<p>.I believe OP listed it in post #35. </p>
<p>@kandcsmom:</p>
<p>NM Tech really only has engineering and science majors.</p>
<p>However, New College of Florida is a LAC with really impressive alumni results (only public LAC that’s comparable to good private LACs in alumni acheivements) and quite afforable OOS with their automatic OOS scholarship now.</p>
<p>Scripps also gives out big merit money if you are female and have the stats, and you can major in CS (and maybe engineering) at Mudd and take classes in the other Claremont colleges. In fact, high stats and/or good essays can mean a lot of merit money at many LACs (definitely consider the all-female ones like Agnes Scott and Bryn Mawr).</p>
<p>If she can bump up test scores, UPitt honors is likely to throw money her way.</p>
<p>If you have 50K saved up and can contribute 10K a year, that’s about 20K a year. Another 10K from loans and PT job means that you can consider anything that has a COA of 30K or less, which opens up more options (including tOSU, Ivies/equivalents, etc.).</p>
<p>Thank you @purpletitan. She’s thinking psych/chem double major or maybe psych double major with nutrition and phd in neuropsych. Maybe research maybe counseling. I nudged toward STEM she’s a classic nerd and would thrive in that environment but I’m not sure she has any idea what happens in that setting. I know I don’t. I think we have a plan but we will see after the PSAT and new ACT score in December </p>
<p>Kandcsmom, sounds like you have a plan. </p>
<p>If D is looking at chem would she consider chem eng or biomed eng? They might work well if her goal is R&D. Has she looked at Miami engineering? As I remember it has a humanities base and therefore it might be an easy combine with psych and chem eng. It might also help maximize any merit aid that she gets. Cincinnati told us that they front end their merit aid, at least that was the case in the College of Engineering. S received a few department scholarships from there and OSU. We did not know about department scholarships until we started looking and found that engineering departments will have scholarships that other departments do not. </p>
<p>FYI. Ohio State has a top ranked welding engineering department. (May be one of the only lol!). Akron is known for their plastics engineering. So even though it may not seem that a school is “known” for anything sometime you have to look ;). Not that I think it matters for engineering, a great % for getting their graduates jobs is more important IMO. </p>
<p>I’m surprised no one’s mentioned Ohio University’s Gateway scholarship program, which is quite generous to students with at least a 3.0 average and high ACTs, especially in-state students. S1 applied there with a 3.25 gpa and 30 ACT and got considerable aid. He ended up going in-state because it was less expensive and the school had a specialization in his major that OU didn’t. Best of luck to you - Ohio has some good publics. </p>
<p>@Bestfriendsgirl it looks like that scholarship has been replaced. This is what they have now:
<a href=“http://www.ohio.edu/admissions/signature/”>http://www.ohio.edu/admissions/signature/</a></p>
<p>@Madison85: where do you see these OSU scholarships are automatic? The site says all are competitive unless otherwise noted, and I don’t note anything else. </p>
<p>@janniegirl: You are right - it says unless otherwise indicated, all are competitive. I had incorrectly assumed that since there wasn’t an application for the lower level scholarships, that they “look to be automatic”.</p>
<p>You may want to call OSU to ask about the phrasing to see if any are automatic:</p>
<p>*Unless otherwise indicated, all merit scholarships are offered on a competitive basis to qualified full-time domestic freshmen admitted to the Columbus campus for autumn semester *</p>
<p>@Erin’s Dad Wright State does not have chemical engineering. </p>
<p>To whoever asked if engineering was her idea, yes it was. She started out liking something else entirely, in the life sciences but has since come to recognize life sciences are not her strong point. </p>
<p>Our EFC is about $30K per year, since someone asked. If I drastically changed my already modest lifestyle, and I do mean drastically, I might be able to do half that. So, if I lived in the middle of no where and had living expenses that were very low, it’d be a different story. But I don’t. I live in a suburban area that has good schools and is safe and provides half-way reasonable commuting distance to our jobs. This takes money people. The EFC calculations obviously don’t care, and neither do most of you. I’m sorry I asked.</p>
<p>For the record, I’m in higher ed myself. So yes, I have opinions. There are some decisions that do affect life trajectories. Is it always the college you choose? No. Can it be? Yes. </p>
<p>Move along. Nothing new to see here.</p>
<p>Ah, I mentioned Wright State well before Chem Eng came into the discussion. You can look here for accredited Chem E programs. <a href=“http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx”>http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx</a> </p>
<p>@Janniegirl You did get some great advice and some a bit callous. It’s always that way on a public message board. I recommend you breathe, talk to her GC, and then tell D15 what you can and can not afford. Soon,. Oh, and look at my schools. </p>
<p>Janniegirl, idk if you are still following this but last year I got almost the same phone call from my sister who had a senior in HS. What were they thinking? This number for their EFC is crazy, we can’t afford this? Who can do this? She was in quite the panic mode. Also at this point, the D’s applications were already done and offers were coming in. And even more panic! The colleges she applied to didn’t even meet her EFC and were even more unaffordable! </p>
<p>The (somewhat) good news is that you are experiencing this now. Before she has applied and you can have the family meeting and figure out what to do. </p>
<p>My kids are now out of college but we were in the exact same situation. Modest (very modest) home, used cars, not a lot of vacations or really any extras. And we were barely making it every month, how were we going to afford this? My H and I were united that we would give our kids a college education. And we were lucky also, we had smart kids who were motivated to do well. </p>
<p>Was it easy? No. Are we still paying and still will for a while? Yes. </p>
