College Admissions Questions (4 Viewers)

[The Z Machine]

Any advice on good engineering schools that offer merit aid?

Here is my list so far:
Top tier
Cornell (no aid)
Cal Tech (no aid)
Cal Berkeley (no aid)
Duke (likely no aid)

Second tier
U Michigan (no aid)
U Illinois (possible small amount)
U Texas (possible small amount)
Purdue (likely small amount)

Safety schools
Alabama, OU, Arizona, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Miss State and a few other similar schools (significant aid)

Now I know he won’t get into all (any) of the top tier schools, but Michigan level and below he has a good chance.

Trying to balance cost/value of program. I’ve heard engineering school matters more where you go than other majors (my daughter is premed and goes to OU for free since that degree won’t matter). Other schools to look at?

No chance of need based aid.

The only way to get merit aid for engineering undergrad is to go to a lower tier school. That's reality.

And you're right that the school ranking does matter a bit for career prospects. Better ranked schools get recruitment from more and higher paying companies. Better ranked schools give a leg up on graduate school admissions. One could see paying more for undergrad engineering school as an investment for better career opportunities.

That said, I really suggest that he check out the campuses and find the right place for him culturally. Just because a school is highly ranked doesn't mean that it's a good fit for the kid. Finally, a lot of the higher ranked engineering schools are large public schools. Those schools don't hold the students' hand. They have large class sizes and some kids can feel lost. That could be fine for most kids, but you know your son.

 

[zoobird]

Any advice on good engineering schools that offer merit aid?

Pretty sure that my daughter was offered merit aid of between $10K-$20K for engineering at Northeastern, Purdue, Rutgers and Vermont. Several of these said that it was their largest scholarship amount. No merit aid at all at Cornell, which is where she'll be going.

 

[pmedina]

Any advice on good engineering schools that offer merit aid?

Here is my list so far:
Top tier
Cornell (no aid)
Cal Tech (no aid)
Cal Berkeley (no aid)
Duke (likely no aid)

Second tier
U Michigan (no aid)
U Illinois (possible small amount)
U Texas (possible small amount)
Purdue (likely small amount)

Safety schools
Alabama, OU, Arizona, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Miss State and a few other similar schools (significant aid)

Now I know he won’t get into all (any) of the top tier schools, but Michigan level and below he has a good chance.

Trying to balance cost/value of program. I’ve heard engineering school matters more where you go than other majors (my daughter is premed and goes to OU for free since that degree won’t matter). Other schools to look at?

No chance of need based aid.

The only way to get merit aid for engineering undergrad is to go to a lower tier school. That's reality.

And you're right that the school ranking does matter a bit for career prospects. Better ranked schools get recruitment from more and higher paying companies. Better ranked schools give a leg up on graduate school admissions. One could see paying more for undergrad engineering school as an investment for better career opportunities.

That said, I really suggest that he check out the campuses and find the right place for him culturally. Just because a school is highly ranked doesn't mean that it's a good fit for the kid. Finally, a lot of the higher ranked engineering schools are large public schools. Those schools don't hold the students' hand. They have large class sizes and some kids can feel lost. That could be fine for most kids, but you know your son.

Thanks, it has been a bit of a shock. Any thoughts on top tier vs. second tier? For gods sake, Ilinois is over 50k total for out of state and Cornell will be over 80 all inclusive. Both ridiculous, but one 30k more ridiculous. To me, taking the campus life part out of it, the second tier schools seem like the sweet spot for value vs. prestige. Though if it were me, I'd go the Alabama route if I got into their honors engineering program that only takes 25 people/year.

Any other schools we should look at? If he chose something that came in around 30/40k after any aid we can probably swing it without loans.

He'd likely do an honors program at the safety school level which should help with the large size of those schools, but they are obviously not at the level of top schools. We've looked at some smaller top tier schools such as Harvey Mudd and Carnigie Mellon, but he thinks he wants a large college feel for the atmosphere. Cal Tech is only 900 students total undergrad, his high school is almost 3000! Also, have Georgia Tech on my list as a reach, but but he'd prefer a "college town" vs. city.

 

[Oracle]

Any CornellGuys/Gals here?

Yo Mama’s daughter just got accepted there [humblebrag] - woohoo!

Any sage advice or insights other than start cashing out all my wheatpennies / stonks / monkey gifs?

