10 years.  So that's less eating out, less happy hours, less vacations as she pays off that debt.

2.  Can you give her an incentive?  If you go to the less expensive school and graduate, we will give you $5,000 towards your first house/car/whatever.

These are good recommendations. We've done the first one, many times over.

As far as the 2nd, we've not done that. Mostly we've tried to explain to her that if she stays in state, there is a better chance there would be help with grad/law school if she decides to go that route.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Move in day for my freshman daughter at UC Davis.  Went pretty well, a few tears shed amongst her mom, her, and I.  She has several life threatening food allergies and while they seem to have a pretty good setup for accommodations for kids like her, dinner time was still tough. Told her to take a baby step and have some rice, which she was able to do. Basically the first food she’s had in years that was prepared by non-family. Fingers crossed she can keep taking baby steps and learn to trust as well as advocate for herself in the dining hall. If she does that, she’s going to be golden!  Such an exciting time!

 

[zoobird]

Seeing a lot of confusing info on this when I Google it...when do I need to start filling out financial aid-related forms for my high school senior?

 

[MindCrime]

Seeing a lot of confusing info on this when I Google it...when do I need to start filling out financial aid-related forms for my high school senior?

I’m in the same boat as you. I remembered an admission rep told me “fall” of this year, but no specific date. According to this link , the Fafsa for 2022-23 doesn’t open until 10/1. Deadlines vary by school/state, but federal deadline looks to be next June.

 

[Nugget]

Seeing a lot of confusing info on this when I Google it...when do I need to start filling out financial aid-related forms for my high school senior?

First week of October is ideal for FAFSA. 

 

[NewlyRetired]

My daughter got invited into Phi Beta Kappa.  Is this society of any real use or am I just spending a $130 for another line on the resume?

 

[Lehigh98]

Game on!  Just recently signed my Sophomore and 8th grader up with CAP of PA College Planning and my Soph is going to try and sign up for the PSAT's at school this morning (they only have a certain number of spots at their location).  Guessing I'll be more active in this thread especially looking back at everything you guys have already done / learned.  Who else has kids in the HS classes of 2024 and 2026?

 

[El Floppo]

Game on!  Just recently signed my Sophomore and 8th grader up with CAP of PA College Planning and my Soph is going to try and sign up for the PSAT's at school this morning (they only have a certain number of spots at their location).  Guessing I'll be more active in this thread especially looking back at everything you guys have already done / learned.  Who else has kids in the HS classes of 2024 and 2026?

2025 here.

Looking forward to hearing what you learn from the college planning thing (if you don't mind sharing).

Floppinho just started private HS at a place with insane exmissions. I'm pretty sure they're good at actively guiding the kids on a variety of levels towards "looking good" for college (beyond having longstanding relationships with a lot of schools)...I'll try to share any relevant info from the HS admins.

 

[Lehigh98]

Just an FYI on the Calc thing - my son tested out of some Calc classes based on his AP test, and then got his ### handed to him in the upper level Calc classes he took as a freshman.

Sounds familiar, I did the same and had to take a math class over in the summer after freshman year to replace the grade and raise my GPA to keep my financial aid... although pledging a frat freshman year sure didn't help my grade much either.

 

[Lehigh98]

2025 here.

Looking forward to hearing what you learn from the college planning thing (if you don't mind sharing).

Floppinho just started private HS at a place with insane exmissions. I'm pretty sure they're good at actively guiding the kids on a variety of levels towards "looking good" for college (beyond having longstanding relationships with a lot of schools)...I'll try to share any relevant info from the HS admins.

The reason we went with that company / program is that they not only help navigate financial aid but they also work with the kids to develop their skills (leadership, volunteering, writing, etc) and their resume too.  They also work with the kids to help them figure out what they want to do for a career, what to do for a major, and what schools would be the best fit for their needs and personality.  Early in the process but I feel alot better having a resource like that which I sure didn't have in HS and could have used.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

My daughter got invited into Phi Beta Kappa.  Is this society of any real use or am I just spending a $130 for another line on the resume?

