<p>DD will be our first in college so this whole process is new & overwhelming. She has been fortunate enough to receive a full ride & full tuition from two different oos state schools. She intially thought a bigger state school would be the best fit. However, after looking at & competing at several smaller privates she now feels thats where her heart lies. Unfortunately the 2 privates that she is very interested in did not offer nearly as much as the state schools and the price tag is much higher! She hopes to attend Vet school after her undergrad which is really making her think about the money. Of course, we just want her to be happy. </p>
<p>We were considering requesting a review of the fin/merit aid packages at the privates. How should we go about that? Should she make the request or us? Should we call or put it in writing? I have read that when asking for a review that you should include other offers of comparable schools, should we bother include the state schools since they are not comparable? </p>
<p>By the way, our EFC is 15K and the privates are getting near that (with work study & loans) but it's still alot ($22k w/loans) when she could go for free. Such decisons! </p>
<p>Any help is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Schools are used to parents making inquiries when it comes to financial issues. I think it’s better for parents to do the inquiring anyway. You can either call, email, or write…writing will probably be the slowest. I would call and find out who to email.</p>
<p>If the schools are close to meeting need, then they may not cooperate. </p>
<p>*By the way, our EFC is 15K and the privates are getting near that (with work study & loans) but it’s still alot ($22k w/loans) when she could go for free. Such decisons! </p>
<p>*</p>
<p>If your D wants to go to professional school, then minimizing undergrad debt is VERY important. Vet school is expensive and will require loans.</p>
<p>My son faced a similar issue as a pre-med student. He took the big scholarships (nearly free ride), has NO DEBT, and we’ll be able to help him with med school since undergrad cost us very little.</p>
<p>Which schools gave her the free rides? Do they have honors colleges?</p>
<p>Thanks Mom2collegekids! She has a ride from Morehead State & tuition from Ohio University. Morehead has an honors program (we haven’t visited yet) & Ohio has an Honors Tuitorial College which she wasn’t sure about applying to. </p>
<p>She really really liked the privates, but she is very concerned about the debt that she would be taking on with Vet or Med school. She was really hoping that we would be able to help her a little with that but if we are spending 22k/year for undergrad she will definately be on her own for med school.</p>
<p>She has a ride from Morehead State & tuition from Ohio University. Morehead has an honors program (we haven’t visited yet)</p>
<p>Can you visit soon? If you can, make an appt with the honors college as well.</p>
<p>* & Ohio has an Honors Tuitorial College which she wasn’t sure about applying to. *</p>
<p>She should definitely apply to the honors college at Ohio…what’s the concern?</p>
<p>*She really really liked the privates, but she is very concerned about the debt that she would be taking on with Vet or Med school. *</p>
<p>It doesn’t sound like she’s really given the publics a chance…she hasn’t visited one, and she hasn’t explored the honors college of the other. </p>
<p>She was really hoping that we would be able to help her a little with that but if we are spending 22k/year for undergrad she will definately be on her own for med school.</p>
<p>I totally understand why you can’t help with med school! </p>
<p>$22k per year is $88k total. If you don’t have much saved for college, then that’s about $2000 per month. Will that be a problem? </p>
<p>Even if you only had to pay your EFC of $15k, that would be about $1250 per month.</p>
<p>I also want you and your D to keep something in mind. There are costs assoc with college that have are unexpected and not included with COA. </p>
<p>Along with that, the year that your D applies to vet schools, is going to be expensive as well…apps, travel for interviews, etc.</p>
<p>It is difficult. What to do is to decide what the maximum is that you can pay, and then pick a school that fits your budget. Your D and you are fortunate and prescient to have picked some choices that are affordable. You can call the financial aid offices of the first choice school, tell them the situation and see if they can come up with anymore money, but don’t have your D consider that try to be the big push. When everything comes on the table, pick the option you can afford and then see what you can do to make other alternatives be considered. You don’t want all of this to be anymore stressful than it already is.</p>
<p>Mom2collegekids- We plan to visit Morehead in the next week or so. She is a little concerned that it’s too rural & it’s a suitcase school, so we’ll try to visit on a Fri-Sat to so she can sit in on classes & see what the school is like on the weekend as well. She did visit Ohio & really liked it, the Honors Tutorial College was a concern since those credits wouldn’t transfer if she wasn’t happy there & had to transfer. She would request to be apart of the honors housing at Ohio though (since it has a bit of a party school rep).</p>
<p>We will be able to help her with undergrad at 22k/year but there would be nothing left for Vet schoo (which is a big concern of hers). By time she is in Vet school we will have another in college (he’d be a soph) so we won’t be able to do both.</p>
<p>We figure asking for additional $ from the privates can’t hurt. Hoping we go about it the right way & actually get some more $ from them.</p>
<p>Cptofthehouse- Thanks for the advise! It is a really stressful time (the waiting for awards is the worst!) We feel very fortunate to have so many options & to be able help her make which ever school she choose happen. It will ultimately be her decision how she wants to spend the $ we have saved for her education. </p>
<p>Do you both feel it would be best for us to contact the fin aid dept or should the request for a review come from her?</p>
<p>She is a little concerned that it’s too rural & it’s a suitcase school, so we’ll try to visit on a Fri-Sat to so she can sit in on classes & see what the school is like on the weekend as well.</p>
<p>that’s a real concern. If she’d be too far away to come home while others are going home, she’ll be lonely on weekends…and if it’s in a rural area, then again, she’d have nothing to do. </p>
<p>*the Honors Tutorial College was a concern since those credits wouldn’t transfer *</p>
<p>Hmmm…is that true for all the credits in the Honors program, or just a few. That seems odd. </p>
<p>*We figure asking for additional $ from the privates can’t hurt. Hoping we go about it the right way & actually get some more $ from them.
*</p>
<p>Yes, do ask…it certainly can’t hurt!!! Tell them how much your D likes the school and would like to attend, but financially it will be a problem for your family. Are there any special circumstances that you can mention? Are your D’s stats high for these schools?</p>
<p>According to Petersons she is in the top 18% at one & top 2% at the other. She competed on campus for scholarship awards for both schools. We were very disappointed with the $ from the school where she was in the top 2%. She thought things went very well, i guess the competition was very stiff.</p>
<p>The way Ohio’s tutorial is set up so that the tutorials are a very specific subject matter and most other schools would not have comparable course, therefore they wouldn’t transfer. We heard of someone who went into the Honors Tutorial college & wasn’t happy. When she transferred none of the tutorial courses were able to transfer to the new school. We will have to really take another look at it if she decides to go there.</p>