<p>Since your D wants to go into chem eng, that’s great! You live in Ohio! They have great state universities and great private universities! There are great private universities in Michigan and Indiana also she can look at. We found out a couple of things. First as I put earlier, many of the state U’s give department scholarships. Also as an engineering student she can co-op. We found that the first years when the kids were in the dorms were the most expensive. Once they got into apartments the cost may be the same but it was in easier sections that seemed easier to pay. Also the kids had good summer jobs and the expectation was that they would contribute everything they could. Our S had a great co-op and was able to pay his living expenses after the first 2 years. We also had the kids take out the max stafford loans that they could. Since the kids worked and made good money in school and graduated in 8 semesters we are paying those loans but both kids make enough money and the loans are less than $300/month if something would happen to us and they would have to take over these loans they could and it would not be a hardship at all. </p>
<p>OP, I hope you are still listening here. I was in your shoes once, I’ve come out of it and survived. </p>
<p>You should know your financial situation better than anyone else. Figure out how much you can afford per year and do the NPC on each school on the list and eliminate those unaffordable ones unless there is a chance of merit aid. That would be the most practical approach. If you are willing to take a loan, then you may afford more expensive schools but with more debt. Nevertheless, it is not a wise decision to take out a large loan for undergraduate education these days. Remember, a $30K EFC does not mean that is the only amount you need to pay. However, there are also many schools with CoA below your EFC.</p>
<p>So the OP’s EFC is $30k which is unaffordable on current income; but I believe she also mentioned that she has non-retirement savings. Good advice that the family should have a meeting to decide how much can be paid out of current income and how much can be paid out of past savings; considering all children and how far apart in age they are, whether there will be two or more in college at the same time.</p>
<p>@deb922 Thanks, I appreciate that. </p>
<p>@janniegirl, oh, don’t give up reading the inputs here. Yes, some of the posts are not as positive as they could be, so it is understandable how you feel.</p>
<p>Please know that so many, many people have been in your boat before you and they are all speaking from experience. When our oldest was applying, friends with college grads and college students told us that the college EFC was a crazy unaffordable amount…that we would be shocked. Even though we had been warned, it really doesn’t sink in until you see that actual EFC on your own FAFSA with your very own eyes. And they didn’t have net price calculators back then, so on the first BusyKid, we found this out in January of Senior year, after applications were submitted. </p>
<p>As @deb922 says, you are lucky you are having the experience of seeing how much the EFC really is, right now.</p>
<p>You will get over the shock. You will adjust your thinking. You will get more comfortable with the idea. </p>
<p>@janniegirl, please stay with the postings and read the amazing wisdom of the super-experienced posters. (not me, I’m still learning!) Their wisdom is invaluable. Reading their posts and stories really guided us in our journey. Also check all the other “stickies” (with a pushpin icon) at the top of the Financial Aid and Scholarships message board.</p>
<p>Really, I know from experience that you’ll get over the shock and start charting a strategy. Actually it becomes fun to research the various schools and various options. Look at it with an eye for adventure and think about it as an interesting problem to solve. You can do it!</p>
<p>Yep, we are in the same boat basically and the threads & advice on CC has been invaluable. Fingers crossed D gets a good scholarship at a good school.</p>
<p>@Madison85 There will be 2 in college within 2 years, followed by another in 3 more years. 3 kids within 5 years. Not much time for financial recovery unfortunately. </p>
<p>Actually @Janniegirl, that will help to have 2 in college in 2 years. The schools, even the more local or lesser known schools, are generous with 2 or 3 in college. It is due to the FAFSA formula.</p>
<p>Another thing that helped me think about the whole need-based financial aid philosophy was this:</p>
<p>Here’s what I thought about: It makes sense that we should pay for such a wonderful service as them receiving a college education, and if they live there, we should be paying for their room, meals, utilities….all the things we’ve been paying for since they were born. It just makes sense to me. All of these things cost the college, so it is only logical that, if we have the means, we should pay a fair price for the services provided to our children. </p>
<p>We are solidly in the middle, middle class. I never really expected to get need-based financial aid, so I didn’t worry too much about the EFC, as much as figuring out a good strategy so that all the BusyKids could go to college.</p>
<p>We have several children. We pay for music lessons for two instruments each kid, and pay for the many other ECs they do. We haven’t taken any vacation in 12 years, drive our economy cars til they are old and fall apart, don’t really buy stuff at all, (unless it is necessary for health or school), don’t have cable, and we live in a much, much older average home in a neighborhood with good schools, so we pay lots of RE taxes. We knew it was going to be expensive to raise a family. I’m just happy that they are all safe, happy and healthy. We don’t need fancy or need a lot. I really am ok with our lifestyle and our choices. </p>
<p>The kids all cast a wide net with their college applications and selected the schools with the best merit packages for them. They all ended up LOVING their schools! It all worked out.<br>
We are truly, truly blessed!</p>
<p>Don’t be discouraged. Just consider a change in the strategy on the colleges to which your children apply. Your children will end up having a great experience at whatever school they end up. </p>
<p>OP, I understand that you don’t like the tone of some responses. But this is not the Money Fairy thread. You are certainly not alone in feeling greatly disappointed. If you are looking for emotional support, this is the wrong place. If you are looking for the best possibilities for your child, then keep reading. (And make sure your daughter scores the best she possibly can on standardized tests! My daughter went from 27 in May to 30 in September with minimal work–mostly one session with a great tutor.)</p>