<p>I think daniloum’s advice about finding a college where you are in the top 25% of applicants in order to secure merit aid is quite worthwhile–but it has been repeated on this forum over and over. In fact, right there in Section 4 of the FAQ’S post at the top of the forum it says:“Merit scholarships are generally given to those whose stats are within the top 1-25% of the applicant pool.” Of course many students and parents are not happy with the idea of attending a school where 75% or more of the student body is weaker academically, so this approach can be a hard sell.</p>
<p>I’m less convinced by daniloum’s advice to limit oneself to colleges where most students graduate in four years. I believe that the number of years a student takes to graduate has far more to do with the student’s own diligence and indecision about a major than with the school itself. (The exception would be some public institutions–those in California seem to be the ones we hear about the most–where it can be difficult to take all the courses required for one’s major because many are offered infrequently or are oversubscribed.) My kids knew we were paying towards four years of school and not a day more, and not surprisingly they managed to adhere to that schedule. I didn’t know or care how long it took anyone else to graduate. Some of those 5th and 6th year undergrads are simply slackers, and of course less rigorous schools will have a higher representation of that cohort. </p>
<p>I’ll also quibble slightly with the advice to select a school that offers a student’s top three majors. Most high school senior have a hard time focusing on one preferred major, much less three, and many change who they are and what they desire significantly during those first two years of college. So I’d recommend selecting a college that offers a very wide range of potential majors. My D ended up with a major she never would have dreamed of while she was in high school, and she’s not unique. </p>
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Families can do a tremendous amount of research right here on CC’s Financial Aid forum, starting with reading the FAQ’s and continuing with posting one’s questions, with the assurance that many incredibly helpful and knowledgeable individuals, including at least one financial aid officer, will reply promptly–and they don’t charge!</p>