<p>Daughter needs to turn it all recs and paperwork at once for EA and RD...today or tomorrow. We (parents) adding the last school. I'd love to see another honors college or small liberal arts school (with a nice fat endowment) who'd be happy to have a disciplined and hardworking student...and where admission is less competitive. </p>
<p>She so wants to be in NYC, that she's lobbying for Eugene Lang. We'd like this school to be a teaching school but generous with FA, preferably in the northeast. Ideas?</p>
<p>Many thanks for any help.</p>
<p>NMSF, AP Scholar with Distinction
GPA 3.8-4.0 uw (some confusion on this, we thought it lower but her transcript said 4.082 uw)
SAT 1=2220 (CR 800, W 750, M 670)
10 APs at graduation
All senior grades currently at 95% or above</p>
<p>Columbia, U Penn
*Boston College, *U Chicago, NYU, Barnard, Wash U
*Fordham, *Pitt</p>
<p>Considering your daughter's obvious attraction to cities, how about the University of Maryland at College Park -- which is right outside of Washington, DC.</p>
<p>With her academic credentials, she would have a good shot at UMCP's highly regarded honors program. And there is some merit scholarship money for out of staters, although I don't know how much. </p>
<p>Another advantage of UMCP: You can use your AP credits toward "core" (really, distribution -- UMCP doesn't have a Core in the Columbia sense of the word) requirements. This means that people with lots of APs have lots of academic freedom. Double majors in wildly unrelated fields are common. So is graduating in three years.</p>
<p>I think that Barnard would be much stronger academically than Eugene Lang, but admissions would be more competitive at Barnard (and you're asking for less competitive). Fordham fits the bill in many ways. It gives full scholarships to some NMFs, but not all. If you did some digging, you might be able to come up with specifics. Fordham's Lincoln Center campus would put her in the middle of everything. </p>
<p>"Financial aid" encompasses a couple of different concepts, as you probably know. If your family is able to come up with your EFC every year, you can look at schools that meet 100% of need (and keep your fingers crossed that the college's idea of your need is about the same as your idea). However, if your daughter needs merit money, that's a different strategy. Barnard, for instance, is relatively generous with financial aid, as I understand it, but it's need based, not merit. Other parents more knowledgeable than I am can help you. Also, make sure to read all the relevant "merit aid" threads, of which there are many!</p>
<p>In my daughter's case, as a rule of thumb, colleges expected us to pay about $10,000 a year more than our EFC. Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes! :)</p>
<p>No Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Mt. Holyoke? All filled with professors who love to teach. Based on your daughter's stats and interest in Columbia, all better fits for her intellectually than Eugene Lang... although not in NYC. Merit money at Brandeis (potentially) for a kid with your D's stats.</p>
<p>Thanks, for so many suggestions. Her dad is suggesting Macalester and I am wondering about UMich? The women's schools have filled our mailbox but she obviously prefers a city setting. I would love to hear of other schools with programs like Pitt's Univ. Honors College.</p>
<p>aron, could you please clarify if you would qualify for need based aid or if you will require merit aid. It seems that some of the schools on your daughter's list are need-based only.</p>
<p>I'd add another vote for Barnard and add Swarthmore.</p>
<p>...will be necessary. However, we do have a good bit of home equity. I am beginning to have problems with the process for rec and evaluations at her high school, of course, logistically I understand their concerns. But D is now receiving scholarship invites to schools not currently on her list...and perhaps they should be.</p>
<p>Have you done any online calculators to get an idea of what you'll be expected to pay (or at least an approximation)? Better to be shocked now rather than later! :)</p>
<p>My daughter was also NMF, and because she didn't want to apply to our state system, she agreed to use one of the full-ride NMF schools as her safety, Arizona State's Barrett Honors College. She ended up not going there, but it was wonderful to know that she had something very affordable in the bag. You might want to check out some of the scholarship offers with your daughter and see what looks appealing.</p>
<p>Oddly enough, although not general with need based aid, NYC does have merit aid. S's close friend got offered $100,000. He passed it up for UPenn. His scores and stats were not the equal of your daughter's, but he does have an impressive art portfolio. I assume he applied to Steinhardt which is probably less competitive for merit money.</p>
<p>Purely on the financial side of things, may I suggest McGill? Glorious city.</p>
<p>Barnard mom here. Barnard was indeed generous with need based grant, and we too have sizable home equity (but sizable mortgage too.)</p>
<p>Yes, the equity is what adds to the EFC using the institutional method, the Fed method is doable though. But I agree about the shock. Last year at an info session NYU said they were phasing out merit aid (all their students were deserving), but the website indicates some availability. LurkNess, thanks for the suggestion. McGill is a school she's looked at--a friend is in love with it. But we keep suggesting places <em>we</em> want to visit and she's on to us. :)</p>
<p>Thanks to all who made suggestions here and on another thread. FA details are arriving and we could use a little input on evaluating packages and the schools' record over time.</p>
<p>D is accepted at
NYU-awaiting FA info, trying not to get our hopes up
Barnard-seems generous
Fordham Lincoln Center-full tuition, waiting for more detail
Pitt-full tuition
and Macalester-also generous.</p>
<p>She's waiting to hear from Columbia (big reach this year) and Boston College. She's waitlisted at U Chicago but given FA, that's a no.</p>
<p>I know mythmom and other Barnard parents can probably provide an idea of what to expect in future years. Any tips re: evaluating the FA mix?</p>
<p>Great results, aron. Congrats to your daughter! And you can relax a bit, knowing that she can get a wonderful education at any of those schools! Now it comes down to fit and what will work for you as a family financially. She can't go wrong!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your advice and suggestions. She's very weary of the process. We've said that a gap year is fine, but I suspect she will not take one. The FA now has me calculating percentages and wondering about what next year's award would look like.</p>