Advice from the Parents on Schools to Apply To

Parent Cafe
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<p>Being decisive is a good trait. Be brutal. When you’re done with your research just take a deep breath and start eliminating. If you were my “kid” I’d tell you to eliminate NYU and Northeastern off the bat. I’d eliminate Alabama UNLESS finaid is more important than all other criteria. But that is MY opinion and not yours. WashU, Pitt and Tulane feel kind of random to me also, but maybe finaid is their strength?? You need to decide.</p>

<p>Then, since you seem to like research, start eliminating the ones that you know with certainty will be not affordable. Carthage is an outlier. Pretty campus, nice kids, financially reasonable, but an outlier on your list. Great school for a segment of kids. You’ve already done the zip app and have the acceptance so it is what it is and it’s a done deal. One of my kids did the same thing, but when all was said and done there were other more desirable colleges that came in at roughly the same cost. </p>

<p>Come back and let us know when you’re pared the list and which schools remained. I’m sure we’d all be curious. I will say this (and I would and have asked my kids this), if you can’t pare the list down NOW and make decisions, how will you make a decision in the spring if you’re looking at ten or more acceptances?</p>

<p>And finally make sure your school and recommendation givers are “on-board” with a massive application list if you choose to go that route. You want them to do their best for you. Your parents, too, they will be the ones forking out the costs for sending test scores and app costs for any schools that won’t waive or don’t have “free apps” and they may very well put the brakes on a massive application list.</p>

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<p>Both my kids made some arbitrary rules that helped eliminate colleges. My older son said “Top computer science, smart kids” - nothing else matters. My younger son said, “Bigger than my high school, I need a defined campus, nothing rural and preferably not in the middle of a big city, but a residential neighborhood in a city is okay, and good International Relations, but other majors in case I don’t like IR after all.”</p>

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<p>OP: If you’re interested in creative writing/English programs, may I suggest looking at the listings in [The</a> Guide: AWP’s Guide to Writing Programs](<a href=“http://guide.awpwriter.org/]The”>http://guide.awpwriter.org/) Scroll down the page to undergraduate writing programs to access those listings. </p>

<p>D2 (who is a junior & started with 36 schools on her list) used the AWP descriptions along with what she calls the “fun” books (i.e. “The Insiders Guide to the Colleges” and “The Ultimate Guide to America’s Best Colleges”) and the English/Creative Writing dept. websites/catalogs to narrow the list to 20. I’ve gotten to know 8 of the schools on your list really well on paper ;)</p>

<p>Have you had your parents run a FAFSA calculator to see what your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) will be? Have you had a money talk with them to see what they plan to contribute to your education? Do you plan on grad school? All these things will play into your decision in April.</p>

<p>As for larger universities that have honors colleges: that’s a good way to make a big school smaller depending on how they’re set up.</p>

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<p>Well, it has been 7 months, and I’ve come along way since September. I thought I’d give an update and hopefully receive some advice/information from anyone interested in sharing their thoughts!</p>

<p>So I ended up applying to 20 schools- accepted by 12, waitlisted by 3, and rejected by 5. Since receiving my decisions, I’ve narrowed my list to four schools- Macalester, Knox, Beloit, UW-Madison- with the three waitlist schools- Northwestern, Tufts, and Carleton- as outliers (I accepted all three offers).</p>

<p>Since September, I had the opportunity to visit Beloit, Knox, and Macalester. (I’m already extremely familiar with UW-Madison.) Macalester truly felt “right” to me and is the most desirable option currently; however, financially it is the most expensive. Although I love MAC, I have to determine: is it worth paying about $30k more than I’d pay for Madison and $25k more than Beloit and Knox?</p>

<p>With Knox and Beloit being similar schools in my mind, I want to knock one off my list (to narrow it down to 3), but it’s hard for me to determine which one would suit me better. They both appear to have good programs in my areas of interest, with good professors and opportunities for students.</p>

<p>Also, for UW-Madison, I’ve been looking into several programs- the Honors Program, the International Scholars Program, and the International House First Year Interest Group- to enhance my opportunity for intellectual stimulation if I were to attend there.</p>