It's really just a line on a resume, but it's a pretty nice line.  Nobody is ever going to care about being inducted into an honor society once they're a year or two out from graduation, but anything that improves one's resume is probably worth doing as an undergraduate, depending on what major we're talking about.  

 

[bigbottom]

Sounds familiar, I did the same and had to take a math class over in the summer after freshman year to replace the grade and raise my GPA to keep my financial aid... although pledging a frat freshman year sure didn't help my grade much either.

Yeah, like you, my kid was pledging a fraternity while taking Calc 3. Ended up dropping it and is retaking it this semester. Seems to be going much better. 

 

[Sinn Fein]

Game on!  Just recently signed my Sophomore and 8th grader up with CAP of PA College Planning and my Soph is going to try and sign up for the PSAT's at school this morning (they only have a certain number of spots at their location).  Guessing I'll be more active in this thread especially looking back at everything you guys have already done / learned.  Who else has kids in the HS classes of 2024 and 2026?

Interesting.  We have a current senior and sophomore - but with varying college aspirations.  Older daughter is maturing, but does not really have a handle on what she wants in life.  She is an "artsy" person, and wants to do some kind of graphic design.  Good student, top 10% but at a pretty bad school, and she is not looking to go to any top colleges.  

She has two colleges she likes, one private, one out-of-state, and we are pushing her to apply to a couple of in-state schools.  She will get into all of them, and then she can decide from there.

She never had much ambition to go to a bigger college, and quite frankly I am happy that she is finding herself now, and I am happy with both of her primary choices.  I think she has room to grow at either option - depending on financial aid...

So, we never considered using any services for college prep with her.

Sophomore, is a different story.  She tested into a highly competitive accelerated STEM program for high school, and she has ambitions for a top college - "anywhere outside of Kentucky".  I have thought about getting into a college prep program for her - and I know several of her classmates uses those services.  I just can't wrap my head around the real value.

I feel like, I just need to let her settle into whatever school she naturally settles into.  But, then I worry that if her dream is one of the truly elite schools, should we have her better prepared?  I just don't know. She is likely to be a straight-A student, teachers love her, she already has a part-time job, she is active in school clubs, already an officer in one, she will have community service through a couple of the school clubs.  I mean, there are times where I contemplate getting a DNA test just to be sure...

Sort of like Floppo - this program is committed to getting these kids into elite schools across the country.  It kind of is part of the brand that keeps feeding itself.  So, I wonder what these services offer above and beyond, and whether that would be the difference between getting in and not.  its quite the quandary,  Happy to stay tuned and look forward to see how it works for you.

 

[Workhorse]

My daughter just got accepted at WSU in Pullman with a decent-sized out-of-state scholarship for their biology/zoology program. So nice to at least have one place that she's been accepted so that she can ignore "safety schools" going forward. If Wazzu weren't in the middle of nowhere, it would most likely be her top choice. She's still applying to Colorado State, Oregon, Oregon State and San Diego State.

I think I'm more stressed out than she is about this whole thing.

 

[soothsayer]

Who else has kids in the HS classes of 2024 and 2026?

In addition to my '22 I have a '24. Going through all this for the first time now. Perhaps will be better at it the 2nd time around?

 

[soothsayer]

My oldest son is a '22 grad. Just received his first college acceptance to Grand Canyon U in Phoenix. He toured there last winter and fell in love with the campus. But....

He is a baseball player and is interested in playing baseball in college. He has three different visits lined up at Division 3 schools near us (MN). He wants to see if any of the local area schools will grab him the same way GCU did. So while GCU is is first choice, he knows he can't play baseball there (Division 1). If he chooses GCU, he may play club baseball as they have a strong program that plays a varsity-like schedule, including travel.

My understanding is that GCU has around 16K students on campus but then buttloads more who attend there online. Anyone here have any experience with the campus/school?

Just a quick update here (that exactly no one is asking for - LOL). Little Sooth has been accepted to his top two D3 schools near us to go along with his GCU acceptance. The local schools are trying to get him to "commit" for baseball purposes but he continues to lean towards GCU. He's going to be going on a "Discover GCU" trip soon - they pay for his flight there so he can experience the campus by staying in a dorm, hanging out with students, meeting professors, etc. My strong guess is that the visit will seal the deal for GCU. If something goes wonky though, and he ends up going to one of the local area schools to play ball, I feel comfortable that they are both good schools. And while I'd love to be able to go watch him play ball on a regular basis for the next four years, I think he'll be best served by going away to GCU. We'll see!

