<p>No reason to visit now. D visited before applications. Then she waited till after all acceptances came in, got her final list down to 2 schools and then visited them once again...with a much more discriminating eye. </p>
<p>In your case, I'd wait till acceptances and financial aid packages come in, get her list down to the schools that interest her AND are financially do-able based on the FA packages as given, and then visit those schools.</p>
<p>Maybe she'll still go with her "bird in the hand," but you'll never have to wonder--"What if..."</p>
<p>It's obvious that Sethcolby either hasn't ever filled out a FAFSA or has a skewed idea of 'high disposable income'. There are many threads on CC he can bone up on that explain the inequities of the whole process. </p>
<p>The one & only thing filling out a FAFSA (and its by-product, the EFC) is good for is that it opens the door for parents & students to secure loans, which were (at least in the past) ridiculously easy to secure. Maybe not so much now, given the economic situation.</p>
<p>My concern about Penn State for this family is that it has a lot of horrible people from NJ and Pennsylvania- not to mention sororities and fraternities. (referring to the OP's other threads)</p>
<p>The strategy mentioned of applying for aid for sophomore year and not frosh is not a good one. The FA office allocates money this way: Returning students who have received aid, frosh students who request aid, and only after that will they consider those who have not requested aid before.</p>
<p>This is not a good strategy.</p>
<p>MOWC: I am not sure I understand your above post. What horrible people?</p>
<p>I"m more confused now than before. Some of you think it's okay to go; some of you think I should wait to see if any acceptances come in. Here's another problem. D2 will be interviewed soon by one of the three schools I mentioned in my OP. The interviewer is coming to our house and may ask if D2 has visited the school. I wanted her to be able to tell the interviewer that she will be visiting the school in a couple of days. That's the reason for the planned pre-admission decision trip, at least from my perspective. D2 just wants to see the campuses. She's not thinking about making the right impression on the interviewer. Why do some schools call you and want to do an interview? My D did not request one and was under the impression from the college's website that interviews were not important or required. So, I'm worried about her making the right impression. Maybe I'm going about this all wrong. I don't know what the best move is for this situation.</p>
<p>As for the EFC, I'm an ordinary middle class person. My wife doesn't work outside the home and hasn't for years because we have a younger special needs child. I was shocked to see the EFC come out higher than an entire year's cost at PSU, including room and board, books, everything. So I guess my D2 won't get a dime from PSU. It was especially shocking because I'm already paying full freight for another kid who is a sophomore at a PSU branch. We don't have a 529. I've got nothing left and don't want any part of loans. The fancy schools seem to be for rich people or people who make very little money. There is something very wrong about the middle class getting screwed. </p>
<p>My head is spinning right now. I suppose I should advise D2 to forget about the trip but she wants to go. She applied to 11 schools and visited all but Brown, Amherst and Wesleyan prior to submitting applications. She hated filling out the supplements and having to check the box that she had NOT visited them. In a way, I think she wants to correct that, but she is also curious about the campuses.</p>
<p>"As for the EFC, I'm an ordinary middle class person. My wife doesn't work outside the home and hasn't for years because we have a younger special needs child. I was shocked to see the EFC come out higher than an entire year's cost at PSU, including room and board, books, everything. So I guess my D2 won't get a dime from PSU. It was especially shocking because I'm already paying full freight for another kid who is a sophomore at a PSU branch. We don't have a 529. I've got nothing left and don't want any part of loans. The fancy schools seem to be for rich people or people who make very little money. There is something very wrong about the middle class getting screwed. "</p>
<p>If you know you can't afford to pay for the colleges that your D has applied to, why would you want her to visit those colleges? She won't be able to afford to go there.</p>
<p>Instead of worrying about spending money to send your D to see colleges that she won't be able to go to if accepted (and that seems to be the case for the colleges you listed because all except Swarthmore do NOT give merit aid, and Swat's merit aid is for the students at the top of its pool), you need to make sure your D applies to some colleges that you know you can afford to send her to, and that she would be delighted to attend.</p>
<p>"But she wants to go. She applied to 11 schools and visited all but Brown, Amherst and Wesleyan prior to submitting applications. She hated filling out the supplements and having to check the box that she had NOT visited them. In a way, I think she wants to correct that, but she is also curious about the campuses."</p>
<p>Why do you want your D to visit -- and possibly fall in love with -- campuses that she won't be able to attend? Why would you wish to spend your limited funds doing this?</p>
<p>Please help your D get into some college that you can afford to send her to. Don't end up being a parent who posts in April that their child is heartbroken because while she has gotten into some wonderful colleges, she can't afford to go to any.</p>
<p>keep in mind there are other ways to demonstrate interest than simply visiting. She can demonstrate her interest by doing her research.</p>
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I was shocked to see the EFC come out higher than an entire year's cost at PSU, including room and board, books, everything. So I guess my D2 won't get a dime from PSU. It was especially shocking because I'm already paying full freight for another kid who is a sophomore at a PSU branch.
