<p>I agree with previous posters that international full pay students will make the decreased American student demographics moot.</p>
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<p>But only for those schools that successfully create and market an international brand, which will not be all of them. I completely agree that at major research universities, international students will be more than enough to cancel out the declining pool of domestic applicants. Some top LACs may get there, too. Interestingly, some leading women’s colleges are reporting a huge upsurge in international applicants, partly due to successful international marketing but partly due to cultural conservatism in some countries that causes some parents of international students to be more willing to send their daughters away to a women’s college than to a co-educational one. But there are hundreds if not thousands of small private colleges in the U.S. that are not anywhere near being on the radar screens of international applicants, and you can’t assume the international trickle-down will save them before they run into a demographic and financial brick wall. My guess is many will disappear.</p>
<p>I do agree that the transportation issue is a factor for OOS students at this particular college. D did not mind the distance from the DC airports. I sort of recall that the college didn’t seem to step up on this (eg, shuttles/bus transport on key days around school start/end dates and holidays). Or maybe it just wasn’t communicated clearly in the materials we got; that is something that could make it easier for an OOS student and parent to see their kid attending St. Mary’s, breaking down that kind of logistical barrier.</p>
<p>Has this been a progressive problem for St. Mary’s, or was there a sudden drop this year?</p>
<p>I don’t think there will be a long line of international students wanting to go to St Mary’s or any such college, unless there is great aid money involved. Schools are vying for full pay international students. I don’t know ANY that were left high and dry, if they can pay. Where the issue is, lies in the number of great international students with high need. If St Mary’s or other such schools threw enough money in the mix,they can get US students as well as international ones. As one post stated, the differential between this school and other MD state schools is just not enough to justify the increased cost, if other schools are willing to pay. </p>
<p>I agree with the “And so it begins?” in that record “discounts” are being reported at any number of schools that are now priced too high for the market. Fewer target aged kids going off to college, a poor economy making cost more of a factor ,plus with more movement towards highly selective schools has hit those schools that do not have the three R’s of Recognition, Reputation and Ratings way up there. There is still a line to get into the Ivy League and other such schools with families eager to empty their bank accounts and borrow to send their kids to prestige name schools, but those without that lustre are having problems making the head count of full pays, is my guess. Is Emory really worth $25K more than Tulane, $30K more than Fordham, people are asking? ANd if it’s St Mary’s at the $35-40K mark vs, say our state U system that is $20K a year max with all the trimmings, it that state school really worth double the price, when hardly anyone is going to even know the school? Most people know UMD-CP, but St Mary’s…there are a number of schools so named, and the college in MD is not well known. </p>
<p>I think a lot of schools are going to have this issue.</p>
<p>Son’s state U and daughters community college are getting tons of enrollments and have since the mortgage mess started and I only see the trend continuing. I can see this continuing as low-income and middle-income folks struggle with the economy.</p>
<p>Those with a lot of assets in the stock market, though, probably have done quite well over the last four years and those folks probably do have options to pay full-fare. I don’t think the overall number of these folks is huge.</p>
<p>“Serious question – Does this mean I can add it to my son’s safety school list for next year?”</p>
<p>Possibly, yes.</p>
<p>My daughter and two of her friends will be attending St Mary’s in Fall 2013 as freshmen. My D applied to several schools, including Furman, St Olaf and Case Western and was accepted to all (except Vandy!) Her heart was with St Mary’s though. I think the school will be a great fit for her and for her friends.</p>
<p>I was surprised to read that someone had a concern about their acceptance of gays. I did not pick up on that at all and in fact, one of the girls going is gay and she didn’t pick up on it either. It seems to be a very accepting place to me. What were the concerns you picked up on?</p>
<p>Tuition is frozen for instate students this year and next – hopefully this will continue through another two years after that. Yes, it is not cheap for students, even in-state, but when we compared it to the other public and private schools to which she had been accepted, we felt it had the most to offer her.</p>
<p>When my son looked at St Mary’s, it was a safety for him, stats wise. He loved the locale of the school, easy access to sailing, and the atmosphere of the place. I thought that the academics were outstanding. </p>
<p>Whether it makes the list for a safety school will depend on you son’s stats. There were some years that Goucher, and a number of schools did not make their head count expectations and were on the list of schools still having spaces in May. That list is due to come out soon, and I guess we can expect to see St Mary’s on it. But making the list does not mean open doors for a free for, the following years. Some schools have recovered nicely. But being male was always a plus for St Mary’s and the school also felt that fit was an important feature. How picky they can be about that remains to be seen.</p>
