creative outside-the-box on-a-shoestring college ideas wanted

Parent Cafe
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<p>Daughter is a 16-year-old homeschooler with an interesting outside-the-box autodidact unschooling background. </p>

<p>She always liked to read and math came naturally, and she was cussedly independent, so we pretty much left her to her own devices and let her do whatever she wanted to do academically (i.e., took her to the library a lot.) </p>

<p>We were pretty busy running a family business, so most of our energy went in to making sure that she had lots of opportunity to get out in the world--volunteer work, community group projects, lectures, concerts, plays, etc. She has gotten involved in lots of different community activities--with everyone from toddlers to senior citizens, and since we have excellent public transit here, she is pretty much able to be totally in charge of her interesting life for the last few years.</p>

<p>She was initially pretty skeptical about the value of attending college--thought it was a waste of time and money, since she felt she was learning plenty on her own terms.</p>

<p>However...as she got older, she realized that getting a degree might open some doors, so she began taking a few courses at the local cc. To her surprise, she discovered that she sort of enjoyed them (though she did find the constraints on her free spirit schedule somewhat annoying), and she did very well in them, so she decided she might as well accept college as the accepted path of least resistance to adulthood in the world.</p>

<p>Took PSATs declaring herself to be a "high school junior" last fall though a bit young (15 at the time). Scores likely to be NMSF. Took SATs in March, got 2340. Took subject tests in January and May--math II, physics, biology, literature, US history all over 700 with 800s in math, physics, literature.</p>

<p>Is interested in everything, doesn't know what she wants to major in, doesn't know what she wants to do with her life--maybe an environmental activitist, maybe a Head Start teacher, maybe a neuroscientist, maybe a yoga teacher, maybe a director of a local program like Girls Inc or a Boys & Girls Club, maybe some profession that she hasn't even heard of yet and that may not even exist yet, maybe some combination of the above.</p>

<p>She has won some awards for community service and academic contests based at the cc. The cc has some really good teachers and homeschooling students from it have gone on to do good work at top LAC's and Ivy League schools. (Typically those students entered as freshmen, casting off their cc college credits as "high school work," rather than requesting transfer credit.) </p>

<p>I think she will have strong letters of recommendation from her professors and from adults who've worked with her in her community service projects. Writing is one of her strengths and she has interesting experiences to write about, so essays should be good. She really enjoys interview situations and does well in them (has lots of experience in being interviewed by newspaper reporters who like to interview homeschoolers!)</p>

<p>So...she was planning to apply to LAC's for freshman admission in fall 2007, and it all looked pretty doable to us, especially since she wasn't particularly focused on any particular college and didn't much care about prestige or rankings. Schools on her list included Earlham, Reed, Bard, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Grinnell, Bryn Mawr, Chicago, and Swarthmore. Safeties would be in-state public universities.</p>

<p>Our family business has done very well in recent years (wasn't always true--had quite a few difficult years in past) and we are currently in the fortunate position of not qualifying for need-based aid, so the realities of need-aware admissions made it seem as though she would be likely to get in to some place on her list.</p>

<p>So...here's the monkey-wrench.</p>

<p>She recently decided that she really doesn't want to go to an expensive college if we have to pay for it. She just feels that she would feel too guilty about our spending so much money on her education. </p>

<p>She's clearly learned a lot so far "on a shoestring" and feels that she would be stressed knowing that she was learning at a college "with a meter ticking away with dollars going by fast." </p>

<p>She knows that she's not interested in going into any high-paying careers after college and she doesn't like the feeling of obligation she says she would have if we sent her some place expensive.</p>

<p>We've reassured her that we are willing to spend the money, because we think there would valuable personal growth and enjoyment from spending four years surrounding by intellectually curious kindred spirits, even though she doesn't want to become a "doctor/lawyer/investment-banker/management-consultant."</p>

<p>But she says she just wouldn't feel right about it.</p>

<p>I looked into places with generous merit aid, but they seemed to be mostly places that were philosophically incompatible with a quirky agnostic liberal intellectual crunchy granola nondrinking nonmaterialistic environmental kid. (I.e., she'd feel out of place in a college filled with sorority girls with snazzy clothes, makeup, hairdos, etc.)</p>

<p>Our state universities, though significantly less expensive than the private 45K per year schools on her list, are still pretty pricey. And they don't offer much merit aid, especially not to homeschoolers (since she won't have a class rank or high school GPA.)</p>

<p>We know she could get an inexpensive "distance-learning credit-by-test and credit-bank" college degree from a place like Excelsior, but she would like a face-to-face college experience.</p>

<p>It's just that she'd like to do it "on a shoestring," because she'd enjoy college much more if she didn't have to think about how much it cost all the time, if it could be a natural, logical extension of her on-a-shoestring education up to this point.</p>

<p>The cc is quite reasonable (much cheaper than the 4-year public universities) and she really enjoys the diverse perspectives brought by nontraditional students with interesting life perspectives. She sort of wishes she could just do a four-year degree there, but that's obviously not possible, since they only offer 2-year degrees.</p>

<p>Any thoughts or suggestions or input from collective wisdom of cc parents would be welcome!</p>

