<p>Our public school meets with students in small groups junior year, then with parents at least twice, once spring junior year and once fall senior year. They have a workshop on financial aid every year. They also send home a lot of handouts explaining the FAFSA process. I don’t know if you go in saying you are looking for merit scholarships how good they are at identifying schools. They don’t announce how much aid is given out - especially since a lot of time that aid is need based. They do announce local scholarships - but those are generally less than $500. </p>
<p>My sil whose son was a scholarship student at a well-known private day school was quite disappointed by her son’s GC. She felt they did much more for the more connected kids in the class. Her son found out about Rice from an outside source - they gave him a fabulous offer and a fabulous education so it all turned out well, but she still feels that the school didn’t really make the effort it should have. While I, with less expectations from my school (where each counselor probably has 200 students), thought they did a great job.</p>
<p>That must be why 70% of all students at Harvard receive some aid. </p>
<p>“Our goal in admissions and financial aid is clear: We want to bring the best people to Harvard, regardless of their ability to pay — and we do. About 70 percent of our students receive some form of aid, with over 60 percent receiving need–based scholarships.”</p>
<p>There are not that many Harvard out there. It’s one of very few schools which offer FA to international students, if they could get in. In my view it is pointless in trying to use Harvard as an example.</p>
<p>emilybee,
You have a point, but it is also worth noting that Harvard (and everyone else) have never exceeded 70% (and its probably closer to 60% if you don’t count the Stafford loans that anyone can get). The last time I checked, Stanford was consistently around 50% FA.</p>
<p>Agree with oldfort. Harvard has been in the forefront of aid to the middle class and can afford to do so because of its endowment (which has taken a hit, though, in past years). Can’t think of another college that has been so generous to the middle class families (not counting service academies, etc.).</p>
<p>I believe Yale, also. The top schools, imo, are very generous with FA. I’m paying $14K/yr for my son to go to Bates and that is nowhere close to what our EFC is. But, it’s not my money so if one doesn’t want to apply for FA be my guest. I also know a lot of kids who were rejected at top schools who would have been full pay so that is no guarantee.</p>
<p>I am not certain about Yale FA being at the same level as Harvard and Princeton. Both Princeton and Harvard show 10% of income as required payment upto 180k even if it is the first child in college. I currently see that at 130k for Yale. </p>
<p>It works out the same for most top 20 schools if the family is around 60-80k or it is a second or third kid in college. Otherwise, numbers for Harvard, Princeton followed by Yale are above others’ packages for FA. Chicago compensates with merit scholarships for some. Comparatively, LACs seem to do better from what I am reading here.</p>
<p>As a parent of two children who attended public schools through eighth and ninth grade, I think this is absolutely true. I often hear parents gush about the schools my children attend(ed), and I have never thought or said that my children LOVE(D) their private high schools. However, one of the biggest differences in the college counseling services is that the counselors only have about 40 - 50 students that they are responsible for where our public schools have hundreds.</p>
<p>Having said that, I found (through reading DD’s copious college mailings) the great merit scholarship that DD eventually applied to and accepted. Another thing that is not exclusive to private schools, but both my kids’ private schools have it and our local publics don’t, is the Naviance system. Naviance is so handy because kids can see exactly where they stand compared to other students from their HS when applying to schools–especially schools where a good number of their schoolmates have applied. </p>
<p>The private schools both have systems in place for recommendations and other application packet information that needs to be sent. DS’s school actually charges $5 per application, which ticks me off just a bit. After attending the college night information session at DS’s school, I feel as though the counselors are reading the teachers’ recommendations and making sure that they are good. The kids also have a class for seniors to discuss admissions. This summer they offered a free half-day application jump start session and a two-week camp for a fee to work on applications. </p>
<p>I think that the private high schools have and give more time to the process. It is a priority for them because many of them call themselves college prep high schools and it is important to their reputations that kids get into good schools.</p>
<p>^ Lot of public schools are already using Naviance although they are behind the curve on historical data. Houston ISD introduced Naviance for all high schools in Houston this year and in about 3 years the kids will know where they stand using historical data.</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind about private schools - their goal is not to find you financial aid. They want to ensure they have 100% college admission rate, and try to maximize and diversify their admissions. Their position is that you can afford their tuition, you can afford tuition in college. Only people they have a need to find FA for are those kids that are on a scholarship in their school.</p>
<p>I met an ex counselor/fundraiser for scholarships at a premier boarding/day scholar school in Maryland this summer. She used to raise scholarship money for the scholarship students (I think they have 5-10% students) from external sources/donors. She said all the paid students in boarding came from several countries abroad and were really well off. They came there with the intention of attending premier colleges in US and didn’t care what it cost. However, the scholarship kids still needed scholarships in college and so the counselors worked hard to find them colleges which gave them money.</p>
<p>Texas, I disagree. First, not every private school cost $35K-40K a year. My son’s tuition was only $13K a year. The highest tuition in my area for a day school is $19K. There is a big difference in being able to afford $13K-$19K/year and $55K/year. </p>
<p>I don’t believe any GC office finds financial aid for a student. Their goal is to advise the student and their parents on colleges the student should apply to based on criteria that may be important, one of which, for a lot of parents, is a school that is affordable for them. For instance, if a student has NYU on their list the GC will mention that NYU is particularly stingy with FA. </p>
