Please give us some ideas for schools my son will be excited to attend in AND we can afford.
Honors kid, several APs,
GPA 95,
ACT 28,
SAT old 1280 CR+M (taken 3 times) and will take a new SAT in November. He does not test well on these, but has high Regents grades and all APs are 3-4. Took one subject SAT and did not do well.
Regular extra activities, no hooks.
From the past experience with his older brother with much higher stats I know that schools do not think we have need. Most we got was 15K merit from target privates, not enough to attend. The EFC is about 50K, really? I said to DS2 you can apply anywhere you want, but we can afford 25K/per year, will not borrow and will not let him borrow much. Home state is New York.
DS2 wants to be in a large university with a strong business program, suburban (wants a real campus feel but not rural), no religious affiliation.
He is very laid back and wants to drive the process. I have taken a back seat and he compiled a college list. But I am starting to worry, because of this dream lineup.
University of Pittsburgh (OOS) –urban, but he is OK with it for some reason
University of Miami (too expensive)
SUNY-Binghamton -SOM (that’s where really plans to go, but SOM is above his stats). He can possibly get into Harpur (their main school), but I hear it is difficult to transfer from Harpur to SOM.
Buffalo University (safety, he does not like it though did not visit)
Ohio State (OOS)
Penn State (OOS)
Where else should he apply? He needs exciting and affordable safeties. He does not want UAlbany or Geneseo, or other SUNYs, or city schools.
That’s right. That’s why I am so worried. Thanks for the great link. However, name recognition is regional. It will be hard to sell South Dakota School of Mines to a NY kid… There is also some consensus in his HS of where our kids go. It’s not that they don’t go far away, just not to these schools. Anything else on the East coast or Midwest that is a good fit for this student?
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SUNY-Binghamton -SOM (that’s where really plans to go, but SOM is above his stats).
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What is SOM? Is that Bing’s Bschool?
He has too many unaffordable schools.
Strange that you put “too expensive” next to Miami, but not next to PSE or OSU or UPitt
Many schools have strong business programs. He needs to find unaffordable schools.
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He is very laid back and wants to drive the process. I have taken a back seat and he compiled a college list. But I am starting to worry, because of this dream lineup.
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Yes, because even tho he wants to be a business major, he seems to be lacking the part about a $25k budget.
All of the schools on your list, with the exception of SUNY, will likely be more than $25,000. He will not get merit to Pitt, PS or OS.
@mom2collegekids - SOM= School of Management. This is very competitive to gain acceptance to.
Try Towson, Ohio Wesleyan ( my friend’s son got $16,000 with lower stats), Rider, NC State. UNC-W- I did not check to see if they all have business. I would not dismiss Buffalo- it is underrated.
He may get merit at Rider- an acquaintance of mine ( daughter) received $14,000 with significantly lower stats. Not sure about the NC schools but they are worth investigating.
Miami is expensive because it is a private at $64K vs OOS publics at $45K. It is relative, though both out of financial reach.
I said we the parents cannot pay more than $25K, but he can take out I believe $5-6K/yr in Stafford loans. I am not sure whether it is for everyone or middle class kid won’t qualify.
He may not have a good grasp on the bottom line, because he hopes to get some merit. I am fully aware that he is below average here on CC, but he feels he is an A student from a nationally ranked high school.
Bing SOM= school of management, you have to be admitted into it to even double major with business. For some reason Bing is considered our public ivy and best students flood Bing. UBuffalo is better for premeds.
Yes, he can borrow $5500 unsub…interest begins right away.
As for his list and thinking that he’ll get merit based on his grades…
Merit is typically FIRST based on test scores. GPA is secondary. there is a huge pool of kids with high GPAs. It’s getting students with high test scores that help a school’s profile…so that’s what they usually pay for.
At least warn your son of those aspects so that he might consider adding more schools to his list. I hate to see a kid end up with only one choice in the spring. It can make them feel railroaded and not having a choice. Bad for morale.
@LoveMyPuppies You should insist on visiting University at Buffalo. It’s business school (School of Management) was recently renovated and is larger and more modern than Binghamton School of Management. USNews&World Report’s 2017 rankings of undergraduate business programs ranks University at Buffalo a 77, which is better than Binghamton’s rank of 133. Also, Buffalo has better sports and recreational facilities (Stadium for Division 1 Football, large indoor arena for Basketball an large fitness center for students to workout. And more school spirit than any of the SUNYs. Also, there there are lots of food options with large food court and market area. And a lake on campus as well. Great value! I know many kids from our NY metro area who go to Buffalo business school (they could not get into Binghamton’s SOM) and they love it there.