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<p>It sounds like you would like her to find a good fit that she will thrive in and money is no object - except to her. If money truly is no object, then one suggestion might be to tell your daughter that you are putting aside X dollars for her undergrad education and that any money she does not use will be donated to charity. Then she might feel less guilty about using it. Or you might try helping her understand that it would give you great pleasure to spend money that you can afford on her college. She sounds like a very talented and creative young woman who probably would do well at a wide range of colleges, from elite level on down. Since a major part of learning occurs outside the classroom among peers, she might be shortchanging herself if she did not at least consider residential colleges. You should consider yourself very lucky - sounds like you have an exceptional daughter!</p>

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<p>Cooper Union is free; but I'm curious as to why the money looms as an issue now, especially if your business is doing well.</p>

<p>What else does she think you'd rather spend the money on? How many siblings does she has? Are you supporting elderly parents or other children from previous marriages????</p>

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<p>University of Chicago and Wesleyan Univ. came to my mind when reading your post. Congratulations on a wonderful daughter!</p>

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<p>My daughter was recently admitted to Smith as a transfer. From your description, Smith sounds like a perfect fit for your daughter. They are pretty good with financial aid and you might just be suprised and qualify for more than you think. One option she should look into is Warren-Wilson. The tuition w/room and board after the work credit is @23k.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Cooper Union is free; but I'm curious as to why the money looms as an issue now, especially if your business is doing well.</p>

<p>What else does she think you'd rather spend the money on? How many siblings does she has? Are you supporting elderly parents or other children from previous marriages????

[/quote]
</p>

<p>No elderly parents to support. Older brother is rising senior at an Ivy. (He entered there with very generous need-based aid at a time when our business was not doing well. He had really wanted to go Chicago, but they offered much less aid, and it just wasn't workable at that time, especially with younger sister in the background. His Ivy worked out to be a very good choice in the end, even though he had mixed feelings when he chose it over Chicago. Currently paying full-fare for his junior and senior years, but he'll have graduated by the time she enters college. He intends to go into a PhD program in a field where students are supported by tuition waivers and stipends, so no further educational expenses are planned on his behalf after undergrad degree.)</p>

<p>PS: No other children. Happily married to same spouse for almost 30 years.</p>

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<p>Wow. A few suggestions - I would think that a large state uni might be a good place to start, because there will be many people of many backgrounds there (including the sorority girls and hard partiers, as well as the non-materialistic granola eaters), AND because the large state uni will have a large range of courses for her to explore, including education and majors related to working in the non-profit setting. Of course, if your in-state won't suit, then it becomes more difficult.
UW-Madison would seem to be a great possibility, but it may be too expensive as out of state.
Southern unis will be cheap even for an out of stater, but there will be a lower (not non-existent, but lower) population of like-minded students.
Take a look at Hendrix College - don't be put off by its location, search this site and read what others have said about it. I'm not sure that it gives merit money, but it is more likely to give merit aid than Wesleyan. Also the University of Georgia and FLorida - yeah, they are Southern, but they are huge, with large numbers of urban kids, and cheap, even with only modest aid.
Some of the UCs, Evergreen State in Wash., University of Montana (if she is at all outdoorsy), maybe a good fit personality-wise, but I'm not sure about accessiblity and cost for out of state. Montana is not that expensive for out of state, a couple of posters on this forum are headed there, and it has a lot to offer.</p>

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<p>She could live in co-op houses and attend big state U - cost of attendance should be less than $15,000 a year - and if she gets a small job she shouldn't feel the pressure of all that money being spent on her. Grinnell offers $15,000 merit scholarships for top candidates, so COA would be less than $20,000 a year. You could gift her a lump sum - say $70,000 - (about the cost two years at a low-priced private school) and tell that is her sum to spend and she can educate herself with it how she pleases. Wow, the possibilities are endless. (For tax purposes, if you give her a hunk of money, you'd have to dole it out to her over a few years to prevent gift tax - or pay some directly to educational institution.) You need to have some more discussions with her about money. Actually, if she wants cheap - university of florida has a almost-free deal for NMF's, and gainesville is a nice place to live....
p.s. hendrix does offer merit money. Also, some big state U's offer instate tuition if student is offered even a small merit scholarship.</p>

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<p>As far as why money looms as an issue now--it's much more an issue for her than for us.</p>

<p>I wouldn't say that "money is no object," but our family is not particularly materialistic, and we'd sooner spend our money on our children's education than on fancy cars, big screen TVs, fancy vacations, expensive clothes, second homes, etc.</p>

<p>I do think that both kids grew up with an awareness of money--homeschooling in a home where parents are trying to run a business with up years and down years means you don't take things for granted--you see your parents working, you hear discussions, etc.</p>

<p>And we still buy groceries at the bulk discount places and continue to live frugally in other ways that we got used to over the years.</p>

<p>Of course, saving for retirement is potentially a bottomless pit, since one never knows what will happen to inflation, interest rates, etc. </p>