My daughter spent the summer at Cornell doing research at the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. It is a beautiful school. She loved her research and the lab facilities. She had been thinking of applying to Cornell to get her PhD but really did not like the area. The school is surrounded by residential housing but there is a cute little town over the mountain. Although the town is closed down during the week. That made no sense as summer should have been peak season in that area. She spent most of her free time at Cayuga Lake wind surfing and hiking and loved that, but was concerned that the little to no activity in the small town would not suit her during non-wind surfing/hiking times.

 

[Courtjester]

We moved our youngest of two daughters into her dorm yesterday. Really bittersweet and sad. We are very proud of her. It is going to be hard to adjusting to being empty nesters. I already hate how quiet it is in this house and it hasn't been 24 hours.

What I can't understand is we took the Parent Plus loan. I chose the max loan option (just like we did we our other daughter who graduated two years ago). My daughter took her max allowable loan--like 5k or whatever. She had the Colorado student discount and two scholarships. The money was applied on Friday, but I got a bill saying I still owe over 2k--which is due by the end of the month, and we still have to buy textbooks. When I did the loans for my other daughter, there was always a small refund of money sent to me, which we used for her books. I mean we can pay it, but the same thing is going to happen next semester. I just don't get what changed here. Is the school under-reporting the costs of attendance or something? Her roommate's parents also got a bill. I did notice the disclosure statement showed almost $1,200 per semester being dispersed to the school than the school is reporting having received. It would still leave a shortfall, but something doesn't seem right here. I can't talk to them yet because my daughter has to go in and sign a release for me to do so.

 

[jhib]

Any CornellGuys/Gals here?

Yo Mama’s daughter just got accepted there [humblebrag] - woohoo!

Any sage advice or insights other than start cashing out all my wheatpennies / stonks / monkey gifs?

My daughter spent the summer at Cornell doing research at the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. It is a beautiful school. She loved her research and the lab facilities. She had been thinking of applying to Cornell to get her PhD but really did not like the area. The school is surrounded by residential housing but there is a cute little town over the mountain. Although the town is closed down during the week. That made no sense as summer should have been peak season in that area. She spent most of her free time at Cayuga Lake wind surfing and hiking and loved that, but was concerned that the little to no activity in the small town would not suit her during non-wind surfing/hiking times.

Cornell/Ithaca guy here. Yeah, the area is definitely not for everyone, and can feel especially small if you're coming from a big city area. It's not so much that Ithaca is that small, but more that it feels like it's in the middle of nowhere and takes a few hours to get to any city bigger than Syracuse. And the winter weather makes those distances feel that much greater.
Still, "closed down during the week" seems a bit strong. The city is very dependent on the student population between Cornell and Ithaca College so it is/feels even smaller in the summer, but it just has a different, more laid-back vibe then. Of course, the summer is also when the weather is usually perfect and most students don't get to experience it, so it's cool that your daughter got to.

All that said, during the school year, Cornell students are usually pretty isolated from the city/town anyway - especially freshman since they live that much further from downtown.

Anyway, if any of you new Cornell parents have any questions, let me know. Good luck moving the kids in!

 

[Oracle]

Yeah..l came in from Tokyo to move her from DC to Ithaca. She could’ve moved her self but I wanted to make sure all went smoothly. I am positive that it’s the remote location that concerns her. I can tell you, I was there on a weekend and really enjoyed the live music at the farmers market and thought the vegetable sandwich at Red’s Place was phenomenal!

 

[bigbottom]

Any advice on good engineering schools that offer merit aid?

Here is my list so far:
Top tier
Cornell (no aid)
Cal Tech (no aid)
Cal Berkeley (no aid)
Duke (likely no aid)

Second tier
U Michigan (no aid)
U Illinois (possible small amount)
U Texas (possible small amount)
Purdue (likely small amount)

Safety schools
Alabama, OU, Arizona, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Miss State and a few other similar schools (significant aid)

Now I know he won’t get into all (any) of the top tier schools, but Michigan level and below he has a good chance.

Trying to balance cost/value of program. I’ve heard engineering school matters more where you go than other majors (my daughter is premed and goes to OU for free since that degree won’t matter). Other schools to look at?

No chance of need based aid.

The only way to get merit aid for engineering undergrad is to go to a lower tier school. That's reality.

And you're right that the school ranking does matter a bit for career prospects. Better ranked schools get recruitment from more and higher paying companies. Better ranked schools give a leg up on graduate school admissions. One could see paying more for undergrad engineering school as an investment for better career opportunities.