<p>The list of colleges with spaces is out.</p>
<p>[Space</a> Availability Survey Results 2013](<a href=“http://www.nacacnet.org/research/research-data/SpaceSurvey/Pages/SpaceSurveyResults.aspx]Space”>http://www.nacacnet.org/research/research-data/SpaceSurvey/Pages/SpaceSurveyResults.aspx)</p>
<p>CT1417, want to put that list out in a separate thread? I think some folks have been awaiting it. Some good possibilities on that list that still have financial aid, as well. Some kids shut out in the original process might want to give it another go.</p>
<p>Cpt–I saw it another thread (or two) almost a week ago. I fear the backlash from those who will pile on stating “That thread already exists”! Will see if I can locate the original.</p>
<p>It’s already in another thread.</p>
<p>I would love to know if St Marys peruses CC. And if they see this thread. Just a curiosity. </p>
<p>I am from Maryland, my son is attending an out of state school that offered significantly more merit than any in state would have. </p>
<p>Merit aid in MD state schools has shrunk to the point that many in state students are looking elsewhere. And finding other options that are the same price or cheaper. Why attend an in state school if you can experience another state/location for the same price or cheaper? And as others have stated, St. Marys is located
In a very rural area. That is hard to deal with for 4 years for most people. But there are some students that would want that. </p>
<p>So, basically, St Marys needs a “HOOK”!!! HA! </p>
<p>At their prices, they need to offer more than a camp like setting in a rural area. Otherwise they are JAOPLAC ( just another over priced LAC). </p>
<p>Or they need to be an affordable and approachable option for both in state and out of state students.</p>
<p>I missed it. As much time as I spend on this board, I still missed it. But then, where should it go on this board? </p>
<p>For those who did not get enough aid from schools or did not get into schools they liked, there might be some nice finds there. St Mary’s could be one of them.</p>
<p>Vlines, it’s a difficult balance for state schools to strike. I live in a state with a public uni/college stysten that just doesn’t have the name recognition or pizzaz or rah, rah spirit, or the three R’s (recognition, ratings, reputation) that some states, like MD have. I know a ton of kids who have gone to College Park and Towson, in particular over a SUNY. But, we have affordable state school that are not that difficult to gain admission to, as a result. Whereas, in some states like VA, people like my brothers are not pleased with the choices left to their kids as the main state schools have gotten so selective, and so they go OOS for that reason. I feel that MD, PA, OH, have a good balance for their schools, though PA has gone over the top for instaters in price. A lot of the other state schools are following suit, I’m sad to say. I agree with you (Vlines) in that St Mary’s went over the top in pricing. The smaller non flagships have to be aware of the pecking order in terms of being what they are, honors college or not.</p>
<p>Here it is, CPT.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1502654-annual-space-still-available-list.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1502654-annual-space-still-available-list.html</a></p>
<p>Agree, there were a few schools on that list that I thought would be okay choices if people are still looking. This one, Beloit, and Knox jumped out for me.</p>
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<p>Vandy, nothing we directly experienced. But the student newspaper had a couple of things. Unfortunately I just threw out all the school files last week except the one my D is attending (an AMAZING amount of paper, by the way). So I threw out that edition of the school paper. But if I remember right there were two things. One was some kind of incident where someone had maybe graffitied a gay kid’s room. And there were letters to the editor about it, at least one of which thought this way okay behavior. I think the other was a debate about Chik Fil A on campus. Maybe they provide a meal a week on campus or something, and there were protests as they are seen as “anti gay”. Many students had a “so what?” attitude and just wanted Chik Fil A to stay. Others thought it would be better to give a local restaurant business a chance to provide this “variety” meal instead. There is a bit of a “south of the Mason-Dixon” line feel to the school in that respect. The area you drive through to get there feels very conservative politically (obviously the campus can be very different from that). Like I said, my D didn’t detect it in anyone she talked to or in her classes. But it was pretty clear in the school paper that there are some intolerant students on campus regarding homosexuality, and they are not shy about it.</p>
<p>Another interesting debate in that same paper was whether they should keep giving merit aid to OOS students. I think maybe the board or some higher level body was going to discuss this in an upcoming meeting. Some (in state) students thought all the merit aid should go to in-state students, since it is a state school. Arguments for and against were in the paper, which I read with interest. The merit is not huge for OOS students anyway (maybe $3K/year is available?). But that is $12K over 4 years, so it is something. I don’t know what they decided, maybe someone else who applied knows.</p>
<p>Well, if the school wants to stay alive and attract some good OOS catches, they danged well better keep offering merit aid, and lower prices all around.</p>
<p>Note that our visit to the campus when we picked up that paper was about two years ago (D’s second college visit, spring of sophomore year while we were in DC on vacation). So that info is not exactly current.</p>