<p>I think it would be wonderful if the high schools listed the financial aid awards too. More information. But financial aid awards do involve a relationship to financial info that a lot of people do not want out. But it would be nice to have a comprehensive notebook of all the colleges that prior students applied with profiles, the admission outcome and the merit/financial awards. What a treasure that would be. My other kids’ high school has a book that is sort of like that without the awards.</p>
<p>Bragging is rude anyways. Sharing information is a whole different thing.</p>
<p>Lunitari, I did find that many parents were more clueless than I was and scholarships even to our state schools weren’t told to everyone. In a helpful way, I think that it is good to pass on info, but read their reactions, some don’t want the information.
I told a co-worker recently who had a son that had 1200 SAT scores that although she didn’t like one state school they visited, to look at Central Ct. They have an honors program that you can get into with a 1200 and it pays 1/2 to full tuition depending on whether you get A’s or high B’s. She thanks me because she thought he wouldn’t qualify for anything.</p>
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<p>Perhaps some are trying to imply that it’s a hook if you are full pay, whereas getting an acceptance despite needing aid could means that the school wants them for their brains, not their money! I’ve had even good friends tell me that my kids had an advantage due to not qualifying for aid(in one way or another they are probably right), so it wouldn’t surprise me if some people felt this way.</p>
<p>Debruns, I’m with you completely. A huge portion of the student body at DD’s HS goes to a very small number of colleges, almost all within the state of OH. She didn’t want any of that and yet many assumed that because of her GPA and test scores she would head off to Harvard or the like (which she didn’t even bother applying to). It is very helpful for her to be able to say she received a full scholarship and that’s why she’s going to college X because otherwise they just don’t get it. </p>
<p>Our school also publicizes the total dollars of scholarship aid offered to the student body and it just doesn’t bother me.</p>
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This statement makes no sense. Qualifying for need-based aid is based on parental income, not student’s accomplishments.
This also makes no sense. While it is great that you can pay full fare for college, many families can’t. The amount of need-based aid offered by different schools can vary tremendously, even when they are looking at the same financial data. Many students do not receive adequate financial aid and therefore can’t afford to go to their preferred school. They are not expressing entitlement, they are expressing disappointment.</p>
<p>I don’t have a problem with people discussing scholarships, if they’re going to be talking about what colleges they got into. These days, any tips on how to save a buck are useful. If your kid gets into an expensive and prestigious school with no scholarship, and then gets a huge scholarship (merit/need or both) from State U, it’s clear why he might pick State U. That’s an important piece of information in understanding that decision. To say that it’s okay to brag about your college but not about your money seems a bit classist. Of course bragging is certainly a behavior that can be criticized, but I don’t see how the money aspect is any worse than the name.</p>
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<p>To me, it’s the difference between saying “I’m an underwriting V.P. at Aetna”, and “I’m an underwriting V.P. at Aetna, and last year I added a $75,000 bonus to my base salary of $280,000 due to my good retention results.”</p>
<p>Anneroku: your statement about kids not adequate financial aid … and then expressing their disappointment is correct. I have known several students who got into their “dream” school, only to choose the second or third school on their list – and purely for financial reasons. </p>
<p>Endicott: My son has outstanding offers from two schools, and some other very good offers from others. He does not consider it bragging about what he’s got. Neither do his friends. They like to bounce offers off each other, seeking opinions. One girl, for example, got an offer of $80,000 in merit money, plus other goodies. She is strongly considering it. So she asked what he and his friends thought. He has asked her and others their thoughts on his offers. Sometimes, they crush numbers just to see what kind of debt they will have. Guess what? Some of them ruled out colleges after they realized what the debt would be.</p>
<p>Graduation time is a real eye opener. It really shakes up the status quo at a lot of schools and people often find out that students have more or less family income than they believed. I also think a lot of people aren’t well-informed so I would never clarify to kids that if X got into ivy with a lot of aid, it means their income is low nor would I say that if they can’t afford Harvard, they must have a lot of $ because of the new financial initiatives. These are the things we note privately, and may explain in general to other parents, but to talk about how specific other kids did is not polite and amounts to gossip. </p>
<p>If this is the best thing the high schoolers can gossip about, then it is a very academically-focused group. As far as kids telling their friends, that’s what friends are for-- to bounce ideas off of, to celebrate and to commiserate. It is always hard when classmates have to turn down schools because of $ and you don’t… just as it is always hard when you get into a safety and your friend gets turned down to her reach and it’s the same school.</p>
<p>D1’s school listed the acceptances and scholarship names. She received a “women in science scholarship” at one school, a “trustee scholarship” at another, and that’s all it said. I think it was fine.</p>
<p>I don’t have a problem with schools recognizing merit scholarships. It’s an honor to the school, not just the student, if a kid is a Regents Scholar or receives a Merit Scholarship from their college. I think it’s good to recognize National Merit Finalists, etc. at Senior Awards Night. The amount doesn’t need to be mentioned but I noticed at Senior Awards Night last year, that some students who had applied for and received Merit Scholarships outside their colleges were recognized, as my daughter was when she received one. Kids who have gone to the trouble of seeking our scholarships (apart from what a college gives) and have applied for them and received them should get a congratulations – not for the amount of money they received but for the honor of having been selected. Some of those awards are nationally very competitive and it’s appropriate to recognize the achievement. I also think that it is good for the school community to see that money is available and that there are scholarships out there that kids can apply for.</p>