 

[Sinn Fein]

For those that have been through the process - how many schools did you physically visit?  How early into the process did those visits start?

 

[SFBayDuck]

For those that have been through the process - how many schools did you physically visit?  How early into the process did those visits start?

Tough question for those of us that had to go through this the past two years with covid, when most schools (at least out here on the West Coast) at best didn't have guided tours and at worst wouldn't let you on campus at all (Pepperdine).

So we only visited a few of the 10 my daughter applied to.  Santa Clara and UC Davis we just walked around on our own.  St. Marys let us drive through early on then later opened up one-on-one tours, which is the only guided one we took.  She also drove through Chatman and USD with her mother.  She had seen Oregon's campus several times before, but she never considered that one seriously anyway.  All of these visits started spring break of junior year and carried through into her senior year.

If your kid is looking at a wide variety of schools at least get a sampling of different environments, especially early in the process.   Small college town vs urban school, private vs large state university, that kind of thing.  I thought for sure my daughter would end up at a small private school but after visiting UC Davis she loved the vibe of a real college town and bigger school, and that's where she ended up.

 

[Sinn Fein]

Thanks - Younger daughter is a bit of an organization freak.  She wants to have her college choice basically done by the time her senior year starts.  She is a sophomore now.

Older daughter is a senior - and we did not do college trips until this past summer.  As kind of an incentive for the younger daughter - I took her to see Vanderbilt, just to give her a taste of what college tours are like.  She just scheduled a tour of Notre Dame over her fall break, and wants to go to NY/Boston to tour schools over spring break.  I think its great that she is being proactive - but I just think its a bit much this early - while she is still figuring out what she wants to do.  And, if we have to visit every school she "wants" to go to, well, its a lot. of travel...

And, she is in that phase where she is trying to figure out what type of school she wants - big/small, urban/rural, etc.  So, I kind of get it - it just feels really early in the process to be meaningful.

 

[The Z Machine]

She wants to have her college choice basically done by the time her senior year starts.  She is a sophomore now

How long ago was she "your little girl"? I'm fearing how few years I have left with my 8 year old. 

 

[SpurrierisisGod]

Not really coming to gloat but I'm really here to just gloat

we have applied to just about anywhere that waived the application fee.  My son doesn't really care where he goes, just wants to play soccer in college to whoever will show him the money.  Soccer is not a big scholarship sport so leaning on his academics..

Due to our family situation (got full custody of 4 year old twins) we have needed him around the house more than him goingnandngetting a job or joining 6 school clubs so really it's just soccer, babysitting and good grades on his resume.  Didn't blow out the ACT either.

just got an email today that he has been offered a presidential scholarship to Millsaps and scheduling a visit with the head coach who, based in his highlight vids, said he'd live to have him on the team and come in up for a visit.

I am blown away (and proud) because I was sure we were behind the 8 ball for not doing more but honestly there is no way we could have. It's still expensive (33k scholarship for a 40k school) but it's the first offer so far.  Millsaps probably isn't choice 1 due to their lack of majors but I'm hoping it's a good 1st step.

I should add, we have hammered into him to keep his grades up so he doesn't end up like dear old dad with a mountain of college debt and a huge monthly payment. When I told him about his offer his 1st question was "how much will I have to pay".  That's my boy.

 

[SFBayDuck]

How long ago was she "your little girl"? I'm fearing how few years I have left with my 8 year old. 

 
My freshman daughter is still “my little girl”!  
 

It does go fast, that’s for damned sure. Enjoy every moment you can. 

 

[Workhorse]

For those that have been through the process - how many schools did you physically visit?  How early into the process did those visits start?

My wife and daughter did a swing through 4 schools last month (University of Washington, Evergreen State, Oregon and Oregon State). Those were the first four that she saw in person. It was good for her to get a feel for what type of school she liked. Her sweet spot seems to be small towns and schools under 30,000 students with a focus on her major (Zoology/Animal Science.) 