That said, I really suggest that he check out the campuses and find the right place for him culturally. Just because a school is highly ranked doesn't mean that it's a good fit for the kid. Finally, a lot of the higher ranked engineering schools are large public schools. Those schools don't hold the students' hand. They have large class sizes and some kids can feel lost. That could be fine for most kids, but you know your son.

Thanks, it has been a bit of a shock. Any thoughts on top tier vs. second tier? For gods sake, Ilinois is over 50k total for out of state and Cornell will be over 80 all inclusive. Both ridiculous, but one 30k more ridiculous. To me, taking the campus life part out of it, the second tier schools seem like the sweet spot for value vs. prestige. Though if it were me, I'd go the Alabama route if I got into their honors engineering program that only takes 25 people/year.

Any other schools we should look at? If he chose something that came in around 30/40k after any aid we can probably swing it without loans.

He'd likely do an honors program at the safety school level which should help with the large size of those schools, but they are obviously not at the level of top schools. We've looked at some smaller top tier schools such as Harvey Mudd and Carnigie Mellon, but he thinks he wants a large college feel for the atmosphere. Cal Tech is only 900 students total undergrad, his high school is almost 3000! Also, have Georgia Tech on my list as a reach, but but he'd prefer a "college town" vs. city.

The only schools my son (mech eng) got merit aid from were Clemson (12k), Northeastern (14k), and Purdue (16k). Purdue is the more highly regarded engineering program of those three (though Northeastern has great co-ops) and Purdue may be a match since he wants a great engineering program, big school, and college town. After the merit aid, Purdue would have been under 13k in annual tuition. It would have been a great option for my kid but he wanted warm weather and a big city.

 

[pmedina]

Any advice on good engineering schools that offer merit aid?

Here is my list so far:
Top tier
Cornell (no aid)
Cal Tech (no aid)
Cal Berkeley (no aid)
Duke (likely no aid)

Second tier
U Michigan (no aid)
U Illinois (possible small amount)
U Texas (possible small amount)
Purdue (likely small amount)

Safety schools
Alabama, OU, Arizona, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Miss State and a few other similar schools (significant aid)

Now I know he won’t get into all (any) of the top tier schools, but Michigan level and below he has a good chance.

Trying to balance cost/value of program. I’ve heard engineering school matters more where you go than other majors (my daughter is premed and goes to OU for free since that degree won’t matter). Other schools to look at?

No chance of need based aid.

The only way to get merit aid for engineering undergrad is to go to a lower tier school. That's reality.

And you're right that the school ranking does matter a bit for career prospects. Better ranked schools get recruitment from more and higher paying companies. Better ranked schools give a leg up on graduate school admissions. One could see paying more for undergrad engineering school as an investment for better career opportunities.

That said, I really suggest that he check out the campuses and find the right place for him culturally. Just because a school is highly ranked doesn't mean that it's a good fit for the kid. Finally, a lot of the higher ranked engineering schools are large public schools. Those schools don't hold the students' hand. They have large class sizes and some kids can feel lost. That could be fine for most kids, but you know your son.

Thanks, it has been a bit of a shock. Any thoughts on top tier vs. second tier? For gods sake, Ilinois is over 50k total for out of state and Cornell will be over 80 all inclusive. Both ridiculous, but one 30k more ridiculous. To me, taking the campus life part out of it, the second tier schools seem like the sweet spot for value vs. prestige. Though if it were me, I'd go the Alabama route if I got into their honors engineering program that only takes 25 people/year.

Any other schools we should look at? If he chose something that came in around 30/40k after any aid we can probably swing it without loans.

He'd likely do an honors program at the safety school level which should help with the large size of those schools, but they are obviously not at the level of top schools. We've looked at some smaller top tier schools such as Harvey Mudd and Carnigie Mellon, but he thinks he wants a large college feel for the atmosphere. Cal Tech is only 900 students total undergrad, his high school is almost 3000! Also, have Georgia Tech on my list as a reach, but but he'd prefer a "college town" vs. city.

The only schools my son (mech eng) got merit aid from were Clemson (12k), Northeastern (14k), and Purdue (16k). Purdue is the more highly regarded engineering program of those three (though Northeastern has great co-ops) and Purdue may be a match since he wants a great engineering program, big school, and college town. After the merit aid, Purdue would have been under 13k in annual tuition. It would have been a great option for my kid but he wanted warm weather and a big city.

Where did he end up?

 

[Foosball God]

Any advice on good engineering schools that offer merit aid?

