I need some last-minute advice.

College Search & Selection
1

<p>The final application deadlines are looming, and I still don't have my college list finalized. I have asked for help numerous times on this forum, and everyone has been very helpful at giving me suggestions.</p>

<p>I applied EA to UChicago and Case Western. I also applied to Ohio State University. I am an Ohio resident. I'm still planning on applying to Ohio Wesleyan University and Kenyon College. After that, I really don't know.</p>

<p>UChicago is my dream school. It's in the city, it's really focused on academics, its Econ program is stellar (I'm going to be studying Economics), and it has everything I could want in a college. But I know that dreams are often in sharp contrast with reality. My parents will not be contributing to my education. Their annual income is about $70,000. I can expect some financial aid, but I'll be a long way from getting anything close to full tuition at UChicago. While I really want to go there, it might not be financially feasible. And I have to be accepted. I'll find out in December.</p>

<p>Case Western is my matchy Ohio school that's kind of similar to UChicago. It's also in the city, but that area of Cleveland is rather sketchy, and it has nothing on Hyde Park. I have visited the campus (my only college visit), and I can see myself going there. While it's not my top choice, I'm very pleased with what I saw on my visit. According to students with whom I talked on my visit, I can expect about $22,000 in merit money. I'm not sure how much need-based aid I'd get on top of that.</p>

<p>I applied to Ohio State because I have to apply there. It's probably the best value I can see as far as colleges go. I'm definitely competitive for the full range of scholarships at OSU. While I don't really like big schools, OSU is in a great city, and there are plenty of opportunities on a campus with 50,000 students. This is really the only college choice my parents support.</p>

<p>I'm working on my applications to OWU and Kenyon right now. I like Kenyon because it's small and undergrad-focused. It's my Ohio equivalent of Amherst, which my parents vetoed because they said it was too far away. Kenyon is also very academic, and it attracts students from all over the country. I'm not sure about Kenyon's aid, but I assume that it would be similar to that of UChicago, or perhaps slightly worse. I can't really see this one being economically feasible, but I could live with Kenyon if turns out to be a good choice. I don't really mind its rural locale since I now live in a town smaller than Gambier, but I'd really prefer a city. OWU is there just because. I received a scholarship from OWU as a freshman in high school, but I don't think I can use it because of my choice of major. In any case, I should qualify for some scholarships from OWU.</p>

<p>I had planned on applying to Bucknell, but I'm not sure that's a good idea. It's far from home (probably a 9-hour drive) and doesn't have a really good financial aid policy. I've liked most of what I've read about the school, but its $65 application fee and bad financial aid prospects make me second-guess this choice. What should I do about this one?</p>

<p>I think I might like to add a few safer choices to my list. Here are my stats:</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 Unweighted
High School: Rural, non-competitive. No AP/IB/honors courses offered
Coursework: Most demanding possible
ACT: 33 (35 E, 33 M, 36 R, 29 S, 8 Essay)
SAT: 2110 (720 CR, 680 M, 710 W, 10 Essay)
SAT II: Lit 600 (eek!!), Spanish w/out Listening 640 (eek!!), Math 2 730 (eek!!)
I don't really like my SAT I or SAT II scores, but I'm not retaking either.
ECs: Quiz Team, mock trial, Concert/Pep/Jazz Band, piano competitions, part-time office job -- Not spectacular, but definitely not horrible.</p>

<p>I'm thinking I should maybe add Miami University or Capital University. I need to find a school where I'm guaranteed some better aid. I don't want to be a 99th percentile student who can't attend college affordably.</p>

<p>I'd really appreciate any suggestions. I have to try to keep my choices as close to home as possible, since my parents (through dozens of arguments) have made it quite clear that they will have no support for me if I go far away. Their dream is for me to attend the local community college for two years and then transfer to the University of Toledo, since I could commute to both. I've decided that's not a very good option for me, since I want to have a liberal arts major. I can probably live with any college choice, since my high school is severely lacking in just about everything.</p>

<p>Thank you for reading my wordy post.</p>

2

<p>"Their dream is for me to attend the local community college for two years and then transfer to the University of Toledo, since I could commute to both. I've decided that's not a very good option for me, since I want to have a liberal arts major."</p>

<p>You need to have a long hard talk with your parents about this. There may be some really big money issues that you aren't really aware of yet. Have you read absolutely everything in the Financial Aid Forum? Have you sat down with your parents and last year's tax returns, and run any of the FAFSA calculators (start with the one at FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans )?</p>

