There were no colleges that fit within our budget, unfortunately. Without them, they would be living at home, working, and going to nearby jr college for some classes, and the school is not cheap. The scholarships enabled them to have much greater opportunities.
Worst case, they lost their scholarships, then they come home and do the only other option above. It was worth the risk.
That was my thinking too. It was worth the risk if the scholarship allowed DD to go to that school. I expected her to get the 2.8 or the 3.0 anyway, so why not take the money?
My daughter had a lot of stress that first year, especially the first semester, until she made the grades. After that she knew she could do it. I really think she would have had that stress no matter which school she went to because she was feeling insecure about competing academically with others who had higher test scores or more AP classes.
The stress isn’t just an incentive-- it comes with so much uncertainty, that’s the issue. There’s so much you can’t control for. A kid can do all the right things in hs and still not hit admit jackpot at a generous Meet Full Need college.
But with the right stats, you can look for merit aid at colleges that offer it.
Please be aware, though, that more than just stats matters for getting into a MFN college.
We got hit pretty hard by this. D had decent stats but an EFC of $12,500 or so. She applied broadly to a mix of publics and privates known for good need-based or merit aid. The best offer came in around $17,500 out-of-pocket, the worst more than double that.
She ended up in-state with big loans and a substantial work schedule to be able to pay for it. We had a lean few years.
Isn’t that what’s being discussed here? Maintaining merit scholarships?
If one can get into and afford a MFA school, generally one only needs a 2.0 to stay, or whatever the school deems a passing GPA in a sufficient # of credits.
I don’t know why anyone thinks young adults should be shielded from the reality of life. There is no free lunch. If that is the impetus to work hard at school, that is all good. All kids should be working to get scholarships for college. It should be a thing. That isn’t additional stress, it is part of the requirements of going to college. To at least try.
I have never shielded my kids from the reality of life. But it is safe to say that some kids don’t have the stress that others have. If your parents are full pay and are comfortable being full pay then the kid is only worrying about if they get in. Not if they get in and what the financial situation is.
Check out the stress on the plebes at West Point. They are paying their tuition with sweat equity now- and blood/sweat/tears once they graduate.