<p>Hopkinsmom - Son is interested in finding a few more reachy type schools since his last visits. And I am wanting to keep in mind that we can actually pay up to about 23k or so per year out of pocket ---- that means someplace that meets full need with few loans or significant merit aid, or some of both!
It’s interesting to hear that your D feels like it isn’t overly competitive there cuz that is for sure what we hear about! I may pm you…</p>
<p>Hi OP,</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more. I am more than happy to share with you my daughter’s experience at Hopkins so far. If you are looking for more reachy type of schools, I can also share with you the other schools that my daughter got into last year that are supposed to meet 100% need. One thing to note here is that President Ronald Daniels (Hopkins’ new president as of last year) has made financial aid his top priority. And you can use the Financial Aid calculator on their web site to see what your EFC may look like. Looking forward to chatting with you.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>3.8 uw gpa, 31ACT (has retaken, but hasn’t gotten scores yet) and 2100 SAT - </p>
<p>We do not qualify for federal aid, but have an EFC of about 20k, so at these schools we indeed have “need”.</p>
<p>My concern is with the profile schools where it is less clear how our numbers would be interpreted ---- **in the past we certainly saw a bit of “preferential packaging” **where the school who wants the student gives a very different EFC number derived from the profile, than the school who isn’t all that interested.</p>
<p>We are able to meet our EFC it if is within a couple thousand of the FAFSA number. *</p>
<p>“Preferential packaging” tends to happen to students who have stats that are high for the school…such within the top 10% of applicants.</p>
<p>But that will require half-tuition + at most places. We would like to avoid packaged loans.</p>
<p>This is going to be rather impossible. Only some of the top schools (like HYPS) don’t put loans in FA packages. Most will put maximum federal student loans in FA packages because most schools don’t have the funds to give enough or any free money.</p>
<p>**
This is why we have focused mostly on schools that offer significant merit aid and those where S is toward the top of their applicant range.**</p>
<p>In your child’s case, the only way to avoid loans in the FA package (besides HYPS-like schools) is to get a full tuition (or near full) scholarship somewhere, so that your contribution can pay for room, board, books, etc.</p>
<p>It may be hard to find a full tuition scholarship at a small school. What is more important…small schools or no loans? </p>
<p>A note about bigger schools…one thing that students don’t often consider when they are limiting their choices to small schools. Larger schools can offer the same course at various times and days of the week. This can make it easier to create a desirable schedule. Larger schools can also have different profs teaching the same course…which makes it easier to avoid a prof that you don’t like or has poor ratings on ratemy professor . com<br>
Larger schools also usually have more housing choices and more on campus dining venues…which is important to some kids.</p>
<p>Also, not sure I understand your post where you say your EFC is $20K but you don’t qualify for FA…</p>
<p>she said that they won’t qualify for FEDERAL aid…she means federal grants, since they don’t want loans in their FA packages. </p>
<p>When you have an EFC of $20k, that means no fed grants and no “free money” at many schools…just loans and maybe work study. To get more than that you need either merit scholarships or acceptance at a school that has a lot of free money to give.</p>
<p>another problem is that a number of privates only give about $10k for grants. So, when adding the $20k for EFC, that can leave about $20k uncovered. Some parents commented on that trend last spring when they saw a lot of $10k grants in FA packages. Some wondered if some schools just have a set max amount of $10k per student in need-based grants unless the student was exceptional and a merit scholarship or special grant was added in. </p>
<p>Of course, at schools that meet need without loans, that wouldn’t be an issue.</p>
<p>What is the breakdown of the SAT?</p>
<p>mom2 – yes, you understand the situation. Although I prefer to think of the search as “rather difficult” and not “impossible” 
— hence the thread asking for collective experience and wisdom! Older S, in similar financial conditions, did indeed find a couple of small schools and one larger that offered adequate institutional aid + merit to meet these same $$ needs - so we are hoping this S can re-create that situation. We are specifically looking for schools where he will either be competitive for significant institutional aid + merit, or where full need is met with little / no packaged loan component. CMC, for example, meets need and has no packaged loans.
We are looking for other suggestions along these lines, or recommendation from readers of schools where he may qualify for a high level of merit aid.
SAT breakdown = 780 CR, 660 math, 660 writing. I slightly misremembered in a different post. He is re-taking in October.
So – any school suggestions?</p>
<p>I would thoroughly check the CTCL schools for merit aid, notably Clark and Kalamazoo and Allegheny. The locations may not be perfect but they seem to be wonderful schools. Two years ago they were giving great merit aid, I don’t know what the current situation is.</p>