<p>Well, not to beat a dead horse, but here goes anyway.</p>
<p>My daughter finally found a school she loves. It only took three OVs and many more unofficials. And this was not her top pick at all going into this weekend but she loved it there. She still has one more visit next weekend that could change things, but might only make her like this one more.</p>
<p>It's of course another $50,000 a year school. I know from my experience with the other two that we will just get a $0 on the preread. I don't know if we should bother to ask for one.</p>
<p>This school can give scholarships in her sport. Specifically, two. (I assume this means per year). The coach wasn't able to tell her much other than they don't know how they're going to allocate them yet. On the other hand, apparently the athletic aid is given out first, before need is met. So if someone comes in with $50,000 in need, it sounds to me like there goes one full scholarship. If my daughter is correct.</p>
<p>My husband wants to call and talk to the coach directly. The complicating factor is the need to apply ED if there's an offer of support through admissions. (my daughter is not good at providing details at all); so what happens if the offer comes back as $0?</p>
<p>So: should we ask for the preread, knowing it will probably be $0 again? Should my husband call the coach, or call Financial Aid, to find out about options they might offer as far as loans? Does work/study only get offered if there's a determination of need? And finally, what if she does apply ED and gets accepted with no financial support at all? Is she still bound to accept?</p>
<p>Why can't these things be easier? Why does the cost of college keep climbing along with our expenses, while our income has actually gone down ... :-(</p>
<p>While I believe it is important to let the child handle the recruiting process and dealing with Coaches, when it comes time to make a final decision, and money is involved, that is where I believe parents should step in, but only regarding the financial aspects.</p>
<p>I would let your husband call the coach, but only to ask how a question to financial aid should be pursued. Would he prefer to broach it to admissions or should you pursue it directly with the FA office. I would also let him know that FA or scholarships have to have an impact on your decision. i would also let him know that you tried to discuss this with your child but the information was not complete.</p>
<p>Thanks jerseygirl … I am sensitive to not overstepping bounds as far as what she should handle. But if she really loves the school and is overwhelmed where money is concerned, a friend told us he also stepped in at that time, but this was with regular FA and not athletic aid.</p>
<p>I never heard before of athletic scholarships being earmarked to cover need-based aid. Is that usual? If she ends up at this school, it may be with a lot of loans … sigh</p>
<p>There are 2 types of athletic scholarship mainly headcount sports , and equivalency sports.
Headcount sport scholarship can only be given at full while equivalency sports scholarship can be split whichever they like. With 2 scholarships available, that will indicate the coach will try to split them to cover more students.</p>
<p>I think it’s odd for the coach to use the scholarship in place of financial aid – it should be the other way around, especially with only 2 available. – just my 2 cents</p>
<p>cc, that’s what I thought re: the need-based. If my daughter understood correctly (and finances are not her forte) this is not up to him but the way it’s done at the school. And yes, it’s an equivalency sport. So the money can be divvied up. The team is small, and I’d guess he brings in no more than five or six per year because it’s a small school and highly competitive. So that would mean that he could probably offer each a fair amount, but not if he has to cover need first.</p>
<p>This is the first I’ve heard of that policy, I wondered if anyone else has run into this.</p>
<p>wilberry228 - totally agree with jerseygirl in ct on this one. because it is a financial discussion it is time for parents to get involved. i feel very strongly that is the only time parents should be 100% engaged in this process. if this is your daughters #1 choice, I would do the following:</p>
<p>1) Call or email coach, and tell him/her this is your daughters #1 choice. Because it is ED, you want the financial aspect clarified . Ask him or her to explain the type of scholarship being offered, and what it means to you and the coach.</p>
<p>2) Request the coach get you directly in touch with the financial aid officer handling your daughter.</p>
<p>3) Follow through with officer ASAP to get all questions and forms completed. We’ve dealt with very professional FA officers and some not so professional. Most have been pretty good and most helpful. Listen closely to what they have to say. If there are major obstacles, you need to loop back around and discuss with the coach.</p>
<p>Thanks fenway - just one caveat to that - it is not her #1 choice for sure. It’s #1 of the OVs SO FAR but the top choice (before this weekend) is coming up next week. That will either solidify this one as #1 or it will take the place at the top and we’ll be facing different issues. </p>
<p>I’ve come to understand what he was saying now: if an athlete gets in ‘on their own’ then I don’t think they have to support their need with their scholarship money. However, if they want to force someone through who otherwise wouldn’t get in, then they do. I’m just not clear on the cutoff - like if they pass the preread at admissions, is that when this is determined, or is it when they actually apply? And I’m not sure how November signings factor in if it has to go through Admissions.</p>
<p>I think we will ask for the FA preread even though we know the outcome already, since we’ve had them from two other schools. But if we do that, at least we will start the process. It can’t hurt? We just aren’t sure if we should wait until next Monday, when we have all the cards on the table.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I’ll keep scouring the help wanted ads for that job of my dreams!!! Maybe I can just earn enough to cover it all … sigh.</p>
Maybe I can just earn enough to cover it all … sigh.</p>