Here is my list so far:
Top tier
Cornell (no aid)
Cal Tech (no aid)
Cal Berkeley (no aid)
Duke (likely no aid)

Second tier
U Michigan (no aid)
U Illinois (possible small amount)
U Texas (possible small amount)
Purdue (likely small amount)

Safety schools
Alabama, OU, Arizona, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Miss State and a few other similar schools (significant aid)

Now I know he won’t get into all (any) of the top tier schools, but Michigan level and below he has a good chance.

Trying to balance cost/value of program. I’ve heard engineering school matters more where you go than other majors (my daughter is premed and goes to OU for free since that degree won’t matter). Other schools to look at?

No chance of need based aid.

The only way to get merit aid for engineering undergrad is to go to a lower tier school. That's reality.

And you're right that the school ranking does matter a bit for career prospects. Better ranked schools get recruitment from more and higher paying companies. Better ranked schools give a leg up on graduate school admissions. One could see paying more for undergrad engineering school as an investment for better career opportunities.

That said, I really suggest that he check out the campuses and find the right place for him culturally. Just because a school is highly ranked doesn't mean that it's a good fit for the kid. Finally, a lot of the higher ranked engineering schools are large public schools. Those schools don't hold the students' hand. They have large class sizes and some kids can feel lost. That could be fine for most kids, but you know your son.

Thanks, it has been a bit of a shock. Any thoughts on top tier vs. second tier? For gods sake, Ilinois is over 50k total for out of state and Cornell will be over 80 all inclusive. Both ridiculous, but one 30k more ridiculous. To me, taking the campus life part out of it, the second tier schools seem like the sweet spot for value vs. prestige. Though if it were me, I'd go the Alabama route if I got into their honors engineering program that only takes 25 people/year.

Any other schools we should look at? If he chose something that came in around 30/40k after any aid we can probably swing it without loans.

He'd likely do an honors program at the safety school level which should help with the large size of those schools, but they are obviously not at the level of top schools. We've looked at some smaller top tier schools such as Harvey Mudd and Carnigie Mellon, but he thinks he wants a large college feel for the atmosphere. Cal Tech is only 900 students total undergrad, his high school is almost 3000! Also, have Georgia Tech on my list as a reach, but but he'd prefer a "college town" vs. city.

The only schools my son (mech eng) got merit aid from were Clemson (12k), Northeastern (14k), and Purdue (16k). Purdue is the more highly regarded engineering program of those three (though Northeastern has great co-ops) and Purdue may be a match since he wants a great engineering program, big school, and college town. After the merit aid, Purdue would have been under 13k in annual tuition. It would have been a great option for my kid but he wanted warm weather and a big city.

Plus Billie Bobbie Brown goes there

 

[tonysmiles]

Time goes by fast. I remember browsing this thread when my son was applying to schools. I remember consoling him when his Top 10 class rank, 36 ACT Score, All County Athlete (Captain of his sports team), and National AP Scholar did not get him accepted to any private or out of state schools. In the end all you need is that piece of paper. He completed his internship where he worked along side kids from Ivy League and other top schools and was offered a permanent position upon his graduation making close to 200K a year (not bad for a kid who will not even be 22 yet when he starts full time). To boot they gave him a nice 5 figure signing bonus so he can drink top shelf during his senior year. He will walk out of UNI with his Masters after 4 years and a 4.0 GPA and he had fun at the same time ( Dad drank with him and his Frat Brothers a few times). The most important thing is he is graduating debt free. Hindsight I am glad he went to a state school and did not get accepted by one of those Ivies or a fancy out of state public school for financial reasons. Yes I am a proud Dad.

 

[zoobird]

Time goes by fast. I remember browsing this thread when my son was applying to schools. I remember consoling him when his Top 10 class rank, 36 ACT Score, All County Athlete (Captain of his sports team), and National AP Scholar did not get him accepted to any private or out of state schools. In the end all you need is that piece of paper. He completed his internship where he worked along side kids from Ivy League and other top schools and was offered a permanent position upon his graduation making close to 200K a year (not bad for a kid who will not even be 22 yet when he starts full time). To boot they gave him a nice 5 figure signing bonus so he can drink top shelf during his senior year. He will walk out of UNI with his Masters after 4 years and a 4.0 GPA and he had fun at the same time ( Dad drank with him and his Frat Brothers a few times). The most important thing is he is graduating debt free. Hindsight I am glad he went to a state school and did not get accepted by one of those Ivies or a fancy out of state public school for financial reasons. Yes I am a proud Dad.

Congrats! And wowza on that starting salary. What kind of job?