<p>In summary, MAC is the true front-runner of where I want to attend; yet, with finances in play, all four schools are essentially tied. I need to determine whether MAC is worth the extra cost/investment, and although in the end, that will be determined by my family, I would greatly appreciate advice here.</p>

<p>Just to refresh, my academic areas of interest are Education, Journalism, and Political Science. Following my undergrad education, I want to work through Teach for America for 3 years and then attend grad or law school. Obviously, those costs would also factor into my decision. My career goals are to create- and run- a secondary school that draws people from around the world, to write for The New York Times or The New Yorker, and to pursue non-profit work in the social justice field.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your help! :)</p>

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<p>Well Macalester would certainly be a good choice - however are you talking about 25K more per year? - how much of that would involve loans? If you can afford to pay out of pocket without exceeding the Stafford loan limits, then I’d say go for Macalester - but if you’re talking about big loans then no, I don’t think the premium is worth it - and I’m a Mac alum who loves Mac.</p>

<p>Madison is a big school, but definitely has a good reputation for a state flagship. However, if you’re drawn to the small school Beloit and Knox are very similar on paper. If you have visited you probably have some feel for any differences. I think Knox is a little further from major cities. Maybe talk to faculty or students about the areas you potentially might be interested in?</p>

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<p>Nice choices, but I would–unfortunately–jettison Macalester unless you or your parents are prepared to take on $100K extra debt over 4 years, or $25-30K if that’s what you’re talking about–your post didn’t make it quite clear. </p>

<p>Either way, that’s a LOT of money you don’t need to spend when you have 3 other fine schools to choose from. And the fact that you are already talking costly post-undergrad education cements my point even more.</p>

<p>Knox is a cool place, Beloit is nice, but I’ll tell you–if you’re considering a combination of poli sci & journalism, UW-Madison has it in spades. Way more contacts & opportunities being in the state capitol. And that diploma means something in the job market.</p>

<p>I know Madison is very familiar to you. That’s why you think it ain’t no great shakes. But take it from someone who took two daughters all around the Midwest, East & Southland visiting college campuses–UW-Madison IS all that, and more.</p>

<p>Good luck with your choice!</p>

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<p>With your career goals, I would not attend Mac. It just isn’t worth $120,000 more than any other school on your list. I would attend the least expensive option, especially if you end up teaching.</p>

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<p>Just to clarify, over four years Macalester would cost $30k more than UW-Madison and $25k more than Beloit and Knox. My family will not let me take any loans, so that will not be a problem. One problem with the finances is that I won’t hear back from several big scholarships until after the May 1st deadline. If I were to win several of those, Macalester would become an extremely easy choice then; however, if I were not to win any, while my family could still “afford” Macalester, we’d really be stretching it.</p>

<p>Any thoughts on whether a Mac undergrad or a UW-Madison undergrad would prepare me better and “look better” for grad school? With the cost difference clarified, do you think Macalester is worth the extra dollars? Any thoughts on Knox vs. Beloit? After visiting, meeting with professors, and talking with students at both schools, I still can’t nudge one above the other. I definitely could sense a bit of a difference in the student bodies at both schools; however, they really are quite similar.</p>

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<p>If you can afford Mac with no loans and it just means 4 years of ‘scrimping’ by your family (and they are ok with that), then I would go to Mac since you seem to prefer it.</p>

<p>It won’t make any difference for grad school which one you attend. You will probably do more writing in your cpursework at Mac than Madison if that is important to you.</p>

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<p>You will have a much better chance completing your degree in 4 years at Mac vs Madison. For $7500/year more at Mac vs Madison, as long as your family can EASILY afford the difference and you graduate with no loans, I would say that MAC will give you a slight leg up on grad school and with your goals to do service work after graduation, MAC’s philosophy would be more in tune with that vs Madison. Fit is also important and since you like MAC better, you will probably do better there as well. I also think that soph-senior year, MAC will have more scholarship opportunities for you, possibly bringing down that cost difference. Then there is the bonus of being able to take classes at about 5 other colleges/universities in the immediate area at MAC.</p>

<p>One thing to keep in mind, however, neither school is going to garner you a higher wage in the teaching field.</p>

