<p>If ASU is “good enough” then just take the money and enjoy life at ASU without debt.</p>
<p>And can someone please alter “idealic” to “ideal” or “idyllic”? Many thanks.</p>
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That’s a good question. I’m sure that parents willing to pay for Wesleyan in that situation are overrepresented here, just as kids looking for highly selective schools are overrepresented in other forums here, like the Chances forum. But note that on this thread, those telling OP to take ASU’s money greatly outnumbered those of us who questioned whether that was the best course. So why the strong negative reaction to a minority view?</p>
<p>OK, that’s a real scholarship, and not designated for tuition either, so it does stack. Though it is for Arizona residents only, supposedly. They might have made an exception. It is a free ride after all. My apologies. But why couldn’t the poster just say so? And not necessarily reveal details about the scholarship that reveal religious affiliation if he doesn’t want to relinquish privacy. Just a yes/no would have been sufficient. Truly I wasn’t prying and sincere in just wanting others not to think these free rides are common. They are rare and it is a terrific deal if the son is interested.</p>
<p>But now knowing that, there is a poster on ASU forum who claims there is a large active LDS group at ASU. I have no personal knowldge about it. That adds a dimension to things in terms of possibly fitting into the school easily despite its size. Are there similar groups at the other choices, and is this important to the student?</p>
<p>lstt: because a kid who applies to Grinnell and Wesleyan, plus Lawrence as a safety, will certainly find peers at Barrett, but may well be miserable at ASU. Hence the need for overnight visits, which were suggested. OP’s son may well love Barrett… or hate the university it’s part of.
In addition, because the thread is reacting to the OP’s apparently sufficient funds, the forum makeup or the realities of most simply don’t apply - when giving advice to a parent who has $60,000X4 and can either spend it or save the money if his son goes to ASU/Barrett, advice here is very different from advice to a parent who has $20,000.
Finally, there’s always the crucial issue of what the kid was told.
All those elements are important factors. </p>
<p>Although I told him to take the money, if the kid really didn’t care and didn’t distinguish between Lawrence and Wes, I am still on the list of evil posters because I characterize accepting–even expecting–dishonesty as finding lying acceptable. Well, I’ll plead guilty to that.</p>
<p>Consolation, I don’t see how we can both be evil, since I don’t much care if he was telling the truth or not.</p>
<p>Don’t you (generic) think that often people come in asking questions and not giving the whole story not just bc they are trying to protect their “privacy” but also because they themselves may not actually know what all is relevant? Or may not yet understand the difference between full-ride and tuition or how loose language makes advice more difficult? They think black and white and the experienced CC’rs see a thousand shades of grey. </p>
<p>
This is very true, and we should be aware that not everybody is steeped in this stuff. Still, when this happens, the person should answer questions rather than taking umbrage at them, at least if he really wants advice. If somebody doesn’t want advice, but just wants a debate, that’s OK with me, too. But one thing you’re just not going to get here is everybody agreeing with you, unless your position is totally non-controversial. And I’ve seen few topics that were totally non-controversial.</p>
<p>TempeMom, you are a generous soul. And you are likely right. </p>
<p>I haven’t read the whole thread, but I want to say something on behalf of the OP, who is being told she is a “jerk” and “monumentally unfair” to her kid for allowing him to apply to colleges she now can’t afford. I don’t think that’s fair. I let my daughter apply to any colleges she wanted because there really was no way to know <em>exactly</em> how much any of these schools were going to cost until the merit and FA packages arrived. Yes, I always cautioned her that she would not be able to attend a pricey private at full-pay. But of course I let her apply, because you never know how generous a college might be in the end.</p>
<p>lstt: for the record, I wasn’t thinking of ASu’s reputation, but rather its reality as a huge campus with tons of people. It’s just so totally different from a small northern LAC…
(I actually said Barrett insulated students from the less savory aspects of ASU.)</p>
<p>I realize Op may not have understood the difference between full ride and full tuition, but some questions were asked, not aggressively, and received no answer. This I think led to the idea OP was fudging the truth since most posters tend to answer these questions due to their impact on advice given (and usefulness of advice).</p>
<p>
That’s what you get for not reading the whole thread, because that isn’t happened here.</p>