 

[The Z Machine]

Thanks, it has been a bit of a shock. Any thoughts on top tier vs. second tier? For gods sake, Ilinois is over 50k total for out of state and Cornell will be over 80 all inclusive. Both ridiculous, but one 30k more ridiculous. To me, taking the campus life part out of it, the second tier schools seem like the sweet spot for value vs. prestige. Though if it were me, I'd go the Alabama route if I got into their honors engineering program that only takes 25 people/year.

Any other schools we should look at? If he chose something that came in around 30/40k after any aid we can probably swing it without loans.

He'd likely do an honors program at the safety school level which should help with the large size of those schools, but they are obviously not at the level of top schools. We've looked at some smaller top tier schools such as Harvey Mudd and Carnigie Mellon, but he thinks he wants a large college feel for the atmosphere. Cal Tech is only 900 students total undergrad, his high school is almost 3000! Also, have Georgia Tech on my list as a reach, but but he'd prefer a "college town" vs. city.

Interestingly. sometimes the Honors programs make it easier to get a good GPA. I had a roommate that went through route and he was a mediocre student and it seemed like all his Honors classmates ended up with an A- all the time despite not putting in effort and not know the materials as well as the "regular" students who were lucky to get a B+ (me).

Agreed with BB, take a look at the Northeastern, USC, RPI, Lehigh, Drexel, Bucknell, Rice tier of private schools for merit aid. The larger public schools are unlikely to give merit aid I think, but maybe a state school like Purdue or Clemson is trying to attract students with higher test scores could be an option. Lots of those schools listed will be big enough to be a difference from even a large high school. Lots of diversity in terms of location in that tranche of schools.

 

[Galileo]

Plus Billie Bobbie Brown goes there

What a coincidence!! So does Millie Bobby Brown...

 

[NewlyRetired]

Time goes by fast. I remember browsing this thread when my son was applying to schools. I remember consoling him when his Top 10 class rank, 36 ACT Score, All County Athlete (Captain of his sports team), and National AP Scholar did not get him accepted to any private or out of state schools. In the end all you need is that piece of paper. He completed his internship where he worked along side kids from Ivy League and other top schools and was offered a permanent position upon his graduation making close to 200K a year (not bad for a kid who will not even be 22 yet when he starts full time). To boot they gave him a nice 5 figure signing bonus so he can drink top shelf during his senior year. He will walk out of UNI with his Masters after 4 years and a 4.0 GPA and he had fun at the same time ( Dad drank with him and his Frat Brothers a few times). The most important thing is he is graduating debt free. Hindsight I am glad he went to a state school and did not get accepted by one of those Ivies or a fancy out of state public school for financial reasons. Yes I am a proud Dad.

There is one constant theme that has permeated this thread since I started it 6 years ago (jesus does time fly) and that is that it is FAR more important for a child to be in the "right" school rather that what can be pre thought to be the "best" school. The education industry has trained us to believe kids need to get into the best schools possible and yet time after time after time we see kids from all ranges of schools come out extremely successful.

Congrats to you and your son! You have every reason to be proud!

 

[Galileo]

Time goes by fast. I remember browsing this thread when my son was applying to schools. I remember consoling him when his Top 10 class rank, 36 ACT Score, All County Athlete (Captain of his sports team), and National AP Scholar did not get him accepted to any private or out of state schools. In the end all you need is that piece of paper. He completed his internship where he worked along side kids from Ivy League and other top schools and was offered a permanent position upon his graduation making close to 200K a year (not bad for a kid who will not even be 22 yet when he starts full time). To boot they gave him a nice 5 figure signing bonus so he can drink top shelf during his senior year. He will walk out of UNI with his Masters after 4 years and a 4.0 GPA and he had fun at the same time ( Dad drank with him and his Frat Brothers a few times). The most important thing is he is graduating debt free. Hindsight I am glad he went to a state school and did not get accepted by one of those Ivies or a fancy out of state public school for financial reasons. Yes I am a proud Dad.

There is one constant theme that has permeated this thread since I started it 6 years ago (jesus does time fly) and that is that it is FAR more important for a child to be in the "right" school rather that what can be pre thought to be the "best" school. The education industry has trained us to believe kids need to get into the best schools possible and yet time after time after time we see kids from all ranges of schools come out extremely successful.

Congrats to you and your son! You have every reason to be proud!

I agree with this wholeheartedly. If you are in the right environment for you, then you have the best chances to thrive.

 

[Foosball God]

Plus Billie Bobbie Brown goes there

What a coincidence!! So does Millie Bobby Brown...