We’re from NYS and our EFC was 1/10th of what yours is, but our son’s stats were similar to your son’s. Penn State’s net cost was ~$40k/year, so I wouldn’t expect any aid there. I think most of the other colleges on his list will be outside your budget too.
Driving the process is fine as long as a student can do that within the parameters set by their parents. I’d run the net price calculator on each college website and remove any college from his list that comes back over budget. Better to be firm about the budget now than to have to toss out offers in the spring. If he really doesn’t want to go to Buffalo, he’ll develop a liking for something else.
Some kids see the EFC and think their parents can pay, and when parents allow the apps to go to the “unaffordable” colleges it just reinforces that, so they often feel blindsided in the spring when parents refuse to pay and they end up at the safety they never intended to attend (which means it wasn’t really a safety at all). You need to provide some firm guidance so the options he has in the spring are some everyone can live with.
@LoveMyPuppies - yes he is an A student but the merit goes to kids with much higher test scores and ranks. There are plenty of kids in NY with all AP classes getting all A’s and A+'s who are top 1% with test scores well into the 99%. Those kids are applying to the same schools as your son ( as safeties) and they, not your son, will be getting the merit. I am not trying to sound harsh and I apologize if I do- that is not my intention.
He has a bunch of schools on his list where you will be full pay. I do not know how much your son would get at Rider, but he would get something. The problem is that in his quest for merit that will bring the cost down th $25,000, he will end up getting money from a school that is nowhere near as nice as Buffalo ( which is an underrated school as I mentioned).
Tell your son he can apply to those expensive out of state schools and if he gets money he can go. Make sure he applies to Binghamton and Buffalo. Have him apply to Towson, Rider, TCNJ ( merit plus Stafford loan may make it affordable and it’s a great school), NC State, UNC-W, Ohio W. These are all good schools and maybe they will give him money.
This may be included in the link upthread and it’s certainly not local, but if you want cheap options, your son’s stats would qualify for the Amigo scholarship (in state tuition, currently about 7K per year) at the University of New Mexico:
UNM’s Anderson School of Management is reputable, location is suburban, nice sunny climate, no car needed. He could do worse. It would come in at budget, even with some air travel built in.
That said, it appears there are terrific, affordable in-state options that are more practical.
Try Florida State University. If he takes the Stafford loan, contributes summer earnings, and is lucky enough to get a small merit award, it may work. The University of South Florida is another school to consider.
He could take a look at West Virginia University - his stats would qualify him for an $8000 scholarship, which would bring the cost down to the mid $20,000 range.
In the Midwest for $25k or less, check out the non-flagship schools of the Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois state systems. I am especially acquainted with the UW system. I’ll give you their mascots, colors and location to get the ball rolling with familiarity:
UW-Eau Claire Blugolds
Navy blue & old gold
Western Wisc near Twin Cities
UW-Green Bay Phoenix
Green, white & red
Eastern Wisc on Lake Michigan
UW-La Crosse Eagles
Maroon & gray
SW Wisc on Mississippi River
UW-Milwaukee Panthers
Black & gold
SE Wisc on Lake Michigan
UW-Oshkosh Titans
Black & gold
Eastern Wisc, Fox River Valley
UW-Parkside Rangers
Green & black
Suburban Milwaukee
UW-Platteville Pioneers
Blue & orange
SW Wisc
UW-River Falls Falcons
Red & white
Western Wisc near Twin Cities
UW-Stevens Point Pointers
Purple & gold
Central Wisc
UW-Stout Blue Devils
Navy blue & white
Western Wisc near Twin Cities
UW-Superior Yellowjackets
Black & gold
NW Wisc, near Lake Superior & Duluth
UW-Whitewater Warhawks
Purple & white
Southern Wisc, near Madison & Milwaukee
The U of Minnesota school i’m most familiar with is Minnesota-Morris, which is the University of Minnesota’s LAC.
All, Thank you for your great ideas. I am not having illusions about getting merit for his stats… He seems to know “people with lower grades that got money from these schools” (he does not get the whole aid package deal, obviously they had need). I don’t want to destroy his confidence and will let him apply instead of thinking what if in the spring.
We registered for a visit to UBuffalo, but then the air tickets jumped to $300 and we did not go. I will look again.