 

[zoobird]

I think the main points of visiting schools are:

• As noted by a few people above...figuring out what types of things they like/don't
  
• Deciding whether to invest the time to apply to borderline schools
  
• Making a decision once accepted
  

No need to visit every possible school.  If they're pretty sure they're applying to a school and haven't been accepted yet, really not that much point if it's far from home.

Not really related to the above, but glad that my daughter likes to do things in advance and is in pretty good shape with all of her early applications.  Can't imagine the stress of trying to get all this stuff done as deadlines approach, especially with all the essays they need to write.

 

[The Flying Turtle]

For those that have been through the process - how many schools did you physically visit?  How early into the process did those visits start?

My son in a senior and applying now.  This past year we "unofficially" visited several schools while in the area for soccer games.  These quick walk throughs helped him decide on the campuses he liked (Duke, UNC, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech) and those he did not like (Wake Forest, NC State) before even applying.

 

[soothsayer]

For those that have been through the process - how many schools did you physically visit?  How early into the process did those visits start?

I'm not sure there is a right number, but I think there are some good methodologies to follow in this process:

- Regardless of what kind of school a student thinks they want to attend, they really need to visit other kinds of schools. Example - if they say they want to go to a small school, make sure they visit a medium and large sized school. Want a state university? Visit a private college. Want something super close to home? Visit something even a couple of hours away.

Early preferences are based on per-conceived notions. The only way to be sure those early preferences are correct is to challenge them. That doesn't have to mean visiting 18 different schools but it might mean intentionally going out of your way to add points of comparison to the mix. Doing so will make you much more confident in your student's wish list. Conversely, if you don't do the above, it will be tough to rest easy knowing their initial choices were anything more than what they heard friends talking about or where someone on Tik-Tok went to school.

- Once the type of school has been nailed down (i.e. size, general location, cost, fields of study, etc.) then make sure to look for 1-2 similar schools for a deep dive. If one school seems to fit a profile your student has targeted, a couple more will as well.

- Apply to all of those that are "in the ballpark" (most schools seem to have no application fee these days). This is beneficial to give your student a little breathing room in their process and it's helpful during financial aid season so you have competitive offers to negotiate with.

 

[The Noid]

Completed the FAFSA for my HS senior and wondering what others have seen in regards to the Expected Family Contribution number and how much schools stick to it. Is it usually just a straight "Your EFC is $25k, our COA is $30k, so here's $5k in financial aid" or do schools use it more as a guide and base their FA on a combo of that plus how competitive they want to be for enrollment, etc. 

 

[El Floppo]

Completed the FAFSA for my HS senior and wondering what others have seen in regards to the Expected Family Contribution number and how much schools stick to it. Is it usually just a straight "Your EFC is $25k, our COA is $30k, so here's $5k in financial aid" or do schools use it more as a guide and base their FA on a combo of that plus how competitive they want to be for enrollment, etc. 

interested see the replies.

fwiw, we had to go through this in applying to private High Schools.

floppinho got into 4 schools: 2 met our EFC almost to the dollar, 1 was about 2x EFC, and 1 was essentially a full ride. the latter was his top choice prior to acceptance- the fit seemed perfect, and they showed signs early on of really liking him (he was getting attention and replies we know other kids werent). We think they made a point of offering more as an enticement and to show that they wanted him.

 

[The Noid]

As an aside, the EFC calculation is a joke. We're divorced parents with everything financial and custody 50/50 so we filled out for the family with 1 income and 2 additional children for 2020 taxes, over the family with 2 incomes and 1 additional child and the EFC number was 1/3 of the family AGI. Granted, there's a 529 and some parent stocks and savings, but it seems like they're expecting almost 100% of that to be used, as well.

We're fortunate enough that we don't need FA in order to send him to college, but believe colleges are so over-priced that we're trying everything we can to feel like we're paying what it's worth and not overpaying, as well as avoid him having to take out any loans. Can only imagine how bad it is for families not as fortunate that are expected to sell organs or something to meet their EFC.

