<p>I got good aid to small LACs. I supposed I should be happy. But, at school, when I say I am headed to XYZ college, and they know I got in to UT Austin and Texas A&M, they will say "why?" and then they will always try to convince me that I need to be at UT Austin or TAMU.</p>
<p>To add to it, I was accelerated a grade in private school, but when my parents moved me back to public school, my mom decided to put me back a grade, to my add grade, saying it would give me an advantage in the long run. But, my PSAT was 216, which would have qualified me as National Merit if I graduated last year, but only commended this year. Our EFC was less than 7000, and that was not even taking in to consideration the occasional foster child (which we have actually not had lately, my parents say they just can't afford it right now) or the fact that I have siblings with special needs.</p>
<p>The private schools came through with merit aid (which would not have been enough) and need based aid..enough that I can go 2-3 years at the private schools for the price of 1 year at the state university. I need to clarify that I was only able to attend private school back then because my mom worked there.</p>
<p>How can private schools give enough aid, while state schools give nothing? (except student loans)</p>
<p>Believe it or not, ever since that last financial aid package came out, I am having a hard time sleeping. I am just having anxiety dreams.</p>
<p>Yep, I don’t understand the question either. </p>
<p>PLUS, my son won a national merit scholarship-$2000 per year woo hoo (!) and, most of the schools where he applied and was accepted to, don’t give a lot of merit aid because ALL of the kids are national merit. So is it worth it to you to cry about not having national merit status since you already got aid for the private schools?</p>
<p>Maybe you are too immature to attend a university if you are letting your classmates run your life? Who cares what they think and say! You got money to attend a university, be happy! Most kids don’t get squat!!! </p>
<p>The public universities DON’T have money because they are public, and they rely on taxes from the good people of your state-which is not a lot of money. That a lot of good students go to those public universities, take advantage of the limited courses but create good programs, is a product of not having the means to go to private schools. That’s why OOS students can’t get in without paying a lot of money.</p>
<p>The private universities have alumni who DONATE money. Go to the private, or take a gap year to mature a little. </p>
<p>Stop stressing about what other people think! What does it matter where others think you should be going? It’s your life. You are heading into adulthood and adulthood means making the best choices for yourself and your family. If the private LAC gave you enough money to attend comfortably, fantastic! Grab it up and enjoy an education absent from financial woes. If the states are too expensive than let them go. </p>
<p>Go to the private and graduate with the least amount of debt you can afford. I wouldn’t worry about your friends.
Just tell them that the private schools fits your needs better than the big “U”. It will be okay.</p>
<p>Just pick the school that fit you the best and is affordable. May it be private or public. There is nothing to do with what your friends think. My D has declined an oos public which is twice as expensive as a top private school in the same state (which she also declined) after FA. You know the best why you choose a certain school, and my D is happy to go to the in state flagship at around the same cost as the top private.</p>
<p>Personally, I’d handle it by being honest. There’s no shame in you not being able to afford college tuition or wishing to avoid a bunch of loans. My guess is lots of those kids who are right now making you feel bad will be in debt up to their eyeballs. Telling them the truth should get them to back off and it might even make some of them think twice before they sign on the dotted line to multiple decades of indentured servitude if that was the path they were headed on. </p>
<p>Life’s too short to worry about what the rest of the world thinks of your decisions.</p>
<p>Texas public universities do not seem to be too great with need-based aid, based on their net price calculator results. If you would be paying list price, then they are relative low cost for Texas residents, but middle to lower income families may not get the financial aid needed to bring them down to affordability range (those in commuting range of one that the student can get admitted to may be able to stretch to barely afford it by commuting to it).</p>
<p>Be glad you did find some school willing to offer enough aid to be affordable.</p>
<p>Many state schools, my state’s in that bunch, will meet full need in terms of tuition and fees. With your EFC, you’d MAYBE get some state funds, but just as you do not qualify for PELL you would not get any grants from the state schools as the your EFC is greater than the tuition and fees component. I don’t think Texas is much different in that regard. This makes sense–why should tax payers be subsidizing your room and board and other discretionary costs? You commute to college, is the answer.</p>
<p>Privates may come up with more and have more leeway, so yes, you could end up paying less for a private school. My son got a full tuition remission at a local private but he would have had to pay for community college here had he chosen that route as they weren’t giving out anything. So this is not unusual.</p>
<p>Whether you skipped a year or held back or neither or both, is done. No use looking back. Sometimes you win on these things, sometimes you lose. I wouldn’t even look back for the “what ifs”. A lot of that is pure chance, and even if you go with the odds, it could happen you go against them, and you lose out anyways. Let it go. </p>
<p>Try to not let your classmates bother you about your choice. Be proud of your accomplishment. No debt is so important especially if you want to go to graduate school. My husband and I graduated with no debt after undergraduate and graduate school and immediately after graduation and lining up jobs went into buying a house. Then we could start raising a family. I can’t tell you the horror stories of colleagues battling huge debt and being unable to start their adult life chapter. Now, we are totally debt free (no mortgage, no car loans) and totally focused on putting our kids through college debt free, God willing. Be excited! Your bright future is ahead of you!</p>