<p>If the OP’s son does have that LDS scholarship(not clear, are we still talking to OP under another name or is this someone else?), my very first comment on this thread is still relevant.The scholarship is not departmental, but it does require STEM/music major. If the son changes his major, he might well lose the $15K/yr part of money. Something for OP to keep in mind, though it might not be deciding factor.</p>
<p>For the record, I have a child at ASU and we are OOS, so we’re among those who opted to take the money and attend a lower-ranked school. Though my D was not forced into it, made that decision totally on her own. She had other choices, not Ivy, but top 20, and one parent, as well as all the kids in her HS begging her to take one of them.</p>
<p>In case OP is still reading.</p>
<p>At ASU, the required ‘human event’ sequence(2 semesters) is taught in classrooms that are in Barrett. The profs who teach them have their offices there, are a part of Barrett. In my D’s case, at least, the prof she had first semester reserved spaces for her students to sign up for her class 2nd semester.</p>
<p>Most of the other honors classes are taught all over campus, but the sequences will often be taught by one professor over the year with many of the same students in the class throughout. This happens more often in small majors where there are few sections of courses, and can be the case even in non-honors sections. The basic physics sequence for majors is 2 semesters, not honors but small class size and same prof all year. Alternatively, there is an honors section of physics next level down that has same prof all year.They are careful to assign the best profs to teach these classes. And small sections, so no TAs. In small honors sections of classes that would normally have a recitation with TA for non-honors version, the prof will typically run that as an extra class period that he/she teaches. But this may vary with major.</p>
<p>“I would add that in terms of constructing a list of schools this family did everything right according to most measures.”</p>
<p>I would want a student whose first choices are all LACs, and whose parents are very interested in a full ride or full-tuition scholarship, to include smaller financial safeties than ASU. Maybe the kid will love the atmosphere at Barrett; maybe he won’t. But when the kid is really leaning in that direction, I’d pursue the merit money over there.</p>
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<p>Not really related to the OP’s question or lack of clarification on several points, but it seems to me that a large school makes for a better safety than a small school. A student attending a safety is likely to be an outlier on the high end of academic ability and motivation; at a large school, there are likely enough such students in absolute numbers to make it worthwhile for faculty to offer honors or other rigorous courses (whether standalone courses or as part of an honors program) for them, but that is less likely to be true at a small school.</p>
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<p>Yes but…sugarski actually said this</p>
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<p>Emphasis mine. In fact, that did NOT happen, because the OP indicated that A) the money was put by already, and B) their financial position had not changed.</p>
<p>Those who lambasted the OP did so because they thought the OP had changed the rules, so to speak, in the middle of the process while not impelled by any circumstances other than buyer’s remorse or second thoughts. Personally, I think the blame was significantly overstated. And, as I pointed out, the OP said that they were laying out the facts and letting the kid choose. </p>
<p>Evil assumer that I am, I originally assumed that the OP was not bending the facts to suit his argument.</p>
<p>
This is fair, but I think some of us interpreted the situation to be that although the kid was told he could choose, the OP was looking for support for the idea that the ASU choice was the obviously correct one–and that this wasn’t what the family understanding was at the beginning of the process. OP did nothing to disabuse me of this notion, although I admit I still could be wrong about it. Perhaps intparent and I could have thrown more “ifs” into what we said, but I still stand by the substance.</p>
<p>So - some on this thread think any family and most students would automatically think the full-tuition scholarship almost a no-brainer. Others don’t. A real difference in perception.</p>
<p>I have been on this board long enough to have seen trends. The trend used to be: send them to the highest ranked college and their future income will more than make up short term deficits. The trend now seems to be: take the scholarship and bank the money for a rainy day. Interesting.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus, I don’t disagree in principle, but I’d want the student to have the opportunity to explore and choose in April. Having just one (gigantic) full-merit option doesn’t allow for that.</p>