 

[stbugs]

As an aside, the EFC calculation is a joke. We're divorced parents with everything financial and custody 50/50 so we filled out for the family with 1 income and 2 additional children for 2020 taxes, over the family with 2 incomes and 1 additional child and the EFC number was 1/3 of the family AGI. Granted, there's a 529 and some stocks and savings, but it seems like they're expecting almost 100% of that to be used, as well.

We're fortunate enough that we don't need FA in order to send him to college, but believe colleges are so over-priced that we're trying everything we can to feel like we're paying what it's worth and not overpaying, as well as avoid him having to take out any loans. Can only imagine how bad it is for families not as fortunate that are expected to sell organs or something to meet their EFC.

I believe when kid’s money is considered, it is almost a 100% usage assumption. Parents are a smaller percent. My wife and I work and we basically got nada except the minimum. We just did that so they had some skin in the game. It’ll depend on where the other two go. Our oldest got a nice scholarship so with the federal loans he’s taking out, it wasn’t far from in state tuition. Not sure my middle son will get any scholarships so he’s going to have to be a bit more selective or have more loans or just go in state, we’ll see.

 

[Battersbox]

As an aside, the EFC calculation is a joke. We're divorced parents with everything financial and custody 50/50 so we filled out for the family with 1 income and 2 additional children for 2020 taxes, over the family with 2 incomes and 1 additional child and the EFC number was 1/3 of the family AGI. Granted, there's a 529 and some parent stocks and savings, but it seems like they're expecting almost 100% of that to be used, as well.

We're fortunate enough that we don't need FA in order to send him to college, but believe colleges are so over-priced that we're trying everything we can to feel like we're paying what it's worth and not overpaying, as well as avoid him having to take out any loans. Can only imagine how bad it is for families not as fortunate that are expected to sell organs or something to meet their EFC.

Same boat here. It's frustrating. I get that we have to pay more than most, but I'm not willing to forfeit my retirement. My daughter is looking at large state schools, but the dream of going out of state is likely out the window. Big10 schools don't seem too willing to give merit aid for out-of-state kids. 

I feel bad for my daughter as she's worked very hard to build an impressive resume. Still, lesser students (classmates) who didn't put in the effort she did during high school are likely going to get chances to go out of state before she will. 

 

[SteelCurtain]

Completed the FAFSA for my HS senior and wondering what others have seen in regards to the Expected Family Contribution number and how much schools stick to it. Is it usually just a straight "Your EFC is $25k, our COA is $30k, so here's $5k in financial aid" or do schools use it more as a guide and base their FA on a combo of that plus how competitive they want to be for enrollment, etc. 

Its a guide.  Some schools will meet full need (in this case, $5K).  Others will over award the student (give more than $5K) or "gap" the student (give less than $5K in this scenario).

Why schools do things are dependent on how much endowment they have, how desperate they are, how desirable the student is (academically, geographically, gender, ethnic diversity, etc.), if they are public university -- they likely have less flexibility, etc. 

You will find various (and sometimes quite different) net costs depending on the school.

 

[zoobird]

Surprised this thread has been so quiet.

Good luck to all with HS seniors finishing up their early applications over the next couple of days.  

I'm super thankful that my daughter did everything early and finished submissions last weekend...hearing nightmare stories from her about the stress for some of her friends.

 

[jhib]

Completed the FAFSA for my HS senior and wondering what others have seen in regards to the Expected Family Contribution number and how much schools stick to it. Is it usually just a straight "Your EFC is $25k, our COA is $30k, so here's $5k in financial aid" or do schools use it more as a guide and base their FA on a combo of that plus how competitive they want to be for enrollment, etc. 

Its a guide.  Some schools will meet full need (in this case, $5K).  Others will over award the student (give more than $5K) or "gap" the student (give less than $5K in this scenario).

Why schools do things are dependent on how much endowment they have, how desperate they are, how desirable the student is (academically, geographically, gender, ethnic diversity, etc.), if they are public university -- they likely have less flexibility, etc. 

You will find various (and sometimes quite different) net costs depending on the school.

