<p>I was just wondering if its necessary to have a 'financial' safety as well as a safety for admittance. I mean right now, all colleges on my list are around 30k a year. The majority of colleges seem like they are! Is it necessary to find a financial safety state school, even if that school is lesser academically?
Any replies would be greatly appreciated. Thx!</p>
<p>I would think so, especially if you're not "rich." I wouldn't rely on FAFSA to be your savior, and if you're not an academic stud..it's always good to apply to a financial safety school. This would usually be your in-state "big" school. (Rutgers, UConn, SUNY, UF, UGa, Illinois, Indiana, etc.etc.etc...)</p>
<p>I think it's VERY important. Even if you get financial aid, it may not be enough. It's good to have a safety you can afford. IMHO it is a mistake to go into big debt for an undergrad degree.</p>
<p>It depends on your financial situation, and how much you believe you will be dependent on financial aid to attend. If money is a decisive factor for you in choosing a college, once acceptances come in, you should probably think about putting in a financial safety.</p>
<p>VERY important to me, I'm upper middle class and white, and with most of my way paid at UF, I can't really choose anywhere else without massive debt, even though I think I COULD get into a top 20 school.</p>
<p>I'm looking for a masters degree eventually, so as long as I do good at UF I should be able to get into a top school, and for that I will be willing to go into debt for.</p>
<p>VERY important.. I just learned that if I don't get an academic scholarship into Florida state university, UNC-Chapel Hill, U of Washington, American University, or UNC-Greensboro I can't go there. My dad will force me to go to The Ohio State University, even though he know's I hate that school, but since he get's 50% in OSU I have to go there... Yep my life sucks. Those schools I listed especially FSU is not that expensive, and we are a middle class family. But my parents have two other kids that are in college: my brother, and my sister. According to my dad I wont get fiancial aid so I might as well not try...ahhhh I HATE HIM SO MUCH>>I HATE LIFE>>>I HATE SCHOOL>>>SO MUCH STRESS>>WORRIES>>WILL I PASS THE ACT?WILL I HAVE A GOOD GPA BY THE END OF THE YEAR?WILL I GET ACCEPTED INTO COLLEGE< WILL I RECIEVE SCHOLARSHIPS>>SO MUCH STRESSSSSSSS...god help me.OH and TO TOP THAT OFF I FOUND OUT THAT MY PARENTS DONT HAVE A COLLEGE FUND FOR ME>>>OMG>>God is the only reason that I dont give up...I believe he has a plan for me...amen...</p>
<p>That's quite a bit of stress there.</p>
<p>Lol.. don't u watch the simpsons or malcom in the middle? No average family has a college fund anymore.</p>
<p>I thought the top schools were need blind ?</p>
<p>Not all of them. Johns Hopkins, for example, is NOT need blind. </p>
<p>By definition, a "safety" should be a safety in terms of both admissions and financial aid. It's definitely worth adding a couple of schools that you really like and fit you financially. Financial aid is all well and good, but not everyone wants to graduate $20,000 in debt. There's a thread on the Parents' Forum about schools known for merit $ that you should read. :)</p>
<p>I'm applying to Johns Hopkins and WILL NEED financial aid. Is that gonna hurt my admissions chances now? What exactly is need-blind?</p>
<p>In all seriousness.... it's up to you. debt can be paid back, it won't be fun, but it's not the worst thing in the world. If you really like a school you want to go there, money should not be the factor that stops you from going. If you are a good student, chances are you're going to get a job after you're out of school, once you've done that you start paying it back, it's that simple. If you're looking for a school that gives a lot of financial aid, its small, and you're a guy check out Wabash. It's a great school and is very rich. In all honesty - do you want to enjoy your education and get a good education, or do you want to worry about money for you're entire life. I'm not saying you shouldn't go to state schools, there are some state schools that are excellent, but go to a school you like regardless of price.</p>
<p>I really don't think it will hurt your chances that much unless you're a borderline applicant teetering on the edge. I was admitted to Hopkins RD, and I needed a lot of financial aid. "Need-blind" means the admissions officers have no idea how much financial aid you need, and many of the schools offer to meet your full need. Most schools are not need-blind. </p>
<p>The need-blind schools are:
Amherst College
Boston College<br>
Brown University<br>
Claremont McKenna College
Columbia University<br>
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Duke University
Emory University<br>
Georgetown University
Grinnell College<br>
Haverford College<br>
Harvard University
Mass. Institute of Technology<br>
Middlebury College
Northwestern University
Pomona College
Princeton University
Rice University
Swarthmore College
University of Chicago
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
Vanderbilt University
Wake Forest University
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Williams College
Yale University
...and possibly a couple more I forgot.</p>
<p>No more tahn 18,000 a year (EVERYTHING included) and I'll still need financial aid.</p>
<p>I'm middle class and have 2 siblings going to college at roughly the same time (they are going to less expensive schools).</p>
<p>So you could say that money is probably one of the biggest factors (if not the biggest) in my college decision.</p>
<p>By the way, I'm going to Texas A&M.</p>
<p>I dont have a state of residency for my freshman year so im basically looking for state schools with guaranteed merit-aid scholarships based on stats and some of the more generous privates</p>
<p>um, if u haven't noticed, those schools mentioned are the top privates in the country, the top 20 most of them.</p>
<p>And that list is by no means complete...there are many schools that offer good deals for families. They have been discussed and discussed....</p>
<p>Sometimes you don't even know what the financial aid safety school will be until after you receive the financial aid award letters. Our daughter was accepted to three midwestern LAC's and received roughly the same freshman year grant aid from all three. However, most of the aid from two of the schools was need-based while the all of the aid from the third school was merit based and guaranteed for all four years. At the two colleges that gave need-based aid our family's cost could go up substantially if our income increased. We had heard that most colleges will give better aid if the student is near the top of their applicant pool and assumed that she would get a better aid package from a less selective school. The best aid ended up coming from the best academically ranked and most selective school she applied to.</p>