<p>All through this process, I've tried to stay out of "pushing" my daughter to apply or not apply anywhere (with exception of financial safety). But now that she has most of her apps in (all RD), I'm starting to panic that she'll get accepted to many but not get aid. She's applied to 8 SLACs and 1 in-state flagship. There are only 3 SLACs where she is comfortably above their middle 50% stats, which seems to be the trick for getting decent aid. And two of those don't have great endowments.</p>
<p>Sooo, cutting to the chase here, she recently got a "VIP application" offer from Ursinus, which had been on her short list, but she took off for pretty minor reasons. Her stats are above their average. The VIP app allows her to apply at no cost and get a decision in 4 weeks, plus from what I've read elsewhere on CC, may lead to a big enough scholarship to "save" her from state u. So I've convinced her to apply there. </p>
<p>In my research, it turned out another school she eliminated from the short list is known for good financial aid (Beloit, where she is also above the averages), so now I've convinced her to apply there. No more, I promise! Have I gone over the edge yet? Anyone else in full blown panic mode?</p>
<p>Remember, what happens if you get a great aid package from one of these colleges? Why were they eliminated in the first round? Would she be willing to attend? How would you feel if she got accepted, got great aid, but didn’t want to attend? Is anything fair game if it costs the same or less than the public even if one of these last minutes is less expensive than one of the early apps? I think if you can answer those questions, then you might have your answer.</p>
<p>It is prudent to apply to at least one financial safety school – but it isn’t a financial safety unless it is almost assured she’ll get in, definitely within your financial reach, and one she is willing to attend. </p>
<p>If you haven’t already sat down with her and been very clear about how much out-of-pocket expenses you (and her mother?) are able to handle annually, you should. It is far better for her to hear right now that your family can only afford $21,000 (or whatever the number is) per year, and that any college whose cost of attendance less the cost of gift aid less some modest Stafford loans is not affordable, and she’ll need to make a different choice.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys, I’m not absolutely sure she’d attend either of these “new” apps over state u (and definitely not over the previously applied SLACs if they had equal or better aid). Neither is binding, even though the Ursinus app is early action. She would certainly have to visit and find out more. I approached it this way: “If you think there’s a good chance you’d be happier at Ursinus or Beloit than state u, you might as well apply and see what they offer compared to the others.” And yes, good question as to why they she eliminated them from her list earlier. In both cases, the dance programs sounded less suited to her than the schools she kept. And the dance program would probably be better at state u. But she wants to double major in dance and biology and is not looking forward to the thought of huge bio lectures at state u vs small bio seminars at the SLACs. If it comes down to Ursinus or Beloit with nice aid vs. state u, she will have to decide what the most important factors are.</p>
<p>arabrab, very well put “any college whose cost of attendance less the cost of gift aid less some modest Stafford loans is not affordable.” My husband (I’m the mom!) and I have discussed exactly this. We haven’t made any absolute number decisions, but have set some bounds. We haven’t told daughter any definite amounts, but she definitely knows that we can’t afford any of the SLACs outright and that she will need good aid packages. And on the financial safety, I agree with your criteria. She is almost assured acceptance, it is doable even with zero aid, and she is willing (but not enthusiastically so) to attend.</p>
<p>I think one reason I’m in panic is because I feel at fault for getting her hopes up with visits to the SLACs and discussing with her how great they are. It’s only after finding CC that I realize financial aid might be a lot less than I had assumed. So, feeling both stupid and guilty, I want to “fix” things by potentially giving her a few more options. I did rein myself in from suggesting some other schools that showed up on “good value” lists, but that I knew were not right for her even if they were very generous.</p>
<p>In order to create some transparency where there is not much. S received $20K from Ursinus but it said he was in the top 10% of applicants. Not sure if that helps you. Unfortunately it seems that one must receive the top merit award at many of these schools to even approach your in-state tuition flagship. I don’t think it comes close to ours. So, you might want to add some more to your list, but I would look where gpa & test scores put your D in the top 10 or 20%.</p>
<p>PROFILE OF 2009-10 FINANCIAL AID Freshmen, URSINUS COLLEGE </p>
<p>Financial Aid Applicants 457 (89.8%) of freshmen
Found to Have Financial Need 362 (79.2%) of applicants
Received Financial Aid 362 (100.0%) of applicants with financial need
Need Fully Met 86 (23.8%) of aid recipients
Average Percent of Need Met 84%
Average Award $29,053
Need-Based Gift Received by 362 (100.0%) of aid recipients, average amount $25,319
Need-Based Self-Help Received by 296 (81.8%) of aid recipients, average amount $4,566
Merit-Based Gift Received by 60 (16.6%) of aid recipients
Merit-Based Gift Received by 118 (23.2%) of freshmen without need, average amount $14,688 </p>
<p>23.8% of incoming freshmen had their need fully met.