Whoops, fat finger or illiteration, one or the other.

 

[-OZ-]

Time goes by fast. I remember browsing this thread when my son was applying to schools. I remember consoling him when his Top 10 class rank, 36 ACT Score, All County Athlete (Captain of his sports team), and National AP Scholar did not get him accepted to any private or out of state schools. In the end all you need is that piece of paper. He completed his internship where he worked along side kids from Ivy League and other top schools and was offered a permanent position upon his graduation making close to 200K a year (not bad for a kid who will not even be 22 yet when he starts full time). To boot they gave him a nice 5 figure signing bonus so he can drink top shelf during his senior year. He will walk out of UNI with his Masters after 4 years and a 4.0 GPA and he had fun at the same time ( Dad drank with him and his Frat Brothers a few times). The most important thing is he is graduating debt free. Hindsight I am glad he went to a state school and did not get accepted by one of those Ivies or a fancy out of state public school for financial reasons. Yes I am a proud Dad.

There is one constant theme that has permeated this thread since I started it 6 years ago (jesus does time fly) and that is that it is FAR more important for a child to be in the "right" school rather that what can be pre thought to be the "best" school. The education industry has trained us to believe kids need to get into the best schools possible and yet time after time after time we see kids from all ranges of schools come out extremely successful.

Congrats to you and your son! You have every reason to be proud!

Thanks for this. I came in here to ask whether overalls ranking matters. Right now, my senior’s top two choices are both SEC: Auburn and Mississippi state. He’ll get a nice scholarship from both, in state tuition for either (MSU gives in state tuition for veterans kids), and they’re close to the same distance from us (3-4 hours away). Many of his HS friends and classmates will attend Auburn which is mostly good - he has a good reputation and his friends are positive influences.
The choice is his of course, but I’ve been encouraging Auburn mostly for the school’s reputation. But does that really matter? He wants to go into business, marketing, and is leaning towards Vanderbilt for his MBA.

 

[pmedina]

Working on applications tonight and have 16 on the preliminary list. Need to find a way to whittle down.

 

[scorchy]

Working on applications tonight and have 16 on the preliminary list. Need to find a way to whittle down.

My son has managed to narrow his list down to 10 schools (maybe 11). He got his first three submitted this weekend with six of the remaining seven needing to be completed between Oct 15 and Nov 1. At least all but one are on the common app, but man are there a lot of dumb essays to write.

 

[bigbottom]

@pmedina and @scorchy Are either of you doing early decision?

 

[scorchy]

@pmedina and @scorchy Are either of you doing early decision?

Nope. He's gonna play the lottery with one non-binding Restricted Early Action school, then all but one of the rest are EA or rolling. The only school on his list that even offers ED is around his fifth choice. His counselor - who loves the school in question - pushed him a bit to ED but the kid is not sold.

 

[bigbottom]

@pmedina and @scorchy Are either of you doing early decision?

Nope. He's gonna play the lottery with one non-binding Restricted Early Action school, then all but one of the rest are EA or rolling. The only school on his list that even offers ED is around his fifth choice. His counselor - who loves the school in question - pushed him a bit to ED but the kid is not sold.

Fifth choice makes it an easy decision. Wishing him the best of luck!!!

 

[pmedina]

@pmedina and @scorchy Are either of you doing early decision?

Yes, just trying to figure out which school.

 

[pmedina]

@pmedina and @scorchy Are either of you doing early decision?

Yes, just trying to figure out which school.

Between MIT (ultimate reach) for engineering or Harvard or Brown for math.

All unlikely.

 

[bigbottom]

@pmedina and @scorchy Are either of you doing early decision?

Yes, just trying to figure out which school.

Once you nail that down, is it possible to delay at least some of the other applications until you hear back?

 

[pmedina]

@pmedina and @scorchy Are either of you doing early decision?

Yes, just trying to figure out which school.

Once you nail that down, is it possible to delay at least some of the other applications until you hear back?

I think so, but the turnaround time will be tight. For example, MIT says you will hear by Mid December for ED and many applications are due first week of January.

 

[The Z Machine]

My son has managed to narrow his list down to 10 schools (maybe 11). He got his first three submitted this weekend with six of the remaining seven needing to be completed between Oct 15 and Nov 1. At least all but one are on the common app, but man are there a lot of dumb essays to write.

