<p>rocnation, you’ll find that the vast majority of parents don’t do admissions “chances”. Here on the Financial Aid and Scholarships forum, people will do affordability “chances”. You’ve got great stats, but you need to figure out the financial piece and see if you should be pursuing merit aid. UC is a great option, but it will run your family $30k a year. Make sure that’s affordable…and be sure to put some other tick marks on the UC app besides Cal and UCLA.</p>
<p>*On the two-parent vs. one-parent income, at the private high schools in this region, families are told that both parents are expected to work if they are applying for financial aid. It makes sense. I certainly am no expert on financial aid.
*</p>
<p>Yes, the same here. The app here states that unless one parent is home taking care of a very young child/baby or a disabled child, both parents are expected to work if the family wants to apply for FA. </p>
<p>I’ve often wondered why colleges don’t expect the same. It does seem odd when kids post that “dad makes $Xk and mom is a housewife, so how much aid can I get.” Why doesn’t able-bodied mom work to help pay for college? I can understand if a parent has been laid-off from a job (displaced worker).</p>
<p>My earlier point was that I think the FA calculation is harsher on a family where one parent is earning X…rather than 2 parents together are earning X…because of the differences in payroll deductions.</p>
<p>So both parents are expected to work? And how much are they supposed to be making? Getting into some rocky ground there. </p>
<p>When it comes to picking colleges, OP, the hardest, most challenging part of finding colleges, is finding colleges that are certain to take you, that you can afford, that provide what you need in terms of education, and that you like. That last point can be a real sticking point for those who have been studying US News and other ranking lists and not looking past the first pages in addition to cherry picking schools right off the top of the tree that are Ivies and otherwise well known and selective. That’ s easy. I can throw in the names of the top rated schools on a list and any number of kids would be thrilled to go to any of them. It’s finding the hidden gems, the affordable school that is the real work of college applications.</p>
<p>Once you have a cache or even just one of such schools, you can then apply away with impunity to any of the other colleges because your bases are covered. As a CA resident, if the state schools are affordable to your family, you have some great choices right in the UC pool. It’s all a matter of getting accepted to the more selective UCs like Berkeley. As for aid, run some numbers on the Net Price Calculators for those school, if they are available and see what the chances are of getting any money from them. Financial aid, I highly doublt, but I don’t know what kind of merit money is available from the UCs.</p>
<p>*So both parents are expected to work? And how much are they supposed to be making? Getting into some rocky ground there. *</p>
<p>While I see the point that you’re making, the Catholic schools in my area have a stipulation that if you’re applying for FA at the school, then both parents must work unless there is a baby/young child/disabled child in the home or the parent is disabled There isn’t a particular income expectation, because there really couldn’t be unless the second parent is working very minimally for no real reason.</p>
<p>Since I was on the School Board of the high school, I know what the thinking is. The position is that if a family is applying for FA (and the school has limited resources!!!), they aren’t going to award aid to a family who has an able-bodied mom at home who isn’t caring for young child. </p>
<p>Think about the 3 situations:</p>
<p>Family A.</p>
<p>Dad earns $50k - full time
Mom earns $20k - full or near full time</p>
<p>Family B</p>
<p>Dad earns $50k - full time
Mom stays home, no little ones at home.</p>
<p>Family C</p>
<p>Dad earns $30k full time
mom earns $20k full or near full time</p>
<p>it’s hard to justify giving Family B much/any aid when there’s no reason for the mom not to work at least part time. Why should the school give Family B - say $10k per year - to help with tuition when the mom could likely easily earn that much?</p>
<p>As for Family C, no one can insist/expect that they earn more unless they’ve obviously both chosen to be underemployed…which rarely ever happens.</p>
<p>Sometimes the mom stays at home because the other parent’s job is such that a full time anchor is needed. Or the mom is unpaid help in a family business. In some cases, such as around here, even without young kids, a mom not available and with high paying jobs not so easy to find, it can cost mre to work than not. When I was a working mom, I netted very little after paying for child care, transportation, wardrobe and short cuts that having to work cost us. One reason why I quit. The numbers made it so it made no sense. Also, perhaps mom can’t find a job. There are families where neither parent works, you know, for a number of reasons. Are they, then entitled to financial aid? </p>
<p>The private catholic schools in our area have no such provision, though their financial aid is not generous in the least; nor does the independent school that I am familiar with. I know some kids who have but one parent and s/he does not work for a number of reasons, and they get need based aid, and are actually sought after in a variety of programs that seek out such kids. </p>
<p>A lot of the volunteer work and fund raising at these schools are done by unemployed parents, and I know some have kids on financial aid. I find it interesting that these are Catholic schools with those provisions.</p>
<p>* Also, perhaps mom can’t find a job. There are families where neither parent works, you know, for a number of reasons. Are they, then entitled to financial aid? *</p>
<p>As I said, I was on the school board so I was very familiar with the process. Obviously, if both parents are unemployed and actively looking for work, then they would have qualified. </p>
<p>Same with an unemployed mom. It’s not hard to tell the difference between a mom who isn’t’ able to find a job and one who really hasn’t been looking for one. The schools themselves often hired moms who needed extra money to pay for tuition…lunch room, sub teachers, office help, etc. </p>
<p>As a mom who spent a gazillion hours volunteering at my kids’ Catholic schools, I’m well-aware that many moms help keep the school going by doing so. However, we didn’t view that as the same as having a job. I can’t equate moms meeting to arrange the Annual Gala followed by lunch at the local Mexican restaurant as the same as moms who are working all day at a job. the former group doesn’t qualify for aid in my mind, nor did it qualify for aid in the minds of the rest of the board. </p>
<p>You’ve described a child-care issue and cost. If that means for young kids who need care from 7am - 6pm, then that’s a YOUNG child. That’s a different situation. There was no expectation that little kids be put into full time day care. However, when all the kids are in school from 8-3, then it’s not outrageous to think that the mom can work part-time at the mall or wherever and bring in $10k or so per year.</p>
<p>How much of a boost early decision gives you in admissions depends on the school, I don’t know how much of a difference it makes at UPenn. You should be able to figure it out from the publicly available statistics on their website or through another college admissions website. I don’t think you are correct that people in the early decision applicant pool are more qualified that those in the regular applicant pool.</p>
<p>You will receive no need-based financial aid from UPenn or any other school. You just won’t. You can phrase the question any way you want but with your dad’s income you aren’t getting any.</p>
<p>You will be eligible for merit aid. If you have the stats to get accepted to UPenn you might be able to get merit aid from one of the many fine schools that offers it.</p>
<p>Single income family of 6 here…with 2 in private college next year. I am home with two MS aged sibs, and our family income is in the 28% tax bracket. </p>
<p>One school meets demonstrated need and gave kiddo #1 need-based institutional grants that amount to just shy of 25% of COA. We’re still paying a boatload of tuition… but families in the $250K and up income range can qualify for <em>some</em> need-based aid if their family size & personal circumstances fit the bill for the right aid policy.</p>