<p>weenie, That is very fair, and at least a freshman who did not get the required gpa, for whatever reasons, isn't going to cause parents to either say, "Leave the college, or we will have nothing left for our retirement". None of the schools that gave merit aid to my son offered a "consolation prize". Only one offered a semester grace period to pull up the gpa. As you know, my S opted for the oos choice based on preference, and pressure from us to keep that merit money.</p>
<p>Cello, you said
[quote]
...I see now that my view of "need" is different from yours.
[/quote]
.</p>
<p>Actually, our views are probably the same. For us, it was a matter of want (or choice), not necessarily need ... although, I fit into just about all the categories described above, e.g. live in a high cost of living area, didn't always make as much as I do now and had no opportunity to build a huge nest egg ... plus a couple others, e.g single parent, health problem that could make working at my pace impossible in a few years. </p>
<p>I agree with the poster who said we've beat up on you enough already! And, I would just like to add that I think it's wonderful that you're open to other points of view.</p>
<p>curmudgeon and st2 ............i just about fell off my chair this morning when i read your posts:) it's a good thing i wasn't drinking hot coffee but an iced latte instead! your posts brought a smile to my face and the warm memories of all our many merit aid conversations. i couldn't have found a couple of more sincere, helpful mentors in our search for merit aid for my d. as cur and st2 know........my d ended up selecting a need based school but did receive merit aid offers from multiple schools (many tens of thousands of dollars). i had many, many questions on merit aid, financial aid, college selection, etc. and they and others here on cc helped immensely. my d's list of schools included both public and private. she was looking for the right fit for both academics and to continue to play her sport at the collegiate level. undoubtedly, offers of merit aid from some schools played a role in her considering them when she otherwise, likely, would have not. as a national merit finalist, she received offers of full rides or full tuitions at a number of schools across the country. offers of merit aid to pay partial tuition were received from a number of private schools. i did get the feeling though at those particular private schools that the larger awards went to students that either had more "need" or who had higher test scores, etc. it's my understanding that schools will offer the highest merit aid awards to the students that they most wish to enroll. to celloguy - I do not agree with your position on merit aid. Why should the dollar amount of merit aid that my d or anyone else's child receive be based solely on need? If it's aid based on need...........call it need based aid...........do not call it merit aid. </p>
<p>The "larger picture" is that parents and students do shop around and compare financial aid packages. When they are receiving lesser amounts of merit aid at one school over another..........this means that they will consider dropping that school from their list. In my d's case, the privates that offered the lower amounts of merit aid.........were dropped and not in the final lists of schools that she considered. There is indeed competition among the schools to attract top students............and awarding merit aid is a way to help schools to compete in a competitive arena where there are many, many schools hoping to enroll the very top students from across the country.</p>
<p>I believe that there are two very distinct situations here. The first is the philosophical "ideal situation". I am sure that most of us would support this in an ideal world. This situation would allow every student to attend their school of choice, provided they were qualified. Unfortunately this scenario also mandates an unrealistic increase in the funds available for higher education. Even under this scenario, merit comes into play in determining who is or is not qualified for a particular school.</p>
<p>The second is the practical or "realistic situation". This directly effects all parents and students. Simply put - what is it going to cost to attend a given school and how am I going to come up with the funds? This is something that everyone should begin thinking about at the start of high school. There are various alternatives a) be rich (not very realistic for most people); b) be poor (not very pleasant if there is a choice; c) be middle class (realistic, but possibly painful) and then 1) take out loans (not the best option) 2) attend a less expensive school (not always ideal 3) mortgage the parents retirement funds (not something I would care to do 4) set a goal & work 4 years to accomplish it along with applying for every scholarship possible (works for me). I am sure that there are other alternatives, but as a member of the middle class I did not find any others that worked.</p>
<p>As condor previously stated "schools compete for the top students". In our economic system competition drives the engine. Schools realize that attracting top students improves their campus atmosphere and is beneficial to all students. It also builds on itself - the presence of additional top students tends to attract even more top students to apply. I see this as a judicious use of a schools resources which benefits both the school and the students. As I previously stated, merit aid made attendance at top schools realistic for our family. While I agree that an ideal world would be "ideal", I also realize it is not realistic. Given that situation, I would not deprive my kids of something they worked very hard for.</p>
<p>northeastmom,</p>
<p>Not every school requires a that a minimum GPA be maintained. In the case of my daughter (full ride at a top 15 university), no minimum GPA is required. Their experience has been that the students they have chosen for their scholars programs have not abused this policy. They mentor participants closely and take corrective action at the first sign of possible problems. We have been very happy with the situation.</p>
<p>ST2, I have heard of this. My son, unfortunately, did not see any such merit aid. I wish that we had, b/c even receiving some nice awards left us feeling uncomfortable about the possibility of it being lost. In your experience are such awards reserved for students with very superior stats? I have not heard of a B+/1300 (old sat) student getting this type of merit award, but that definitely does not mean that it does not exist.</p>