<p>Another helpful tip we got from attending the ‘paying for college’ seminar son’s school offered was to submit the FAFSA/CSS on Jan. 1st. The later you submit the less money you will get. I wouldn’t have know that if his school didn’t have these meetings. </p>
<p>My son’s school seems to have a different philosophy when it comes to college admittance than apparently other private schools. His GC told us flat out there is no such thing as a “good college” or a “bad college” and the most important thing is that the college your student attends is the right college for them. </p>
<p>100% of their students go to college- from Community College to HYPSM and everything in between.</p>
<p>emilybee… My S is applying to some of these schools this year. Allegheny has already sent him an early likely acceptance after S sent in academic info+ EC’s, and financial info. They offered him the Trustee Scholarship of 20,000+ 20,000 in grants, almost full COA!! Almost fell of my chair. It is definitely a good safety to have so soon, and it really gave him a boost. He is also applying to Bates, Hobart, St Lawrence and about 10 others, mostly small LAC’s. How does your S like Bates so far? My best friends daughter just started there to, and LOVES it!! She is over the moon with it and her mom is SO happy. She also was awarded over 40,000 in grants. We are going out for a visit next month… can’t wait. We live in CA, so a long trip.</p>
<p>5boys, He loves it. Very, very happy. Likes all his classes, his profs, the kids, his dorm, his roommate, the food is fantastic (make sure you eat lunch in the commons after your tours) and he is on the sailing team which was important to him when choosing a school. </p>
<p>This weekend there was a concert on campus Friday night (some Seattle band) and last night a dance so try not to let it bother you or your son that Lewiston/Auburn isn’t the most exciting city to be in. </p>
<p>Congrats on the fantastic package from Allegheny. I’m sure your DS will be getting excellent packages from HWS, SLU and Bates. They were all very generous to my son but Bates beat them all. </p>
<p>DS roommate is from CA (Napa) and he also applied to HSW, SLU (his older brother went there) but he chose Bates. He’s very into skiing and there is a mountain not too far from Lewiston. I remember you saying your son is very outdoorsy so he should defintely check out the Bates Outing Club.</p>
<p>emilybee, I am curious about applying for FA even though financially I ran one of those calculating programs and our numbers came out pretty high, too high from what I could tell.</p>
<p>So, if you aren’t going to qualify for FA then why is it recommended filling it out anyway?</p>
<p>That’s GREAT EB!! So happy for your S that he is having such a positive experience. I don’t think the town of Lewiston will bother my S a bit. I actually think he will LOVE Bates. They sent him some sort of a brochure and on the front cover it said “BATES; A community of passionately curious, happily intense, stubbornly modest people who can’t stop searching for what’s next” He thought that sentence accurately described him to a tee.These kinds of things really stand out to him.</p>
<p>He is VERY outdoorsy and the brochure also talked about the great outdoor club and they also have an EMS group, which he really wants. I’ll have to pm you on the sailing team, as my 2014 S will be looking for a school with a team as well. My friend also said that we HAVE to eat in the dining hall,as she said it was absolutely gorgeous and the best food she ever had. He is going to interview, and stay the night. I will pm you after our visit if we have any questions.</p>
<p>Well, private schools can (and do) give whatever they want to a student but if you don’t file you get nothing. The CSS, which almost all the top private schools use, is a very different animal than FAFSA and schools which require CSS use their own methodology to determine institutional aid (grants) and it is different than the straight forward methodology that is used to determine federal aid. Also, schools which require CSS also require FAFSA to be filed. Some schools also require FAFSA for merit aid to be awarded. </p>
<p>My son received no federal aid except a work-study offer - which typically is awarded to everyone who submits FAFSA but the $41K he got was all institutional aid from his college and way more than what our EFC suggested. I have no idea how they came up with that figure but I sure am glad I listened to the college financial guy who spoke at our son’s school. </p>
<p>Here is an article which explains it better than I can. </p>
<p>5boys, can’t wait to hear how it went at Bates and the other schools. As for sailing, at Bates it’s club but they do compete in meets - especially against the other Maine schools. Our first visit was in October, also, and it was beautiful with the leaves at their peak. </p>
<p>HWS is one of the top schools for sailing in the country, so check out their program for your younger son when you are there.</p>
<p>emilybee -I agree that people spend 13k for a private school and the college fees go upto 55k. However, people who are willing to spend when a free public school is available are the ones usually willing to pay extra for a private college when there are public colleges available that cost 25k to 30k. </p>
<p>It is one’s perception of value derived that drives the spending habits and in most cases it is also driven by income level and expected status maintenance?</p>
<p>Let me reverse the position and ask you the following: what were you willing to spend for college if your child received no scholarships since it sounds like you were not expecting free money originally based on your income level?</p>
<p>The article did not explain why everyone should apply for FA. It talked about how, and what kind of aid people could get. It didn’t talk about down side of disclosing one’s financial with very little upside. It didn’t discuss possible downside of letting a highly competitive school know you could barely afford (or not able to afford) the tuition. </p>
<p>D1 received full tuition merit aid without us applying for FA because it is a merit scholarship, not FA. Some schools may give more FA to some highly desirable students, but it is still based on need. Some parents advocate to apply for FA freshman year, even if they are not eligible, just in case they should need it later. I also do not understand that logic. By applying for FA when not needed, doesn’t put a place holder for you. If your financial situation should change later, then apply. A school is not going to set aside some money for you in anticipation of some unforeseen event later on.</p>