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<p>If your current EFC is ~24,646 and you are paying full freight for 1 student. Take your EFC, divide it by 2 and this will give you some idea as to how much your EFC will be for each child when you have 2 children in college at the same time. If your EFC is over 50k on the FAFSA, you are correct that your D will be full freight at Penn State and pretty much any other school .</p>
<p>sybbie: Thanks for the links. Wow, clearly all three of those schools admit some students in my daughters standardized test score range. I'm surprised. She took both the SAT and ACT w/writing. Her ACT was in the middle range for those schools (24-29). And I love that Brown places "character" as "very important." My D2 will score high in that regard because of the types of ECs she does. Regarding the fancy schools, she won't get into all of them or most of them, but I suspect she's going to get into one and possibly two. If that happens, I don't know what I'm going to do. But if we visit in advance, she may take one look and decide: "Ewwww, I don't care if I don't get accepted. I don't like this place." So maybe there is value in taking a peek before the letters arrive?</p>
<p>"Regarding the fancy schools, she won't get into all of them or most of them, but I suspect she's going to get into one and possibly two. If that happens, I don't know what I'm going to do"</p>
<p>If you know you can't afford to send her to those schools, why have you let her apply? If you'd be willing to take out loans, work a second job, do whatever it takes to send her to only certain schools on her list, you need to let her know that. Otherwise, what you're doing is lining her up for heartbreak and big time resentment aimed at you.</p>
<p>We had a similar situation, and this is what we die.</p>
<p>S was accepted in October at UMich engineering school (we are in state) with a very nice merit scholarship package. He would not hear from other schools until March or April. We decided to pay the non-refundable housing deposit for a couple of reasons. We knew that there was a housing crunch at UM, and we doubted that FA awards would be sufficient to permit attendance at the other schools if he were admitted.</p>
<p>Many months later, one of his acceptances came with a surprisingly generous FA package. We visited then. Son loved the place and he is now in his Junior year there.</p>
<p>So, my advice? Instead of spending the money on a trip right now, make the housing deposit to hold your daughter's place. Be content that she has such a great acceptance in her pocket. Be very frank with her about you financial limitations and the kinds of money she would need to receive to attend any of her reaches. Sit back and wait and see what happens.</p>
<p>We paid housing deposit on son's top 2 schools also. Painful (couple hundred $$) but figured it would be worth it to be in line for good housing if/when he went to one.</p>
<p>-pay the deposits now to secure spot and housing. (usually refundable until May 1st)
-hold off on the trip
-explain to your daughter that bottom line costs will take priority in making the final decision.<br>
-wait for the rest of the decisions and compare financial packages
-narrow the choices down to the final 2 and visit them
-make decision</p>
<p>As parents we must be totally up front with our children as to how much the family can afford towards college. It is unfair to the student and the family to omit this critical part of the decision-making criteria. We did this with our son during his jr yr so that he could research doable college choices.</p>
<p>However your family will not know what the reasonable choices are until all acceptances are in and finaid packages received. When those are in hand you and your daughter will be able to arrange visits to those colleges which she will be able to choose from.</p>
<p>Your FAFSA EFC doesn't necessarily apply to your daughter's reach schools. I think they are all CSS Profile schools (institutional methodology), and they calculate EFC somewhat differently. From what I have seen of FA outcomes, they have varied quite a bit. I wouldn't anticipate no FA or bad FA; wait and see what happens. But please be certain to tell your daughter that you do have financial limitations and her choices will be impacted by that.</p>
<p>In the first place, you have no idea if your D1 will get it to these schools. Then, you have no idea whether you can "afford" any of these schools until you get the FA offer. Then FA offers can be appealed. We did, and my S's school gave him more money and restructured the offer. (Note that Swat is so eager to recruit high-performing URM students that last year they sent out a mailing inviting them to apply several weeks after the deadline had passed. Who knows what they will offer your D if they want her.) </p>
<p>I find the advice that your D1 should pull her apps to other schools simply appalling! Wait and see what happens. I assume that she is already aware that money is important. If not, have a talk with her and make it clear that the ultimate decision may depend on $$.</p>
<p>Regarding the visits, you have to balance the feelings of your D1 vs a hypothetical advantage for your D2 in an interview. If you go before April, clearly you will have to take both girls. Do you really want to subject your D1 to possibly falling in love with a school and then NOT getting in or NOT getting enough money when she has already applied?</p>
<p>Your D2 can simply tell the interviewer that she is looking forward to visiting in April/next summer. And by the way, I have literally never heard of a school sending a staff member to someone's house, much less months before the student has even submitted an application! (Are you sure there isn't some confusion?) If the school is hotly pursuing your younger D for some reason, I doubt that they will care that she hasn't been able to visit yet!</p>
<p>They are regular alumni interviews. Most of those interviews are informative, they won't have big impact on her applications. My daughter never visited Duke, had her interview and was accepted. Most top tier schools don't care as much whether you have strong interest or not.</p>
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But if we visit in advance, she may take one look and decide: "Ewwww, I don't care if I don't get accepted. I don't like this place." So maybe there is value in taking a peek before the letters arrive?
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<p>She can look at pictures on the internet, even videos of tours.</p>
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If that happens, I don't know what I'm going to do.
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<p>Your plan to take her on a visit to some of the most beautiful colleges in the country on the off chance she'll say "ewwww" combined with your inability to define what you'll do is setting your kid up for a big disappointment. </p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with deciding that if she gets into X, you'll find a way to pay for it. That's for every family to decide for themselves. Nor is there anything wrong with deciding that anything beyond X amount of dollars is out of the question. </p>
<p>Your daughter is looking to you for guidance. You are sending mixed signals in this thread, surely you are doing the same with her. Make a decision and let your daughter know. It's not right to take a kid to a campus she might just as easily fall in love with and then after she gets accepted to tell her you "can't afford it." It's just not right.</p>