Average Gift Aid was $25,319, their Cost of Attendance is over 50k. </p>
<p>Sometimes these FA stats can give you an insight, of course the colleges report them!</p>
<p>As I just posted on another thread, I can truly sympathize. While my kid didn’t apply early decision, all of his eggs are in LAC baskets. I was letting him direct his own search and stupidly wasn’t really living in reality. I didn’t realize the out-of-state state school deadlines for out-of-state merit programs (like WUE) were so early, and now we can’t apply to or apply for merit aid at many of them. </p>
<p>We are scrambling to figure out options this weekend (hence my studying this board) and trying to see what schools will still take stuff by 1/15 – even if we can’t scores there on time or the like. (I amazed how many schools don’t take scores reported on the official school transcripts! Thankfully most state schools don’t require letters of rec!). </p>
<p>snoozn and nicekidsmom, Just wanted to let you know I sympathize. Two years ago, when we were going through this, my D applied to 4 LACs and, at my absolute insistence, a state school. We had done little/no research on scholarships and aid at the colleges, and had no backup plan if the LACs fell through. (As it turned out, the UC was NOT a good Plan B, since it offered a miniscule grant and nothing else.) D ended up with only one viable option, which fortunately was her Number 1 choice and offered good, but not great, grants and scholarships. So paying for college is turning out not to be easy, but doable. </p>
<p>But – I’m a firm believer that things happen as they are meant to, even if we don’t understand it or like it at the time. On those nights when I was lying awake in a cold sweat, I reminded myself that if D couldn’t go to any of the colleges she’d applied for, she would take a different path to the place she was going, and undoubtedly learn a great deal about life along the way. It was something for me to hang onto until everything finally got settled in April. </p>
<p>Having said that, I certainly wish I’d found a few more schools at which she would have had an excellent chance of significant aid. Even if they weren’t her top choices, a college she could afford to attend is better than no college at all. If you still have time to jam in some last-minute applications, I’d do so – it will help you sleep better over the next few months. And just hold onto this thought: No matter what, your kids will be OK in the end. Good luck to you both!</p>
<p>@OP, my D had many schools on her list, and at some point I realized that she didn’t really have a conventional financial safety since she didn’t have any state U’s there. Looking closer, I realized that Ursinus (already on her list) would be her financial safety. </p>
<p>Relying on private schools for merit aid is always a bit risky, but Ursinus did come through in a big way. She ended up enrolling somewhere else, because she had several affordable options although Ursinus would have been the most affordable. I am very grateful, both for her options, and for Ursinus - which could have easily been the school she attended and I’m sure they would have educated her well.</p>
<p>BTW, she applied a bit earlier, and also got a VIP invitation so they didn’t require an essay. They said they made scholarship decisions in February (this was last year) so she sent in supplemental writing samples before then and an artist’s portfolio on CD. Have your D throw anything valuable at them, it can only help!</p>
<p>Some small private schools’ deadlines are soft; they’re happy to get an app from an applicant they really want as long as it’s not too late to process. If you’re just a bit late, call and ask. But I know it’s quite late now.</p>
<p>I’m another big advocate of kids having affordable choices to pick from. Even if she thinks those last minute schools aren’t her top choices, what she wants may change by the time the decision deadline rolls around. Plus, if she is offered good merit $s that may raise her opinions of the schools. We all love to be loved!</p>
<p>I found a great website posted on CC yesterday: [MeritAid.com:</a> Search Merit Scholarships, Academic Scholarships, Merit Awards - Merit Aid - Search](<a href=“http://www.meritaid.com%5DMeritAid.com:”>http://www.meritaid.com). I just started looking at it but am finding it very informative. It can’t help if you missed deadlines, but it is a good resource for you.</p>
<p>Remember, there are many, many worse things than taking a gap year, and reapplying in the fall to more appropriate schools. The extra year of maturing can make a big difference, and the activities during the gap year may also provide some clarity on possible courses of study.</p>
<p>My eldest received one of these applications, completed it, was wowed by the merit aid, and now 2.5 years later, we’re paying more than we would have if he would have matriculated to a higher ranked school with an initial larger gap between COA & merit/need aid/EFC.</p>
<p>Some questions you need to ask the financial aid office regarding merit aid:</p>
<ol>
<li>Is the award the same for each year?</li>
<li>Is tuition frozen for current students or does it increase each year while the merit aid remains the same?</li>
<li>Is there an annual credit cap attached to the merit scholarship?</li>
<li>Will outside scholarships reduce merit or institution aid?</li>
<li>Are department awards renewable? If so, does the amount stay the same over 4 years?</li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks so much for all the input, including more specifics and past experiences with Ursinus. It’s also nice to know I’m not alone in having made some mis-steps with my first college-bound kid. Good luck to you, nicekidsmom as we both struggle through this strange new territory! LasMa, thanks for reminding me that in the great scheme of things this will probably turn out just fine. vossron, I noticed that Beloit has the “soft” deadline. They do have a deadline, but say they will continue taking apps until they are full. I’m definitely going to check out that merit aid link to see if any new colleges materialize.</p>
<p>Well, I feel better now about pushing these extra options and my daughter is pretty much in agreement. She’s just tired of looking at the common app website! I see the snow is coming down hard outside, so it looks like a great Sunday to finish up planned and new applications!</p>