GLLLLLLLLLLLLLL to Lil Scorcho

 

[BeTheMatch]

So, FAFSA site has been down since the Oct. 1 date hit to start applying. We won't get any aid, but there are all these other scholarships, etc., we can't apply for until filling out our FAFSA app (am I correct about that?), so this is a fun start.

 

[Orange&Blue]

Since not everyone is aware....starting 2023 grandparents 529s no longer have any impact on financial aid determination. So slide your parents an fat stack of cash

New FAFSA Removes Roadblocks for Grandparent 529 Plans

One drawback of grandparent 529 plans is that they may affect finacial aid. Learn how FAFSA changes will eliminate the financial aid trap.

www.savingforcollege.com

 

[shuke]

So, FAFSA site has been down since the Oct. 1 date hit to start applying. We won't get any aid, but there are all these other scholarships, etc., we can't apply for until filling out our FAFSA app (am I correct about that?), so this is a fun start.

Did my son's today, so everything seems to be working.

 

[BeTheMatch]

So, FAFSA site has been down since the Oct. 1 date hit to start applying. We won't get any aid, but there are all these other scholarships, etc., we can't apply for until filling out our FAFSA app (am I correct about that?), so this is a fun start.

Did my son's today, so everything seems to be working.

Yeah, I got in tonight and got it done too.

 

[shuke]

By the way, I'm new here. What do I need to know?

 

[Galileo]

By the way, I'm new here. What do I need to know?

PM yourself

 

[pmedina]

Accepted into our first school . University of Nebraska (no surprise), but their Raikes Honor Program for CS looks interesting, and he should get a very nice merit package (waiting to hear).

Applicant Information | Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management | Nebraska

raikes.unl.edu

I want him to have some affordable options to compare to others.

 

[Jaysus]

By the way, I'm new here. What do I need to know?

me too... and I do not like the fact that I need to read this thread. It seems like just yesterday I was holding my firstborn baby in my arms

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

Check mark on this one. Have a senior that just turned in his first few college applications. The essay process was a pain in the *** for him. Do they not teach kids how to write anymore???

That's somewhat of a rhetorical question...

 

[SteelCurtain]

I'm sharing this article, however, I am afraid it will make some of you crazy as you navigate this process.

Article about Admission Rates by Major

Some of you will try to find out the magic formula. However, there is no magic formula. If there was, someone would be making a ton of money on it. (There are already lots of people who prey on high school students and parents trying to make money throughout the admission process. But that's an entirely different conversation for another day.)

Relax. Help your child find a bunch of schools that they like. Apply and see how they fare. Obviously, people should find schools where they have a good chance of being admitted (and also give them options on the financial aid side if applicable).

If the worst thing in your kid's life is they didn't get into their first, second or third choice college, they are pretty darn fortunate.

 

[Lehigh98]

"Lehigh28" is now a junior and is starting to get into the process.
Are there any good sites / apps where you can fill in your interests and it will spit out a list of colleges to check out?
That's how I got started on my Commodore 64c back in the day so assuming there are better versions now.
(Based on that floppy disk I ended up applying to: Lehigh, Villanova, PSU, Rutgers, Delaware, RPI, Carnegie Mellon, Boston U, UPenn, Brown and went 8/10)
We've visited some local schools: Lehigh (of course), Villanova (wife's alma mater), PSU
He's still not really sure what to make of it and not sure what to look for except he requested "not colder than PA".
We have relatives in Georgia and he's gone to a couple of games there, haven't toured any southern colleges yet.
NC State was suggested for him at some point, maybe we'll hit it in February so I can run the Krispy Kreme Donut Run again.

 

[ChiefD]

Black dot. Son is also a high school junior. I love and hate the idea of starting this process.

 

[Lehigh98]

Black dot. Son is also a high school junior. I love and hate the idea of starting this process.

Prepare to be jealous of your son during the college visits.

 

[SteelCurtain]

"Lehigh28" is now a junior and is starting to get into the process.
Are there any good sites / apps where you can fill in your interests and it will spit out a list of colleges to check out?
That's how I got started on my Commodore 64c back in the day so assuming there are better versions now.
(Based on that floppy disk I ended up applying to: Lehigh, Villanova, PSU, Rutgers, Delaware, RPI, Carnegie Mellon, Boston U, UPenn, Brown and went 8/10)
We've visited some local schools: Lehigh (of course), Villanova (wife's alma mater), PSU
He's still not really sure what to make of it and not sure what to look for except he requested "not colder than PA".
We have relatives in Georgia and he's gone to a couple of games there, haven't toured any southern colleges yet.
NC State was suggested for him at some point, maybe we'll hit it in February so I can run the Krispy Kreme Donut Run again.

