College Waiting Lists Can Favor the Well-Off

<p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-waitlist20may20,1,1065020.story%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-waitlist20may20,1,1065020.story&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>King, you're right on...we should make it even more free for kids to go to private school.</p>

<p>Need-based aid is evil.</p>

<p>need-based aid is evil? you are really messed up.</p>

<p>i don't have time to read the article, but judging from the title of the thread i think kb's suggesting that need-based aid is evil in that it might put you at a disadvantage in the admissions game, maybe...</p>

<p>Need-based aid is a double-edged evil (evil is an over the top term, but I'm being half facitious so bear with). Not only does it harm the admission prospects of many students (remember that many-schools still cannot afford need-blind admissions), but it also unfairly penalizes middle and upper-middle income families, forcing them to pay more than their fair share for a college education, which is precisely why I'm going to the University of Michigan in the fall, instead of Dartmouth.</p>

<p>In-state U of M is an incredible deal, but isn't it still pretty expensive out-of-state? </p>

<p>I honestly have no idea, so feel free to totally call me on this.</p>

<p>Its outrageously expensive out of state.</p>

<p>UM gave me 20K a year. I also have about 30K in outside money. For my first year...I will get a check back from the University for roughly $7,600, which will be invested at around 3-5% interest and used for the other three years. Between that an the scholarship, UM will cost about about 7-8K a year...worst-case. </p>

<p>At Dartmouth, my fam. contribution was around 23K, 18 parent and the rest student; and I wouldn't have seen a penny of that 30K in outside money, since it forgave my work-study, loans etc. </p>

<p>I'm not on need-based aid at UM, which means that my outside money directly reduces my cost-of attendance.</p>