<p>% going to college and % getting a degree are whole different numbers. But again, you are all talking about the state with the greates % of college grads, bear in mind. I have friends and relatives in areas where things are completely different than they are in the north east. Going away to college is quite a luxury there, but you know, I dare say it is in most places. they may well got to college, but going to sleep away school is not all that common.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse–but in those places where going away to a sleep away college is a “luxury”, usually those are the kids getting the full or close to full financial rides, including housing so going away to college is often more affordable than staying home, where financial aid doesn’t cover those costs…problem is, someone needs to tell those kids this so they CAN break out of that cycle of low education…</p>
<p>Boarding at college may be the norm for Steve’s highly educated MA community, but it seems not to be the default for much of the rest of the country. Consequently, as FA resources are not limitless, why are we giving FA for kids to board if there is a local public option that offers their desired major? It’s one thing to discount the tuition, but why are we giving aid to feed the kids too?</p>
<p>Most schools do not meet need. Most students do not get big merit awards. If you matched up all of the available funds with students, the need will still way out there. Sometimes we here tend to forget that we are not the average or typical. </p>
<p>I live in an area where most of the kids around me will go to college right after high school. I am seeing more of them now, choosing to commute rather than go away to school. As I said in another post, as I move south, there will be fewer and fewer kids going directly to a full time college, and most all f them will be commuting. Getting a substantial award to go to school is not that easy. And my state has state money in addition to the federal funds.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse–look past the state schools–that is not where they will get the financial aid on the whole. Even if a school isn’t on the meets 100% need list, there are a LOT of schools out there that come close, ESPECIALLY for the low income, first generation students. People get too caught up in the 100% part and forget that 98% covers most of their costs and a part-time job can take care of the rest. There are 100’s of schools across the country that would be VERY affordable…if people would just do a little research.</p>
<p>Ya, you need a degree to be a barista here too, but not everyone decides that they are that ambitious.
Some prefer to work for larger tips like this woman with a degree from Stanford who is a waitress.
[Guest:</a> Smartphones turn dinner parties into strangers at a table](<a href=“http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2020820174_shoshanawineburgopedxml.html]Guest:”>http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2020820174_shoshanawineburgopedxml.html)</p>
<p>I wonder if she is able to keep up w her loans?</p>
<p>Unless you’re a tip top candidate, no, most schools are NOT affordable to low income, first gen students. </p>
<p>I did a LOT of research when I was in high school as I fit both of those criteria. There were not a lot of schools out there that offered to meet need or even came close, especially not based on need. It was based on academics. </p>
<p>PLUS, for low-income students, it’s very difficult to move to other places until they meet need. Flying and moving are EXPENSIVE. It’s not doable for most.</p>
<p>“Boarding at college may be the norm for Steve’s highly educated MA community, but it seems not to be the default for much of the rest of the country.”</p>
<p>The other thing I’ve seen around here is for working class kids to commute to four-year, private colleges. There are so many schools within driving distance (or commuter-rail distance) that it’s quite easy for kids to get themselves there and save about ten thousand dollars a year by living at home. Other areas of the country don’t necessarily have dozens of private colleges within easy commuting distance.</p>
<p>romanigypsyeyes–we will have to agree to disagree then because even though our kids don’t meet any of that criteria, we found many schools that are very affordable for a student paying their own way, add in some financial aid that our kids did not get and they would have had a free ride after summer job earnings at many, many schools. Every school meets need for SOME of their students, just not all, which is why you have to dig a bit deeper to find that information…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>[Woburn</a> (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau](<a href=“http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25/2581035.html]Woburn”>http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25/2581035.html)
[Education</a> for Woburn Community Snapshot | MetroBoston DataCommon](<a href=“http://metrobostondatacommon.org/snapshots/cities-and-towns/woburn/education/]Education”>http://metrobostondatacommon.org/snapshots/cities-and-towns/woburn/education/)</p>
<p>Bachelor’s and associates degree attainment for people age 25 and up appears to be pretty average in Woburn. Perhaps 70% go to college, but perhaps a lot of it to take a few pre-professional courses or certificate at the community college, rather than successfully working toward a bachelor’s or associates degree.</p>
<p>SteveMA, don’t hold out on us. There are MANY, MANY poor students who are looking for near-full rides. Please, share with us the many, many schools who meet or near-meet full need for poor students. I’m not talking about for top students, I’m talking about for first generation, low-income students. I would love to pass it on to the poor, first gen students I know.</p>
<p>Look up any LAC with ACT scores in the 22-27ish range and there is your list…</p>
<p>SteveMa,Why not just share the names if you already have done the research and feel so strongly that there is all this merit aid that is out there from private schools? I actually don’t get it. Why not share the wealth?</p>
<p>I’m not talking about merit. You said meets need. To me, that means need based financial aid. I already said top students can get merit.</p>
<p>Like I said, look at LAC’s that have ACT mid range scores in the 22-27 range and you will have your list. The financial aid will follow as well as some merit making up a complete package. There are 100’s of schools that will come close to meeting need, the rest can be made working a part time job by the student. It’s not commonly found at state schools so no, you would not understand that this is available and common in many parts of the country.</p>
<p>romani, I did mean a combination of merit and need based as SteveMa has repeatedly said there is money out there. SteveMa,What are some of these schools you’ve found ?</p>
<p>
Logical fallacy alert!</p>
<p>I cited high school students going to college. You cited established adults living in that town, which only refutes my data IF almost all of the adults, age 25 to approximately 85, in the town are initially from there and were there when approximately 70% of the high school students attended college.</p>
<p>What often happens is that the high school students graduate, go to college, and maybe live somewhere else. Or the sixty-year-olds in town lived there back when less than 70% of the high school students went to college.</p>
<p>Nice try, but if I were still teaching logic, I would drag out your post for my class to dissect.</p>
<p>sevmom–pretty much every LAC in the midwest…with a few exceptions</p>
<p>romanigypsyeyes–if you didn’t get FA–how did you afford to go to college if your family had such a low income??</p>
<p>What are some examples and exceptions?</p>
<p>Creighton, St. Olaf, Gustavus, Central, Mount Mercy, Coe, St. Ambrose, St.Thomas, Viterbo, Truman…and about 200 other LAC in the midwest…feel free to run the NPC and look at their common data sets</p>
<p>Exception–Grinnell</p>