<p>about to start the college visits. the first two schools we are going to see offer merit aid and that would be needed in order to afford them. when meeting with the financial people what is a tactful way of discussing the need for merit aid?
1. should i volunteer we wont qualify for need based or would that make them think that we could therefore pay full sticker price and possibly affect merit??
2. should we take an unofficial transcript and or resume of ec's and just ask if this would place him in the range for consideration ie as it compares to their criteria?.. I know they certainly cant guarantee merit aid.
3. i dont want them to think we feel entitled to it in any way.<br>
thank for any input</p>
<p>Assuming that your child is a junior and these are the first of your college visits. In the visits that we attended, you don’t meet individually with anyone and may not meet at all with financial aid people. At least at the 10 or so visits I went on with each of my children that was in the case. There was not the opportunity to show anyone a transcript or other information about our child.<br>
These were more group, informational sessions where you are taking a feel for the school and whether your child would want to attend and the school is a good fit.
If your child is specifically going to this school because they are a recruited athlete or a particular academic department is specifically interested in your child, your mileage may vary.
I would look at the merit aid guidelines of each schools website and then make sure your child applies to a range of schools including some financial and academic safeties. Be sure to let your child know that some schools may be a wish school but finances will be a factor.</p>
<p>Do you have appointments with the financial aid people? When visiting colleges, we did tours, info sessions, and/or met with admissions, but not specifically with FA office. I learned about scholarships on their websites, talking to others, and here on CC. You can ask if they have guidelines for scholarships, cut-offs, etc, but a lot of schools don’t have firm numbers you could go by.</p>
<p>They probably will hand out materials that might be helpful in figuring out where your child stands in terms of who gets merit aid.</p>
<p>one has a specific meeting with fa person, other does not. both will have tours and general info session and both are letting him sit in on classes and meet with professors.
we have already discussed how finances will affect school choice and how even though the schools may offer merit it can be extremely selective and may not happen except in the case of some schools on his list that have automatic merit aid (if all info submitted by deadlines etc)</p>
<p>Not sure that I understand “need” for merit aid. In my experience, true “merit” aid is based on merit not need. A student either qualifies or does not. Depending on the school, there are usually three types of aid - merit only, need only and a combo of need and merit. The key is to do your research and select schools that offer the best combo of these three catagories. Then determine where your student fits on the school’s scholarship scale and choose the best fit.</p>
<p>sorry if wasnt clear. what i meant was as we wont qualify for any need based aid…in order to afford some of the colleges he may want to apply to we would “need” help. he is a very good student, high gpa, good test scores good ec’s and i am sure will get good references and when i review profiles of scholarship winners or if the school has some criteria for their merit scholarships he falls within the ranges . However some of the schools we have researched are very vague re the criteria for merit aid (probably as it may change year to year based on the pool of applicants) , just want to be able to see if he falls within their range so he doesnt fall in love with one that isnt even possible.</p>
<p>That is different. You might want to talk to the people at the school to see where he falls and also to explore what else he might be able to do to make him a better candidate for merit aid. If he is even close to the criteria, I immagine they will be very encouraging, since they want as many people to apply as possible - to get the strongest pool of candidates. Good luck and begin your research as early as possible. You might also want to look at outside scholarships like - Coke, Toyota, Elks, Target, Walmart and community scholarships. You might be amazed at how much money can be pieced together from smaller scholarships.</p>
<p>Is your student near or above the 75th percentile in test scores? Is his GPA higher than the average? If not, merit aid is unlikely.</p>
<p>Many schools administer merit aid as part of the admissions office rather than financial aid; financial aid handles need-based age only. Make sure that you’re talking to the right people before arranging the meetings.</p>
<p>You may simply want to ask what criteria are used for merit aid.</p>
<p>Chedva is right about who often administers merit aid. In many schools it is administered by either admissions or separate scholarship panels. Financial aid seldom administers merit only awards, although they are often involved with “merit/need” awards. Do your research and make informed decisions as to where to apply.</p>
<p>When we attended information sessions at schools, the speakers talked about merit aid; what percentage of the students get merit aid, what it takes to get merit aid, etc. Lots of parents asked merit aid questions during these sessions.
When my son interviewed at schools that offered merit aid, they told him he was a good candidate for “X” or “Y” scholarship, based on SAT scores and grades.
There are lots of threads on this forum about how to go about getting merit aid. Search those threads and you’ll find some good advice.</p>
<p>thanks! i will double check with the one school as to which department handles merit, we would still have time to change the meeting i think.
chedva, his test scores are 99th percentile and marks very good so i think he has a shot at some merit at these schools…whether he would get their top scholarships is another question.</p>
<p>Just remember that it all depends on the school. At some schools it is only about stats. At many of the more competetive private schools, it is about a lot more than the stats. At theses schools, it is not unusual for a high percentage of the merit candidates to be in the 99 percentile with top grades. They look for candidates that stand out for a variety of reasons. Here it is about ECs, recomendations. essays and leadership. In other words, how a candidate will make a difference on campus and possibly later on in life. The potential future alumni factor is always a consideration. The aim is for the school to complete a mosaic for the incoming class and the candidate to find the best fit. The prize goes to the ones that are best prepared.</p>
<p>If you are going to require merit aid to make college affordable just be aware that many of the national elites and top LACs are committed only to need-based aid. Therefore, if you don’t qualify for need-based aid, you are going to pay “sticker price.”</p>
<p>That said there are many colleges and universities that will compete for your son and will throw dollars his way. Many have merit-based scholarships posted their websites with general criteria.</p>
<p>But if you are looking at schools like Princeton, or Williams pull out the checkbook.</p>
<p>gasdoc, ST2 thanks, we have already knocked quite a few off the list as they offer no merit. I hate it, but fafsa’s idea of what we can contribute and what the reality is are very far apart… i’m sure we will find one he loves and hopefully one that offers some merit.</p>
<p>parent56
what Chedva means by 75th percentile is not on standardized tests or their high school grades but as 75th percentile of the stats of the entering freshman at each particular institution.Your childs stats should be there or above to determine whether they will be a candidate for merit based aid.</p>
<p>Possibly Princeton and Williams, but you still have Duke, Emory, WashU, Chicago, Rice and others of the same caliber. Not a bad selection in my opinion. At your top schools his stats should be way above the 75 percentile to be a good candidate for most significant merit awards.</p>
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<p>It is one thing to be blatant and ask for merit aid. However, I think it is ok to be frank and ask if your student would qualify, and for what range of amounts. They should be able to answer that. Send the admissions office an e-mail, and find out who your admissions person will be. Then lay your cards on the table.</p>
<p>thanks operadad, that is really what i needed to know. as it is a preliminary visit, i didnt want to be blatant or tactless, but it will be an important consideration for us. I know these schools offer merit aid, and just want a feel from these schools as to whether he falls in the ranges for consideration. Some school mention merit aid but give no criteria and no indication of the number of scholarships available. I certainly wont ask if they will give him merit aid!</p>