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<p>OP,</p>

<p>Are you waiting to hear about outside scholarships? If this is the case, you have to find out how Macalaster treats outside scholarships. Many colleges apply outside scholarships to institutional scholarships and grants first before applying them to your expected contribution.</p>

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<p>@Barty, From your original list, which were the 20 schools you applied to and which were the 12 that offered admission?</p>

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<p>lerkin: Yes, I’m waiting to hear from several outside scholarships, with a few being fairly significant dollar-wise; however, the scholarships are quite competitive, so I can’t really bank on receiving them. From talking to Mac’s FA office, I would essentially receive 1/2 the value of the outside scholarship. For example, if I were to receive a $20k scholarship, my family and I would have to pay $10k less than we would’ve had to originally.</p>

<p>muf123:</p>

<p>My 20 schools were:
Macalester- Accepted
Amherst- Rejected
Northwestern- Waitlisted
Brown- Rejected
Columbia- Rejected
Carleton- Waitlisted
Bowdoin- Rejected
Wesleyan- Rejected
Tufts- Waitlisted
UW Madison- Accepted
Beloit- Accepted with significant merit scholarship
Knox- Accepted with significant merit scholarship
Tulane- Accepted with significant merit scholarship
Northeastern- Accepted with merit scholarship
Cornell (IA)- Accepted with significant merit scholarship
Butler- Accepted with merit scholarship
Alabama- Accepted with significant merit scholarship
Pittsburgh- Accepted
Marquette- Accepted with merit scholarship
Carthage- Accepted with merit scholarship</p>

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<p>Any thoughts on UW-Madison vs. Knox vs. Beloit? (In case I have to rule out Mac due to finances.) I like the location of UW-Madison, being in a city, and the wide range of courses is a plus; however, I feel that Knox and Beloit offer a better learning environment (in terms of class size, discussion style, and the ability to be on a first-name basis with top professors). Given my interest in Poli Sci, Journalism, and Education, and my future education and career goals, is there one school out of these three that would be a better fit for me?</p>

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<p>It’s really hard to compare a school of 30,000+ students to one of 1300. You will have classes at Madison that are larger than your freshman class at either Knox or Beloit. If you like Mac, Knox or Beloit are going to be much more similar vs Madison. When I see significant merit combined with a career goal of education, I just couldn’t justify paying big dollars to attend a school. What would be your net costs at those schools each year? Also, what GPA do you have to maintain to KEEP those merit awards? One school I came across you had to have a 3.5 in high school to get the award but had to have a 3.8 in college to keep the award, silly.</p>

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<p>My two cents - for what you plan on majoring in and doing for work upon graduation, go to the best school that will cost you the least $$$$ (assuming you at least like all that you applied to).</p>

<p>Save your pennies and don’t go into debt and use it for grad school.</p>

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<p>Although I received the highest merit scholarship possible from several schools, all of the schools on my list are still quite expensive. UW-Madison, Knox, and Beloit happen to be my three least expensive options out of all 12. Macalester isn’t among the top 5 cheapest; however, it’s not nearly the most expensive of the 12 either. One other area of concern for me is vegan dining. Out of the four schools, Macalester is head and shoulders above the rest. I know Madison has good options in the city and has recently added some more options to their dining halls; however, the food on campus there isn’t nearly as good. Knox has some decent options and Beloit is okay, but nothing like Macalester.</p>

<p>maidenMom: When you say, go to the best school that will cost me the least amount of money, out of my four options, which would that be? I’d say the best school is Macalester, yet the least expensive is UW-Madison, with Knox and Beloit being slightly more.</p>

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<p>If Madison is your least expensive option, go there. Honestly, you are looking at a job that is going to pay you $35,000/year, MAYBE $40,000 if you are lucky, then you will have to foot the bill for grad school to get your master’s degree in a few years or worse, law school, well before you will have the chance to pay off the loans from your UG. How long do you really want to be paying off your loans–all of which will delay the time when you can start you own school/business, etc. It’s JUST NOT WORTH IT for a degree in education.</p>

<p>The other thing, and not that you can do anything about this now but lessons for others down the road, where is your “cheep” school on your list?</p>