Applying to a college you know you can't afford?

College Search & Selection
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<p>I've been looking at a lot of schools and most of the top colleges have a calculator that would tell you about how much tuition would cost if you got in. Being as I seem to be right in the range where I get some aid, but no where near enough to be able to afford most colleges, is there even a point to applying to places like the ivys and other top schools, especially when they offer no merit aid. Is there a point to applying to schools you know you cant afford?</p>

<p>It just seems so sad to have worked so hard and end up having no logical basis for even applying to the best schools since it wouldnt matter if you got in.</p>

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<p>A lot of people applied to colleges that they could not afford once they got in. Most of them ended up going to other schools-but they all loved the schools they chose and have no regrets!</p>

<p>If the application money is not an issue-you could apply to some and see how you feel once you get in. Some people feel that certain colleges are worth extra loans, but many believe that it’s better to go to a decent school debt-free than a great one with a lot of debt. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Some will say “don’t bother” because the app process is money and time-consuming, so why waste your resources.</p>

<p>Some will say, “apply to a couple and see what happens,” but be sure to apply to a few schools with assured merit so you’re sure to have some affordable safeties.</p>

<p>BTW…have you asked your parents how much they’ll pay? If not, do so. You may get good news or you may find out that they can’t pay nearly the amount that schools expect them to pay.</p>

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<p>ACT 35
A average</p>

<p>*Originally Posted by Cghiru
As for the question of how much my parents will pay, I honestly have no idea. Whenever they ask me where I am think about applying, I always tell them that I need a range of what they are willing to pay to really start narrowing my choices. My parents have always been extremely secretive about money (I dont know why) but they never give me a straight answer, or any answer at all, which makes it very hard to plan out where I may be going.</p>

<p>From what I understand, my parent make around 200,000, but we live in one of the most expensive areas of the country so this isn’t as much as you may think.*</p>

<p>You wrote the above several weeks ago. Have you gotten any more info from your parents? If not, sit them down and tell them that they don’t need to feel bad or embarrassed to have this discussion and that you’re prepared to hear any news (bad or good) about how much they can pay. Be gentle. Express empathy that you understand that you live in a pricey region of the country so that even with a high income, they may not have a bunch of extra money to spend on college.</p>

<p>Have BOTH parents present during the discussion because sometimes one parent can be overly-optimistic…especially if that parent doesn’t handle the money in the family.</p>

<p>Explain that you NEED this info so you’ll know if you need to apply to schools that will give you MASSIVE merit (near free rides) for your stats. Explain that every year, some students end up with NO affordable schools because they didn’t realize that their parents couldn’t pay much. </p>

<p>If they still seem vague, start (gently) putting forth “month contributions”…such as:</p>

<p>Ask if they can pay $1000 a month towards college (that’s obviously $12k per year) for 48 straight months. If money is tight, that probably won’t be possible. </p>

<p>Then, from their response, either adjust up or down to get to a figure. Tell them to be conservative (not overly optimistic) because every family will have a few unexpected big expenses over a 4 year period. </p>

<p>Parents are vague when they’re embarrassed about the truth. They may feel silly that despite their high income, they can’t pay much. They may be “in denial” and hope that some top school will magically give you a lot of money. Top schools are loaded with TOP students so they don’t need to entice anyone with money.</p>

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<p>Yeah I have spoken with them, basically they can pay…it just depends on if they want to</p>

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<p>If you feel they really CAN pay a chunk of your college expenses, then I would suggest you do apply to at least a couple of the high reach/dream schools/ivys in which you are interested. Also be sure to apply to some safety schools that are inexpensive or offer high merit aid (you should be able to get some nice packages at some schools).
Perhaps if they hear they have a child who is HARVARD MATERIAL (or wherever), they will loosen the purse strings!
Besides, even if they say no, when you are old and grey and have put those brains to good use, you can always say “I turned down Harvard for Big State U and it was a wonderful decision!”</p>

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<p>Here’s an article that talks about that. Another parent posted it elsewhere.
[Falling</a> In Love With My Safety School](<a href=“http://www.thecollegiateblog.org/2013/07/24/student-stories/]Falling”>Loading...)</p>

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<p>What determines how much they are willing to pay?</p>

<p>If they won’t answer, make your list out of big merit scholarship schools:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-19.html#post16145676[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-19.html#post16145676&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html#post16224918[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html#post16224918&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation-49.html#post15297679[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation-49.html#post15297679&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Your work is not wasted. Your situation is not sad. If you are a competitive applicant for Ivy admissions with the requisite grades, test scores and ECs, you will be eligible for merit money at a lot of decent schools, regardless of your parents’ financial situation. The “top-20 or bust” mentality is self-limiting and unnecessary.</p>

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<p>And to add to what NJSUE said, there are many, many students who work hard, have the money, and still can’t attend Ivy League and other top schools because there are not enough openings for all of the qualified students. </p>

<p>Which is why they don’t offer merit scholarships, which are a means of improving a school’s statistics or drawing applicants - they don’t have to attract good students since their entire freshman classes could easily be filled with 4.0 valedictorians. Even if you had the money. odds are still against your getting in, so don’t let a big chip weigh down your shoulders.</p>

<p>Many stellar high school graduates go to less prestigious and less expensive schools because of financial or other reasons. They can thrive there, be happy there, and obtain good jobs when they graduate. ucbaalumnus gave you some great suggestions.
Check out those schools, and find a few to consider.</p>