Financial Safeties - Help?

Paying for College
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<p>So I've got a solid list together, and I have a few academic safeties, but I don't want to go to a public school and I'm in the approx 100k a year area so I miiight not get enough FA.
My list is: Brown, Vassar, Bard, Whitman, Skidmore, Barnard, Lewis & Clark, and Drew
My stats are: 3.92 GPA, 34 ACT, full IB, Main ECs theatre for many years + working part time
My state school is the University of Washington, and I know it is a great school but it is huuuuge and I really don't think I'd be happy there. The rest of my instate publics I don't think will challenge me enough academically, and most are still pretty big.
Can anyone suggest lesser-knows LACs where I could most likely get a hefty amount of merit aid for my stats? I want a school that is going to be liberal and artsy, with a decent theatre program. I'd prefer the pacific NW or the northeast.</p>

<p>Thanks! :) if you need any more specifics let me know.</p>

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<p>USC is not a safety or LAC, but you might get a good merit scholarship from them.</p>

<p>For your major, I’m thinking of LMU or Chapman - I think both would give you merit scholarships. Not NW, but in the LA area for theater.</p>

<p>Fordham (again, not an LAC), but might give you merit. Great location in Manhattan.</p>

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<p>How much do you need?</p>

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<p>You’ll probably get 1/2 tuition at Lewis and Clark. Try Denison and College of Wooster.</p>

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<p>Seattle U. has some very good merit $.</p>

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<p>My parents don’t really talk to me about how much we need. They won’t help me figure out our EFC, and every time I ask them how much they could pay a year for college they just tell me something along the lines of “we’ll figure it out”. They’ll fill out the fafsa come next year, but for the college selection process, I’m on my own. I know I have about 25k in my college fund, I can make about 5k a year waiting tables. They’ve said they can contribute, but I really don’t know how much. So I’m applying to schools that meet need as my reaches, and then for financial safeties, here I am…So I guess the answer to how much is: as much as possible.</p>

<p>I really need to rope my parents into this more. I know.</p>

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<p>You need to get both parents together and explain why this info needs to be known NOW. The answer of “we’ll figure it out” only works if they intend of paying full freight and have some good ideas for how they’ll do that.</p>

<p>Tell your parents that private schools are costing about $50k per year for tuition, room, board, and books. That may be unknown to them. Ask them if they can pay all of that, half of that, a quarter of that, or what???</p>

<p>Tell them that you do NOT want to make the mistake of spending hours and hours applying to the “wrong schools” (schools that will expect the parents to pay $25k+ per year when the parents have no intention of paying that much.)</p>

<p>If your parents are married, talk to them both at the same time. If they “hem and haw” then you need to flat out ask them if the reason why they’re hesitant is because they fear that they can’t pay much. IF that’s the case, you need to know that NOW. </p>

<p>IF your parents are delaying this decision because they’re embarrassed that they can’t afford much, they may not realize that by delaying telling you this they are just making the situation WORSE. </p>

<p>If they delay in telling you what they can pay, then you may miss some opportunities to find more affordable options.</p>

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<p>What about Evergreen? If you are willing to go to the midwest you might get more merit scholarships (Kalamazoo, Denison, Wooster, Marietta, Hiram). If you are female, Smith, Cedar Crest (and I think Mount Holyoke) have some merit aid. I would check out “the colleges that change lives” ([Colleges</a> That Change Lives | Changing Lives, One Student at a Time](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/]Colleges”>http://www.ctcl.org/)). Gettysburg offers merit scholarships, but I don’t know if that will be “enough.” Hobart and William Smith? Juniata?</p>

<p>Unfortunately the list skips from 80k to 120k, but you might find this link useful: [Project</a> on Student Debt: What’s the Bottom Line?](<a href=“http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/ncoa_chart.php]Project”>http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/ncoa_chart.php)</p>

<p>These links might have some helpful info:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>How about Goucher? It’s liberal and artsy and it looks like you could be in the running for scholarship $. </p>