<p>You need to develop a standard response to anyone who comments negatively about your college choice, a response that will shut down any idea that you’re settling for less, say, “Oh, I think I’ll be much happier LAC, with its small classes and individualized attention. I hear some classes at _______ can have ______ students in them. That’s just not for me. I’m really excited about the ______ at LAC1 and the ________ at LAC2–which do you think I should choose?” If you do this right, some of those friends will start wondering if THEY made a poor choice! </p>
<p>Believe it or not, there are plenty of students who would hate the idea of a giant state school and leap at the chance to attend an LAC, so it’s ridiculous to feel or act like you’re a second class citizen. Once you’ve selected your LAC, attended accepted students day and joined the freshman Facebook group, you’ll get excited about the school and all your negative feelings with drain away.</p>
<p>High school students have a VERY limited experience with colleges. They know universities with big football teams, the 2-3 they applied to, and if there are a bunch around where they live they’ll know those, but that’s it. In short, their judgement is likely based on ignorance, if not prejudice (“if it has no football team I know of, it can’t be a good college” ! I’m sure you know a couple kids who think like that :D)<br>
How many of your friends and relatives have heard of Pomona? Williams? Tufts? Macalester? Lehigh? Whitman? Northeastern? Wellesley? USC? (make a test next time someone asks you and only consider someone’s opinion of your college to have any value if they can tell you something about 6+ of these.) All of these are top-notch universities ranked above UT – yes most of your classmates wouldn’t know them; the people who matter ( your future employers, grad schools) WILL know them.</p>
<p>What schools were you admitted to?</p>
<p>As for your state’s failure to provide you with sufficient financial aid: Texas is not very good for lower income and even lower middle class families. It gaps them all the time (although they may get a loan on top of their federal loans). Rather than getting upset, get into a field where you may be able to affect the issue of college aid for lower middle class students or become an activist on behalf of all students who have been affected. Turn your feelings into something useful to all.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone. I feel much better. Funny thing is too, when I first started looking at colleges, I said no way to any school with big football or football atmosphere. But when, once I got in to A&M and UT Austin, everyone else was so excited for me, that I started feeling like I needed to be there. Would you believe I know a doctor we see whose child had to go to a local other UT for a year to get in to UT Austin and he did just that, because the only place ever that he wanted to go to was UT Austin? It would seem to me that it makes so little sense to start at a school with the intent to transfer, with no consideration to other schools. I know being “capped” or even “Blinn-in” is popular, but to me, I cannot see starting out and paying for another college without considering anything. I am lucky to have these merit scholarships to these other schools. I guess I was just upset when I posted this because I had been up half the night feeling bad about it. When the doctor tells me her son is so desperate to go to UT Austin that he chose to spend a year going to UT Arlington knowing he would transfer at the end of the year, it just feels like I am giving up something that must be so big that so many people are falling all over themselves.</p>
<p>I spent a lot of time since I made that post going over the college catalog to the school I will be at and I am very excited now. And they have their course schedule for fall so I can now see what I will be doing in the fall.</p>
<p>Thank you so much everyone for cheering me up. Oh, and these same people never heard of Swarthmore or Williams…I asked. So that helped! Thank you!</p>
<p>When my D was in high school, everyone went to University of Michigan. She didn’t even apply. As it turned out, she went to a private school for less than she would have paid at UM - so I understand how that works. You felt bad because you did apply & chose not to go (it was easier for her, since she never applied!). I am glad to know that you are feeling better about your choice. Oh, and … Swarthmore and Williams?! Those are FABULOUS schools! Don’t let the folks who haven’t heard of them make you feel any less awesome about having them as choices. :)</p>
<p>Wait… are you saying your choices are Swarthmore or Williams? Sheesh. Leave those know-nothings behind and go get a GREAT education and have a GREAT time! Do not give their provincial ill-informed natterings one more second of your time. Congratulations!</p>
<p>Heck, even I’ve heard of Swarthmore and Williams (more Williams) and I don’t even ‘believe in LACs’. Those are simply very well thought of schools, LAC or not. </p>
<p>(Clarification, the only problem I have with LAC’s is the notion some seem to have that ONLY LAC’s ‘change lives’. ALL colleges ‘change lives’. That is why people go to college…)</p>
<p>Short answer…“ENDOWMENT per STUDENT”.
The LAC’s you were admitted to, and I read mentions of “SWARTH and WILL” can afford to cover 100% of your demonstrated need, but UT Austin can not afford to do that, least they go bankrupt.
Again, it seems like your peers need some update on American college systems. If they have not heard of Swarth or Will, someone needs to have a talk with the guidance councelor at your school.
Both schools are ranked consistently higher in all aspects than UT austin, atleast at the bachelors level, since thats the only comparison level that would seem appropriate.
If you have offers from SWARTH or WILL… including a financila package that you are happy with, either school will be an excellent choice. and just realized that… “YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED”, go out celebrate with your friends and family.
BEST OF LUCK.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this belief, and the related “all LACs are always better for all undergraduate students” belief sometimes leads to students applying to LACs because they are LACs, without otherwise considering how well they fit. The result is some of the threads where the student is choosing between a big non-LAC school with the major(s) s/he is interested in and a LAC that s/he likes better but does not have the desired major(s) or is weak in them, a problem that could have been avoided by choosing different LACs to apply to in the first place that were better in the desired major(s).</p>
<p>I think people are jumping to conclusions about her getting into those particular colleges–someone just mentioned that the know it all friends may not have herd of these. She mentions Austin College v Trinity U in another thread.</p>