<p>^ I agree with the idea of honoring academic achievements; no one seems to have a problem with recognizing athletic achievements.</p>
<p>My kids go to a pretty tiny “Christian” school, not known for its academics, but trying to improve it’s rep. In fact, some families take their kids out for HS, and this is only their 3rd or 4th graduating class. My H wanted to take my D out because of the limited nature of schools attended (religious schools, CCC’s, and the occasion state or uc), but my D really wanted to stay. In the last few years, they have published college acceptances, and come to think of it “scholarships” too. My D’s BFF listed “$7.00 application fee waiver” in the newsletter. She happened to be “ELC” (top 4% of the class).</p>
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<p>Wow, that was counted as scholarship? That’s slicing gthe baloney pretty thin.</p>
<p>If anyone does not want to share ANY college information, he certainly does not have to do so. My son doesn’t remember anything so he doesn’t share that sort of info. He has trouble remembering who got accepted to where. It’s really up to the person.</p>
<p>^^ coureur, I mention it because I thought it was pretty funny, and so different from the experience of many schools/environments mentioned on CC. This school is SO not about prestige and bragging ( pride is almost a sin!), and my D and her friends are some really great, down to earth kids. Huge “hoop-la” right non about changes afoot. Nine (vs four) AP classes to be offered next year! The school is small enough that we pretty much know what each should be proud of.</p>
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<p>I fail to understand how a kid saying that they got into a school but cannot afford to go without FA equals “entitlement.”</p>
<p>Quite the reverse, I’d say.</p>
<p>Now, if what you are complaining about is kids boasting about having gotten a big merit award, that’s another matter.</p>
<p>BTW, last night I sat next to someone at a church bean supper who was telling me that their friend’s son “got a big football scholarship to Harvard.” 
I told him–gently–that the Ivy league doesn’t give athletic scholarships OR merit scholarships, only need based aid. So that the kid was probably a recruited athlete, and that was certainly an accomplishment.</p>
<p>I remember feeling so bad when my one scholarship was announced. I knew what college I wanted to go to, spent my app fee of 100 bucks on that, and luckily, was accepted and got a scholarship.</p>
<p>I felt so stupid as all the other girls’ names were called with all the scholarships they received to all the different universities they applied to. Many of them got app fee waivers so could afford to apply to many different universities and weigh who offered them the most money. </p>
<p>Not everybody has that luxury. Of course, now, there are online apps that don’t require app fees, so I guess that’s not as much an issue now. </p>
<p>Our high school does list in an alumnae newsletter, where students were accepted, the name of the scholarships they received, and what school they are going to. I find it useful in that I can get ideas of schools to apply to, whether they give merit aid, and whether they would even consider accepting a kid from down south. They do not list the amount of money the student gets. I think it is somewhat of a marketing tool for alumnae donations, to show that they are doing a good job of educating the kids and qualifying them for scholarships.</p>
<p>I have had an experience where I wish they did say how much kids received. My son is applying for a college where nobody goes down here, and we actually did have a senior last year apply and get accepted, and different scholarships were listed for him. I tried to get the amount out of his mom, but she was very close mouthed, only saying it wasn’t enough. He got a band scholarship to a local college and chose that one. I do not know her well enough to ask her flat out how much he got, and I’m pretty sure she’d tell me to mind my own business if I did.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone should list any kind of need based scholarships. That’s too embarassing for a family. Just list: Presidential scholar to University A or Deans Scholarship to University Y. It’s nice to honor kids getting those awards, especially those that are not the STAR pupils.</p>
<p>I remember feeling so bad when my one scholarship was announced. I knew what college I wanted to go to, spent my app fee of 100 bucks on that, and luckily, was accepted and got a scholarship.</p>
<p>I felt so stupid as all the other girls’ names were called with all the scholarships they received to all the different universities they applied to. Many of them got app fee waivers so could afford to apply to many different universities and weigh who offered them the most money. </p>
<p>Not everybody has that luxury. Of course, now, there are online apps that don’t require app fees, so I guess that’s not as much an issue now. </p>
<p>Our high school does list in an alumnae newsletter, where students were accepted, the name of the scholarships they received, and what school they are going to. I find it useful in that I can get ideas of schools to apply to, whether they give merit aid, and whether they would even consider accepting a kid from down south. They do not list the amount of money the student gets. I think it is somewhat of a marketing tool for alumnae donations, to show that they are doing a good job of educating the kids and qualifying them for scholarships.</p>
<p>I have had an experience where I wish they did say how much kids received. My son is applying for a college where nobody goes down here, and we actually did have a senior last year apply and get accepted, and different scholarships were listed for him. I tried to get the amount of his mom, but she was very close mouthed, only saying it wasn’t enough. He got a band scholarship to a local college and chose that one. I do not know her well enough to ask her flat out how much he got, and I’m pretty sure she’d tell me to mind my own business if I did.</p>