<p>I go to a Catholic University in Ohio. I’m studying Environmental Biology and consider myself a hippie tree-hugger, and have plenty of hippie tree hugger friends. This, of course, depends on the campus. I don’t know if I would fit in at St. John’s either.</p>
<p>General advice from an Environmental Biologist-in-training:
If she’s looking to study biology, she’s going to need grad school (if she wants a job, that is). Keep that in mind. Most research-based masters/Ph.D programs in the sciences are paid and come with a stipend. Even with this, it is not necessarily a good idea to spend all of your savings for college on one kid. I desperately wanted to go to Case Western before deciding on my current school, but it just wasn’t affordable. </p>
<p>Have her look through the faculty at each school and see if any of their research aligns with her interests. She’ll need to do great in her intro classes and seek out these professors during Freshman year to see if they have any room in their labs. If she wants to do conservation research, she’s going to be more competitive with a BS instead of a BA. Degrees in environmental science are usually not as strong as Biology.</p>
<p>We’ll have to see, but I think this forum is mislabeled. The choices available don’t seem particularly difficult.</p>
<p>Can’t afford NYU, which means it is very likely you won’t be able to afford BU.</p>
<p>So the choices are W&M, in-state, which you can afford; St. John’s, which is in Queens (right near where I grew up) where you have money, but isn’t anywhere close to the excitement of Manhattan, and has indifferent academics at best. Take a year off, or go to community college. </p>
<p>This is not a difficult set of choices. I think the original choices were pretty poor ones, but that’s water over the dam. Since there are only four choices, all very distinct ones, all affordable, just let her choose among them.</p>
<p>I agree with mini - BU will likely still be too expensive. My D was offered $20K/year in merit aid at BU - which seems to be a common figure for top notch applicants. That still leaves over $30K out of pocket. BUs big award - trustee level - requires a nomination and application by December 1. My current HS senior son received an application in the mail last fall - neither of my kids applied for the trustee, but for anyone considering BU as a serious safety/financial safety, it would have been worth filling out. I can’t understand why more people who don’t qualify for need-based aid don’t put more time and effort identifying schools where they are likely to receive good merit aid.</p>
<p>The Trustee Scholarship has an application and interview process. It is for VERY high achieving high school students…if one is applying for the trustee scholarship, they would need to be in the tippy top of the applicant pool at BU…tippy top.</p>
<p>Personally, I’d push the William & Mary. Much more prestigious and stronger than the other colleges on her list, affordable for you. No, it’s not in an urban environment, but she’s only 18. Everybody thinks they want to live in the big city when they’re 18, because it’s glamorized. I did, too, and I grew up around NYC. Now I live in NYC (for graduate school) and it’s definitely not all it’s cracked up to be - I want out. It’s expensive and cramped.</p>
<p>Even if she really, really, really does want to live in NYC, though, she can always move after she graduates from college. And the beauty of W&M is that it will give her the opportunity to do that. A lower-tier school like St. John’s or Pace won’t afford her the opportunities that W&M (or even BU) would.</p>
<p>OP here… Hey, some of you are harping on me pretty hard, and I’m not sure why. I’m new here, and new to the whole sending-a-kid-to-college thing, so please be kind to me! </p>
<p>Yes, I posted a confused first thread. And then it got hijacked by a discussion about ED, flyover states, trolls and other things that were not pertinent. That’s why I started a 2nd thread, to try to have a discussion that was both more clear and more relevant to my question. Someone else – a moderator? – tossed it back in with the first one and now it is a tangled mess. Please bear with me and don’t be mean!</p>
<p>For those just tuning in, I reiterate: daughter was rejected by Columbia ED, accepted by NYU EDII but with no real financial aid, accepted to St. John’s rolling admission with lots of money, and now assuming that she is also accepted at W&M, maybe with aid but even if not at an in-state rate we can pay.</p>
<p>To clarify for those of you who seem overly concerned, my daughter got notification that she is a semi-finalist for a scholarship at W&M. She initially misread it and we thought it was an acutal award. Another parent on here set me straight that the finalists won’t be notified for a few more weeks, but we are assuming that if the financial aid office is considering her, then the admissions office will be giving us a yes as well. </p>
<p>If you can afford William and Mary instate ,even if she does not get a scholarship , that would probably be the best bet. Otherwise, a gap year or community college may be options. Why did she apply to William and Mary if she will not consider attending? Did she apply to UVa? Charlottesville is no New York City, but is definitely livelier and bigger than Williamsburg.</p>
<p>Yes, waiting to hear from Vanderbilt, which she may not get into and from Boston U, which she most likely will. From what I’ve read here the last 2 days, BU is likely to be like NYU, where she gets in but with not much aid. We’ll see</p>
<p>So they might consider her for a big award but then not admit her? How could that be?</p>
<p>Is this for the Murray Scholar program? The awards are very limited- 4 I believe.
