I agree with everyone else. BTW, I get where you are coming from. I was a Pell Grant kid who went to an Ivy/equivalent on fin aid. I discovered fields and got opportunities I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t gone to the schools I did (though honestly, my public magnet and M7 b-school did more for me).
But my kids will have grown up upper-middle class (and are going to a fine Montessori school now). They also have a dad who has experience in fields a lot of college kids want to get in to who can advise them. Long way of saying that they have a lot of advantages that kids growing up in the circumstances we did do not have. So if they were to have the same options as your D, I would tell them the Boettcher is the clear best choice since, even if they were to have $300K from me to invest, IMO, they would be better off investing it various ways (stocks, bonds, real estate, alternate assets, start a business, or certain elite MBA/masters programs) in terms of value for money. Especially since the Boettcher confers many of the same advantages as an Ivy/equivalent.
@CupCakeMuffins the Boettcher is not just any scholarship. It is very prestigious and not just a ‘full ride to Random U.’ The student gets to pick her school (a Colorado school). DU is a very good choice for this student (but CU would be too).
A CU student won the Rhodes scholarship last year and she was a Boettcher scholar. She also received a Truman scholarship and was a Marshall finalist. Pretty prestigious.
What an amazing opportunity! Frankly, I’m very surprised that she didn’t get into CC. If she would feel better going to CC (although DU is great, too) do you think it might be worth appealing their decision? Given the circumstances, smaller colleges like CC might welome the chance to have a student whose tuition will be guaranteed, not to mention the prestige of having a Boettcher scholar on campus. It might be worth a try!
I just wanted to drop a note about my experience with my S going to college close to home.
After looking up and down the east coast my S ended up at a college that is no more than a half hour from our house (but in a more urban location than our home). It was the best fit school plus he got the largest merit scholarship there. He was always going to dorm on campus.
We sat down as a family and had a serious talk before he opted to attend that college. We (parents) agreed to treat our S as if he was hours away – no popping by, no expecting him home other than for school breaks etc. He (S) agreed to not use being close to home as a crutch – no coming home for dinners, laundry etc. – he understood that he needed to create a life on campus.
And it worked out just great. We all kept to our word and he had a full and wonderful campus life that was very different from his home life. And a few times it was helpful to be close – we did bend the rules in extenuating circumstances (ex. when his laptop died I drove down with his old laptop to use while his was being repaired). No regrets at all.
If your D wants a different expereince she can always do a semester or a year abroad or in a program at another US college. So if UDenver turns out to be the best choice I would not dismiss it out of hand.
Right now, just in the last few days, the economy has tanked, and I doubt it’s going to get better any time soon. One thing I’ve learned about life in these times is to expect the unexpected. It’s good now, but things change REAL quick nowadays. Just in case something else crashes and your business takes a bad turn, it would be wise to let your kid take the full ride. At least it’s a financial burden you don’t have to deal with.
Thought I’d circle back and let you all know that D20 made the decision to accept the Boettcher (full ride scholarship) and she’s so excited and grateful for the chance. It was hard to turn down some of the amazing places and offers she had, but the cohort benefits of the Boettcher program coupled with the financial benefits were too hard to turn down.
Thanks to all of you for your input and for taking the time to reply
@happy1 my friends loved having their son in the same city. They looked at a lot of other schools but couldn’t find anything better than UW Madison. He came home on sunday nights with his cousin to do laundry and watch the Packers. They all loved the arrangement.
I went to school about 45 minutes from home (at least for part of the time - my parents moved while I was at school) and I loved it because I could go home for something like dinner or a tennis lesson and not have to stay overnight. I liked lots of short contacts better than having to stay for the weekend.
OP, congrats. I don’t think she’ll regret it. Many DU students go to Scotland for a semester or a year. Since DU is on quarters, a year tends to work better.
One more thing, on the one that got away: there is lots to love about CO College - for the right kid. But, it is very much a fit school, and I know recent students who loved 1st year but ultimately wanted more academically motivated peers. By 3rd year they were running out of challenges. That’s not a slam on the school- just the experience of a couple of students I happen to know. The sting of rejection is never great, but sometimes it is a favor.
I am facing the same choice for my kid. Full price (nearly) Stanford vs. T30 Stamps Scholarship (Full COA, plus stipends). Such a hard decision especially in light of the current economic climate. I’m glad you and your daughter have made the final choice OP! Another week or so for us.
Stamps is really powerful- seems as if every spring there is a Stamps kid or 2 weighing Stamps v Stanford! Even if you are mega-blessed financially, a $240K nest egg is a great start in life- grad school? down payment?
The Boettcher finalist interviews were done in person last year (panel format) because they were pre-pandemic (decisions came out in mid-late March and I think interviews were completed by the end of Feb if I remember correctly). I know my D mentioned that thus year’s interviews would be done online…