To add on to this, many schools require more information than what you provide on the FAFSA in order to determine the amount of financial aid you receive.  Be sure to pay attention to whether or not they require the College Board's CSS Profile as well.  The bad news is that in my experience, that one is much more of a pain to complete as it goes a lot more in depth into your finances, and individual colleges can even request additional information added on at the end and/or require you to upload particular documents like tax returns.  The good news is that if they require it, there's a decent chance they'll give you more than what you would have guessed based on the FAFSA results alone.

 

[jhib]

Another thing to pay attention to is what different schools include in their financial aid packages.  Some are essentially loan-free, meaning that if the costs are $50,000 and they determine your total family contribution is $30k, they will provide scholarships and grants of $20k to cover the rest (you can still take out loans on your end to help out with your $30k if you need to).  Most schools, however, still include loans in that $20k you are receiving, so you might get $15k in scholarships and grants and $5k in loans, for example, as part of your financial aid package.  That could be a significant difference in the two packages that isn't always entirely clear.

 

[MindCrime]

Fafsa done, Florida FA form done, applications and self reported transcripts done for my son’s top 2 schools. Breathing a bit easier now, although he still has 3 other schools on his list. I think he’s a shoe in for both of his top 2, he didn’t really reach as both are state schools. But for a kid who was waffling on the idea of college just a few years ago, he’s super locked in on those schools, and already looking ahead to graduate schools. (I keep telling, one step at a time)

 

[=Smackdown=]

Fafsa done, Florida FA form done, applications and self reported transcripts done for my son’s top 2 schools. Breathing a bit easier now, although he still has 3 other schools on his list. I think he’s a shoe in for both of his top 2, he didn’t really reach as both are state schools. But for a kid who was waffling on the idea of college just a few years ago, he’s super locked in on those schools, and already looking ahead to graduate schools. (I keep telling, one step at a time)

Good Luck.

Now imagine applying to 20 schools like my son did. Was like a 2nd job filling out all that paperwork.

In the end, as a freshmen at Stevens he loves the school & Hoboken. Wish he got along with his room mate though.

Weird experience dropping off your oldest at school. Happy he’s only 45 minutes away but I still miss him. Really looking forward to seeing him when he comes home for Thanksgiving.

 

[The Flying Turtle]

Good Luck.

Now imagine applying to 20 schools like my son did. Was like a 2nd job filling out all that paperwork.

In the end, as a freshmen at Stevens he loves the school & Hoboken. Wish he got along with his room mate though.

Weird experience dropping off your oldest at school. Happy he’s only 45 minutes away but I still miss him. Really looking forward to seeing him when he comes home for Thanksgiving.

My son applied to 9, but we had a great advisor taking care of everything.  She kept track of the deadlines, reviewed all of his essays and made sure he had everything done on-time.  He met with her 2-3 times/week since the applications started - it was like a job for him.  All I had to do was a final once over with the first application, complete the FAFSA and give him my credit card. 

He did hear last week that he was accepted to the only in-state school he applied to (Clemson) and was invited to apply to the Honors College.  Knowing that he has one option will make the next few months much less stressful.

 

[MindCrime]

Fafsa done, Florida FA form done, applications and self reported transcripts done for my son’s top 2 schools. Breathing a bit easier now, although he still has 3 other schools on his list. I think he’s a shoe in for both of his top 2, he didn’t really reach as both are state schools. But for a kid who was waffling on the idea of college just a few years ago, he’s super locked in on those schools, and already looking ahead to graduate schools. (I keep telling, one step at a time)

First acceptance email came today, and for his current top choice of schools! Huge weight lifted from his shoulders. Still going to weigh his options, and finalizing a few more applications, but it looks like he’ll be majoring in Forensic Science- Biochemistry BS at UCF. 

 

[El Floppo]

First acceptance email came today, and for his current top choice of schools! Huge weight lifted from his shoulders. Still going to weigh his options, and finalizing a few more applications, but it looks like he’ll be majoring in Forensic Science- Biochemistry BS at UCF. 

that is fantastic news- congrats!

 

[zoobird]

First acceptance email came today, and for his current top choice of schools! Huge weight lifted from his shoulders. Still going to weigh his options, and finalizing a few more applications, but it looks like he’ll be majoring in Forensic Science- Biochemistry BS at UCF. 

Congrats!  Does this mean you'll be moving out of the area?