Fifty students altogether at W & M qualify for merit aid. But then, I thought she doesn’t want to go there anyway?</p>
<p>kpgriswold, I feel for you, you’ve been raked over the coals. I think it’s because some of your information got pretty muddled and CC posters don’t like muddled. Your first problem has been resolved, NYU is no longer an option because of money. My son had to pass on a couple schools he really loved because of money, it happens, a lot! The next question, where will she attend, can’t be answered until you receive all the college acceptances and all the financial aid offers. Good luck!</p>
<p>The die is already cast for your daughter but I recall that you have 3 more coming up. There is CC wisdom that this experience should teach you so you are better prepared for the next college application experience. If you need financial aid then aim at reaches that meet 100% of demonstrated need (they state this policy in their admissions information) and then drop down the selectivity rungs a bit to position your child as a top applicant for schools where their stats fall in the top 25% of currently enrolled students, these schools want to attract top applicants and offer merit aid. Merit aid is golden.</p>
<p>Another CC rule that you should know is you must have solid safeties (academically and financially) that your child LIKES and will be willing to attend. You have no idea how many kids end up at their safeties and they are NOT safeties if your kid refuses to go. You’ll be much wiser the next time around. This college application stuff is baffling and convoluted but there is an art to it.</p>
<p>Another thing to note…right now the OPs daughter is dealing with TWO big disappointments…Columbia rejection, and NYU lack of financial aid.</p>
<p>I would suggest that the college “choice” discussion be dropped for now…until at least a little of the dust settles. With these two disappointments, you are unlikely to have a really good chat about it right now.</p>
<p>As others have mentioned…all of the potential acceptances and possible financial aid packages are not even IN yet to discuss. Let it go until they are in place.</p>
<p>There will be many opportunities to study in big cities…study abroad is another option many students do.</p>
<p>OP, I dont think people are trying to be mean to you, I think they are afraid you may be letting your beloved (yes I can tell) Daughter make a terrible mistake. I can tell from what you have said, she is the type of kid who has always done as you and her teachers have asked, and worked hard, so it is very dissappointing. I know she will be crying, pouting, screaming, and I feel for you and her. But too many people here are telling you the same thing.</p>
<p>From what I gather it is rare, but there is a kid right now on the Tulane thread who is in the running for a full ride but was either turned down or deferred there (I’m pretty sure it was deferred). I have heard of one or two other similar examples.</p>
<p>Congrats on the semi-finalist announcement. We got the likely letter today but unfortunately no semi-finalist word :(</p>
<p>Your first thread wasn’t hijacked, it went in directions that YOU raised: ED, prestige, etc. The ■■■■■ items arose because you gave so much conflicting information that people started to think YOU were one; however, it would appear that you really are you, just confused.</p>
<p>I find it hard to imagine how a crunchy granola kid who is planning to study environmental science is so attracted to living in the concrete canyons of NYC. It strikes me that she is being very unrealistic about her interests.</p>