<p>[Goucher</a> College Admissions](<a href=“http://www.goucher.edu/x20991.xml]Goucher”>http://www.goucher.edu/x20991.xml)</p>

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<p>The College of Idaho liberal artsy in the NW decent school and for a LAC its cheap.
And they have this <a href=“http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/admission/FAC.asp?ID=admission[/url]”>http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/admission/FAC.asp?ID=admission&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>University of San Francisco? This one doesn’t meet all your requirements, but it is liberal and artsy (though not an LAC), and has a theater minor [url=<a href=“http://web.usfca.edu/artsci/pa/performing_arts/]Majors”>http://web.usfca.edu/artsci/pa/performing_arts/]Majors</a> & Minors in the Performing Arts<a href=“and%20San%20Francisco%20is%20a%20great%20theater%20city”>/url</a>.</p>

<p>You would quailfy for the University Scholarship of $19,500/year:

[url=<a href=“http://www.usfca.edu/Undergraduate_Admission/FAQ/]FAQ[/url”>http://www.usfca.edu/Undergraduate_Admission/FAQ/]FAQ[/url</a>]</p>

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<p>U San Francisco is a very good suggestion. Good Jesuit education. Good location.</p>

<p>The merit scholarship is very good for those who apply Early Action (non-binding) :)</p>

<p>The family would likely be responsible for the other $30k per year (about $50k per year COA). If that’s fine with them, then that’s a good safety.</p>

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<p>Another liberal, artsy midwestern LAC with great merit aid is Lawrence University (university because it includes a music conservatory) in Wisconsin.</p>

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<p>mom2collegekids is spot on with her advice. You need to find out just exactly how much money is available or your whole application process may turn out to be a gigantic waste of your time and your application fees.</p>

<p>Sit down with your parents. Run the FAFSA and CSS Profile Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) calculators at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) and [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Calculate Your Cost – BigFuture | College Board) Talk about your options.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>

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<p>For a financial safety in the northeast, I’d recommend SUNY New Paltz. It’s a great school for creative, artsy kids set in an artsy town where you can easily take a train to NYC. It is a public school, but a fairly selective one, and not tremendously large…or small. I believe their total enrollment is around 6,000 students. I know they offer scholarships, but don’t know the particulars on them…a poster named Lilymoon probably would, if you care to PM her and I’m sure you can find more New Paltz info on the forums here. But the SUNY’s are very reasonable for OOS kids - tuition and fees are just under $14K and, although fees (around $1K) may increase slightly each year, tuition does not. Worth a look!</p>

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<p>LilyMoon here - thanks for the mention sk8rmom :slight_smile:
Yes, definitely check out SUNY New Paltz…great theater dept. and proximity to NYC is a plus. One of my son’s housemates is a theater major and she loves it. The student body is artsy, creative and down to earth. There is a cute, funky college town and the area is mountainous with lots of outdoor activities. The price is reasonable for OOS students but I am not knowledgable about scholarships or financial aid, sorry.
Sounds like you should look into it…check out the website, facebook page and students review dot com. If I can help with any further info, just let me know here or PM.</p>

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<p>If we’re talking SUNYs, then perhaps SUNY-Purchase is another good choice.</p>

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<p>OP - I know you want to expand your list, but here is some insight on your current list. We have a S who is a Drew Theatre major. Your stats are good enough for some merit aid - maybe around 1/2 tuition. Bard doesn’t give much merit money, and you will be competing with lots of other theatre types for what is available. FA told us that if our S had wanted to major in science, Bard would have given him big $$ as they were trying to advance their sciences. Vassar does no merit aid.</p>

<p>Might want to look at Rider (you might get close to a full ride with your stats) and Muhlenberg.</p>

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<p>sanapple - I am considering a double major or major/minor in theatre and science (probably chemistry. Random combo but hey I like what I like.), do you think that would help me at Bard?</p>

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<p>Muhlenberg has a great theater program that encourages double majoring. they give both merit and talent (with audition) scholarships.</p>