You could try this for a college search tool.

Full disclosure, its run by the College Board so be prepared for marketing about taking PSAT, SAT, AP, etc. Essentially, anything to help the College Board to make money.

I was at my son's high school last night, and there was a poster from the College Board promoting an upcoming SAT administration and in big bold words it said "Make yourself stand out to Colleges". Pretty interesting perspective as 1800+ colleges are test optional.

 

[General Malaise]

Going down to Eugene to visit both my older boys tomorrow. Can't wait! If an idiot like me can get two into college, anybody can.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

My son's school uses SCOIR however I'm assuming it's also paid for by them. He goes to an all-boys Jesuit school that is VERY highly engaged with the students through the college application process. I believe his class of 180 kids has four college counselors assigned so a 1:45 ratio. I'm not sure I even knew who my college counselor was in high school....

The entire application process is a serious business for them. 99% of the boys continue on at a 4-year college or university.

One of the cool things about Scoir is that it keeps a record of the students from the school that applied to every college over the past 5 years. When you look at the scattergram for each school, you can see where your child sits (based on GPA and test scores) in comparison to every other student that applied. It also shows those that have been accepted, denied and waitlisted. Since we are in Miami, there are quite a few schools that every kid applies to so there are a lot of data points however there are a lot of schools that don't have any information because no on at his high school has applied there in the past 5 years.

 

[pmedina]

I'm sharing this article, however, I am afraid it will make some of you crazy as you navigate this process.

Article about Admission Rates by Major

Some of you will try to find out the magic formula. However, there is no magic formula. If there was, someone would be making a ton of money on it. (There are already lots of people who prey on high school students and parents trying to make money throughout the admission process. But that's an entirely different conversation for another day.)

Relax. Help your child find a bunch of schools that they like. Apply and see how they fare. Obviously, people should find schools where they have a good chance of being admitted (and also give them options on the financial aid side if applicable).

If the worst thing in your kid's life is they didn't get into their first, second or third choice college, they are pretty darn fortunate.

We applied to UIUC for engineering instead of CS based on stats like those.

 

[pmedina]

Accepted into our first school . University of Nebraska (no surprise), but their Raikes Honor Program for CS looks interesting, and he should get a very nice merit package (waiting to hear).

Applicant Information | Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management | Nebraska

raikes.unl.edu

I want him to have some affordable options to compare to others.

Written offer 30k/year scholarship posted to his page already; Chancellor's Scholarship (25k) plus another stackable (5k). Cost will be less then 10k/year.

Will be attractive if he gets into the Raikes program .

 

[ericttspikes]

So, FAFSA site has been down since the Oct. 1 date hit to start applying. We won't get any aid, but there are all these other scholarships, etc., we can't apply for until filling out our FAFSA app (am I correct about that?), so this is a fun start.

Did my son's today, so everything seems to be working.

Yeah, I got in tonight and got it done too.

We've also been trying to get in for a few weeks without any luck. We've tried at all different times. Different browsers. Different computers. Cleared caches, etc. Won't work for us. Any other tips or tricks, or did you just randomly get through?

 

[BeTheMatch]

So, FAFSA site has been down since the Oct. 1 date hit to start applying. We won't get any aid, but there are all these other scholarships, etc., we can't apply for until filling out our FAFSA app (am I correct about that?), so this is a fun start.

Did my son's today, so everything seems to be working.

Yeah, I got in tonight and got it done too.

We've also been trying to get in for a few weeks without any luck. We've tried at all different times. Different browsers. Different computers. Cleared caches, etc. Won't work for us. Any other tips or tricks, or did you just randomly get through?

Must've just got lucky

 

[pmedina]

So, FAFSA site has been down since the Oct. 1 date hit to start applying. We won't get any aid, but there are all these other scholarships, etc., we can't apply for until filling out our FAFSA app (am I correct about that?), so this is a fun start.

Did my son's today, so everything seems to be working.

Yeah, I got in tonight and got it done too.

We've also been trying to get in for a few weeks without any luck. We've tried at all different times. Different browsers. Different computers. Cleared caches, etc. Won't work for us. Any other tips or tricks, or did you just randomly get through?

Worked for me today on chrome.

 

[Drunken knight]

Daughter is a junior and we are starting to focus.. potential academic and lacrosse scholarships. Marketing/finance. Socal

UCSD

UCSB

Uc long beach

UCLA

Usc

Usd

Loyola