<p>Then again, I know elderly people who've made what initially seemed like prudent savings for retirement only to be forced to cash in all their IRAs to private-pay for nursing home care until they've spent down all their assets and qualified for Medicaid.</p>

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<p>I didn't realize Grinnell gave merit aid - that might be a perfect choice for her. Glad to see someone else mention UF, I knew Georgia had some opportunities still for top out of state students, and I thought UF might as well. The HOPE and Bright Futures programs have really ratcheted up the quality of students attending these schools, and the academics can be quite good.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the great suggestions so far--I'll definitely look into them.</p>

<p>I hadn't heard of the Warren-Wilson program--that sounds promising. </p>

<p>And finding a co-op house at a big state U sounds like a potentially workable situation--because you'd have the intimacy of the co-op house as built-in friends/support system. I think she'd only go to a big state U as a transfer student, no earlier than 2008, though. I wouldn't feel right about sending a really young kid off to a huge state U. But by 2008, she will have an AA degree and could transfer as a junior, further reducing the cost. (Though I realize she might lose some credits in the transition.) Still, big state U's make me nervous--I think of getting lost in the paperwork, not knowing how to get into courses needed for graduation, etc., etc. And what makes it more difficult is not knowing what she wants to major in--I sort of feel she's more cut out for an LAC experience. Then again, if she spends 2 years at the cc first, she might well have a clearer idea of her major.</p>

<p>U of Montana is intriguing--she is outdoorsy. Hendrix sounds intriguing too. Neither of those are places that would have occurred to me--thanks and keep those ideas coming!</p>

<p>As for the Cooper Union idea--tuition is free but living in the big city is expensive and I have reservations about a 17-year-old girl living in off-campus housing. And I don't get the impression they have much of a residential culture. </p>

<p>Also she has strong interests in humanities as well as sciences, so I don't know that Cooper Union would be a good fit.</p>

<p>Then again, Olin seems appealing because of the small tight-knit collaborative community and free tuition (plus I think there's cross-reg with Wellesley to extend humanities offerings?) but of course Olin is an ultra-reach for anyone and although her science background is strong, her engineering experience is nil.</p>

<p>Anyway, I really appreciate the ideas offered so far!</p>

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<p>There was some talk of New College in the Florida LAC thread. New College is a highly non traditional public honors college that sounds like it may be a good fit for your daughter. No grades, only written evaluations from professors. They encourage students to come up with their own course of study and do independent research. The school tends to attract very bright, activist, self motivated kids. They also have great scholarships available for high SAT scorers and NMFs.</p>

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<p>How about going to college out of the country? I know a girl that has just finished her freshman year at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and absolutely loved it. I couldn't figure out the costs from their website but it says something about offering scholarships to international students. For someone like your daughter, maybe a place like this would work. <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ed.ac.uk/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>New College is teeny-tiny and doesn't have much of a campus. It definitely needs to be visited to see if it fits..</p>

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<p>You may want to check the "Hidden Gems" thread- There are a couple of interesting programs at state U's including the Ohio Tutorial at Ohio State U and Lyman Briggs school at Michigan state.</p>

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<p>I say keep Grinnell on your list!!! They give very good merit aid (with her scores she could easily get 15000/year) and they also give $2,000 a year to National Merit Finalists.</p>

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<p>University of Oregon may be worth a look too. It is a large school, but feels small. There are lots of kids from all different types of backgrounds.</p>

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<p>Also there are a number of parents here with early graduates and kids who for various reasons started college at 17, even 16 - they can give some insight into younger college freshmen. My D started at 17, was halfway through first term before becoming 18. She had had a fair amount of time away from home before college, but it seemed to me that a lot of growing goes on between just 16 and almost 18 - almost a "toddler years" amount of change.</p>

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<p>I'm one of the posters headed there this fall. It's not that expensive in the world of college (it's kind of frightening when a $1,500 scholarship starts to sound like chump change :eek: ); I received thir highest scholarship (which your daughter will defibnitely be in the running for) and as an out of state student, my family will only be paying about $4k a year room/board/tuition/fees. The campus and surrounding area (a small but surprisingly active town) ilooked very nice from the times I;'ve been there, and almost every person I'd spoken to there has been exceedingly nice. I am worried about a heavy drinking culture at college, but I'd be worried about that in any college. Current students I've taklked to say the same thing about partying/drinking: it's there if you want, but there's other stuff to do. It's known as a big football school, but I don't yet know how dominating that is. Not the most diverse student body, but there's a relatively large precentage of Native Americsn students. It's known to be very liberal (the only blue part of Montana, they say ;) ) and has a lot of environmental/outdoorsy things as well.</p>

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<p>I know it was mentioned earlier... but I just wanted to second the Evergreen State College. :) I have a very good friend who graduated out of there quite some time ago (she's in her thirties now) and sounds a lot like your daughter. Although, I'm not sure what state you are and not sure how expensive it would be. Definitely a neat place though!</p>

<p>And, I'm currently a sophmore Classics major at Reed if you have any questions. It is an expensive school (I've been having a little financial trouble, in fact) but its definitely full of free spirited individuals, particularly free spirited academic types. So, feel free to send me a PM (or ask here) if you want any information.</p>