<p>You might also want to take the time to work your way through momfromtexas' thread:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=momfromtexas%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=momfromtexas&lt;/a>
You'll find lots of good stuff about merit aid there.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for your advice. I've tried MANY, MANY times to talk with my parents about this. I know their financial situation quite well, as I've already filled out the CSS/PROFILE. But their position never changes. I suspect that there are some ulterior motives to keeping me at home. But I'm not really sure what they are.</p>

<p>I've done the finaid calculators. My EFC will be about $10,000 per year if they're accurate. Since my parents have said they'll contribute nothing to tuition, that's a problem.</p>

<p>My parents aren't really hard-up for money. They make $70,000 per year, and the cost of living in my area is extremely low. (My house is a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom with a 2-car garage on a half acre of land. It's valued at $120,000, and my parents purchased it for only $60,000 back in the 80s). They own their home and have relatively little debt. But they've said that they won't contribute to my education. That's just the custom in their families. My mom never went to college because she didn't have the money, and her parents wouldn't pay for it. My dad went to a technical school. They just don't really have any experience with four-year schools.</p>

<p>I'll comb the financial aid threads again. Thanks your help.</p>

4

<p>Definitely check into Miami - you should get good aid there. If you are a NMF then Denison would also be great - full tuition with the Pascal Carter scholarship. It's pretty much a direct competitor to Kenyon (but a half step down academically). DD1 loves it there.</p>

5

<p>Eh, I'm not NMF though. It really limits what I can get. I'm just Commended.</p>

6

<p>Perhaps I should make my position a little more clear.</p>

<p>I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

7

<p>Just a bit of perspective . . . </p>

<p>Your parents probably need to make retirement savings their highest priority. An income of $70,000 a year is not a lot of money if a kid needs many thousands for college. You are fortunate that they have been clear about this from the get-go.</p>

<p>Good luck!!</p>

8

<p>"I've done the finaid calculators. My EFC will be about $10,000 per year if they're accurate. Since my parents have said they'll contribute nothing to tuition, that's a problem."</p>

<p>You are correct, the colleges and universities will expect that you can come up with 10k a year, but you probably can't. Your parents have been completely straight with you about how much they are going to pay. They can't help you with tuition and fees, but if you find a place that you can commute to, it sounds like they will keep feeding you and housing you. Some parents aren't even willing/able to do that much! </p>

<p>You have to accept that you need to find a school that you can afford on your own. You aren't the only person in your situation. You do have lots of options.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>

9

<p>I agree that Miami University of Ohio would be a great option for you. It caught my attention on the Business Week Top 50 Undergraduate Business programs... I think it is somewhere around 20. Anyway, I have a daughter at Bucknell and another daughter who is a junior in HS. My younger daughter loves Bucknell but we are researching other options with good business/econ programs. Miami definitely has some similar qualities to Bucknell and as an Ohio resident, the tuition is much more affordable! </p>

<p>However, I wouldn't hesitate to give Bucknell a shot to see what type of FA package you are offered.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you.</p>

10

<p>I know how you feel. Live in Ohio also and finding it impossible to add any options other than OSU and Kent, (eek). I've missed some Dec 1 deadlines because I can't decide. I, too, live in a very rural area, noncompetitive school with only 3 APs and no honors (only something they call "enriched", whatever that means, I certainly wasn't enriched when I took them). Estimated EFC is between 6-7000, which I don't have and which will be a hardship for my parents (not to mention housing). I don't want loans and don't want my parents to have them either. </p>

<p>There are some good private schools somewhat close by - Wooster is about 1/2 hr away, but I can't see their aid being enough to get me by (my scores are good, but not as good as yours). Miami is a good school, but not really interested in it, can't quite stomach the preppy thing and the partying! lol! I already know Kenyon is far out of reach $$ wise. </p>

<p>So at least I pinned it down to staying closer to home to reduce costs, although will probably have to live on campus and the driving here can get very bad in the winter if I commute. My parents are kind of the opposite, they would prefer I NOT go to community college or one of the regional campuses because I do very well in school and they would like me to have different opportunities than they did (they are both very bright but had no choice other than Kent due to cost, plus when they graduated scholarships were few and far between). But they also can't really afford a good private school due to the economy stuff, even with pretty good aid. I have a feeling I'm going to end up a Golden Flash (Kent) and regret it for the rest of my life. Sometimes it feels like I did all of my hard work for nothing and I could have just slacked off. The great grades and good scores are getting me nowhere fast.</p>

<p>Know how you feel...</p>